第 45 节
作者:管他三七二十一      更新:2021-04-30 16:22      字数:9320
  but not till then; should we lose sight of the corpse。
  〃And now what are we to make of the argument; that the body found
  could not be that of Marie Rog阾; because; three days only having
  elapsed; this body was found floating? If drowned; being a woman; she
  might never have sunk; or having sunk; might have reappeared in
  twenty…four hours; or less。 But no one supposes her to have been
  drowned; and; dying before being thrown into the river; she might
  have been found floating at any period afterwards whatever。
  〃 'But;' says L'Etoile; 'if the body had been kept in its mangled
  state on shore until Tuesday night; some trace would be found on
  shore of the murderers。' Here it is at first difficult to perceive
  the intention of the reasoner。 He means to anticipate what he
  imagines would be an objection to his theory … viz: that the body was
  kept on shore two days; suffering rapid decomposition … morerapid
  than if immersed in water。 He supposes that; had this been the case;
  it might have appeared at the surface on the Wednesday; and thinks
  that only under such circumstances it could so have appeared。 He is
  accordingly in haste to show that it was not kept on shore; for; if
  so; 'some trace would be found on shore of the murderers。' I presume
  you smile at the sequitur。 You cannot be made to see how the mere
  duration of the corpse on the shore could operate to multiply traces
  of the assassins。 Nor can I。
  〃 'And furthermore it is exceedingly improbable;' continues our
  journal; 'that any villains who had committed such a murder as is
  here supposed; would have thrown the body in without weight to sink
  it; when such a precaution could have so easily been taken。' Observe;
  here; the laughable confusion of thought! No one … not even L'Etoile
  … disputes the murder committed _on the body found_。 The marks of
  violence are too obvious。 It is our reasoner's object merely to show
  that this body is not Marie's。 He wishes to prove that Marie is not
  assassinated … not that the corpse was not。 Yet his observation
  proves only the latter point。 Here is a corpse without weight
  attached。 Murderers; casting it in; would not have failed to attach a
  weight。 Therefore it was not thrown in by murderers。 This is all
  which is proved; if any thing is。 The question of identity is not
  even approached; and L'Etoile has been at great pains merely to
  gainsay now what it has admitted only a moment before。 'We are
  perfectly convinced;' it says; 'that the body found was that of a
  murdered female。'
  〃Nor is this the sole instance; even in this division of his subject;
  where our reasoner unwittingly reasons against himself。 His evident
  object; I have already said; is to reduce; us much as possible; the
  interval between Marie's disappearance and the finding of the corpse。
  Yet we find him urging the point that no person saw the girl from the
  moment of her leaving her mother's house。 'We have no evidence;' he
  says; 'that Marie Rog阾 was in the land of the living after nine
  o'clock on Sunday; June the twenty…second。' As his argument is
  obviously an ex parte one; he should; at least; have left this matter
  out of sight; for had any one been known to see Marie; say on Monday;
  or on Tuesday; the interval in question would have been much reduced;
  and; by his own ratiocination; the probability much diminished of the
  corpse being that of the grisette。 It is; nevertheless; amusing to
  observe that L'Etoile insists upon its point in the full belief of
  its furthering its general argument。
  〃Reperuse now that portion of this argument which has reference to
  the identification of the corpse by Beauvais。 In regard to the hair
  upon the arm; L'Etoile has been obviously disingenuous。 M。 Beauvais;
  not being an idiot; could never have urged; in identification of the
  corpse; simply hair upon its arm。 No arm is without hair。 The
  generality of the expression of L'Etoile is a mere perversion of the
  witness' phraseology。 He must have spoken of some peculiarity in this
  hair。 It must have been a peculiarity of color; of quantity; of
  length; or of situation。
  〃 'Her foot;' says the journal; 'was small … so are thousands of
  feet。 Her garter is no proof whatever … nor is her shoe … for shoes
  and garters are sold in packages。 The same may be said of the flowers
  in her hat。 One thing upon which M。 Beauvais strongly insists is;
  that the clasp on the garter found; had been set back to take it in。
  This amounts to nothing; for most women find it proper to take a pair
  of garters home and fit them to the size of the limbs they are to
  encircle; rather than to try them in the store where they purchase。'
  Here it is difficult to suppose the reasoner in earnest。 Had M。
  Beauvais; in his search for the body of Marie; discovered a corpse
  corresponding in general size and appearance to the missing girl; he
  would have been warranted (without reference to the question of
  habiliment at all) in forming an opinion that his search had been
  successful。 If; in addition to the point of general size and contour;
  he had found upon the arm a peculiar hairy appearance which he had
  observed upon the living Marie; his opinion might have been justly
  strengthened; and the increase of positiveness might well have been
  in the ratio of the peculiarity; or unusualness; of the hairy mark。
  If; the feet of Marie being small; those of the corpse were also
  small; the increase of probability that the body was that of Marie
  would not be an increase in a ratio merely arithmetical; but in one
  highly geometrical; or accumulative。 Add to all this shoes such as
  she had been known to wear upon the day of her disappearance; and;
  although these shoes may be 'sold in packages;' you so far augment
  the probability as to verge upon the certain。 What; of itself; would
  be no evidence of identity; becomes through its corroborative
  position; proof most sure。 Give us; then; flowers in the hat
  corresponding to those worn by the missing girl; and we seek for
  nothing farther。 If only one flower; we seek for nothing farther …
  what then if two or three; or more? Each successive one is multiple
  evidence … proof not _added_ to proof; but multiplied by hundreds or
  thousands。 Let us now discover; upon the deceased; garters such as
  the living used; and it is almost folly to proceed。 But these garters
  are found to be tightened; by the setting back of a clasp; in just
  such a manner as her own had been tightened by Marie; shortly
  previous to her leaving home。 It is now madness or hypocrisy to
  doubt。 What L'Etoile says in respect to this abbreviation of the
  garter's being an usual occurrence; shows nothing beyond its own
  pertinacity in error。 The elastic nature of the clasp…garter is
  self…demonstration of the unusualness of the abbreviation。 What is
  made to adjust itself; must of necessity require foreign adjustment
  but rarely。 It must have been by an accident; in its strictest sense;
  that these garters of Marie needed the tightening described。 They
  alone would have amply established her identity。 But it is not that
  the corpse was found to have the garters of the missing girl; or
  found to have her shoes; or her bonnet; or the flowers of her bonnet;
  or her feet; or a peculiar mark upon the arm; or her general size and
  appearance … it is that the corpse had each; and _all collectively_。
  Could it be proved that the editor of L'Etoile _really_ entertained a
  doubt; under the circumstances; there would be no need; in his case;
  of a commission de lunatico inquirendo。 He has thought it sagacious
  to echo the small talk of the lawyers; who; for the most part;
  content themselves with echoing the rectangular precepts of the
  courts。 I would here observe that very much of what is rejected as
  evidence by a court; is the best of evidence to the intellect。 For
  the court; guiding itself by the general principles of evidence … the
  recognized and _booked_ principles … is averse from swerving at
  particular instances。 And this steadfast adherence to principle; with
  rigorous disregard of the conflicting exception; is a sure mode of
  attaining the maximum of attainable truth; in any long sequence of
  time。 The practice; in mass; is therefore philosophical; but it is
  not the less certain that it engenders vast individual error。 {*16}
  〃In respect to the insinuations levelled at Beauvais; you will be
  willing to dismiss them in a breath。 You have already fathomed the
  true character of this good gentleman。 He is a busy…body; with much
  of romance and little of wit。 Any one so constituted will readily so
  conduct himself; upon occasion of real excitement; as to render
  himself liable to suspicion on the part of the over acute; or the
  ill… disposed。 M。 Beauvais (as it appears from your notes) had some
  personal interviews with the editor of L'Etoile; and offended him by
  venturing an opinion that the corpse; notwithstanding the theory of
  the editor; was; in sober fact; that of Marie。 'He persists;' says
  the paper; 'in asserting the corpse to be that of Marie; but cannot
  give a circumstance; in addition to those which we have commented
  upon; to make others b