The mystery of Landa Park, which I will now present, was a tragic affair, as it involved the assassination of Mr. Cyril Hastings at his country house a short distance from New Braunfels.
On February 17th, at 11 p.m., there was a heavy fall of snow (it happens here on rare occasion), and though it lasted only half an hour, the ground was covered to a depth of several inches. Mr. Hastings had been spending the evening at the house of a neighbor, and left at midnight to walk home, taking the short route that lay through Landa Park-
That is, from D to A in the sketch-plan. But in the early morning, he was found dead, at the point indicated by the star in the diagram, stabbed in the heart. All the seven gates to the park were promptly closed, and the footprints in the snow examined. These were fortunately very distinct, and the police obtained the following facts:
The footprints of Mr. Hastings were very clear, straight from D to the spot where he was found. There were the footprints of the Landa butler-who retired to bed five minutes before midnight-from E to EE. There were the footprints of the gamekeeper from A to his lodge at AA. Other footprints showed that one individual had come in at gate B and left at gate BB, while another had entered by gate C and left at gate CC.
Only these five persons had entered the park since the fall of snow. Now, it was a very foggy night, and some of these pedestrians had consequently take circuitous rotes, but it was particularly noticed that no track ever crossed another track. Of this the police were absolutely certain, but they stupidly omitted to make a sketch of the various routes before the snow had melted and utterly effaced them.
The mystery is now being brought before the best and brightest students at New Braunfels High School, who are eager to solve the murder mystery. Is it possible to discover who committed the crime? Was it the butler? Or the gamekeeper? Or the man who came in at B and went out a BB? Or the man who went in at C and left at CC? You are provided with diagrams-sketch plans, like the one the police constructed, which
simplifies the real form of Landa Park without destroying the necessary conditions of the problem.
You are encouraged to trace out the route of each person, in accordance with the positive statements of the police that are given. It should soon become evident that, as no path ever crossed another, some of the pedestrians must have lost their way considerably in the fog. Can you discover whether A, B, C, or E committed the dastardly deed? Just trace out the route of each of the four persons, and the key to the mystery will
reveal itself.