The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-01-16
tContinued from Page u

criminal investigator. The praise
which was constantly accorded him,
however, was highly distasteful to
him; for, being a man with q keen
sense of honor, he instinctively
shrank from accepting credit for
achievements not wholly his own.
The truth is that Markham played
only subsidiary part in the ma
iority of his most famous criminal
cases. The credit for their actual
solution belonged to one of Mark
hams very close friends, who re-
fused, at the time, to. permit the
facts to be made public.
This man was young social aris-
tocrat, whom, for purpose of ano-
nymity, I have chosen to call Philo
Vance.
Vance had many amazing gifts
and capabilities. He was an art COL
lector in a small way, a fine amateur
pianist, and a profound student of
aesthetics and psychology. Although
an American, he had largely been
educated in Europe, and still re-
tanned slight English accent and
information. He had liberal indie
pendent income, and spent consider
able time fulfilling the social obi
cations which devolved on him as
result of family connections; but he
was neither an idler nor a diet
tante.
Vance was not yet tllirty-fiv and,
In a cold Sculptural fashion, was i'm
pressively good looking. His face
was slender and mobile; but there
was a stern Sardonic expression to
his features which acted as a barrier
between him and his fellows. He
was not emotionless but his emo
lions were in the main intellectual.
1 kept fairly complete record
OF the cases in which Vance partici-
pated, little thinking that I would
ever be privileged to make them
public; but Markham, after being
defeated, as you remember, on a
hopelesSly split ticket at the next
election, withdrew from politics; and
last year Vance went abroad to live,
declaring he would never return to
America. AS a result obtained per-
mission from both of them to pub
hsh my notes in full. Vance stipu-
lated only that I should not reveal
MS name; but otherwise no restric-
lions were placed upon me.
I have related elsewhere the pc
cul1ar circumstances which led to
Vance's participation in criminal
research, and how, in the face of
almost insuperable contradictory
evidence, he solved the mysterious
shooting Of Alvin Benson. The pres
ent chronicle deals with his solution
OF Margaret Odell's murder, which
TOOK place in the early fall of the
same year, and which, you will re-
call, created an even greater SEN
satlon than its predecessor.
A curious set of circumstances was
accountable for the way in which
vance was Shouldered with this new
investigation. Markham for weeks
mad been badgered by the anti-ad-
min1stration newspapers for the sig
nal failures of his Office in obtain
ing convictions against certain I'M
derworld offenders whom the police
had turned over to him for prosecu-
ton. As a result Of prohibition a
new and dangerous, and WI oily un-
desirable, kind of night life had
sprung up in New York. A large
number Of well-financed cabarets.
calling themselves night clubs, had
made their appearance along Broad
way and in its side streets; and al
ready there had been an appalling
number Of serious crimes, both pas
sional and monetary, which, it was
said, had had their inception in
these unSavory resorts.
At last when a. case of murder
accompanying a hold-up and Jewel
robbery in one of the family hotels
uptown was traced directly to plans
and preparations made in one of the
night clubs and when two detectives
OF the homicide bureau investigating
the case were found dead one
morning in the neighborhood of the
club with bullet wounds in their
backs, Markham decided to pigeon
hole the other affairs of his Office
and take hand personally in the
intolerable criminal conditions that
had arisen.
Sunday, Sept. 8
On the day following his decision,
Markham and Vance and I were
sitting in a can1,YIod oOr,,o. 0f +I,o