The New York herald., 1922-06-18
By AUGUST vOLLMER.


President international Associa.
tion of Chiefs of Police.
Copyright, 1922, BY THE NEW YORK HERALD
r ISTENING in on the heart
beats of fifty charming. i'm
pulsive, romantic university
goods to discover which one was a
thief and save an innocent pretty
girl from unmerited disgrace was a
job big enough, IL not impossible
for the average police department;
to me it offered almost insuperable
difficulties, which, however. were re-
moved by the girls themselves en-
tering into my Investigations most
extraordinary one-with the usual
innate sense of fair play that crowns
all achievements of American school
days.
To the average criminologist the
task would have appeared hopeless
by reason Of the fact that the girl
on whom the charge of stealing was
fastened cared more for her studies
than she did for recreation and was
wholesomely disliked by her fellows
because of her aloofness.
Her guilt was believed in by al
her classmates, including the house
mother. the latter being obsessed
with an uncanny dislike of the girl,
whose grave offense against the class
bad been an aversion for pretty
clothes. dancing and party frolics.
One Against Forty-nine.
Forty-nine giggling, thoughtless,
loving embodiments of budding flap
per exuberance confronted me and
avowed their belief in the positive
guilt of Marjorie Small of having
stolen a diamond pin of Clara Hope.
The latter. a modern type of fiat
heeled, rolled hose, high skirted, pow
dered and rouged coed, couldn't say
why she suspected Miss Small.
Suspect Miss Small she did and
proclaimed the fact in no uncertain
coed language.
1t was a case of accusing timid
girl who would not mix with her
companions, but not one of her ac-
cusers could back up their accusa-
tions with a single fact of evidence.
/ was dealing with the impression
able. if not at times bull headed, in
eonsiderate fiossy young college thing
who followed the leader, and the
leader in this case was a real uni
versity bellwether, Mrs. Fsnmeline
Brock, house mother of the X. S. U.
sorority. Mrs. Brock fairly ruffied
like turkey when / first consulted
her about the mystery.
She was morally certain of Miss
Smalls guilt, so I was compelled to
take into my confidence DR.. ]. A.
Larson of the philosophical depart
ment of the university, who had
some influence with the members of
this sorority and through whom I
made an appeal to their better ma
lures to show fair play to Miss
Small.
determined to question the
charming young girls first and later,
IL the deductions were not saisfac-
tory. resort to the sphygnoInano-
meter test for the detection of lies
through the regularity or irregu-
larity Of heart beats and breathing.
The house mother. Mrs. Brock,
wished me to see Miss Small first.
but / declined and called for Miss
Hope. who had lost the diamond.
She was in every way a guileless,
attractive daughter of modernism as
her alma mater knows the college
girl to-day.
She told me she left the diamond
on her dressing table and when she
returned it was gone. Nothing else
was taken.
When asked il she suspected any
one she replied she suspected Mar
5orie Small.
'Why?" queried.
Was a Peculiar Girl.
The abrupt question disconnected
her. She glanced at the others as il
annAaling for sunnorf and then de-