Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1908-12-11
!: AProCess'oif' Deduction
$50 p sH- ~.
'[Original.l.

~' sA0 'aHe
up the Peet case. He has been con-
victed of numbering Walker in hia
Peetsl house. They were friends.
and Peet has borne a good reputation,
Pettingill, his attorney, has been In
and says he has got a stay so that
one more effort may be made to solve
what he considers a mystery.s$&s
took up the case with interest and
went with Pettingill.. 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 had either entered or left the
room. Pettingill would have claimed
that 1t entered, indicating that Walker
had been shot from the outside. But
it went clean through Walkers head
and made no dent in the ROOM
I'm a methodical man. If weren't
I wouldn't be detective Pettingill
said that search bad been made for
the bullet within the limit Of the car
rying power of revolver and 1t had
not been found. I examined the hole
in the pane. l took into consideration
also the direction of the shot from the
only point in the room from which II
could have been very well fred. There
was clean sweep outside Of mile
without an obstruction, except several
different houses from 500 to 1000
yards away. made up my min6
first to flnd that bullet II I had to hunt
sdX months for it. ..,.~. :
After an hour chatting, thinking, ex-
aiming, l went away. resolved to
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 shets:
There was sideboard i'm the room,
and one Of the directions / noted was
along its top. On this top rested
glass table articles, consisting OF tum-
blers, finger bowls, etc. / made o
diagram in my notebook Of certain
points outside, intending axgt to ex-
anime them and, If no bullet was found
Embedded in them, to hire an army OF
boys to hunt on the ground.
One Of the first points searched
was barn in line with the sideboar1
and the hole In the window PIANO.
got ladder and climbed to the peak
OF the roof. hadn't moved my lad
der more than two or three times be-
fore found suspicious hole. with
my knife l dug out a bullet. It was
not a pistol bullet, but rife bullet.
Of course 1t might have been fared
into the barn by anybody. However,
l got piece Of chalk and made a
white round spot as big as a football.
Then l went back to the house and.
laying cane on the sideboard. with
little adjustment pointed it directly at
my chalk mark. The hole in the win
dow pane was in line.
Still had nothing to build ON.
aat looking at the sideboard, racktng
my brain for some possible connec-
uon between 1t and the direction Of
the bullet. A decanter filed with wa
Ter stood on the sideboard. Its BODY
was round and smooth. The sum was
shining on 1t, and the decanter concen-
uated the rays In focus. Somehow
went out and got some gunpowder
and poured few grains on the cane
where, If it were a rifle, the nipple
would be. The focus Of the SIMS
rays approached the powder which
had put in its path. Presently there
was ~ explosion. -, re.
remote as were the probabilities IN
me case, l began to be interested In
tne hypothetical structure / was en-
aeavorlng to find a foundation for.
CONFESS | smiled at the connection
whlch was building as showing how
lar man may reach out for d .c]ew,
An1s was as far as l had got: A man
Hintlock musket over the
sue BOARD would not need, to pull the
Figger-fhe sun and the decanter would
DO it for him. = = .z-.E..11E :
But we detectives must follow TRAN
oiindly. What firearms were there In !:
me house? searched and in a closet d
lound rifle. I took out an exploded =
cartridge. The bullet had found fitted =
me metal case exactly. II ,..>=. *$ +
Ihis Hypothetical germ that was de- j
7e'op'ng In my brain suddenly took :
'sart' but prudence forbade my hurry =.
ng on. I had found the ride ana the /
'an with which Walker had been XIII \
q, but had not proved that Peet had i
lllled him? Why hadn't the sproseeu- 4
ION got on TO the riAe7 Lucky for 3
rect that they hadn't, though, since 4
ney had convicted him 1t made no Iif- -
erence. : u. g .:l. .5s77s s &
! found a box OF cartridges wssh the I:
me and Citing one In its:went down N
'talFs' laid It on the sideboarsi and Il
POINTED 1t at my. chalk target The Il
nuzzie of my gum the place where vs. g
walkers head had been, the hole il, d
ne glass, were all in a straight Iine. ].
aad 1t not. been for the focus of the "a
un's rays should have proved Peet B
unity: AS it was the focus may have d
lred the gun. -.
here was cue to. the solution Il