Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-01-31
SILENT SHOT, LIKE HISS
OF EVIL ONE, PUZZLES
CHEMIST AND OFFICIAL
Albany Murder and Attacks by
Gunmen Alarm Police With
Thought of What Limits
Crime May Reach
FORMULA NOT SOLVED

Erery time the good scientists tnrcnt
something useful and uplifting the bad
scientists try to inuent something ,cickcd
to offset u.
Good men inuontcd bnttlcships NTH
plates that projectIe cannot pierce, TO
dejohd thtcr countries and then bad men
ihrented projectiicS that can pierce the
unpicrcedblc.
Good men inuent reUotrcrs TO restrain
htoues aud murdercrs and make an honest
noise tUhiie doing So and thiercs and
murderers come back NTH noiseiess re-
ootuers so they can commit their crimes
unobScrvod.
This is the composite opinion Of many
learned men upon tho news from Albany,
N. Y, that a silent gunmar" had shot
down four persons, the shots making no
more sound than a slight hiss. That hiss
sent a thrill of apprehension through the
Detective Bureau today. It also interest
ed chemists and students Of the drama
The latter were interested because the
Albany crime has brought to pass in
actual life the prophetic dream of Bayard
WELLER in his popular play, "Withn the
Law" which came out three years ago
and has been running ever since.
WITHIN THE LAW"
In this play murder is committed on
the stage with a noiscless revolver The
gang of burglars enter n house and sud
denly realize that one of their number
Is a traitor and has notified the police
Drawing his noisclcss revolver the chief
of the gang shoots him dead. The mur-
der had a peculiarly sinister effect; tho
silent bullet seemed to speed propelled
nj hNs thn tns tod Nf lnfr ft Ntsnr.
like a breath from the mouth of the
Evil One; while there is childish Candor
about the bang of an old-faShoned cart
ridge which tends to alleviate the ugli-
ness of tho effect.
The detectives were even more inter-
estcd. This beats the dictophone and
the diCtograph," quoth one. In that, he
meant that Crime tended to invent new
aggressive device in reply to every de-
fensivc device that Law invents. Law had
made an enormous inroad into Crimes
territory by invcnting the instruments
that betray to the ears of detectives the
whispered plottings of crooks. Now, after
two or three years thought crime has
replied with the noiseless revolver.
FORMULA a PUZZLE.
That the assertion OF Albany investi-
gators that only one concern in the world
has the secret of the silent explosive is
of chemists here.
Dr. Harry T. Keller principal of the
Germantown High School, and a noted
chemist, said that the explosive as dc.
scribcd-"a heavily compressed illuminate
and 0uicksiver''-would not be noiSeless
illuminate being used in Fourth of July
torpedocS, 1t would not seem that that was
noselcss. he said. Quicksilver has been
used in the explosives he said, but he had
20 ,,T !, ,ir;t,
that would make the illuminate soundlcss,
Yet this is the story told by Edward
g. Kenny, one of the four persons shot
down by the mysterious gunman
"'The gunman was only few feet away
from me when he shot | heard a hiss and
then received a blow that made me think
some one had slapped me on the back with
newspaper kept CONSCIOUSNESS as
fell in the darkness and after ! fell, so
that if there had been report / would
have heard it,"
John Mccormick, another victim. tells
the same story Sf the kissing sound
These two men and Mrs. John McKcown.
who is 20 years old, will recover but the
fourth victim, James Irwin. died today
The bullets used were so small that they
would not pierce a heavy ovcrcoat at q
distance Of 20 feet were the ordinary
powder used as the propelling force. But
the strange chemical compound is said to
have three times the driving force of
powder.
A New England munitions plant has |
been experimenting for six months with
noiseless explosives and the name of the |
firm is said to be known to the Albany |
police A quiet investigation is under way,
not to stop the manufacture of the eX. |
plOsive, but to learn why it should have |
first had public demonstration in the hands |
of a criminal. 1t would be a valuable |
Government military secret, it was gen. |
orally agreed, if the Government could !
get the secret and the rights to the inven. |
ton from the New England firm