New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1907-02-13
THE DETECTIVE STORY
Origin and Growth Of the Clever
Amateur Sleuth.
VOL TAIRE WAS HIS CREATOR.

- - SsasA. H'0 nlS VtlIVI SIs
The Great French Writer Introduced
Him to the World of Fiction-The
Genius of Poe and Gaboriau and
Conan DoyIe's Sherlock Holmes.
Most persons who read detective
stories, and most literary critics, too,
believe that this very popular form of
fiction was invented by Edgar Allan
Poe They point to his story of 1.-THE
Purloined Letter as being the first Of
its kind-the first in which is iIAro-
duced the man of keen mind, of close
reasoning and of constructive imagi-
nation, who is able to piece together
certain facts that are known and then
by brilliant deduction to pass from
them to other facts which are not
known, but the truth of which he is
able to establish beyond doubt.
Poe himself had a mind precisely of
this characteristic mind of a mathe-
matician, subtle, logical and capable
of searching analysis. He once gave a
remarkable illustration of what he
could do as an investigator of mystic
rious crime. A young shopgirl named
Mary Rogers was found murdered
| under circumstances which excited
| great public interest in New York.
| The police were completely baf1ed,
| though they advanced a theory which
was plausible in part. Poe, taking the
facts that were admitted, wove them
into story, the scene of which he laid
| in Paris and which he called "The
Mystery of Marie Roget" Then from
what was known he passed by deduc-
tive reasoning to what was quite un-
known and worked out solution to
the puzzle which no professional de-
tective had been able to explain.
/ Years afterWard the confession of a
! dying man afforded proof that Poe
I was right and that he had reconstruct
ed accurately the whole series of
| events which led to the death of Mary
Rogers.
/ This remarkable achievement fixed in
the public mind the notion that this use
Of logic blended with imagination was
original with Poe. AS matter of fact,
it is almost certain that Poe, who was
deeply yersed In French literature, got
the suggestion of the method from
reading certain passages in the orr
entail tale called ''Zadig,'' by Voltaire.
In this book young man is questioned
as to whether he had seen stray dog
and horse that might have passed him
on his journey. In reply he describes
very accurately the peculiarities of
both, though he had not seen them.
He had deduced his knowledge from
observing certain indications along
the way-the nature of the footprints
and many other signs which the ordi-
nary person would either not have no.
ticed or would have been too dull to
understand. Here is really the germ
of the conception which Poe so bril-
liantly elaborated in the story of "The
Purloined Letter." where we find eX-
hibited the striking contrast between
the working of usual mind and the
achievements of mind of exceptional
power and training.
Poe's central figure, the amateur de-
tective, was afterward caught up and
elaborated with great effect by several
French writer's, of whom the chief was
Emile Gaboriau. Gaboriau gave the
world the character of M. Lecoq in the
remarkable novel of that name. LecoQ
is a professional detective, but ap
pears in that book as novice, inexpe
rienced, but full Of intelligence and en-
/ th11ci ctn IN /,
clews against the secret opposition OF
his official chief, Gevrot, who is jeal
GUS of the young detective. In the
background is the interesting figure
of the real amateur detective, old Fa
Their Tire au- Clair C'Bring-to-light") {
retired tradesman who studies crime
from sheer love Of the intellectual puz
zle which it affords him and which hi
solves by purely scientific deduction.
Sir Conan Doyle in creating Sherlock
Holmes openly acknowledged his grea
indebtedness to Poe. Like Poe's hero
Holmes works apart from the oficia
police and is consulted by them whel
they are wholly at a loss. Many O
the incidents in the Holmes cycle O
stories were suggested by the inven
lions of Poe. Yet it is only fair to sa,
that Doyle has gone one step furthe
than his master. Poe's characters ar
distractions. They are like chess1nel
on the board and excite interest onl,
because of the completely Of the prob
lem which they are made to solve
Doyle's characters, on the other hand