Убийство на улице Морг

           Coincidences,ingeneral,aregreatstumbling-blocksinthewayofthatclassofthinkerswhohavebeeneducatedtoknownothingofthetheoryofprobabilities—thattheorytowhichthemostgloriousobjectsofhumanresearchareindebtedforthemostgloriousofillustration.Inthepresentinstance,hadthegoldbeengone,thefactofitsdeliverythreedaysbeforewouldhaveformedsomethingmorethanacoincidence.Itwouldhavebeencorroborativeofthisideaofmotive.But,undertherealcircumstancesofthecase,ifwearetosupposegoldthemotiveofthisoutrage,wemustalsoimaginetheperpetratorsovacillatinganidiotastohaveabandonedhisgoldandhismotivetogether. 

           “KeepingnowsteadilyinmindthepointstowhichIhavedrawnyourattention—thatpeculiarvoice,thatunusualagility,andthatstartlingabsenceofmotiveinamurdersosingularlyatrociousasthis—letusglanceatthebutcheryitself.Hereisawomanstrangledtodeathbymanualstrength,andthrustupachimney,headdownward.Ordinaryassassinsemploynosuchmodesofmurderasthis.Leastofall,dotheythusdisposeofthemurdered.Inthemannerofthrustingthecorpseupthechimney,youwillthattherewassomethingexcessivelyoutre—somethingaltogetherirreconcilablewithourcommonnotionsofhumanaction,evenwhenwesupposetheactorsthemostdepravedofmen.