The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-08-21
APrOCeSs of Deduction


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"Mac," said the chief 10 me. take
up the Rect csse. lie has been con-
vicicd Of mGrdering Walker in his
Pccts) house. They were friends,
and Pcct has borne a good reputation
Prttihgill. bis attorney, has been IN
aud says he has got stay, so that
one more effort may be made TO solve
what he considers mystery"
took up the case with interest and
went with Pettlngill to the house
where the murder had been commit
ted. He showed me the lounge where
Walker was lying asleep one warm
September afternoon and the hole IN
the window pane through which the
bullet bad either entered or left the
room. Pettlnglll would have claimed
that it entered, Indicating that Walker
had been shot from the outside. But
1t went clean through Walkers head
and made no dent In the room.
I'm a methodical man. II l weren'r
wouldn't be detective. PettiDxill
said that search had been made for
the bullet within the limit Of the car
rying power OF a revolver and ie had
not been found. examined the hole
In the pane / took into consideration
also the direction OF the shot from the
only point In the room from which It
could nave been very well fred. There
was cleaa sweep outside Of a mile
without All obstruction. except several
different houses from 500 to 1000
yards away / made up my mind
drst to find that bullet II | had to hunt
six months for H.
After an hour chatting, thinking, ex-
lmiuing went away, resolved 70
come back the next day with small
telescope with which TO fix directions
The sun rose clear in the morning.
With not cloud IN the sky. brought
my telescope to bear on the different
houses in the way OF possible shots.
There was sideboard IN the room,
md one Of the directions noted was
Hong its top. On this top rested
;lass table articles. consisting OF tum-
Dlers finger bowls, etc. l made
liagram IN my notebook OF certain
points outside. Intending first to ex.
mime them and. IL no bullet was found
mbcdded In them. 10 hire an army of
| boys 10 hunt ON the ground.
one pf the FIRST points I searched
was Il barn in line with the sideboard
and the hole in the window pane.
got Il ladder aud climbed TO the peak
" the roof | hadn't moved my lad
Ter more than two or three times be-
ore ! found suspicious hole. with
| NY knife | dug out bullet Ii was
lot pistol bullet, but rifle bullet.
| OF course II might have been fired
into the barn by amy body However.
| got piece OF chalk and made
white round spot as big as a football.
Then went back TO the house and.
laying a cane on the sidcboard. with
little adjustment pointed It directly at
my chalk mark The hole In the win
low pane was in line.
| Still ! had nothing to build on.
'at looking at the sideboard, racking
| my brain for some possible eonnee-
ion between II ani the direction OF
he bullet a decanter filled with wa
er stood on the sideboard. Its body
4 4
inning on It. and the decanter concen-
rated the rays in focus. Somehow
| went out and got some gunpowder
lnd poured a few grains on the cane
J where IL II wen, ride. the nipnle
( would be. The focus of the SUMS
rays approached the powder which I
had put In It's path. Presently there
was an explosion.
Remote as were the probabilities In
the case, | began to be Interested IN
the Hypothetical structure | was en-
deavorlng TO find foundation for.
confess smiled at the connection
which Was building hs showing how
far man may reach out for clew.
This was as far Us | had got A man
pointing IA fiIntlocg musket over the
sideboard would not need TO pull the
trigger the sun and the decanter would
do Il for him
But we detectives must follow a TRAN
! blindly, What firearms were there ia
the house, searched and Ia a closet
found rifle. 1 took out an exploded
cariridge The bullet had foend fitted
the metal case exactly
This hypothetical germ that was de-
yeloping IN my brain suddenly took a
start, but prudence forbade my hurry
Ing on. had found the rifle and the
bail with which Walker had been hlIl.
ed, but had | not proved that Peet had
killed hlmf why hadn't the prosecu.
tiou got on TO the rlheg Lucky for
Peet that they hadn't, though, since
they had convicted him II made no dif-
ference
found box Of cartridges with the
d'le aud fitting one in II went down
stairs laid it on the sideboard ana
pointed IL az my chalk target. The
nu2lc OF my gun the place where
Fakcr's head had been. the hole in
Pc glass were an In straight line.
iud il nat been for the focus OF the
rls rays should have proved Peet
HIly. As it was the focus may have
/ rcd thc gun,
Hers was a cue 10 the solution I
i Questioned pect. aud hu remembered
hlt nc hHh cleaned and loaded his