Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-04-09
FIRST EPISODE
The Clutchinq Hand.

The Clutching Hand.
There must be something new in
order to catch criminals nowadays.
The old methods are all right-as far
as they CO. But while we have been
using them, criminals have kept pace
with modern science"
Craig Kennedy laid down his news
paper and filed his pipe with my to-
bacco. In college we had roomed to-
gether, had shared everything, even
poverty, and now that Craig was
professor of chemistry in charge of
the laboratory at the university and
/ had sort of rowing commission on
the staff of the Star, we had continued
our arrangement.
1T has always seemed strange to
me-" he went on slowly, that no one
has ever endowed a professorship in
criminal science in any of the large
colleges"
tossed aside my own paper and
retrieved the tobacco
"Why should there be a chair in
criminal science?" | replied argu-
tentatively, settling back in my chair.
I've done my turn at police headquar
tiers reporting, and ] can tell you,
Craig, it's no place for a college pro-
fessor. Crime is-iust crime. And as
for dealing with it the great detec-
tive is born and bred to it. College
professors for the sociology of the
thing-yes: for the detection of it,
give me a Byrnes."
"On the contrary" persisted Ken
nedy, his clean-cut features betraying
an earnestness which knew indicated
that he was leading up to something
of Importance, there is a distinct
place for science in the detection of
crime. Today we have professors of
everything-why not professors Of
crime science?"
Still, as l shook my head obviously,
he FASTENED to clinch his point Col
leges have got down to solving the
hard facts of life, nowadays-pretty
nearly all. except one. They still treat
crime in the old way, study its Stats
tics and pore over it's causes and the
theories of how it can be prevented
and punished. But as for running down
the criminal himself, scientifically, re-
lentlessly-bah! we haven't made
enough progress to mention since the
hammer and tongs method OF your
sainted Byrnes."
Doubtless you will write brochure
on this most interesting subject"
suggested, land let it go at that"
No, | am serious" he replied, de-
termined for some reason or other to
make a convert of me- Il mean eX-
actly what ] say. am going to apply
science to the detection of crime, the
same sort of methods by which we
trace out the presence of mysteri-
Gus chemical or track down a deadly
germ. And before have gone far,
am going to enlist Walter Jameson
as an aid I think | shall need you
in my business"
How do l come in?" I asked.
well, for one thing, you will get a
SCOOP 'beat'-whateve you call
it in that newspaper jargon of yours"
Fortunately, Walter" he pursued,
''the crime-hunters have gone ahead in
science faster than the criminals. It's
to be my job to catch criminals. Yours,
it seems to me, is to show people how
they can never hope to beat the mod
ern scientific detective"
Go as far as you like" exclaimed,
convinced at last.
And so it was that we formed this
strange new partnership in crime sci.
ence that has existed ever since
+
Jameson, here's a story I wish
you'd follow up" remarked the man.
aging editor of the Star to me one
evening after l had turned in an as.
signment of the late afternoon
He handed me a clipping from the
evening edition of the Star, and
quickly ran my eye over the headline