Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1909-08-25
DETECTIVE STORIES.
Little Things as Aids In Solving
Problems In Crime.
THE VALUE OF SMALL CLEWS

"In All My Experience" Says Police
Sergeant Cuff, One of WiIkie COL
Inns Creations, II Have Never Yet
Met Such a Thing as a Trife"
II YOU ask some London publishers
they viii tell YOU that no book sells So
wcl as detective story and that peo-
pie still End fascination In the
achievements Of Edgar Allan Poe'S
Dupln. Gaboriau's Lecocq and Tabarct
and the redoubtable Sergeant Gun OF
Wilkie Collins.
These men were the forerunnerS OF
Sherlock Holmes. and their feats Of
criminal tracking were rs remarkable
as those achieved 10y the famous char
actcr created 10y Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle. Perhaps the least known Is
Gun, who figures in The Moonstone.~
Gun looked for clews in trifies. In
vestigating a smear on newly paint
cd door. he was told by the superin-
tendent who had the case in hand that
ii was made 10y the petticoats Of the
women servants. The superintendent
said petticoats were triles
IN all my experience along the
dirtieSt ways of this dirty little world"
| replied Gun. i have never met such
thing as a trifle yet We must see
the petticoat that made the smear. and
we must know for certain that the
paint was wet"
Lecocq. the beau ideal Of the French
detective, was wont 10 explain his de-
| ductions 10 assistants. Just as Sherlock
I.Hsa IL. L
the story Of File No. 113' n safe has
| been robbed. There is IA scratch, on
the door OF the safe which seems 10
have been made by the key slipping
| from the lock. But LecOcq explained
| that the paint was hard and that the
| scratch could not have been made bv
the trembling hand Of the thief letting
the key slip
He therefore had an iron box made.
/ painted with green varnish, like the
safe. As I.ecOcq inserted the key he
| asked the assistant to endeavor TO pre-
vent him using the key just as-he was
about 10 insert 1t i'm the lock. The As
| sistant did so, and the key held by
Lecocq. pulled aside from the lock.
slipped along the door and traced upon
it diagonal scratch from top to bot
tom, the exact reproduction of the one
shown in a photograph of the safe.
Thus it was proved that two persons
were present at the robbery - one
wished To take the money and the
| other TO prevent its being taken.
In the play Sherlock Holmes. the
detective. with the aid of an accom-
| piice. raises an alarm Of fire at the
house of the Larrabees. during the cy
| element Of which he is able to inves-
| tigate the mystery Of the purloined
| documents
4 somewhat similar incident occurs
in Edgar Allan Poe'S THE PurIoined
Letter" when Dupin. having obtained
entrance 60 the house of n minister
! OF the state who had purloincd let
ter of great Importance from a lady.
wished to Ike il from IFS hiding place
"a card "a over the mantelpiece-
and Uletitutc facsimile. While
Dupin was talking 10 the minister
there was a sudden report of pistol
beneath the window. followed by fear
ful scream and loud shouting. The
minister ru,hcd to the window. and
Ni-''' JAZZ 'ttt'iAt'b " az liluS
Dupin took The real letter and substi-
tuted ihe false one which he had pre-
pared. Needless 10 say, the diversion
had been created by Dupin's assist
ants
Although The Adventures OF Shcr-
lock Holmes" somewhat overshadow
the stories u other detectives which
appeared in the Strand Magazine. one
should not fOrgeI TO mention Martin
Hewitt, investigator. and Dick Don