Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-05-30
CHAPTER II.
THE WAGER.

every crime is its own historians; that
all its minutest details are written in
circumstantial evidence as completely
as an eyewitness could see them-aye,
more fully and more truly than they
could be described by the criminal him
self"
The reporter was man of about 30,
whose regular features bore the I'M
mistakable stamp of intelligence and
refinement. In repose, they wore an
habitual expression of interpretive
concentration, which might have led
careless observer to class Ralph Stur-
yis in the category of aimless dream
ers. But single flash of the piercing
gray eyes generally sufficed to dispel
any such impressions; and told of keen
perception and underlying power. The
mouth was firm and kind; the bearing
that of a gentleman and man of edu.
cation.
But" objected the host, you surely
do not mean to express belief in the
infallibility of circumstantial EVIL
derce?"
"Why not?"
Because you must know as well Ms
anyone how misleading uncorroborated
circumstantial evidence is. l do not for.
get what remarkable results you have
often accomplished for the Daily Tenn
pest in detecting and following up
clews to which the official detectives
were blind. But, frankly, were not
your conclusions usually the result of
lucky guesses, which would have re-
mained comparatively useless as evil
dence had they not been subsequently
proved correct by direct testimony"
"Let me reply oyour question by an
other, Sprague," answered Sturgis.
"When you draw check, does the pay
ing teller at the bank require the tes-
timony of witnesses to your signature
before admitting its genuineness?"
NO; of course not"
"Precisely. He probably knows the
signature of Harvey NJ. Sprague, the
depositor, better than he does the
face of Sprague, the artist. And yet
the evidence here is purely circum-
stantial. l know of at least one re-
cent instance in which the officials of
a New York bank placed their i'm
plicit reliance upon circumstantial
evidence of this sort, in spite of the
direct testimony of the depositor,
who was willing to acknowledge the
genuineness of check to which his
name had been forged"
81 suppose you refer to the Forsyth
case" said Sprague; "but you must
remember that Col. Forsyth was
actuated by the desire to shield the
forger, who was his own ecapeYrace
son."
"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. Circumstantial evidence Is al
ways impartial, truthful, absolute.
When the geologist reads the history
of the earth, as it is written in its
crust; when q Kepler or 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."
Eyes; but you forget that science
has often been mistaken in it's con-
clusions," interrupted Sprague, $50
that 1t has constantly been necessary
to alter theories to fit newly acquired
or better understood facts"
"Granted," rejoined 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 additional or miss.
ing links in the chain of evidence
Therefore I hold that q criminal
however clever he may be, leaves be-
hind him q complete trace of his every
act, from which his crime may be re.
constructed with absolute certainty
by competent detective"
I'm short, Murder will outl'" said
man who had been silent listene,
to the conversation up to this point
He spoke with quiet smile, which
barely escaped being polite sneer.
Sturgis' keen eyes met his inter,
locutor's as he replied gravely:
1T should hardly care to make sc
sweeping an affirmation, DR.. Muir
dock. I have merely stated that the
history of every crime is indelibly
written in tangible evidence. The
writing is on the WALL but of course
blind man cannot see it, nor car
an illiterate man understand it
Every event, however trivial, owes it.
occurrence to a. natural cause, ant
leaves it's indelible impress upon ma
ture. The Indian on the trail reads
with an experienced eye the story o.
his enemy's passage, as 1t has beer
recorded in trodden turf and broker
twigs; while the bloodhound follows
with unerring judgment, q still surel
though less tangible trail. The lat
ter's quarry has left behind, at every
step, an invisible, imponderable, ant
yet unmistakable part of itself. Per
haps my meaning can be made cleal
by an illustration. When photog
rapher in his dark room takes an ex
posed plate from his camera, it is ap
parently blank; but in reality Their,
is upon this plate the infinitely de
tailed history of an event, which, il
proper hands, can be brought befor,
the least competent of observers a
irrefutable evidence. Here, the actini
rays of the sunlight are the author
of the evidence; but every natura
force, in one way or another, con
spires with the detective to run tn
criminal to earth"
"Unless," suggested Murdoch, 9Th
ability happens to be on the side of tn
quarry; in which case, the conspirac,
of natures forces turns against tn
hunter"
"Ah!" retorted the reporter, 18th
orama 10 not an euua1 ono Tho dica n r