02424cam a22003853u 4500 75855 UtSlPG 20260610134744.0 m cr n 260607r20251929utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d UtSlPG en iso639-1 PS Beames, John The smear Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg, 2025 1 online resource : multiple file formats text txt rdacontent computer c rdamedia online resource cr rdacarrier Produced from the April 15, 1929 issue of Top Notch Magazine. Release date is 2025-04-15 Roger Frank and Sue Clark "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.) Originally published: New York, NY: Street & Smith Corp., 1929 Short stories Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction Klondike River Valley (Yukon) -- Gold discoveries -- Fiction Royal Canadian Mounted Police -- Fiction Dawson (Yukon) -- Fiction Produced from the April 15, 1929 issue of Top Notch Magazine. https://archive.org/details/top-notch-magazine-v-077-n-04-1929-04-15 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/75855 116580 116580