os crimes da rúa morgue

"I know not," continued Dupin, "what impression I may have made, so far, upon your own understanding; but I do not hesitate to say that legitimate deductions even from this portion of the testimony - the portion respecting the gruff and shrill voices - are in themselves sufficient to engender a suspicion which should give direction to all farther progress in the investigation of the mystery. I said 'legitimate deductions;' but my meaning is not thus fully expressed. I designed to imply that the deductions are the sole proper ones, and that the suspicion arises inevitably from them as the single result. What the suspicion is, however, I will not say just yet. I merely wish you to bear in mind that, with myself, it was sufficiently forcible to give a definite form - a certain tendency - to my inquiries in the chamber.

"Let us now transport ourselves, in fancy, to this chamber. What shall we first seek here? The means of egress employed by the murderers. It is not too much to say that neither of us believe in præternatural events. Madame and Mademoiselle L'Espanaye were not destroyed by spirits. The doers of the deed were material, and escaped materially. Then how? Fortunately, there is but one mode of reasoning upon the point, and that mode must lead us to a definite decision. - Let us examine, each by each, the possible means of egress. It is clear that the assassins were in the room where Mademoiselle L'Espanaye was found, or at least in the room adjoining, when the party ascended the stairs. It is then only from these two apartments that we have to seek issues. The police have laid bare the floors, the ceilings, and the masonry of the walls, in every direction. No secret issues could have escaped their vigilance. But, not trusting to their eyes, I examined with my own. There were, then, no secret issues. Both doors leading from the rooms into the passage were securely locked, with the keys inside. Let us turn to the chimneys. These, although of ordinary width for some eight or ten feet above the hearths, will not admit, throughout their extent, the body of a large cat. The impossibility of egress, by means already stated, being thus absolute, we are reduced to the windows. Through those of the front room no one could have escaped without notice from the crowd in the street. The murderers must have passed, then, through those of the back room. Now, brought to this conclusion in so unequivocal a manner as we are, it is not our part, as reasoners, to reject it on account of apparent impossibilities. It is only left for us to prove that these apparent 'impossibilities' are, in reality, not such.

"There are two windows in the chamber. One of them is unobstructed by furniture, and is wholly visible. The lower portion of the other is hidden from view by the head of the unwieldy bedstead which is thrust close up against it. The former was found securely fastened from within. It resisted the utmost force of those who endeavored to raise it. A large gimlet-hole had been pierced in its frame to the left, and a very stout nail was found fitted therein, nearly to the head. Upon examining the other window, a similar nail was seen similarly fitted in it; and a vigorous attempt to raise this sash, failed also. The police were now entirely satisfied that egress had not been in these directions.

The murders in the rue Morgue

Edgar Allan Poe

Philadelphia, 1841

traducida ao galego por Ana Belén Varela Miño

publicada como 

Berenice e outros relatos, 

Editorial Ir indo, 2002

“-Non sei- continuou Dupin- que impresión puiden crear ata agora no seu entendemento, pero non dubido en afirmar que se poden facer deduccións lexítimas mesmo desta parte dos testemuños, a parte qye fai referencia ás voces rouca e aguda. Xa abonda pare xerar unha sospeita que nos poida levar na dirección dun progreso maior na investigación do misterio. Dixen deducción lexitimas, pero esta expresión non plasma compleramente o meu pensamento. O que intento dicir é que estas deduccións son as únicas correctas, e que a sospeita xorde inevitablemente delas como o resultado único. Así e todo non lle vou dicir en qué consiste a sospeita. Tan só quero que teña presente, que para min, foi o suficientemente sólida para dar forma ou unha certa tendencia ás miñas investigacións no cuarto.

-Vaiamos ó cuarto coa imaxinación. ¿Que é o primeiro que temos que buscar aquí? Os medios empregados polos asasinos para fuxir. Non está de máis dicir que ningún de nós cre nos sucesos sobrenaturais. A Madame e Mademoiselle L'Espanaye non as asasinaron os espíritos. Os autores do feito eran materiais e fuxiron materialmente. ¿Pero como? Por sorte, só hai un modo de razoar esta cuestión, e este modo ten que levarnos a unha conclusión definida. Examinemos, un por un, os posibles medios para fuxir. Está claro que os asasinos estaban no cuarto onde se atopou a Madame L'Espanye, ou polo menos no cuarto do lado, cando o grupo subía as escaleiras. Polo tanto é só neses dous cuartos onde temos que investigar. A policía examinou o chan, os teitos e a cachotería das paredes por todas as partes. Non se lles puido excapar ningunha saída secreta. Pero ó non confiar nos seus ollos, fixen o meu propio exame. E, certamente, non había ningunha saída secreta. As portas que comunican os cuartos co corredor estaban ben pechadas, e coa chave posta. Vexamos as chemineas. Estas, aínda que teñen un largo normal ata uns dos metros e medio ou tres metros por riba do lar, non deixarían pasar polo seu interior un corpo dun gato grande. Ó quedar absolutamente eliminada a fuga polos medios xa citados, tan só nos quedan as fiestras. Polas do cuarto de adiante non podería escapar ninguén sen que se decatase a multitude que estaba na rúa. Polo tanto os asasinos tiveron que escapar polas do cuarto traseiro. Agora ben, chegados a esta conclusión, dun xeito tan inequívoco, non nos toca a nós, como razoadores, rexeitala polas aparentes imposibilidades. Tan só nos queda probar que estas imposibilidades aparentes, non o son en realidade.

Hai dúas xanelas no cuarto. Unha delas non está obstruída polos mobles, e queda completamente visible. A parte máis baixa da outra queda oculta ola cabeceira da pesada armazón da cama, que está pegada contra ela. A primeira estaba ben cerrada dende dentro. Resistiu os esforzos máis grandes dos que tentaron abrila. No lado esquerdo do marco fixeran un furado grande cunha barrena, e nel atopouse encaixado case por completo un cravo sólido. Ó examinar a outra xanela, apareceu un cravo similar encaixado nela, e tamén fracasou un intento vigoroso de abrila. Entón a policía quedou completamente satisfeita de que non fuxiran por alí.”