Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 300 Another Revolution

In the lounge area of ​​the Sussex Hotel, Lionel took a sip of tea and said calmly, "Mr. Stephenson, you have ten minutes. Please ask."

Robert Stephenson bombarded him with questions: "Mr. Sorel, how did you come up with Mr. Holmes's 'deductive method'?"

Is there a real-life prototype? For example, a distinguished detective or an expert?

Lionel smiled slightly and downplayed the issue: "Imagination is the most important tool for a writer, Mr. Stephenson."

Of course, observing life and learning some medical and chemical knowledge is always beneficial.

He didn't want Dr. Joseph Bell to become the focus of public attention right now.

Robert Stephenson then asked, "So, is your description of the Mormon community based on real research?"

You seem to have an excellent understanding of this group's internal rules and dangerous tendencies!

Lionel's answer remained composed: "I am concerned with humanity in specific circumstances and the tragedies that may result."

As for the details, reading relevant reports and travelogues can always provide some inspiration.

Over the next few minutes, Stephenson asked several more questions about the case's motives and character development. While Lionel answered fluently, his responses were also superficial.

He glanced at the clock on the fireplace in the lounge area; the ten-minute deadline was fast approaching.

Robert Stephenson noticed this as well, and he anxiously raised his biggest question: "Mr. Sorel, please forgive my intrusion, but this question is very important."

—Why 'now'? Why 'London'?

He gestured with his hands: "What I mean is, why would 'Sherlock Holmes' appear in this city in this era?"
Why not earlier or later, or somewhere else?

This question made Lionel, who was about to get up, pause slightly and lean back in his chair.

After a moment's hesitation, Lionel slowly spoke: "Very good, Mr. Stephenson, you have finally asked a valuable question."

He first held up one finger: "First, there's technological advancement and a shift in the spirit of the times. Look at the era we live in—"

Steam engines roared, railway networks covered the whole of Europe, and telegraph lines crossed the oceans... Medicine was also advancing, and forensic medicine became an independent major in universities.

People began to believe that since the world could be known, measured, and explained, the light of science could illuminate every corner, including the darkest.

He paused, giving Stephenson a moment to process the information, before continuing: "The public is no longer satisfied with relying on divine will, coincidence, or some gentleman's sudden inspiration to solve problems."

They yearn for a 'truth' based on evidence and logic. Sherlock Holmes and 'deductive reasoning' precisely respond to this yearning—

He replaced luck with reasoning, used science to uncover crimes, and convinced the public that 'the world is controllable' and 'order will surely triumph over darkness.'

Robert Stephenson listened intently, nodding unconsciously, his notebook spread out on his lap, his pencil flying as he took notes.

Lionel then raised a second finger: "The second point is that London itself is both the 'heart of the empire' and the 'breeding ground of evil'."

More than five million people are crammed here, with extreme wealth disparity. The vast slums are nestled beneath gleaming skyscrapers, breeding unprecedented crime.

Pickpocketing, fraud, violence, murder… local sheriffs and police officers are already overwhelmed. This isn't their problem, but an inevitable consequence of the times!
In fact, it's not just London; every major European city—Paris, Vienna, Berlin…—faces similar problems, but London has the largest population.

Lionel stared intently into Robert Stephenson's eyes: "Sherlock Holmes is the 'urban detective' born out of necessity."

He could certainly have been born in Paris, or other major cities, but London was undoubtedly the first choice!

He belonged to the streets of London, to this foggy era; only here could his talent be fully displayed.

After Lionel finished speaking, a brief silence fell over the rest area.

Robert Stephenson stared at him, opening his mouth as if to ask something more, but Lionel had already stood up. "Ten minutes are up, Mr. Stephenson. Thank you for the tea and the interesting questions. I think I should take my leave."

Robert Stephenson then seemed to snap out of his daze and quickly stood up: "Of course, of course! Mr. Sorel, thank you very much!"

Your insights are truly enlightening! This is absolutely a unique perspective!

Lionel nodded slightly, said no more, turned and left the rest area, and walked out of the hotel.

------

Far across the English Channel, in Paris, France, at the police headquarters, in the archives at the end of a corridor, another "revolution" is quietly brewing.

A tall, thin young man was reading a magazine called "Good Words" that a friend had brought from London, by the glow of a gas lamp.

He was a temporary worker here, doing tedious work for meager pay, and almost no one paid him any attention, which made it easy for him to slack off, just like he is now.

The article "The Rules of a Master Detective" and the hand-drawn illustrations in the magazine brought his previously dull world to life.

He repeatedly read the descriptions of the color, texture, and burning characteristics of the ash, his fingers tracing the illustrations.

He muttered to himself, "Observation...classification...system..."

This article seems to confirm his vague idea—that everything in the world, no matter how small, contains a unique mark that can be identified and categorized.

He already harbored deep resentment towards the inefficient and primitive methods of criminal identification employed by the Paris police system.

Relying on vague descriptions of physical characteristics and unreliable witness identifications, repeat offenders often manage to escape punishment easily.

This chaos and disorder were incompatible with his pursuits, given his family background as statisticians.

"The Rules of a Master Detective" unlocked the floodgates of his thinking.

He thought of the files he dealt with every day—mountains of criminal records, registration forms, signature pages…

A thought flashed through his mind like lightning.

He abruptly put down the magazine, rushed to the filing cabinet, eagerly pulled open the drawers, and began rummaging through them. He quickly pulled out a heavy file folder.

Returning to the table, he took out several yellowed sheets of paper. Next to the scribbled writing were blurry ink stains and fingerprints.

These fingerprints were previously almost exclusively seen as formalistic symbols for confirming identity.

The young man picked up a magnifying glass from the table, brought it close to the gas lamp, and aimed the lens at one of the relatively clear, dark fingerprints.

At first, it was just a blurry blot of ink.

But as he adjusted the angle and focused intently, a miracle occurred: within that tiny area, the magnifying glass revealed a microscopic world—

The winding lines, the swirling vortices, the discontinuous nodes, the ridges that rise like small mountain peaks... resemble a meticulously drawn maze.

His breathing became rapid: "My God..." Then he moved the magnifying glass to look at another fingerprint.

The patterns are completely different, but equally exquisite and unique!
Let's try another one, and it's yet another new maze...

His heart was pounding, and an idea popped into his head: Could it be that everyone's fingerprints are unique, or even unchanging throughout their lives?
Just then, an impatient voice came from the doorway of the archives room:
"Alphonse Bertilon! Stop dawdling! There are new documents here that need to be filed immediately! Hurry up!"

　Alphonse Bertilon (1853–1914), the former head of the criminal identification department of the Paris police, is widely recognized as the "father of fingerprint identification." He joined the Paris police department in 1879 as a clerk in the archives and began studying fingerprints. By 1883, the police had successfully arrested and convicted a serious criminal using his fingerprint techniques, and he was promoted to a police officer.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)