Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1906-12-01

l==z---7i we were well under way did
Gig I open my mind 10 Godfrey;|
then ] spoke with what / deemed a
necessary frankness.
MY dear Godfrey" 1 began, eve
watched you all day. smelling bottles.
examining scratches, trying TO read
faint ink marks on blotter puzzling
over a broken cane and doing various
other eccentric things from which you
seemed 10 draw conclusions utterly in
visible 20 me. I've heard you assure
both Drysdale and Miss Croydon that
the former VIII be cleared OF suspicion
at t0morrow's inquest and that the real
culprit viii be pointed out. You'll
pardon me n / confess 10 some curl
osity rs 90 how all this IS to be ac-
compl.shed"
"Dd you sec her face as she came
through that door Lcster1" he asked
staring abseuuy nc the seat in front
or us. II tell you. 81 warmed the heart
OF even an old reprobate like mel And
20 think that we did ltr' he added
TO think that we did itr'
you did It," I corrected. Il was
In the chorus today-you had the cen
ter OF the stage"
But You don't mind. Lester7 /
couldn't help IT, you know"
"Of course YOU Couldn't that's where
you belong But now that the cur
tain's down and We're alone together
with plenty OF time 10 talk. Ia like TO
understand
And You Shutdown 10 the minutest
detail Let's see-this Is the smoker.
isn't IT,? Wei. suppose we light up
l can think more clearly when I'm
smoking"
"All right; fire away" I said. as soon
as the cigars were going.
well" began Godfrey. "as pointed
out 10 you this morning. for good and
sufficient reasons. started out In this
investigation with the assumption Of
Tremaine's guilt"
"Of course" l observed. you know
II Is the duty OF every jury to start
out with exactly the contrary assump-
ton"
Certainly. I know that, but a de
tective has TO work with some definite
end IN view or he never gets anywhere
In other words detective. after care
fully studying the details OF any crime
must form "a theory concerning it and
must work along that theory AS soon
as he discovers any fact that fails &c
ut with his theory he must modify II
or form another. and ne must keep on
doing this until he finds the theory
which agrees with all the facts-nOt
all but one or two. but with every one
A good many detectives fall into the
mistake OF being satisfied with the
theory which fits most OF the facts-a
serious error for the right theory must.
OF course. inevitably ct them all
That's the scientific method and the
only safe one. When a detective hits
upon a theory which fits all the known
facts he's got as much right 10 assume
it's true as an astronomer has or a
physicist, who builds up the universe
in just the same way"
But that's a difficult thing to do" /
remarked, TO find a theory that fits
all the facts"
Exceedingly difficult sometimes"
assented my companion, because the
facts often appear TO be entirely con
Trajectory. Really. facts are never con
tradictory-truth is always truth-the
trouble is we can't always tell what is
fact and what is fiction. The hardest
part OF a detectives work is to sift
the wheat from the chaff-to get at
the meaty, essential facts.
well. as you know. / started out
with the theory Of Tremaine's guilt
More than that. / was morally certain
that he was guilty, knowing what
knew Of the man. And first OF all II
was evident to me that no criminal
as careful as he IS would run the risk