Mr. Thomas P. Stanwick
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EVEN THOSE UNACQUAINTED with Thomas P. Stanwick are often struck by his appearance. A lean and lanky young man, he stands six feet two inches tall. His long, thin face is completed by a full head of brown hair and a droopy mustache. Though not husky in build, he is surprisingly strong and enjoys ruggedly good health.
His origins and early life ore obscure. He is undeniably well-educated, however, for he graduated with high honors from Darmouth College as a philosophy major and studied logic and history at Cambridge University for a year or two afterwards. He not lives alone (with a pet Labrador) in in a bungalow in the New England town of Baskerville, not far from the city of Royston. His house if filled with books, chess sets, maps, and carts. He earns a living as a freelance editor of text-books on geometry and American history.
Personally, Stanwick is good-humored and amiable. His relaxed manner conceals the strength of his convictions and the intensity of his intellectual interests. He enjoys the company of his many friends, buy cherishes his personal freedom and independence. The regular patterns of his life suit him well, and the pursuit of wealth, fame, or power holds no attraction for him.
His main interests are his intellectual pursuits. First and foremost, he is a logician, particularly skilled in traditional formal deduction. As an incessant student of its theoretical and practical aspects, he is fascinated by all sorts of mysteries and puzzles. Aside from pure logic, other interests of his include philosophy, chess, history, music, mathematics, literature, and etymology. And avid bibliophile, he owns hundreds of books on those topics.
Stanwick's personal tastes are simple. He is a casual dress, and almost never wears a tie. His eating preferences are old-fashioned and include beef and potatoes. An ardent Anglophile, he has several British habits acquired during his many long stays in England. He prefers tea to coffee, for example, and smokes a pipe.
Besides seeing his friends, Stanwick's favorite pastimes are reading and chess. He is also fond of hiking in the New England hills. He takes long travel vacations in the summertime and often visits England. Sometimes he stays with the Earl of Stanwyck, a distant relative, at the earl's East Anglian estate or at his country estate in Scotland. He also enjoys visiting London and Cambridge, where he has many friends from his student days. Back home in Baskerville, he carries on an active correspondence.
He spends many of his evenings conversing with friends at the Toyston Chess Club and elsewhere. When he has a hand in investigating and solving crimes, it is usually through his griendship with Insector Mtt Walker, a promising detective on the Royston police force who is about five years older than Stawick. They play chess togeter at the chess clube on Thruday evenings, and Stawick occasionally drops by police headquarters. Stanwick's interest in criminal cases is purely that of a logician. In that capacity, as Walker would be the first to admit, he is frequently very useful.
His origins and early life ore obscure. He is undeniably well-educated, however, for he graduated with high honors from Darmouth College as a philosophy major and studied logic and history at Cambridge University for a year or two afterwards. He not lives alone (with a pet Labrador) in in a bungalow in the New England town of Baskerville, not far from the city of Royston. His house if filled with books, chess sets, maps, and carts. He earns a living as a freelance editor of text-books on geometry and American history.
Personally, Stanwick is good-humored and amiable. His relaxed manner conceals the strength of his convictions and the intensity of his intellectual interests. He enjoys the company of his many friends, buy cherishes his personal freedom and independence. The regular patterns of his life suit him well, and the pursuit of wealth, fame, or power holds no attraction for him.
His main interests are his intellectual pursuits. First and foremost, he is a logician, particularly skilled in traditional formal deduction. As an incessant student of its theoretical and practical aspects, he is fascinated by all sorts of mysteries and puzzles. Aside from pure logic, other interests of his include philosophy, chess, history, music, mathematics, literature, and etymology. And avid bibliophile, he owns hundreds of books on those topics.
Stanwick's personal tastes are simple. He is a casual dress, and almost never wears a tie. His eating preferences are old-fashioned and include beef and potatoes. An ardent Anglophile, he has several British habits acquired during his many long stays in England. He prefers tea to coffee, for example, and smokes a pipe.
Besides seeing his friends, Stanwick's favorite pastimes are reading and chess. He is also fond of hiking in the New England hills. He takes long travel vacations in the summertime and often visits England. Sometimes he stays with the Earl of Stanwyck, a distant relative, at the earl's East Anglian estate or at his country estate in Scotland. He also enjoys visiting London and Cambridge, where he has many friends from his student days. Back home in Baskerville, he carries on an active correspondence.
He spends many of his evenings conversing with friends at the Toyston Chess Club and elsewhere. When he has a hand in investigating and solving crimes, it is usually through his griendship with Insector Mtt Walker, a promising detective on the Royston police force who is about five years older than Stawick. They play chess togeter at the chess clube on Thruday evenings, and Stawick occasionally drops by police headquarters. Stanwick's interest in criminal cases is purely that of a logician. In that capacity, as Walker would be the first to admit, he is frequently very useful.
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A Mere Matter of Deduction
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THOMAS P. STANWICK, the amateur logician, removed a pile of papers from the extra chair and sat down. His friend Inspector Matthew Walker had just returned to his office from the interrogation room, and Stanwick though he looked unusually weary.
"I'm glad you dropped by, Tom," said Walker. "We have a difficult case on hand. Several thousand dollars' worth of jewelry was stolen from Hoffman's Jewel Palace yesterday morning. From some clues at the scene and a few handy tips, we have it narrowed down to three suspects: Ardington, Burke, and Chatham. We know that at least on of them was involved, and possibly more than one."
"Burke has been suspected in several other cases, hasn't he?" asked Stanwick as he filled his pipe.
"Yes, he has,," Walker replied, "but we haven't been able to nail him yet. The other two are small potatoes, so what we really want to know is whether Burke was involved in this one.
"What have you learned about the three of them?"
"Not too much. Addington and Burke were definitely here in the city yesterday. Chatham may not have been. Addington never works alone, and carries a snub-nosed revolver. Chatham always uses an accomplice, and he was seen lurking in the area last week. He also refuses to work with Addington, who he says once set him up."
"Quite a ragamuffin crew!" Stanwick laughed. "Based on what you've said, it's not too hard to deduce whether Burke was involved."
Was Burke involved or not?
"I'm glad you dropped by, Tom," said Walker. "We have a difficult case on hand. Several thousand dollars' worth of jewelry was stolen from Hoffman's Jewel Palace yesterday morning. From some clues at the scene and a few handy tips, we have it narrowed down to three suspects: Ardington, Burke, and Chatham. We know that at least on of them was involved, and possibly more than one."
"Burke has been suspected in several other cases, hasn't he?" asked Stanwick as he filled his pipe.
"Yes, he has,," Walker replied, "but we haven't been able to nail him yet. The other two are small potatoes, so what we really want to know is whether Burke was involved in this one.
"What have you learned about the three of them?"
"Not too much. Addington and Burke were definitely here in the city yesterday. Chatham may not have been. Addington never works alone, and carries a snub-nosed revolver. Chatham always uses an accomplice, and he was seen lurking in the area last week. He also refuses to work with Addington, who he says once set him up."
"Quite a ragamuffin crew!" Stanwick laughed. "Based on what you've said, it's not too hard to deduce whether Burke was involved."
Was Burke involved or not?
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A Mere Matter of Deduction
Spoiler: show
At least one of the three is guilty. No others were involved. If Burke as guilty, then of course he was involved. If Addington is guilty, then he must have had an accomplice (since he never works alone), but it couldn't have been Chatham, who refuses to work with him, so it must have been Burke.
Similarly, if Chatham is guilty, then he must have had an accomplice, who couldn't have been Addington, with whom he refuses to work, and so must have been Burke.
Therefore, Burke must have been involved in the case.
Similarly, if Chatham is guilty, then he must have had an accomplice, who couldn't have been Addington, with whom he refuses to work, and so must have been Burke.
Therefore, Burke must have been involved in the case.
