Happy Birthday, Wilkie Collins

On this date in 1824, British novelist Wilkie Collins was born. 


T.S. Eliot described The Moonstone as the first and greatest of English detective novels.


A quote from The Woman in White seems to have stood the test of time:


"There are foolish criminals who are discovered, and wise criminals who escape.  The hiding of a crime, or the detection of a crime, what is it?  A trial of skill between the police on one side, and the individual on the other. When the criminal is a brutal, ignorant fool, the police, in nine cases out of ten, win.  When the criminal is a resolute, educated, highly-intelligent man, the police, in nine cases out of ten, lose."


Click here for more Wilkie Collins quotes.  

Clerk Retains Stick-up Note - Robber's Name on Back

Bruce Manlove
photo via Doverpost.com

A quick-thinking convenience store clerk retained a stick-up note from a robber who demanded cigarettes. They argued over the note -- which simply stated, "This is a robbery," but the clerk held onto it and the robber fled.

Shortly after, patrol officers in Dover, Delaware, stopped the robber's vehicle, which contained 17 packs of Newport cigarettes.

Even if the officers hadn't pulled over the vehicle, the stick-up note had 36-year-old Bruce Manlove's name on the back of Department of Corrections paperwork. He had been released from DOC custody on April 11 -- but he's right back where he started from, after failing to post $6,500 bail.

Manlove was charged with robbery, terroristic threatening, disorderly conduct, and trespassing.

War Story Wednesday: ID Blunder

Welcome to War Story Wednesday, when I share a story from my days on the job, or share someone else's war story. I'd love to hear your war stories, so please feel free to participate in the comment section, or write a blog post and provide a link here, and I'll revise my post to include your link.

This story comes from a P.A. (Physician Assistant) who worked in the M.E.'s office.

A victim was found in the back seat of a car. He had been shot in the chest, the gun pressed right against his chest when it fired. In order to prevent the identification of the victim, the bad guy(s) cut off the victim's head and hands.

They failed to check his pockets, where the victim's wallet contained his identification.