Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-08-03
THE DETECTIVE STORY.
Origin and Growth of the Clever ANA
teur Sleuth.

Most persons VINO reaQ 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 "The
Its kind-the first in which is intro
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
known, but the truth Of which he Is
able to establish beyond a doubt.
Poe himself had mind precisely of
this characterize mind of 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 shopgtrl named
Mary Rogers WAS found murdered
under circumstances which excited
great public interest in New York.
The police were completely bafiled,
though they advanced 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 I'M
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
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,
1t Is almost certain that Poe, who was
deeply versed in French literatur 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 a usual mind and the
achievements Of mind of exceptional
power and training.
Poes central figure. the amateur de-
tective, was afterward caught up and
French writers, of whom the chief was
Emile Gaboriau. Gaboriau gave the
world the character of NJ. Lecoq in the
BILE novel of that name. Lecoq
Is professional detective, but ap-
pears in that book as novice, fne1pe-
rienced, but full Of intelligence and en-
thusiasm and obliged to work out his
clews against the secret opposition Of
his official chief. Gevrot, who is jeal-
Gus Of the young detective. In the
is the interesting figure
Of the real amateur detective. old Fa-
Their Tire-au-Clair tBring-tolight'o a
retired uadesman who studies crime
from sheer love Of the intellectual puz-
zle ~7dch it affords him and which he
sQlYee b. purely scientific deduction