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Hewitt, Martin. Martin Hewitt was created by Arthur Morrison (Horace Dorrington) and appeared in twenty-three stories and four novels and short story collections from 1894 to 1903, beginning with “The Lenton Croft Robberies” (The Strand Magazine, March 1894). Martin Hewitt is a consulting detective. When he was a young man he had worked as a clerk for a law firm. For one hopeless case he was given the “desperate task” of collecting evidence. Hewitt built up “apparently out of nothing, a smashing weight of irresistible evidence” which won the case for the firm. Rather than continue working for the law firm or accepting any of the offers from competing firms, Hewitt decided to go into business for himself as a consulting detective. He was successful and became famous for it.

Hewitt is a portly, genial looking man: “stoutish, clean-shaven...of middle height, and of a cheerful, round countenance.” He does not use deduction, but rather what he calls “common sense and a sharp pair of eyes.” He is a careful and intelligent observer, of both people and things, and he usually withholds his judgments and theories until as much information as possible has been gathered. His one rule of thumb is “the matter of accumulative probabilities;” if the likelihood of something happening is high, he takes it as a “practical certainty” and proceeds from there. Hewitt works alone and does not use any agents in his agency. (The role of Watson is carried out by Brett, a colorless journalist of average intelligence).

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