The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-05-20
Ineffective BURNS FROM WHOM LECOQ MIGHT LEARN
Astonishing Record Of A Great SIeuth
Who Has Been Employed On All OF
Uncle Sans Big Cases For A Genera
ton, And Now Claims To Have Caught
The Los Angeles Dynamiters


And, since it's not elementary, but
rather occult and esoteric, the reader
is apt to feel annoyed and to think
the expression pure ostentation on
Sherlock's part. However, it isn't
Detectives all talk that way. Doyle
is realistic, after all. Even William
]. Burns. who has less in common
with Sherlock Holmes than any de-
tective ever born or invented since
Lecocq and Dupin, looks surprised
when you ask him how he did it, and
says-well, he doesn't say "elemen-
tary,' but he says:
Just common sense"
Common sense?" you are apt 20
say. "If that is all there is to it why
can't anybody be great detective
and do the things you have done?"
But if you say that, you have got
Burns out of his depth.
IT'S just common sense, that's all"
say he, in a puzzled way. Really, he
doesn't think he's a genius. And
after you have tried to get at his
secret-the secret of what it is that
makes him the greatest detective of
his time-and haven't been able to
get any further than that obviously
inadequate explanation of common
sense" you begin to feel, much as
you may resent it, that you are play
ing Dr. Watson to his Holmes.
Almost you begin to adopt Wat
sons mannerisms and say my dear
Holmes!"-No, "My dear Burns!"
And now ask Burns what he means
by this common sense" notion of
his.
We'll, here's an illustration" says
Burns: Some thirteen years ago q
counterfeit hundred dollar bill came
out that was so perfect that few OF
the experts could tell the difference.
ut ought to be explained that very
few counterfeits are really good
ones, fact that every Secret Service
man knows and counts on as part OF
his equipment for his trade. You IL
may be fooled, but an expert car
tell the difference at a glance.)
That" resumes Burns, "was the
most dangerous counterfeit that evel
had appeared, and the Secret Service
IL was in the Secret Service at thai
time-exhausted every resource t.
run it down. 1t so happened that ct
the time I read of this counterfeit
was out West on another mission.
sized up the case from reading the
newspaper reports about It.
"They said that the counterfeit
was absolutely perfect in every de-
tail, and that was the phenomenon
that attracted my attention. I don
know of anything that will achieve
perfection in reproduction except a
camera.
Therefore, I reasoned that a
camera had been used. 1t was only
common sense, you understands"
The reporter didn't understand; IN
fact, he didn't believe it. But nc
nodded, which was all Burns wanted
"The next step in this process OF
reasoning" went on Burns, was thar
some adept in the art of etching on
steel had employed his talents on a
steel plate and had skilfully repro.
duced on steel the work of the un.
erring lens.
you gee, don't you, that it was
just common sense"
The reporter didn't see. IF he had
he would have been able to hoTd
Burns job. But he saw that Burns
expected him to nod, and he nodded.
what" went on Burns, "is the
next thing that common sense would
suggest? You will of course say"
Burns a"sumed this. AS a matter
Of fact the reporter had no idea what
the next link in the chain would be.
that as there are not so very
many etchers of extraordinary skill
in the country" Burns continued, "a
process Of elimination would newt
ably find the ones who were engaged
in the counterfeiting of this 500 GER
tificate.
81 laid this theory before Chief
Wilkie; and observe this, that It
wasn't Sherlock Holmes deduction. it
was reasoning. In other words, It
was common sense"
It looked more to the reporter
like a good deal more, But he let
Burns go on.
Mr. Wilkie at once assigned me to
the work of running down the cour-
terfeiters and told me to work it out
In, ovyy, Tho nrOa-