The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1915-01-29
The Exploits
Of Elaine
A Detective Novel and Motion Picture Drama
FIRST EPISODE
The cIutchlna Hand.


There must be something new in
order to catch criminals nowadays.
The old methods are all right-as far
as they go. But while we have been
using them, criminals have kept pace
with modern science"
Craig Kennedy laid down his news
paper and filled his pipe with my to-
bacco. In college we had roomed to-
gether, had shared everything, even
poverty, and now that Craig was a
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
ut has always seemed strange to
me-" he went on slowly, that no one
has ever endowed professorship in
criminal science in any Of the large
colleges"
l tossed aside my own paper and
retrieved the tobacco
"Why should there be chair in
criminal science?" replied argu
mentatively, settling back in my chair
1--WE done my turn at police headquar
tiers reporting, and can tell you
Craig, it's no place for college pro
fessor. Crime is-just 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 1t
give me Byrnes,"
"On the contrary" persisted Ken
nedy, his clean-cut features betrayint
an earnestness which knew indicated
that he was leading up to something
of Importance, there is q distinc
place for science in the detection o
crime. Today we have professors o
everything-why not professors o
crime science?"
Still, as / shook my head obviously
he fastened to clinch his point. "Col
leges have got down to solving thu
hard facts of life, nowadays-prett,
nearly all, except one. They still trea
crime in the old way, study its stats
tics and pore over its causes and thu
theories of how it can be prevente'
and punished. But as for running dow
the criminal himself, scientifically, re
lentlessly-bah! we haven't mad
enough progress to mention since TIL
hammer and tongs method of you
sainted Byrnes."
Doubtless you will write brochur
on this most interesting subject"
suggested, "and let 1t go at that"
mo, am serious" he replied, dc
termined for some reason or other t
make convert of me. II mean e1
actly what l say. ! am going to appl
science to the detection Of crime, tn
same sort of methods by which W
trace out the presence of a nyster
GUS chemical or track down a deadl
germ. And before have gone far,
am going to enlist Walter Jameso
as an aid / think l shall need 20
in my business"
How do come imp asked.
well, for one thing, you will get
SCOOP 'beat'-whatever you ca
it in that newspaper jargon Of yours.
Fortunately, Walter" he pursued
''the crime-hunters have gone ahead i
science faster than the criminals. It
to be my job to catch criminals. Yours
it seems to me. is to show people ho'
they can never hope to beat the mot
ern scientific detective"
go as far as you like" exclaimed
convinced at last
And SO 1t was that we formed thi
strange new partnership in crime sc
ence that has existed ever since.
Jameson, here's story I wis
you'd follow up" remarked the maj
aging editor of the Star to me on
evening after / had turned in an a
signment OF the late afternoon.
He handed me clipping from Il
evening edition Of the Star, and
quickly ran my eye over the headline
HTIIr nIIITnUlun