Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-20
THE THINKING
MACHINE

we know positively that the weapon was Bar
tow Gillespie's, then the probabilities become
| facts"
There was still light, skeptical expression
about Detective Maory's mouth And on
the other hand" he said, I'VE have the prob
ability that the stranger came here and killed
Barlow Gillespie, that the sound of the struggle
attracted James Gillespie's attention, that he
came in to investigate, that he was threatened
| and started to 60 out, and that the stranger
fired the shot which struck him in the back OF
the head"
"Disproved fatty by two points said The
Thinking Machine curtly. First, the tact
that the stranger deliberately left his revolver.
the fact that" He paused, and turning
| stared curiously down into the face OF James
Gillespie.
Detective Mallory waited impatiently for a
moment; then, And the second is what! he
asked.
do YOU know the motive for the murder
of the Barrett child" asked the scientist
irrelevantly.
NO" said Detective Mallory in some sur
prise.
And do you know the motive for this
double crime. under your hypothesis"
mo"
We'll. the motive is written here and the
scientist turned and thrust a long finger into
the pallid face of James Gillespie. 1t IS IN
the eyes, in the mouth. and still again its
hair. and disclosed a bare spot Here IS a
scar left months perhaps years. ago by some
serious injury"
Why l don't see" began the detective
protestingly.
"Of course you don't see!" snapped The
Thinking Machine What was found in
James Gillespies pockets?"
Il don't know that there has been an exam
nation" said Mallory We always leave
those things to the medical examiner: where
- IF
With deft fingers the scientist ransacked the
| slain mans clothes. From a hip pocket he
drew little bundle and threw it on the table
| before Mallory. And there is your final
proof" he said. :" 1t isn't even necessary now
| to prove that the revolver was Barlow Gilles-
| e's-we know it-know it as inevitably as
| that two and two make four. Mr.. Mallory, not
sometimes but all the time
| The little bundle that he had thrown on the
| table was a roll of plain manila twine-Just a
couple of wards At last the detective was be-
| ginning to see.
But what possible motive," he asked
q told Mr.. Hatch when l investigated the
| Barrett affair that when all conceivable human
motives were eliminated as seemed to be the
| fact in this case. there remained only the
thing-the creature, which will act without
| motive-an ape for instance" interrupted The
Thinking Machine 81 told him afterward
that there would probably be second crime
under the same circumstances. and also that
| ~--~
| crime There is no motive for either.
The old scar this mans head. the ex-
preston of his face, and his eyes particularly,
| Show concluSively that he was manlac-JuSt
shade the intellectual superior OF an ape,
with all the cunning of humanity distorted and
diseased into a homicidal mania An exam
| nation of his brain at the autopsy will prove
all this even to you, Mr.. Mallory. How long
he has been a maniac l don't know; your in
vestigations will develop that. That is all,
think Good day"
" The Thinking Machine and Hutchinson
Hatch walked down the street together.
How is it," inquired the reporter, that
James Gillespie didn't kill Barrett at the same
time he killed the little girl"
Il don't know" was the reply. 1T is
difficult enough, Mr.. Hatch, to follow the men
tai workings of sane man; when we have a
maniac, no one can say what he will do next.
| We don't look into the matter but dare say
| that Gillespie never knew that child he killed,
and could have had no motive"
And subsequently this proved to be true.