Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1907-02-27
THE DETECTIVE STORY
voLTAIRE WAS MS CREATOR.

-rhs Great French Writer introduced
MIN % the World Of Fietion--Ths
Genius Of Poe and eaboriau and
3 Conan ooyis's Sherlock Holmes.
Most persons who read detective
ffories, and most literary critics, too,
1eIieye that this very popular form OF
ertlon was invented by Edgar Allan
Por. They point to his stbry Of THE
Purloined Letter az being the first OF
- klnd--the drst In which h intro
nced the man OF keen mind. OF close
Reasoning and OF constructive imagi-
[nation. who Is able 60 piece together
[<eriain facts that are known and then
by brilliant deduction 10 pass from
Mem 10 other facts which are not
Known. but the truth OF which he IL
Hable TO establish beyond doubt.
Poe himself had mind precisely or
His Characteristic mind Of mathe-
1na ticlan, subtle. logical and capable
EDf searching analysis. lie once gave
<1rmarkable illustration OF what lie
.<euld do as an investigator OF mystic
l<ous crime. A young shopgirl named
Nary Rogers was found murdered
1ndcr circumstances which excited
.rest public interest In New York.
Il<he police were completely baified,
hough they advanced a theory which
as plausible in part Poe. taking the
1ffs that were admitted. wOye them
10 q story, the scene Of which he laid
81 Paris and, which he called The
<Ssfery Of Marie Roget" Then from
mat was known he passed by deduc-
we reasoning 90 what was quite un-
nown and worried out a solution to
- puzzle which no professional de-
rfise had been able 10 explain.
>aEs afterward the confession Of a
ming man afforded proof that Poe
<as right and that he had reconstruct
accurately the whole series OF
rents which led 20 the death OF Mary
neers.
his remarkable achievement fixed In
fe public mind the notion that this use
of logic blended with imagination was
1frinai with Poe. As matter Of fact.
H h almost certain that Poe. who was
1Iaeply versed In French literature. got
<l1e suggestion Of the method from
1'es6Ing certain passages In the orr
4ntai tale called "Zadig." by voltalre
II shls book a young man II questioned
~ 10 whether be had seen a stray dog
Ad horse that might have passed him
= his journey. In reply he describes
~ accurately the peculiarities OF
1fh, though he had not seen them.
h had deduced his knowledge from
eerving certain indications along
- way-the naturesOf the footprints
"a many other signs which the Ordi'
ary person would either not have no
ced or would have been too dull 10
nderstand. Here Is really the germ
N the conception which Poe 80 bril-
Antly elaborated In the story Of The
furiolned Letter" where we find eX
IbIted the striking contrast between
Ne working Of a usual mind and tn
<hieyementsof mind OF EXCEPTIONS
Dower and training
1fctive, was afterward caught up and
Elaborated with great effect by, sevcra
french writers. OF whom the chief was
Emile GaboTiau. Gaboriau gave the
world the character Of NJ. LecOq Ia the
remarkable novel Of that name I1ccOC
n a professional detective hut ap
pears In that book as a novice. ineXpe
fienced. but full OF intelligence and en-
thuslasm and obliged 10 work out hi:
ciews against the secret opposition OF
bis Official chief Gevrot, who Is jeal
GUS OF the young detective. In the
background IL the interesting figure
f pf the real amateur detective. old Ia
ther Tire-auClalr c'Bring to-light'b. d
4 xefired tradeSman who studies crime
from sheer love Of the intellectual puZ
ne which Il affords him aud which ht
eelvcs by purely scientific deduction.
Dir Conan Doyle In creating Sherlocl
pimes openly acknowledged his great
tbtedness To Poe. Like pOe'S hero
nes works apart from the ofiicIa
~ and Is consulted by them wher
pre- wholly ut loss Many oi
scents Ia the Holmes cycle oi
N<n suggested 10y the invrn
Net IL Is only fair 20 say
- gone one step furthel
.POe's characters ar,