The hummer. (Houston, Miss.) 1914-19??, 1915-06-18
FIRST EPISODE



There must be something new in
order 70 catch criminals nowadays.
ne old methods are all right--as far
e. they 60 But while We have been
uaing them. criminals have kept pace
With modern science"
Craig Kennedy laid down his news.
paper and filed bis pipe with my TO-
bacco. in college we had roomed to-
sether, had shared everything. even
poverty. and now that Craig was a
professor Of chemistry IN charge Of
The laboratory 1t the university and
! had q sort Of rowing commission on
the star Of the Star, we had continued
cur arrangement
~ has always seemed strange to
me" he went on slowly. that no one
has ever endowed q professionally 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 scieneef I replied argu-
mentatively, settling back in my chair.
tive done my turn at police headquar-
ters reporting, and can tell you,
Craig, it's no place for a college pro-
fessor. Crime is--just crime. And as
Tor dealing with It the great detec-
tive Is born and bred to Il. 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 elean-cut features betraying
an eanestness 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
overything-why not professors OF
crime science3"
STILL as I shook my head obviously,
he hastened 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 statis-
cs and pore over its causes and the
ories Of how It can be prevented
punished. But as for running down
he criminal himself. scientifically, re-
lentlessly-bahl we haven't made
enough progress 20 mention since the
hammer. and tongs method Of your
saintod Byrnes."
Doubtless you VIII write brochure
on this most interesting subject" /
suggested, "and 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 a mysteri-
Gus chemical or track down a deadly
germ. And before I have gone far,
am going TO enlist Walter Jameson
ag an aid think I shall need you
In my business"
How do I come in?" I asked.
wei. for one thing, you viii get a
scoop. a 'beat'-whatever you call
e q that newspaper iargon Of yours"
Fortunately, Walter" he pursued.
"the crlme-hunters have gone ahead in
science faster than the criminals. It's
20 - my Job to catch criminals Yours.
# seems to me, is to show people how
they can never hope to beat the mod
en scientific detective"
go as far as you like" 1 exclaimed,
convinced ct last.
And so It was that we formed this
strange new partnership in crime sci
enee that has existed ever since.
Jameson. here's a story I wish
goud follow up remarked the man.
aging editor Of the Star to me one
evening after had turned in an as.
slgamenDof the late afternoon.
He handed me a clipping from the
gvening edition Of the Star, and
quickly ran my eye over the headline: