New-York tribune., 1907-11-03
THE INTERRUPTED WIRELESS
rras46 from
Corhrped from page 10

operator-an operator-was aboard, but Tor
divers reasons preferred 70 remain unknown;
We know that as certainly as that two ana
two make four, not sometimes but all the
time"
DR. Maher turned and dropped back into
his chair, with new interest evident IN every
line of his face.
With these facts in hand it is a simple
matter, albeit perhaps a tedious one, to tind
what message was sent from the snip Dotn
by the operator and 10y the unknown at nIght,
The Thinking Machine resumed. lie was silent
for a moment. then rose and left the room lie
was gone for perhaps ten minutes. Now
Captain Delhi and YOU. DR.. Maher have YOU
formed any opinion to the exact method OF
the murder? Was the murderer inside the
cabin with Ingraham or was he kllIed Dy
knife thrust through open window; You
know the arrangement OF the place petter
than |. What is your opinion
Captain Delhi considered the matter care
fully as he sought To recall every minute detail
of the cabin as he found 1t. Since you nave
brought up the question, he sad slowly at
last, it seems to me that he must have been
stabbed by some one outside through the
window His left side was toward the WIN
dow and the window was open, as 1t
was warm, and he was i'll his SHIRT sleeves
Yes it was within easy reach and m IN
clined to believe What do you think
Maher'"
Il agree with YOU perfectly" was the prompt
response The angle OF the knife indicates
that an arm .had been dropped inside the
state room and there was an upward thrust
where if a person had been in the room the
natural angle would have been downward.
unless that person had been lying on the
floor"
All of which being true is a point in favor
of Tcnncl. SAID The Thinking Machine curtly.
You found him inside the cabin with the
body, and we must suppose from your own
statement, DR.. Mahcr that he would have had
to lie down TO Iulhct the wound may say
that the strongest point IN hlS favor II the tdCt
that he did not throw away the knife. lie
knew it to be Ihis had opportunity TO get
rid of it, but didn't, therctorc- He
shrugged his shoulders and was silent for
moment
IAN things depend upon the point OF view,
| gentlemen. he continued after a time. " There
/ are half a dozen casual facts. several OF which |
| have specified, which incline me 70 a belief IN
| Tennclls innocence. and only two against
him these being the motive and the knife.
Strong. YOU say Yes; but the knife IS turned
| in his favor. Now let Us assume IcnncHS
innocence for "a moment, and build our hy-
pothcsis on facts that We know IL Is always
possible 10 reconstruct q happening by the
| logic of its units. Let Us see this rule applied
to this case.
I'VE are reasonably certain that whatever
message lugraham was sending just before or
at the moment of his death was not written
message | have your word, DR. Maher that
there was not a trace OF any message after the
one about noon. Shall we suppose that there
was a written message and 1t was stolen from
his dcsl, by the hand that slew, Hardly. Let
Us take the simple view first. He was sending
a message somewhere as he composed II.
Now anyone aboard that ship who knew the
! Continental code could have read that mes
sage because the wireless has that fault
! That being true. we shall admit that some
| body did read 1t. or was reading It As 1t
/ went.
Right here we come 20 what may prove
! 10 bc the solution IL Was necessary for the
| person who read the message as II went 70
/ stop II, and perhaps To silence the man who
/ sent It. even az the cost of "a life Therefore.
/ the importance of the message TO the person
who read II was life and death. \ blow was
| struck. the message was stopped But the
| knife Tcnnen says he lost II, anyone might
/ have found II
/ The message is stopped. the man Is dead
| The next vital necessity which the murderer
| feels Is SELF protection. How, Can "a mes age
! bc sent which viii countcrlct the one which
was stopped bv the murder, If this can be
/ done, 1t Is vitality necessary some one then
/ the murlcrcr-takes another tremendous
chance enters the office. and Is sending an
other message, possibly continuation ot the
! interrupted message, when Captain Delhi be-
! comes aware of II He Eues % Iuve -tiglte.
and the probabilities are that the unknown
/ operator escapes bv way ot the window and