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Case Studies Bearing Upon Survival – John F Thomas

CASE I8. THE CIGAR BOX

A certain business firm sent Mr. T. a box of imported cigars for Christmas, 1926. The box came to Mr. T.'s office, where he kept it unopened in a drawer of his desk for a short time. He later took it home for consumption there. Mr. T.'s apartment, the one in which E. L. T. lived at the time of her death, is on the first floor of a duplex home, and is commonly referred to by the family as "downstairs," in distinction from the second floor, which is occupied by Mr. T.'s son, John, and family.

The box of cigars was put beside two others on a dresser in an unused sleeping room of the “downstairs " apartment. The two other boxes were familiar brands but the gift box was decidedly the most conspicuous and “different " one of the lot, as anyone who compares the three kinds of boxes may see. This box is distinguished by a seal shaped like a shield and resembling a coat-of-arms and in which the colors, red, green and blue predominate. The decorations on the box include a grayish face and bust of a woman, repeated seventeen times, and so arranged that the small face, only, shows seven times out of ten, to one looking down at the box.

In opening the box the revenue stamp at one end of the top and front, a printed label at the other end, and the seal or shield in the middle had been cut or torn across. On this seal in the form of a shield, the word "Claro" is printed in capitals. The opening of the box cut across the top of the "C" and through the “L" This would make it difficult to read all the letters.

 Record 1. Mrs. Soule, February 9, 1927. Secretary, only. E. L T. writing.

“I saw downstairs a wooden box which was not very old or battered and I tried to remember how it looked that I might tell you about it. It had a, cover with some paper on it and the paper was partly torn but I read some of the letters on it. It has a grayish looking figure-a face, and there were two colors which were most in evidence-it looked like a shield with some blue and red and I think it was sort of coat of-[Hesitated]

 (Was it a coat of arms?)

 arms. I was trying to write the arms-yes. It was something like what comes on foreign biscuit boxes like Huntley and Palmer. And I think you will find what I mean. It was not very large but something came in it. It is hard to do this sort of thing but I want to get something that you can verify at once and not have to wait so long to get word from people who are not so much interested."

 Record 2. Mrs. Soule, February 28, 1927, secretary alone. Secretary says,

 “May I say something here for Mr. Thomas?"

 She then gave his message about the identification of the box, asked if the communicator knew what was in it. Reply was only,

 “I will take that up later“

 Record 3. Mrs. Soule, April 11, 1927, J. F. T. and secretary. E. L. T. writing. [This record follows without omission the one reported in the "Gum Case," the one habit, apparently by association of ideas, suggesting the other.]

“And then the tobacco habit-we understand that, don't we?

(Yes.)

And we know where cigars are sometimes given as presents and brought home from other places for future home consumption. I am referring to this as a test and you had some given you once that I promised to refer to and here it is as the rest of that box test."

AII the descriptive points given by the communicator are specific and correct and, since this was the only box of that brand Mr. T. ever had, unmistakably point out the gift box. Mr. T. has tried out the description several times by asking a friend to select from several cigar boxes the one meant by the points above quoted. In every case the correct one has been chosen. In the phrase, “the tobacco habit, we understand that, don’t we? “ the background of good-natured difference of opinion held by Mr. T. end E. L. T. is correctly assumed. The “box test” is completed not only by the correct mention of what the box contained, but by the added information that these cigars were a gift and were brought home from another place “for future home consumption" It might be added that Mr. T. frequently keeps boxes of cigars at the office so that it is not a settled thing that he should bring such boxes as this home. Specific knowledge is shown here which neither chance, inference or antecedent probability can explain. Certainly the description came from one who had seen the box and, if we can assume that they were not inferences, the other facts given in this case; i. e., the “downstairs” reference, the “gift brought home from another place for future home consumption," and the implication on the "we understand the tobacco habit " reference, all of which are correct, show intimate knowledge. The company that gave the cigars to Mr. T. was very highly regarded by E. L. T. and her relations with it would presumably be more in her mind than those with the numerous other companies with which she had dealings. It is natural, therefore, that, about a week after the cigar box incident is closed, there is a correct statement through Mrs. Soule of a gift by this same company to E. L. T., herself.

Record. Mrs. Soule, April 18, 1927, secretary alone.

“Now, I want to write about something else. It is an umbrella. It was a gift and it is good. It was not the old one which I had long ago as a gift, but the one I refer to is blue, dark blue."

This gift, a dark blue umbrella, an unusually good one, is still, unused, in the Thomas home.