The smear by John Beames
"The smear by John Beames" is a short crime fiction story written in the early 20th century. Set in the gold rush town of Dawson, the narrative unfolds within the rowdy yet tense atmosphere of a northern saloon, accompanied by lawmen from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The likely topic of the book revolves around solving a murder through clever psychological tactics rather than hard evidence. The story follows Finn Charley, a
miner who has recently come into wealth and is attempting to celebrate in the Malamute Saloon. When news of a murder and robbery on the Klondike Trail arrives, the police interrogate the crowd. Though Finn Charley tries to mask his guilt, the corporal cunningly uses a fabricated clue—the mention of a "big black smear on his left cheek"—to provoke a telltale response. Charley's unconscious gesture gives him away, leading to his arrest. The twist is revealed when the corporal admits to his colleague that the dying man never spoke; the story of the smear was a clever ruse to catch the murderer by his own nervous actions. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Beames, John |
|---|---|
| Title | The smear |
| Original Publication | New York, NY: Street & Smith Corp., 1929. |
| Series Title | Produced from the April 15, 1929 issue of Top Notch Magazine. |
| Note | Reading ease score: 84.3 (6th grade). Easy to read. |
| Credits | Roger Frank and Sue Clark |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Subject | Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction |
| Subject | Klondike River Valley (Yukon) -- Gold discoveries -- Fiction |
| Subject | Royal Canadian Mounted Police -- Fiction |
| Subject | Dawson (Yukon) -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 75855 |
| Release Date | Apr 15, 2025 |
| Most Recently Updated | Apr 26, 2025 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 1508 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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