Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-02-20
1895. on a.e PvTnAs4's sons.

zone moment Let the philosopher
teach you in his own way. With the
criminal it is different. He is matched
against his superior. Those in his own
class do not contend with him. They
are rather his partners, his pals, as
they term it. His only contention, there
fore, is with the detectives who repre-
sent society and the law. No man, /
suppose, is a criminal from choice, and
it is the criminals necessity which
leads to his detection.
"Then all criminals should be
caught?"
"All criminals should be caught.
That they are not is strong argument
against your detective, for every. Grim
inal, we may say, is actuated by neces-
sity, and therein lies the possibility Of
his defeat. For example, you may claim
that the expert burglar lays his plans in
advance, and that, the crime being pre-
meditated, he should be able to make
such careful prearrangements that he
could avoid leaving telltale marks be-
hind him. This, however, is rarely the
case, for this reason-the unexpected
often if not always happens, and for
that he has not prepared. In moment
he sees prison ahead of him, and his
fear steals away his caution, so that, as
we have seen, he does leave clew be-
hind him. +"
"But when you say the unexpected
happens you admit the possibility for
that to occur which could not have been
promised, and therefore could not have
been guarded against.
"That is true as the case stands. But
remove the necessity which actuates our
criminal and make of him simply O
scientific man pursuing crime as an art
In the first place, we get an individual
who will prepare for more accidents,
and, secondly, would know how best tc
meet emergencies which occur during
the commission of his crime. For exam.
pie, if you will pardon the conceit,
were I to attempt crime I should be
able to avoid detection"
II should think that from your mex.
perience as criminal You would be ruI
to earth-well, about as quickly as this
man Pettingill This was his first
crime, you know"
Would you be willing to make {
wager to that effect!" This last remark
fairly startled Mr.. Barnes, who instant
ly understood the meaning, which, how
ever, at first escaped the other listener
He waited eagerly for the reply.
81 don't grasp the idea. Make {
wager about what?"
"You said that were to commit ;
crime l should be captured about a
quickly as Pettingill If you wish,
will wager that I can commit q crim'
which will be as much talked of as his
Os,d thNt 4 will not be eeptured, or xothe
l should say convicted I would not be
against arrest, for, as we have seen il
this very case, the innocent are some
times incarcerated. Therefore stipulat
for conviction.
"Do understand you to seriously of
fer to commit a crime merely to decid
a wager? You astound mep'
"No more perhaps than Pettingill ha
surprised his friends. But don't b
alarmed. / shall assume all responsible
ity. Besides, remember it is not Grim
that is scowled upon in this century
but detection. Iwager with you agains
that Come, what do you say? Shall j
be 81, 900? Iwant little excitement I
"Well, you shall have it. At least yo
shall have the excitement of paying th