New-York tribune., 1907-06-16

The eminent sleuth. Professor Sharp, whose
clever detective work has been chronicled from
time to time by the police reporters, was look
ing glurn the other day when met him on the
street. Although the professor is naturally a
reticeut man he seemed inclined TO unburden
himself in response 10 my inquiries after his
welfare Imagine my surprise when, without
any coaxing the world famous detective burst
forth almost tearfully with the wall that his
career was TO be ruined. At first thought the
old gentleman meant that his health was giving
way; he had already passed the grand climac-
teric and suffered now and then from slight
attacks OF insomnia, brought on no doubt by
puzzling too late O. nights over problems sub
1nitted TO him for solution. But he soon cor
rected this impression by saying that machinery
was invading even the domain Of the sleuth, ana
that II was only matter OF q few months be-
fore all the great crime solvers and crook
chasers would go the way OF the Stage coach
driver the hand cobbler and the worker on
the spinning wheel.
.'Of course" he added ruefully, Il knew as
matter Of logic that this would have to happen
sooner or later. The first steps in the intro
duction Of machine work were taken nearly a
generation ago when famous oxford profess
sor invented Logical Machine, with which any
logical problem involving not more than four
factors could be infalliby solved by child I
was a young man IN those days, when the rumor
Of this discovery first excited the interest OF the
scientific world; and had it not been for more
pressing and important problems might have
devoted myself TO the perfecting Of this and
other cognate instruments, and finally. perhaps
have produced something even more revolu
tionary than these German inventions which
now threaten the existence Of my hobby"
pressed the old gentleman to explain the
nature Of these wonderful machines, which he
did with such accuracy and illumination that
cannot do better than 10 set down here his exact
words:
The upshot of the whole matter. may say
first Of all" observed the professor, 'is that the
psychologists have displaced the pure logicians.
Ever since the novelists began 10 thrill the pub
lie with detective stories sleuths gone about
their work Just as z mathematician might have
done They would gather together all available
ciews and sift them out by pure reasoning. But
the difficulty OF this method was its inability 10
deal with high grade buffers. The buffer has
always been the bane Of the man who calculates
only with visible clews, such as pieces Of
paper, gestures. furniture, chance remarks OF
suspects, and all that Often have been
baffed merely by the power some persons have
of hiding their real feelings. But now the psy-
chologists have found several methods Of get
ting behind all such dissimulations. and that
means that the days of the pure logic detective
are numbered.
.eThe new method Of treating suspects con-
sists of three stages. something like Turkish
hath; Il IS also like this form Of abluuon in that
the sweat box stage is far from unpleasant.
The old school detectives often spoiled their
chances Of SUCCESS by making the sweat box SO
painful that juries would not accept evidence
extorted by its aid The new school administers
treatment OF such homeopathic mildness that
the patients do not even suspect its palnrul pos
sibilties The three stages technically called:
First, word suggestion; second, reaction tim
ing and, third, measuring emotional reactions
Let US imagine a case in which the psychological
detective applies these methods. A man sus-
pected Of knowing something about murder,
IN which the victim was brutally killed at night
In lonely wood with a butchers knife. is in
vited down 10 q pleasant Office IN the physicians
residence district He enters cheerful room
which, TO his unframed eye. is a regular doctors
consulting room. There are many bright instru-
ments lying around. lamp burns in one corner
and there is long. ominous operating table
near the largest window The doctor greets
the newcomer pleasantly, and, like the orthodox
dentist, assures him that the examination viii
not hurt at all
please sit down here requests the doctor
pointing 10 a chair with curious metal trapptngs
~ want 10 how fast you think. You
look like bright fellow who can break tllC
records
Somewhat warily the victim seats himself
and lets the doctor slip metal band about his
neck.
Now says the scientist. as 1 speak a worc
I want you TO reply with the first word thai
pops into your mind. II does not matter what
the word is; merely want to how fast yol
can answer. This neckband is connected witt
an electric circuit in such way that at tha
first slightest movement of your throat muscles
a mark viii be registered coil Of paper anf
The exact time elapsing between my word an6
your answer recorded
Then the doctor begins with very simpl.
word6-horse, COW. chair. and SO on Now anf
then he iuterjscts word like knife corpse ant
ene&st Tho patiant replies much more slowl,