The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-05-08
"THE CRIME DOCTOR"
Copyright, +. W. Hornung.

1 4 aePPOh w hohu my " 4" ~
views on crime and its punish
ment. might be permitted to
explain them, however briefly,
they would at least afford the
only excuse l have to offer for
my coduet. If you consider ii no
excuse, and if l have put myself
within reach of the law, there,
sir, is my card; and here am l..
prepared to take the conse-
quences of my act"
| The home secretary leaned for
ward and took the card from a
sensitive hand.
Il see, Doctor Dollar, that you
are a near neighbor of mine
only just round the corner in
Welbech st. May ! take 1t that
your experience as consultant
is the basis of the views you men
tion?"
"My experience as an alien
ist," said Dostor Dollar" so far as
can lay claims to that euphem-
ISM"
And how far is that, DOCTOR"
I'm the sense that all crime is
a form of madness.
Then you would call your
self"
I'm default of recognized
term," said Doctor Dollar, II can
only call myself a crime Doctor
"A branch not yet acknowl-
edged by your profession?"
Neither by my profession nor
by the law, Mr.. Vinson; but both
have got to come to it just as
surely as we all accept the other
scientific developments of the
day"
But have you reduced your
practice to science, doctor?'
Il am doing So" said Doctor
Dollar. Il have made a start;
if it were not so late would tell
you all about it. You are the
home secretary of England, the
man of all others whom I could
wish to convert to my views. But
already l have kept you up too
long. If you would grant me an
appointment"
Not at ALL" interrupted Mr..
Vinson, as he settled himself
even more comfortably. in his
chair. THE night is still young
so is my cigar. Pray say all
You care to say, and say it as
confidentially as you please. You
interest me, Doctor Dollar; nor
can l forget that l am much in
debted to you"
81 don't want to trade on that.
returned the doctor, hastily.
But 1t is an old dream OF mine
to tell you, sir, about my work,
and how and why~I came to take
it up. / was not intended for
medicine, you see: my people are
army people. My father was an
ensign in the Crimea-Scots Flu
siliers. I Joined the Argyll and
Sutherlands the year before
South Africa-where, by the way,
l remember seeing you with your
Yeomen.
81 had Is months of 1t with
out a headache or a scratch"
81 wish l could say the same.
Mr.. Vinson. l was shot through
the head at the Modder, ten days
after. | landed"
Through the head, did. you
say?" asked the home secretary.
The doctor touched the. silver
patch in his dark, strong hair.
That's where the bullet came
sinking out; any but a Mauser
would have carried all before it!
AS it was, it left me with o. bit
of squint, as you can see; other
wise, in a very few weeks, l was
as fit as ever-physically."
Wonderful"
Physically and even mental
ly-from a medical point of view
but not morally, Mr.. Vinson!
Something subtle had happened,
some pressure somewhere, some
form of local paralysis. And 1t
left me a pretty l0w-down type,
| can tell you! IL was a case of
absolute automatism-but / won't
go into particulars now, IL you
don't mind"
"On no account, my dear doc
tori" exclaimed the secretary of
state. IL want to hear every
word you care to tell me--and
not one that you DON'T"
at had destroyed my moral
sense on just one curious point;
hut thanh GOd cama IN ana IN O
cause as we'll as to suffer un-
speakably from the effect. After
that it was a case of killing or
curing. decided to try the cur
ing first. And--to cut a long
story short was cured"
Easily"
mo. The Islander may come
home to roost, but | shall never
think much of the London spe-
cialist! I've dropped my two
sovereigns and florin into too
many of their itching palms. But
not a man Jack of them was
ashamed to pocket his guineas
for politely telling me was as
mad as a halter to think Of such
a thing as really was the matter
with mel"
And the end?" m
I'm the end I struck q fellow
with an open MINDFUL not in
England-and IL I said that he
literally opened mine 1t might be
an exaggeration, but that's, ali.
| He did go prospecting In my