The Washington times., 1937-05-03

porting to the chief that he's
yanked murder suspect who
can't tell a straight story but he's
got to let him go because the
psychological aspects Of the crime
don't fit in with his personality?
How long do you think Cropsy
would last as head of the hom1'
eide squad?"
He snorted in disgust and de-
manded a cigarette.
Somebody ought to explain to
these literary master minds" ne
said, ruthlesSly accepting Earl
Jones' last cigarette and crump-
ling the package, that murders
don't happen that way. They
we'll they just don't. II I ever
write a mystery story"
IF you what?" demanded
Bunny Jackson. Jones uttered a
derisive "Ha-ha!"
"Well, what's so funny about
that?" Williamson wanted to
know.
You know what I Think" said
Jones.
"Who cares?" Bunny Jackson
scoffed. you're not paid to think;
you're paid to dig up pieces for
the paper. Get busy and call the
rounds"
"You know what I Think" Jones
continued imperturbably. Il read
that book and it's interesting, all
right, but it's lot of hooey. My
idea is that there's just two kinds
of evidence"
Grady Williamson aimed at the
cuspidor and missed. "Yeah?"
Yeah, Handsome. Two kinds
of evidence-falSe and real. And
it doesn't make any difference
whether it's circumstantial or psy-
Geological or what have you {.
and the more intelligent the crime,
the more intelligence required to
solve it."
Did you figure that out all by
YOURSELF" Williamson inquired.
Where did you learn all those
big words?" said Bunny.
Jones grinned, somewhat sheep
ishly. He was only %, and fresh
from college. He had been on the
paper only a few months, and
these other two were weary vet
Grams. Cynicism sat heavily upon
them, though neither was yet 80.
I liked Earl Jones. He was
good kid, and smart. Lay off," I
said, land give a man chance.
He'll be doing big-league stuff
when you two are still covering
police"
He'll be sprouting Spats and a
cane some day." said Williamson,
and going down to Washington
to be a journalist"
"And he'll make talks on the
RADIO" said Jackson.
"Just another Floyd Gibbons"
said Williamson.
Jones continued to grin, but he
defensively changed the subject,
and soon we got to discussing the
crime situation in Cleveland and
wishing for a real honest-to-God
story.
Not one of these cheap rack
eteer killings" Grady Williamson
specified, d" but a good juicy MUIR
der with plenty of sex appeal.
There's just two kinds of murders"
with a leer at Jones-"the kind
that make a good story and the
kind that DON'T"
Earl Jones started calling the
rounds" the telephone list Of
precinct stations and hospitals and
other regular sources of police"
news. And our conversation pres
emily was punctuated at regular
intervals by his Hello, Sarge, any
thing new?"
Just what kind of a murder
does it take to make good Story?"
I prodded Williamson. He was one
reporter I always enjoyed arguing
with when he was in a serious
mood, which was rare. I think he
was the best police reporter ever
knew and he was highly paid as
reporters salaries go, although he
didn't write very much for his
paper. His value lay in getting
the news more than in the writing
of it; and though he had just been
soothing at the science of psychol-
ogy as it applied to criminal evil
dence, I am sure he used it al
most every day himself in the
gathering of news. He would be
the last person in the world to
dignity his methods by any such
fancy name; but have seen him
operate and have seen him get pic
lures from people who didn't want
to give him pictures, and watched
him as he got people to talk who
didn't want to talk. He gener-
ally was able to think about two
jumps ahead of the party he hap
pened to be interviewing.
At my question he stretched
forth his hand for my cigarets.
why, the best murder story in
the world" he said as he settled
back in comfort, sis the crime of
passion. That involves murder be-
tween the sexes uSually-the kill
ing of man by a woman or vice
versa-although it isn't absolutely
necessary. One of the SWEETEST
stories I ever covered was the muir.
der of woman by another
woman"
THE Bushby hanging?" Bunny
Jackson asked.
yeah"