Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1900-08-16
SAS;ASAlAG
: THE STURGIS WAGER :
) A DETECTIVE STORY. Z
, By EDGAR MoRETTE. e
E Copyright, 1890 by Frederick A. stokes Co. y
S&S&e&12S'& H2@D&e&NG.e
CHAPTER U.-CoNTINUED.


"That is just the point" replied
Sturgis; another witness will be
biased by his interests or prejudices,
blinded by jealousy, love or hatred,
or handicapped by overzealousness,
stupidity, lack of memory, or what
not CircumstantiaI evidence is al
ways impartial, truthful absolute.
When the geologist reads the history
of the earth, as it is written in its
crust; when a Kepler or a Newton
formulates the immutable laws of the
universe, as they are recorded in the
motions of the heavenly bodies. they
draw their conclusions from evidence
which is entirely circumstantial."
"Yes; but you forget that science
has often been mistaken in its con-
clusions," interrupted Sprasue, $50
that it has constantly been necessary
to alter theories to fit newly acquired
or better understood facts"
"Granted," reioined Sturgis, "but
that is because the interpreters of the
evidence are fallible; not because the
evidence itself is incomplete. The
same cause will always produce the
same effect; the same chain of events
will invariably terminate in one and
the same catastrophe, The apparent
deviations from this law are due to
unrecognized differences in the pro-
ducing causes. to add tional or miss
ing links in the chain of evidence.
Therefore I hold that a criminal,
however clever he may be, leaves be-
hind him a complete trace of his every
act, from which his crime may be re-
constructed with absolute certainty
by competent detective"
"In short, Murder will out!" said
a man who had been a silent listener
TO the conversation up to this point.
He spoke with quiet smile, which
barely escaped being polite sEeer.
Sturgis' keen eyes met his inter
locutor's as he replied gravely:
81 should hardly care to make so
sweeping an affirmat ton, DR.. Muir
dock. / have merely stated that the
history of every crime is indelibly
written in tangible evidence. The
writing is on the wall, but of course
a blind man cannot see it, nor can
Every event, however trivial, owes it's
occurrence to a natural cause, and
leaves its indelible impress upon ma
ture. The Indian on the trail reads
with an experienced eye the story of
his enemy's passage, as it has been
recorded in trodden turf and broken
twigs; while the bloodhound follows,
with unerrng judgment a still surer
though less tangible trail. The lat
ter's quarry has left behind, at every
step, an invisible, imponderable, and
yet unmistakable part of itself. Per
haps my meaning can be made clear
by an illustration. When a photog-
rapher in his dark room takes an ex-
posed plate from his camera. it is APP
parently a blank: but in reality there
is upon this plate the minutely de-
tailed history of an event, which, in
proper hands, can be brought before
the least competent of observers as
irrefutable evidence. Here. the actinic
rays of the sunlight are the authors
of the evidence; but every natural
force, in one way or another, con
spires with the detective to run the
criminal to earth"
"Unless," suggested Murdock, "the
ability happens to be on the side of the
quarry; in which case, the conspiracy
of natures forces turns against the
hunter"
"Ah!" retorted the reporter "tht
game is not an equal one. The dice are
loaded. For while on the one hand
the detective, if he falls into an error
has lifetime in which to correct it
any misstep on the part of the crimina
is fatal. And who is infallible?"
Not the detective, at any rate" an
swered Murdock, with suavc irony. 'It
has always seemed to me that the hale
which has been conferred upon him
chiefly through the efforts of imagin
ative writer's of sensational fiction j:
entirely unGeserved. In the first place
most of the crimes of which we heal
are committed either by men of low
order of intelligence or else by madmen
in which latter category | include al
criminals acting under the impulse o
any of the passions-hatred love ieal
ousy, anger. And then, while the de
tective takes good care that his sue
cesses shall be proclaimed from tn,
housetops, he is equally careful t.
smother all accounts, Or to suppress