Clues and Evidence That Lead

¶ … clues and evidence that lead Isaac Bell to the Butcher Bandit by means of inductive reasoning. The notorious Butcher Bandit gained his name by murdering anyone who witnessed him during his bank robberies, from bank employees to innocent women and children who just happened to be in the bank at the time. He robs banks for the thrill it gives him, and is a master of disguise and evading capture, until he comes up against Isaac Bell, of the Van Dorn Detective Agency. Bell is determined to catch the Butcher Bandit, and if anyone can do it, it's Bell.

As the story progresses, Bell and his assistants take what they know about the elusive Butcher Bandit and try to learn more about his methods. They know he always shoots any witnesses that might be able to identify him, and he kills without remorse. Early in the book Cussler writes, "The woman under the counter moaned and tried to rise to her elbows. With utter indifference, he leaned down, lowered the gun, and shot her in the head like he had the bank owner and teller" (Cussler 15). Knowing that he is remorseless, even when killing women and children, gives them an idea of his personality and character.

2. They also know that he always works alone and his robbery plans are very detailed and well thought out, which tells them he is intelligent and very detail-oriented. From this, they can attempt to decide what kind of career he has chosen, and that he has time to make elaborate plans and carry them off. They know that he only steals paper money, too, which is easier to transport and dispose of without being traced, since few banks actually record the serial numbers on all the paper money that flows through their branches.

3. From the young boy witness in the mining town, they know he's missing a little finger on one hand, which is a very big clue. Cussler continues, "One of his hands was missing the little finger.' Bell stiffened. This was the first clue to identifying the killer" (Cussler 87). He can hide it (and does) by wearing gloves and adding padding to look like a finger, but that is a good key in identifying him when they finally catch him.

4. The detectives also learn that the Bandit often rides a motorcycle in town the day of the robbery, but the motorcycle or the man is never seen again. They deduce from this that he has to have some way of getting out of town unseen, and somewhere to store the motorcycle, which leads them to the idea that he rides a freight train in and out of town, which is why no one ever sees him enter or leave a town. Cussler states, "There was a motorcycle in town?' asked Bell, his interest aroused. 'Jack Carson said he saw a dandy riding one'" (Cussler 119). Bell deduces this is an important clue. He says, " And rides a motorcycle, which he's used on more than one robbery" (Cussler 148). This leads them to check out freight train itineraries, and they learn that while there were not always trains in the area, there was a private car on a siding in at least five of the towns where banks were robbed.

5. They finally track the car to the O'Brien Furniture Company, who had a boxcar present at five robbery locations, and then they find that the car always returned to San Francisco after the robberies were completed. Cussler says, "Boxcar serial number 15758 was present in Virginia City and Bisbee during the robberies. In Virginia City, its cargo manifest was listed as fifty bales of barbed wire to be transported to a ranch in Southern California" (Cussler 150).

6. San Francisco turns up again when the man who tries to murder Bell turns out to be from San Francisco, too. They now know that the Bandit is probably based somewhere in San Francisco, and that his family and friends have no idea he is the Butcher Bandit, so they go to San Francisco to check out leads. Another tie-in to the Bay Area is that thanks to some serial numbers that were recorded, they know some stolen money from at least one of the robberies turned up at the Cromwell bank, also located in San Francisco.

7. Bell, by chance, discovers the "Rose" he met in Denver is actually Margaret Cromwell, the sister of the Butcher Bandit. Cussler shows the chance encounter, "Forgive me,' said Bell, certain now from her reaction that she was the woman he knew as Rose Manteca. 'It must be a case of mistaken identity'" (Cussler 170). This is a close tie-in, and he knows she was there to gain information about him, so he begins to seriously suspect Cromwell is the Butcher Bandit.

8. After close investigation, they come up with a bullet casings from a thirty-eight Colt automatic. Bell says, "We now know the Butcher Bandit uses a thirty-eight-caliber Colt automatic. This shell casing was found under a carpet. The killer somehow missed it & #8230;" (Cussler 148). Now, a clearer picture of the Bandit is starting to emerge, and they are becoming ever more certain they will learn his identity.