The smear: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
The smear: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.
The smear is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Beames, John.
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
"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.
Book and edition facts
- Title: The smear
- Author credits: Beames, John
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- Dawson (Yukon) -- Fiction
- Klondike River Valley (Yukon) -- Gold discoveries -- Fiction
- Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police -- Fiction
- Short stories
Gutenberg collections
- Category: Crime, Thrillers and Mystery
- Category: Short Stories
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View the complete Gutenberg catalogue record. Project Gutenberg identifies this edition as public domain in the United States; that designation does not establish its copyright status in every country.
Source notes
Catalogue metadata is public domain and is supplied through Gutendex, which imports Gutenberg's machine-readable catalogue. The automated synopsis is source-supplied, not an independently verified review. Author dates above describe the credited people; no ebook release date is presented as the book's original publication date.
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