ep35 Detective Stories

Detective stories are more than 25 centuries old. No one knows why the strings on Paganini's violin broke. Twin Brothers suffer identical accidents one week apart. Can you imagine that? Yes friends, this is Lindsay McCarry and I'm back with my cohorts once more on your station to prove those statements in just one and a half minutes.

Will you wait for us? Thank you. It would be your guess as to the oldest detective story in the world. Well, I think I've found it at least.

I'll challenge anyone to find an older detective story. One of the books of the Apocrypha in the original King James version of the Bible is entitled the history of the destruction of Bell and the dragon.

And in this book, I believe you'll find the oldest detective story in the world. We're going to dramatize it for you, and here it is. Now the Babylonians had a nidal called Bell. They were spent upon him every day, 12 great measures of fine flower and 40 sheep and six vessels of wine. The king worshipped it.

The Daniel worshipped his own god and said unto the king, O King, be not deceived. For this is but clay within and brass without, and did never eat or drink anything. What says, Tho? Oh, my priests come hither! He priests of Babylon. If he tell me not who this is, that the vireth these expenses ye shall die. But if ye can certify me, that bell the vireth them,

then Daniel shall die, for he hath spoken blasphemy against bell. What says thou, Daniel? Let it be according to thy word. Come then to the temple of Belle! Then set the high priest of Belle.