question_answer 2)

When Stephens comes back to the cell he jumps to a conclusion and the whole machinery blindly goes by his assumption, without even checking the identity of the injured 'McLeery’. Does this show how hasty conjectures prevent one from seeing the obvious? How is the criminal able to predict such negligence?    

Answer:

When Stephens walked beside 'McLeery', he noticed that his Scots accent was more pronounced and he looked slimmer. He was gloating over the fact that the Governor had asked him, and not Jackson, to see McLeery off the premises. But much to his horror, when he decided to take just one last look at Evans and saw the injured 'McLeery' he raised an alarm. Immediately the jail was abuzz with mindless activity—sirens were sounding, prison officers were shouting orders, baffled prisoners pushed their way along the corridors, doors were banged and bolted, and phones were ringing everywhere. And ironically, Jackson and Stephens escorted 'McLeery' out.  The Governor was equally confused and sad. The police had seen Evans day in and day out, yet he managed to give them the slip. This is because the police relies on tips and criminals on slip-ups. The criminal plans and lies in wait for the right opportunity. He observes the people around and plots how to evade them while the police, after a point of time becomes complacent. Moreover, the methodology of crime keeps changing; each case is unique in its own way. The pressure to perform can be another reason. Jackson and Stephens were so anxious that they could not apprehend the criminal under their nose.