The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-05-03
copyzsbs. 1912. b,sJourn.l-Anesic.n-E1au

Argyle made an impatient gesture. ~It can do some real harm to Mary if she breaks down under all this-this $unpIeasantness,' as you call it, he re- torted- 'sI suppose this thing of the will is bound to be made public, and then there will be all sorts of new and nastier stories about the whole lot of na.''
 'sTt can hardly be avoided" conceded &he lawyer respectfully. s'I think, my self, that the newspapers are allowed too much license in this respect, but that is better than a crippled and ham pered press"
 Argyle frowned at the floor and the lawyer played with a pen and waited. At last the young man looked up ap- parently calmed by private resolve.
 Well" he said, with a grim under current of threat in his voice, ''I'll give The police-you have so much faith. in them-a day longer. and then I'll take charge myself
 The lawyer threw him a swift, keen glance 'FWhat are you planning to do?7 he asked
 ''Never mindr' The young mans lips came together. seYou and your friends, the police, have had nearly a week at this and haven't got anywhere excepting to make lot of trouble for people who have trouble enough as it is. lam going to get saetionl''
 You had better do nothing without consulting me-" advised MT: Hurley earnestly
 q have consulted you," retorted Ar gyle- "All you can advise me to do is wait and trust to the police. have Tz0k1 re 4I-- 3L got something by tomorrow morning FTP" ftf
 He cut himself off and MT. Hurley eagerly demanded, What will you do2''
 "WelI, you'n see. There isn't any particular reason why I shouldn't tell you, and will as soon as decide, but when do the investigation is going to be carried on under my directions" And with a nod to the lawyer he walked out
 On the way home he bought the final edition of an evening paper. His eye ran over the headline and he gasp ed and swore. It read:
 Argyle Murder Motive Found! Aged Millionaire Planned Change of wfIli Adopted Daughter Now Sole Heir! Son DisinheritedP'
 There followed a detailed story of HIS ECCOuCu1dLlOA NF1Lh HIS 1dJHGE-OI his fathers plan to put him back in his will as joint heir with his adopted sister and of the fact that the murder left him penniless and his adopted sister one of the richest heiresses in the world
 'sF1nd the person whom the crime most benefits" said old Papa Taba- ret the greatest detective in fiction. Papa Tabaret was great because he was human and made mistakes. He nearly made a terrible mistake in fol lowing this axiom relent1essly, though he proved in the end that it worked out unfaihngly. The weakness of it is 5 the difhcuIty of ascertaining the mum Der of persons who are benefited by the crime and the precise degree of gain to each Thus 1t happens that number of persons may be benefited in different ways by a murder. These persons may not know of the existence of each other, and the one who com m1ts the crime may be deriving great benefit, but may also at the same time be benefitings others in a lesser and even greater degree. So here is anoth- CT. weakness of the axiom-that the one most benefited need not necessari ly have guilty Knowledge of the crime.
 But in this case that weakness could be eliminated, as the newspapers sub tIy pointed out. Miss A1azuret knew the innermost secrets of the old mans mind She knew of his quarrels with his son She probably knew that the will had been made entirely in her favor. She was present at the recon cfIiation dinner, when 1t must have been known to nll-as the lawyer had known for several days-that Mir. Ar gFle purposed writing a new will and leaving the larger share of his fortune to his natural child. This was to have been done within a few days at the outside, and he was murdered the same night.
 So it was that in vague terms and indirect fashion, but none the less eff Actively, the newspapers pointed the | gaunt finger of suspicion at Miss Ma l zuret. She had the most to gain by | the millionaire's death-that was ob- l vious-hence, argued the reporters, she | doubtless could tell more if she wished l Perhaps, indeed, she actually possessed | Aha solution of the mystery.