Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-10
% IDA GILBERT MYERZ
ANezUM oOeI by Charles @. Norris-Harozd
Bell Virgin Uses the Stage as a Symbol.
Other Summer Books.


This is the story of Paul SelIa, young gang
ster. brief and busy matter that ends
with the electric chair, with the murder OK
Paul Sella For, hayward and wrong as the
boy was, he did not commit the crime for
which he paid in the coin OF a country devoted
to justice. The underground commerce in
drugs and drink is the motivating force of the
action. So widespread is its personal engage
ment that the record recalls the old jingle of
erich man, poor man. beggar man, thief. doc
tor, lawyer, merchant"-and SO on. Night clubs
and garage cellars, police quarters and the
private offices of judge and banker, of lawyer
and go-between shift the scenes of this action
in the prompt efficiency of good business Paul
Sella has bad name. Good scapegoat, besides.
So evidence gathers about the boy to round up
a short life summarily. The story is a model
Of construction upon very immediate theme.
A remarkable story, thing to read. How
ever, that is not its great point Here is a
book to study. Here is evidence to be examined
and tested. Go over it from that standpoint.
What do you think of it?
William E. Weeks is prominent attorney,
practicing in Boston. This is his story, not at
all a fabrication as any. one may see. OF it
Arthur Garfield Hays says 1t suggests the
futility of expecting certain certainty from any
human system of evidence" Capital punish
ment should not be resorted to so long as
error is possible" "OnIy an infallible judge
should fix an immutable sentence" Then fol-
lows a clear Illustration of the quality of cir
cumstantial evidence against direct evil
denee. Read it. An interesting survey of the
value of the expert" in criminal procedure is
given by direct example and definite nlustra-
ton. wildly tragic story is here offered to
the mere reader. A study in the law is indi-
Gated. widened review Of human nature
under the excitement of the man hunt is also
spread before readers here. And the full under
current of this book is infinitely more important
than even the murder of Paul Sella himself.
THE FRENCH POWDER MYSTERY: A Prob
lem in Deduction. BY Ellery Queen, author
of The Roman Hat Mystery" New York:
Frederick A. Stokes Co.
GUPPOSE, at noon today, are standing be-
fore the display window of big depart
ment store on street. And suppose, at the
instant, a door in the back wall Of that window
room opens on its own account apparently, and
there falls to the flood a woman-dead; upon
investigation, murdered. No such bizarre thing
would happen could happen. But such is the
starting point of Ellery Queens new mystery
tale. The mystery of the department store.
It must be granted that an establishment of
this type does offer quite field for action and
concealment-but, nonsenseI Sheer nonsenseI
From this startling moment forward, however,
this ceases to be even the semblance of a ro-
nance, mystery or otherwise. It becomes
arithmetic. Two plus two are four. But, you
see, the world often gets the answer five"
six" OF any other old number for this SIM
pie partnership of two plus two that strict
adherence to two numbers in their exact sum-
nation Is quite out of the question This long
story goes into the innumerable erroneous
combinations that serve to mystify both the
authorities and the plain population with as
many false clues as this combination is forced
to yield through the unlogic of the mind of
man. One forgets the matter at times, forgets
that he is hunting for criminal, in his zeal
to follow this wizard OF exact analysis. Excit-
ing and rather Self-inflating for the reader to
begin to look upon himself as a mystical
mathematician, in embryo at least. Not the
brightest scholar imaginable, I, for when well
along, l. was asked to apply my logic CD and
thereby TO point to the guilty man. / was lost
Ashamed, but lost nevertheless. And let me
tell you something. I have grievance right
here. Have had it in respect to one or two other
mystery tales When the criminal was found
he was so much of surprise that immedi-
ately accused that author of hiding him pur
posely. Do you suppose he would do that?
Particularly this Elery Queen, who boldly adj
vertiSeS "a problem in deduction" Do you
think he would? No? Well then I'm clear past
hope. I'd tremendously like to go over that
ground again--but the bird of time has but
little way to flutter, and the bird is on the
wing" And there are 40 other mystery stories
right here beside me. I'd like to do it, though.
EARTHs GENERATIONS PASS? By William
Dudley Foulke. New York: The oxford
University Press.
An American poet, writing of American
themes chiefly and yet even when painting
the homely scenes of frontier life, of Civil War
time, or paying personal tribute to Theodore
q nF