New Britain herald., 1927-11-22
CHAPTER LN

ttA ! l t.lt l..h
 "Just as sculptor, who thorough ly understands the principles of form and composition, cen accurately sup ply any missing integral part of a statuo." Vance explained, "so can the psychologist who understands the human mind, supply any missing factor in given human action.
 T might add, parenthetically, that all this hlatbor about the missing arms of the AphroGitc of MvlOs-thr Milo Venus. y know-is the utt'rcst iiIdle-fad1lo. Any competent artist who knew the laws Of sthctic or ganization could restore the arms exactly as they were originally. Such r"storatiOrs are merely q matter of ContcXt--no missing factor. d ye see, simply has 10 conform and har- moaizo with what is already known" ! He made one of his rare gestures of delicate emphasis.
 "Now, the problem Of circum- venting suspicion is an important detail in every d,libcratcd r.'.Ho. ] And since the general concept. r.. this particular crime was po-...r. conclusive and concrete, il follas.,I that each one Of it's component parts would be pos tive, conclusive and concrete.
 "Thorcforo, for the Major merely to have arranged things so that he himself should not be suspected, would have been too negative q con Icrption to ii consistently with the other psychological aspects Of the deed. IL would have been too vague, l too indirect, too indefinite. : "Thc type of literal mind which conceived this crime would logical ly have provided a specific and tapSiDle object of suspicIon. Con g'quontiy, whom tn" material evil dcnco began 10 pile mp against the captain, and the major waXcd vcho- meYt in defending him. I knew he had been chosen as the dupe.
 At first. l admit, 1 suspected the major of havin selected Miss St. Clair as tlo victim; But when J i learned that tn" presence of her gloves and handbag at Honson's was only an accident. and remcm- hered that tn" m1ior had given us pfyfo "5 q source of information about the capta.n'a 1rrat. I realized ,h#t her projection into the role of murderer was unrromeditated.' X little later Markham rose and stretched himself.
 "Well, Vance," he said, your task is finished. Mine has just begun. And l need slcep.'
 Before q week had passed, Major Anthony Eenson w#s indicted for the murder of his brother. His trial before Judge Eu'oph Hansachcr. as you remember created nation- wide sensation.
 The press associHtions sent col umns daily and for weeks the front pages of the ccuntrE'S newspap" "ui wrro emrlaaoncd with spectacular reports Of tro proceeding4.
 How the a astrict attorneys office won the GAS" after a bitter struggle; how, because of the indirect char ac'rr of the evidence, the verdict l vas for murder in tho second de gree; and low, after a r"trial In the court Of appeals. Anthony Ben son finally received a s"ut"nc" of from 70 wars to Ii'r -- all these facts are a matter of official and public record.
 ! Markham personally did rot ap- pr9r as public prosecutor. Having been a lifelong friend of thr de ! tondaura. his position was aN un- ouyiablc and difficult one, and no word Of criticism was directed against his assignment of tn" case 10 Chief Assistant District Attorney . Sullivan.
 Major Benson surrounded him self with an array of counsel such aS is rarely seen in our criminal courts. Both Bl&shfcll and Bauer were among the attorneys for the Ilc;.nsc - iiIashhcl1 fulfilling the duties Of the English solicitor, and HaGor acting as advocate. They fought with every legal device at their disposal, but the accumulation of evidence against their client overwhelmed them.
 After Markham had been Conyinc- ed of the majors guilt, he had made a thorough examination of the bus mess affairs of the two brothers, and found the situation even worse lthan had been indicated by Stitts first report.
 The nrm's securities had been systematically appropriated for pri- vatc spcculatlons; but whereas A. lyln Benson had succeeded in cover ing himself and making q large profit, the major had been almost completely wiped out by his invest mcuts.
 Markham was able 10 show that the majors only hope of replacing the diverted securities and saving . himself from criminal prosecution lay in Alvin Benson's immediate death.