Show I y t L I CASE The E Che C exploits of 1 a Physician ian Detective George e F Butler 4 MD At 8 3 on an evening In fl late September a group of ot five physicians and surgeons gathered at the home of f a colleague for the pur purpose of com corn comparing paring professional notes sat down to dinner Though tho the conversation originally origInally intended to bo be strictly confined to medicine soon became diverted by bya a chance remark of or the host into the channels of criminology and medicine combined one of their number who for some Mme ears had acted as resident phy in the he tate state penitentiary and whose name was wa famous in penology ate in silence without apparent interest in tho the subjects under discussion He had uttered scarcely a word after en entering entering the dining room This taciturn taciturnity ity Sty on his part was not unusual for lie be was known by his colleagues to be of ot ofa ofa a 0 thinking rather than garrulous na nature nature natUre ture given to few words even on fes festive tive occasions However the host Dr Droe oe in order to draw him into the tho con finally turned to him and taid you bear hear that Ger irish says all aU criminals are insane Dr Furnivall raised his head slowly rod ind looked Jo ked across tho the table fet tt t Dr Ger Gerrish Gerrish rish When did you find that wit out he What came In n a chorus from all sides And Dr Roe continued You dont mean to say you OU subscribe to that raised his eyebrows and waved hi Iland h d In ta mock deprecation In appearance he 1 was an ordinary man rather good looking lQ cf f middle age He wore ore a beard which was streaked with gray Eray and l only about him that seemed h d noticeable was his lils eyes These in repose were ordinary enough too at first glance But a closer ac acquaintance with them disclosed a sin quality which one would begin 1 to describe as color and end by declaring ing to be bl a fascination ta of or depth Look LookIng Looking Ing 1111 steadily into them was like stand standing ing on a precipice and gazing over till Ull the impulse comes to plunge down Blue of ot a very dark limpid tone ton ono one would say they were on a casual view but a blue that flickered and waved under und l r observation between blue and dark gray suddenly flaming to a fixed jand jond powerful black which seemed to Co bore into ones nes Very soul and yet at atthe atthe atthe the samo same time resemble a bottomless well Into which It would be b the tha most pleasing and natural thing In the world for lor one o e to Jump and carelessly sink Despite the fact that they lacked any suggestions of and that the whites hUes were no more than normally In Inc c evidence a would rec recognize recognize recognize these singular lar eyes as most pe peculiarly pee e adapted to the use of hypnotism tm They Th y had however never been put pAt to these uses as far as the doctors friends were aware With the lifting of or his brows and the of his hand Dr Furnivall said Gentlemen the question is la one large larg ly Jy l of ot terminology What ia Is insanity And I suppose s means that ev cv every frY ery Y criminal Is insane for the th moment at least or ho would never rever commit the crime Probably we would say s that of t mind which im impels Impels a person to do what no sane per fion would do but that at do seem to o help us It resolves itself on onore ono onore ore o e side into a matter of observance or observance non of custom He who does docs a little different from the majority is called aUed a crank or eccentric If it he acts act l greatly different he is Js foolish or demented or odd or crazed or insane and so forth Now the ordinary man manoe does oe not for example default and run runaway runaway away with the funds of a bank even v then 1 hen he has a chance to do so He who does doCS o is therefore not ordinary May la Te DC ha be lA is la only a fool without sense enough to know how small are his chances for escape Maybe Ia behe he is in insane insane sane sanc But ut call him what you will his is not the normal mind At 1 t this another went ent up But circumstances How are you Ou going BOing to leave them out circumstances force sometimes even evena a R normal norial person Furnivall again waved waed his hand as it if the question were trivial A mans circumstances are the man himself are part of him Circum Circumstances stances do not him hem he be forces X Viem He makes them An absolutely I honest man could not be made to steal even cen by the thumb screws of ot tho the In Inquisition any an more than he her could on the physical ph side be made to lift a ton t n lith ith his hands Temptation T like mus muscular muscular muscular cular strength does not lie without It lies within What a man Is Is what puts put l him In his circumstances I will Even ven venture to assert that a thorough thoroughly ly wise person verson could If it were possible for him to know all the circumstances surrounding any man work back to the discovery of that th t mans very mind and soul and from that basis work forward and predict every thought nd act of his futuro life At this tho the table burst Into a roar of ot derisive laughter and Gerrish said You ought to have been a detective old man As JJ nothing but a physician and penologist few tew letters after Ills bis name you w waste and most reckless ly y squander a talent that should be put putto putto putto to some real use nse In la the world Oh answered Furnivall in the midst of laughter over oyer this brilliant sarcasm you ou forget that I am not a avise wise vise man Itt Itla only the wise who could work this miracle And further furher her was thero there ever a man nan whose circumstances could be all known however howe er simple they might seem by any other man manI I think not Still there are undoubted ly 3 many cases Cases in which one could c learn learna learna a sufficient number of ot facts to indicate with certainty At this Instant the tho door was thrown violently open and a man came eanie whirl lag in locked In a n fierce mutual em bract brace with the butler Help help sir hes crazy Hes lies choking me mel gasped the servant ervant Let Tret me In tn then Curse you I tell teU you rou ou its Ita life or death with me With a last spasmodic heave he ye he threw the butler butier against the wall and rushed up to Dr Furnivall Jack exclaimed the doctor What th thA dev J For Gods sake hide me doctor hide me cried the Intruder who was a sallow Fallow youth of 22 or 23 after me Tads is dead killed murdered God And they say I did it Hide me somewhere He Ho bounded around the tho room franti frantically cally as if 11 searching g with mth blind eyes for tor fora torn a n way of ot escape or concealment ance Sit down H commanded the doctor calmly You act as If It something wore were the matter Theres The nothing in the world Important enough 1 to make a sane man raise r s such a row rot At tie the word sane the doctors doctor all au with the same earns sameI I I thought looked locked at each other and the stranger tranger s The coincidence of this af sf affair fair air f with their late subject of discussion dis ul Slon truck struck s them speechless Moreover the he heyo young oung yo y ng man was wasp to their experience eyes yes e far from sane at that moment and a nd showed indications of epilepsy That such a person should develop a homicidal h tendency was easily within the possibilities s There Thero was commis commiseration commiseration ratton e In their hearts for tor their col colleague league leigue l for If Ith ha ho were Interested In this youth y hero was an opportunity to apply hla h is theories and these as he had him himself self elf s hinted them pointed Inevitably to the he t guilt of ot his friend What would he do dot doThe The stranger tranger threw himself hl seU upon the lounge l and burled buried his face in his hi hands at a t the tho doctors words Do you want me to ta t give myself up he cried hysterically Dr Roe said Furnivall and lrI my friends f this Is Mr John Harwich Jack pull yourself together and aid sit up Dont act so childishly Youre not go ga goIng gong Ing I ng to be hurt Come gentlemen lees Jets finish f our dinner In the meantime our young friend will tell us his story Roe Roo please order the servants to admit any auy body who calls Now Jack The youth sat erect with a Jerk His Hi face f ace was haggard his eyelids quivered his hl hI hands banda lia ds twitched the thi thumbs inside his fingers and nd his whole body bedy trem trembled trembled trembled bled violently When he spoke his voice oice though not loud gave pye the ef cf effect feet of ot screaming Tads was found dead on an his bed this afternoon thata all he ejaculated And oh because I am the next heir they say I did It ItHe ItHe ItHe He started up his eyes rolling In his head and then sank back again on the couch lolling exhausted against the theall wall all Were you In the vicinity at the time tire he was found asked the doctor His eyes were veiled in a downward look at atthe atthe the tablecloth his fingers crumbling the bread at his plate The observant doctors waited breathlessly for far the an answer answer ewe That la Is tho the fate fata of ot It h ln hA burst buritt forth t rth You know I been there for months but this morning think of or It This day of all others I took a aspin aspin aspin spin out there in the motor and ancl and X He lIe groaned and threw out his hands hards despairingly The doctor d his fingers still sun busy with the crumbs sat a moment in silence while the company compan watched him tense with an emotion in sympathy bore bote a large part His Hla face however never r ch changed under their gaze from froman froman an expression indicative of t calm cairn con consideration consideration consideration of or the facts act l Were you there thOre th relong long Hal you U any opportunity to do it Great heavens you dont you yon cant for Gods sake i say you dont be believe lieve I Jack Jaek Interrupted look looking ing i ng him steadily ste in tile the eye for the first time Ume sit up straight and tell your oUr story Begin at the beginning I 1 wont he returned doggedly do Is if you are going to think 1 had h d anything n I to t o do with It lt that you above abOY everybody v would have faith in me I 1 know it looks bad for tor me ma I like lUte i Tads everybody knows that Ive 10 been b n thera th all day but I scarcely saw him Im ImI himI I was alone a good deal too and so o was wag he they say sa But I touch him I say three words to him all ah day da He Ho was wac found on his hi bed at 6 stabbed stab ed in the heart naked and all covered with oil I believe who whoever whoever whoever ever did It meant to burn him and the hous too They The say ja a tramp was around arouni thero in the afternoon and got something to eat from the cook Why dont they lay It to him I do such sl Q a thing as that it in me There was a remarkable change in intha Inthe the tha t narrators narrator manner as he wen went on 11 the doctors eyes ees holding bolding him Between the stubborn tone in which he began and the docile conclusion there was all the difference that lies between an ugly and an amiable child The skilled group watching Intently remained si silent silent lent ent l hut but ut they sought each other with their eyes ees They The had bad recognized an in instance Instance instance stance of true hypnotism with no ho about It Indeed with ncr na chance for anything of ot the kind which is Isa i s a rare thing And they were inter interested interested ested to the point of enthusiasm N Na a man of them now believed the youth guilty for had he been be n he would have told It its liS unconcernedly under the in influence influence Influence fluence of that compelling gaze gazo as ag he had Just asserted his innocence A less company would have h ve shouted applause at this unostentatious yet wonderful display of pure science Is your motor outside Jack asked the doctor pushing his chair back from the table Yes at the door I came amo as fast last as asI asI asI I rould f to your house first and they told me you were here He suddenly stopped and looked around Wheres that butler Tm rm sorry I should have haye spoken to him but I was excited and ran var by him He must mut have thought Tho The doctor who wino had been scribbling a prescription pr s Interrupted int by handing it I t to him saying Take this to a drug store get it filled tilled dose doso yourself Go home Walk WalI I shall your motor for the thc remainder of ot tho the night Go now for forI I must be off ort In a hurry He Ire thrust the young oung man from the tha th therom room rom and turned to the company compan He guilty they cried crl d as with one voice olee I I dont know knO You saw his symptoms and know what he would be capable of under sufficient stimulus I am go goIng going Ing tog Sown own to to find out outHa Ha Ea tov rl they exclaimed He Be was the richest man In the city bib Yes The dead boys boy was his only child and Jack J Ck is his only nephew Ills sisters son Bon His father tather was my dear dearest est cat friend and I was the t e boys guardian till his majority But objected Dr Gerrish the hypnotism the suggestion that have hae brought out his guilt if he were guilty That young fellow ellOw spoke the truth if 1 ever eer a man did His whole manner showed that lie he lie lieHe He Heis wasa a perfect automaton n U smiled and motioned hat and coat r rAn An All epileptic forgets he said J mi nu the nes are am correct It would ba perfectly per possible f fOI who ordinarily has a good memory to I commit a crime In a flurry of or hysteria and forget nil all about It two houra aft afterward afterward erward so that he would be unable to tell of It if it he would However Hoever r he continued Im Tm going goin to look Into the case cao for his sake Hes a good fellow fallow f and shant sh ft suffer if I can n help It Would you like to go along alon Gerrish Dr Gerrish eagerly signified his as assent sent sont They Thay entered tho the automobile to together together gether and In half halt an anh hour ur of o rapid driving during which time Um scarcely a word ord passed between them they or ar orX ort I Ix X t rivel ivel r at nt the country home of Jonas Haut ver Dr Furnivall was well welt I known k by this gentlemen g and when he h e stated his errand to him he willingly rehearsed r the theta ta tz ts of ot the tragedy gedy i which were substantially as Harwick hart half h stated them He added however that hat t it was who accused ac used his nephew ephew n For ourselves we dont know what to t think It do d sn seem possible that Jack t could do d o such a thing And we Weare w are all aU too deeply d distracted to reason about t the t affair May ty I see ee the body The distracted father led the way to toa toa a chamber at the door of which a worn w m man an a n watcher sat motioned them to go so goIn gon in i n and left them alone with the dead The was th that t of ot a boy five years old fair t and well weil formed lying on a bed with a sheet over cr It U They Th immediately I saw that In addition a to the he t stab wound In the heart there was an abrasion of ot the skin of tho the fore forehead forehead ore head and this Dr examined curiously Ho He beckoned to the woman at the door Were you his nurse he asked Yes sir When hen did you last see him alive aUve what time The woman looked frightened She evidently was one of af more than the usual Intelligence but the situation sit situ tl n was as too large and dreadful r for her She BhO be began began begun gan gun to weep but managed to stam stammer stammer mer merI I 1 say sa Just exactly exa Uy sir but butI butr ut r I think It was around 5 Where here was ho he then He was running down don the back backstairs backstairs stairs sir Ir laughing for I was after him to wash him hlo up for dinner And Arid ho lIe went out the tho door Into Int the grounds at the |