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The Benson murder case

Chapter 31: Transcriber’s Notes
By S. S. Van Dine
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About This Book

A companion-narrator recounts how an urbane, analytical amateur detective assists the District Attorney in solving the murder of a well-known man found dead in his home. The account follows crime-scene inquiry, witness interviews, forensic testimony, forged papers, and the piecing together of alibis as suspects are eliminated and motives exposed. Emphasis is placed on close observation of manner, dress, and behavior, methodical reasoning, and cross-examination, culminating in the detective’s detailed outline of how seemingly disconnected clues form a coherent explanation and lead to an arrest.

Transcriber’s Notes

This transcription follows the text of the first edition published by A. L. Burt Company and Charles Scribner’s Sons in 1926. However, the following alterations have been made to correct what are believed to be unambiguous errors in the text:

  • The occurrence of “begining” in Chapter VIII has been corrected to “beginning”.
  • The occurrence of “elenctus” in Chapter XX has been corrected to “elenchus”.
  • The occurrence of “dumfounded” in Chapter IV, has been corrected to “dumbfounded” so as to be consistent with other appearances of the word.
  • The phrase “gone to Mr. Benson house” in Chapter XX has been corrected to “gone to Mr. Benson’s house”.
  • The phrase “keep his own council” in Chapter XVIII has been corrected to “keep his own counsel”.
  • Two ellipses (one of two dots in Chapter XXI and one of five dots in Chapter XXII) have been changed so as to be consistent with other ellipses in the text.