Tales of the Thinking Machine

figure of a man. Occasionally he shot a glance behind him, but the general direction of his gaze was to his left, where a fence cut off the small bac

lked on through the alley toward an arc-light which sp

al questions when he heard the steady clack, clack, clack of footsteps a block or more away. He glanced up and dimly

stranger nervously. “Can you tel

inquired th

,” was the reply. “If I don’t ge

n grinned sy

ther block, but there’s another just across the street here,” and he indicated a ro

u,” said

unted the steps and pulled the bell. After a few minutes the door o

uired the stranger of a se

es

draw a tooth for me. I’m

p to attend to such cases

a bill in the servant’s hand. “Wake him

then opened the door and led the

aves, gaping ostentatiously, e

” explained the stranger, “but I

pon a clock. Dr. Sitgreaves glanced in that dir

t hard. I didn’t think I’d been asleep more than an hour.” He paus

d the stranger, and

o his innermost depths and fingered

he said after an examination. “Th

replied the other impatiently, “except tha

e noted the drawn face, the nervous twitching

ere’s no doubt of that. But it i

anger. “It always comes in that tooth,

save it. Here,” and he turned and stirred an effervescent powder

glass and gulped dow

ructed the dentist. “If it doesn’t quiet you and y

t his watch and replaced it in a pocket of his pajamas. His visito

er,” observed the dentist at

and finally it got so bad that I couldn’t stand it. Then I got up and dressed and came out for a

pause of sev

?” inquired the

y. “I think you’d

as you

d him with a sigh of relief, and after a minute

it now, plea

es past two,” re

er. “I’ll just have time

t,” said t

d ni

m, but the general direction of his gaze was to his left, where a fence cut off the small back-yards of an imposing row of brown-stone residences. At last he stopped and tried a gate. It opened noisele

ent house. He had been dead for several hours. He sat beside his desk, and death left him sprawled upon it face downward. The weapon was one of several curious daggers wh

sk, lay a sheet of paper on which were scrawled a few words; a pencil was clutched tightly in his right hand. The detective glanced then star

**** stabbed me **** am dying **** God he

gle flight of stairs to the office floor to make some inquiries. An elevator man, Moran, was the first person questioned. He had been on

me was h

d say. He and Mr. De Forrest cam

Mr. Chas

w, sir. I di

een somewhere ne

on it the time that I received it. It was then just six minutes before two o’clock. I walked up from this floor to the third — two flights — to give the message to Mr. Thomas. As I passed Mr. De Forrest’s door, I h

Forrest’s door first at, say, five m

ute of that t

t two or a minu

es

lishes beyond question the moment of the murder.” He was thinking of the word

d not. They were

graph office and indisputable records there showed that they had telephoned a mess

asleep in his room in a boarding house less than a block away from the Avon. He se

t of a mistake

,” said the detective.

s hands, and a drop or so on the clothing he had worn the night before; and it was established by three fellow lodgers — yo

tablished the authenticity of the dying man’s writing. Then he proved that Chase had been with De Forrest at half past eleven o’clock; that there had been a quarrel —

prisoner and took up his pen to

before we go any furt

about anything the prisoner m

ake — a serious mistake. I admit that the writing was Mr. De Forrest’s; that I was with him

ourt

ven o’clock and I went to his room but I remained only ten or fifteen minutes. Then I went home. It was about five minutes of twelve when I reached my room. I went to bed and rema

llory smiled

” the prisoner went on steadily. “Two of these happen to be city

the Court scratched one ear gravely. Cit

ffice. I would like to ask please the approximate distance between this point —” and he ind

eer studied th

nd a half miles

ke that state

surveyed

he turned to face the crowd in the rear. “Is Poli

tir, and Policeman

er me?” inquir

was th

you see me

s finger down on the map at the sec

Detective Mallory tugged violently at his moustache

time you saw me

lis was thoug

eard a clock strike just after

white for an instant, then he r

ount the stro

paying any att

nto Chase’s face and he

d strike?” It was hardly a q

Gillis. “It might hav

d I say

a dentist, and I directed you to

nter Dr. Sitg

es

e Court and that eminent jur

, please?” call

ed, exchanging nod

ember me

es

e Court where you live? S

ch had been pointed out by the prisoner and by Pol

from this corner,” e

for me last night?”

es

e prisoner ope

st gazed

he re

, “that you had occasion to notice the clock just after I

e two — seven or eig

d the Court exchange

atch, too. Was that e

ithin a

leave your office?”

t two — I happen to re

eyes met Detective Mallory’s. He stared straight into tha

d of course. It is possible that I got

cert

and surprised a puzzled express

was two o’clock; I have shown by three witnesses — two of them city officials — that I was two and a half mil

ourt considered the matter. Final

ck in the telegraph office, while it seems established that Dr. Sitgreaves’ clock was also accurate, because it was with his watch. Of course there is no questi

d to the elevator

clock was that

lated from Washington Ob

the telegraph of

regulated from Was

s, Dr. Si

regulated from Was

hat there could have been no variation of either without this variation showing in the delicate testing apparatus. Therefore it came to pass that Franklin Chase w

aring, up to and including the expert examination of the clocks, which immediately preceded the release of Franklin Chase. When this point

known facts with petulant, drooping mouth and the everlasting squint in his blue eyes. As the reporter talked on, corrugations appeared in the logician’

ality of being perfect in each way — that is the evidence against Mr. Chase is perfect and the alibi he offers is perfect. But

n two places at once at two o’clock. Therefore we must assume either one of two things — that something was the matter with the clocks — and if there w

sudden interest. It suggested a line of t

ege of temporarily setting aside his defence and starting over. If, on the contrary, he told the full and exac

eally more than appeared in court, for instance, that his watch had been regulated only a few days ago, that it had been accurate since, and that he knew it w

s of possibilities, and the result was that I was compelled to accept the alibi — not that I’m unwill

into Mr. Chase’s room at two o’clock?”

es

m the condition of Mr. Cha

hat you mean. They agreed that it was

hine raised his

ment, still casually, “and were looking for relief, would you stop to notic

as he stared into the inscru

last. “No, I hardly th

tive search of De Forrest’s apartments in the Avon, seeking some clue. When the Thinking

ck?” he inquired o

opposite the telephon

nd squinted fiercely into the very face of the timepiece

n pass through the hall,” he mused. “Now,” and he picked

uestions and their nature cause

et in the shirt

e the wond

night you pick up your watch

es

s. Goo

ing Machine tu

ve that the person who killed him was an acquaintance. It would be unfair to act hastily, so I shall ask you to devote three or four days to getting

med to receiving large order

the person who killed him and an arrest will follow. The murderer will not run away. The solution of the

r days laboured arduously and vainly. Then he returned to The Thin

he returned he went straight to the ‘phone and called Det

explain to him that there is new evidence — an eye witness if you like. But don’t mention my name or

ory started to

Mr. De Forrest and that being true it must be that that somebody can be found. Please, when M

s eyes lay a shadow of apprehension. Over it all was the gloss of ostentatious nonchalance and self con

,” added The Th

teady scrutiny of the narrow blue eyes. The Thinking Machine droppe

room a block or so away from his house around the corner. These are Mr. Hatch’s apartments.” He stated it so convincingly that there was no possibil

ay something, gulp

e had been courteous in the extreme; now it hardened perceptibly. “I saw you, Mr. Chase, come along the street, stop at the alley, glance around and then go into the alley. I saw your face clearly un

working strangely, but still he was silent. It was

ou came out and walked on to the cross street, where you disappeared. Naturally I wondered what it meant. It was still in my mind abou

e,” said Chase weakly. “

by the front door, we know that you tampered with Dr. Sitgreaves’s watch and clock, and when we know that

h across the room; Detective Mallory discreetly moved h

hem backward one hour. It was then actually a quarter of three — you made it a quarter of two. You showed your daring by invading the dentist’s sleeping room. You found his watch on a table beside his bed, set that with the clock, then went out, spoke to Policeman Gillis whose number

to the pallid face. Chase made a hopeless gestu

a fit of anger, left there while the elevator boy was upstairs, then saw the necessity of protecting yourself and devised this alibi at the cost of one tooth. Your

e. Finally Chase looke

know all th

scientist. “The simplest rules of logic proved conclusively that this did happen.” He s

ow?” asked Ch

N

will,” declare

e detective, Hatch lingered

hing,” he said. “How di

appeared in the case, then, knowing that this must have happened, tricked Mr. Chase into believing I was an eye wit

at while the prisoner was convicted of murder on his own st