The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1915-03-25
The Exploits
Of Elaine
A Detective Novel and a Motion Picture Drama
FIRST EPISODE
The Clutchlnq Hand.


There must be something now 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 filed his pipe with my to.
bacco. In college we had roomed to-
gethcr, had shared everything, even
poverty. and o that Craig was n
professor OF chemistry in charge OF
the laboratory at the university and
I had a sort OF rowing commission on
the star 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 n professionally In
criminal science in any of the large
colleges"
] tossed aside my " paper and
retrieved the tobacco.
why should there be n chair In
criminal scienI -" ! replied argu.
mentatively, settling back In my chair.
I've done my turn at police h%eadquar.
ters reporting, and | can tell YOU,
Craig, It's no place for n college pro.
fessor. Crime is-just crime. And as
for dealing with It the great detec.
tive is born and bred TO IL. College
professors for the sociology OF the
t~hing-yes; for the detection OF II.
give me a Byrnes."
'np tho nnptrary" yaret,tnJ Pa
nedy, his ~clean.cut features b%etraying
an earnestness which ! knew indicated
that he was leading up TO something
OF importance. there is n distinct
place for science In the detection OF
crime. Today we have professors OF
everything-why not professors OF
crime %sctcnce?"
Still, as | 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 its causes and the
theories of how IL can be prevented
and punished. nut as for running down
Nv tIlIillUul ullilStlls SNltilllllCdlll IT,
lentlessly--bah! we haven't made
enough progress to mention since the
hammer and tongs method OF your
sainted Byrnes."
Doubtless you will write n brochure
on this most interesting subject" |
suggested. "and let II go at that"
mo, ! am serious" he replied. de-.
termined for some reason or other to
make a onvert Of me. IL mean ex.
actly what ! say. I am going to apply
science TO the detection OF crime, the
same sort OF methods by which we
trace out the presence of n mystcri.
Gus chemical or track down a deadly
germ. And before | have gone far.
an going to enlist Walter Jameson
as nm aid | think I shall need you
in my business"
How DO | come in?" asked.
We'll, for one thing. you will get n
SCOOP a 'beat'-whatevcr you call
II in that newspaper jargon OF yours"
Fortunately. Walter" he pursued,
"the c~rime.hunters have gone ahead In
science faster than the criminals. It's
to be my Job 10 catch criminals. Yours,
II seems to me. Is TO show people how
they can never hope 10 beat the mod.
ern scientific detective"
Go as far as you ike" | exclaimed.
convinced at last.
And so 1t was that we formed this
strange new partnership In crime sci.
ence that has existed ever since.
Jameson, here's a story | wish
you'd follow up" remarked the man.
aging editor OF the star 10 me ono
evening after ] had turned in an as
signment OF the late afternoon.
lie handed me a clipping from the
evening edition of the Star. and I
qnio Kly ran my eye over the headline: