The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-10-01
NOW BEGIN THE STORY
CHAPTER XVII

Naturally" Vance replied, e
since it's an irrelevant factor in
most crimes. Every one of us, my
dear chap, has just as good a mo-
tive for killing at least score Of
men, as the motives which actuate
80 crimes out Of hundred. And,
when anyone is murdered, there are
dozens Of innocent people who had
just as strong a motive for doing
it as had the actual murderer.
Really, y know, the fact that a
man has motive is no evidence
whatever that he's guilty,-such
motives are too universal Il posses
sion Of the human race.
"Suspccting man Of murder be-
cause he has a motive is like sus-
pecting a man of running away
with another mans wife because he
has two legs. The reason that some
people kill and others don't. is a
matter Of temperament Of indi-
vidual psychology. 1t all comes
back to that. =. And another
thing: when Il person does possess
Il real Notwithstanding trcmen-
dous and overpowcr:ng-hc'1 pretty
apt to keep it to himself, to hide it
and guard it carefully - ch, what :?
lie may even have disguised the
motive through years of prepare
ton; or the motive may have been
born within five minutes of the
crime through the unexpected dis
covery Of facts decade old.
80, d We see, the absence Of any
apparent motive in Il crime might
be regarded as more incrin. mating
than the presence Of one"
"You arc going to have some diff
ficulty in eliminating the idea Of
cui bono from the consideration
Of crime"
Il dare say" agreed Vance. "The
idea Of cui bono is just silly enough
to be impregnablc. And yet, many
persons would be bcnfited by al
most anyone's death. Kill Sumner,
and, on shat theory. you could ar
rest the entire membership of the
Authors League.
"Opportunitv at any rate" per-
sisted Markham, .'is an insuperabIe
factor in crime, and by oppor-
tunity, | mean II. affinity OF cir
cumstances and conditions which
make particular crime possible,
feasible and convenient for a par
ticular person."
Another irrelevant factor" as
serted Vance. Think of the oppor-
tunitics we have every day to MUIR
der neoplo we dislike!
"Only the othc-' night ! had 10
Unsuitable bores to dinner in my
apartmcnt--a social devoir. But l
-rcfrained-with considerable effort,
| admit-from putting arsenic II
the Pontet Canet.
"The Borgias and I, " see, merely
belong in different psychological
categ 'ries. On the other hand. had
l be resolved to do murder,
would - like those resourceful pa
tricians--have created my own OPP
portunity ;. And there's the
rub:-one can either make an OPP
portunity or disguise the fact that
he had it, with false alibis and vari-
Gus other tricks.
you remember the case Of the
murderer who called the police to
break into his victims house be-
fore the latter had been killed, say
ing he suspected foul play, and
who then preceded the policemen
indoors and stabbed the man as
they were trailing up the stars."*
swell, what Of actual proximity,
or presence,-the proof of person
being on the scene of the crime at
the time it was committed?"
again misleading" Vance de-
clared. IAN innocent persons pres
ence is too often used as shield
by the real murderer who is actul-
ly absent. A clever criminal can
commit q crime from q distance
through an agency that is present.
"Also, q clever crir inal can ar
range an alibi and then 60 to the
scene of the crime disguised and
unrecognized. There are far too
many convincing ways Of being
present when one is believed to be
abseht-and vice versa. -. But
we can never part from our in
dividualities and our natures. And
that is why all crime inevitably
comes back to human psychology
the one fixed, undisguisable basis
Of deduction"
It's wonder to me-" said Mark.
ham. "in view Of your theories. thai
you don't advocate dismissin1
nine-tenths Of the police force an