The Washington times., 1923-01-21
FICTION SLEUTH
PH0NY, CLAIMS
SIR BASIL
Real Detective Is Jack-of-All
Trades, and Is Likely to Be
Most Successful When He
Is Most Lucky.

E< IF were asked just
what were the best quail
fications for detec-
tive should say 10 be a jack
of,all-trades and a master of none.
That. perhaps. is because l hap
pen 10 be an Indifferent jack-of-
all-trades myself, and 1 cannot re-
member any smattering that l ac-
quired in distant corners of the
earth that did not come in useful
at Scotland Yard"
There you have the quiet. mat
ter-of-fact opening sentence of
my Experiences at Scotland
Yard" by Sir Basil Thompson,
who lectured recently at the Ma
donal Theater. "Other countries
try to make specialists of their
detectives. They would have them
know chemistry, surgery. and min
eralogy, they would have them
competent to appraise the value of
Jewels, to judge the time corpse
has been dead, or how long a
footprint has been impressed upon
damp earth. They forget that
there is specialist round every
corner, and that a detective who
knows his work knows also where
to find a jeweler or a doctor or
q skilled mechanic who will give
him far better opinion than his
own
Continuing to remark that real
hfe is quite unlike detective fic-
tion'' and to sneer gently at the
methods of the immortal Sherlock
Holmes. Sir Basi gives the formu-
Ia used by Scotlandl Yard "The
detection of. crime consists in
good organization, hard work and
luck in about equal proportions;
when the third ingredient pre-
dominates the detective is very
successful indeed"
Immediately you are informed
OF the Voisin murder at the end
Of 1917, how the criminal cut. off
the head and hands Of his victim
on the night Of an air raid and
was caught through "a little unob-
trusive laundry mark on her
clothing" From then on you are
given 800 pages of thrilling stories.
each told in brief and most calmly
and sanely throughout. There is
material in this book for a, hun
dred mystery stories and never
one word OF cynicism or boasting.
Sir Basil Thompson, son of the
late Archbishop Of York, was edu-
Gated at Eton and New College,
Oxford. He took up government
service and for q time was prime
minister Of Tonga, in the South
Seas. upon which he has written
several books. After an experience
as governor Of Dartmoor and
Wormword Scrubs prisons. Sir
Basil took charge Of the British
secret service, officially known
Is the criminal investigation de-
partment of Scotland Yard, in
1913. He served in that capacity
throughout the great war, finally
relinquishing his duties in 1921.
Scotland Yard, known all over
the world as the greatest crime
detecting and crime-preventing
agency of modern times, is a
mere workshop, according to Sir
Basil. Peculiarities of British law,
which protects the citizen to the
very end, serve to make the de-
tective most painstaking and care
full Of small things as he hunts
down the criminal, and dozens of
instances are given to prove this.
Just as Sir Basil was hurled
almost at once into the turbulent
times surrounding the great war,
so does this book come quickly
to the spy mania which frightened
the allies and their supporters for
many a day not so long ago. And
ii is thrilling, even though STIR
ring the risibilities, for the writ.
er's calmness is infectious.
Lively pictures show England
with its young men marching
away to war, and following after
the rumors of spies among the
walters. spies in the next house,
spies feeding pigeons in the park.
-S-o-e-o-0-e