"You Are Charged with Breaking System Policy Rule Number 86, Subhead C, of the General Code of Time Travel"

HERE we have a clever take on a legend that has been so persistent that even Walt Disney made a full-length animated film about it. As you read the story, it should become clear fairly quickly which legend that is; you might also want to consider why it's called . . .

"Justice."

By J. F. Hutton (1912-81) (ISFDb HERE).

First appearance: Fantastic Universe, March 1956.

Short short story (7 pages as a PDF).

Online at Project Gutenberg (HERE).

   "When did any of you ever travel in time? You sit here in the splendor of your logic—mental and physical light-years away from the event. You can’t conceive how crude and disorganized those days were. Do you think it’s easy to enter a world like that? It takes all the skill and care and self-discipline you can command. And no man who ever lived could exercise the control the manuals call for."

WE can all agree that it's possible for someone to do the wrong thing for the right reason and, conversely, do the right thing for the wrong reason, but without intending to Urs has found a way to do the right thing for no particular reason at all . . .

Main characters:

~ Urs, the Chairman of the Policy Board, Renar, and Morrey.

References:

- "the rock and the sword so impossibly fixed in it":

  "After the King of England, Uther Pendragon, dies without an heir to his throne, a sword magically appears inside an anvil atop a stone, with an inscription proclaiming that whoever removes it will be the future king. Many have unsuccessfully attempted to remove the sword, and the sword becomes forgotten, leaving England in the Dark Ages.

  ". . . At the tournament, Arthur realizes he left Kay's sword at the inn. It is closed for the tournament, but Archimedes sees the 'Sword in the Stone,' which Arthur removes almost effortlessly, unknowingly fulfilling the prophecy. When Arthur returns with the sword, Ector recognizes it and the tournament is halted. Ector places the sword back in its anvil, demanding Arthur prove that he pulled it. Kay suggests that anyone can pull it once it's been pulled, but they soon find out that it is as stuck as ever. Arthur pulls it once again, revealing that he is England's rightful king . . ." (Wikipedia HERE.)

  "When Kay is ready to be knighted, Sir Ector and his retinue travel to London, where he owns some property. As Kay approaches the tournament field, he realizes that he has left his sword back at the inn. Wart is sent back to retrieve it, but finds the inn locked. He finds a sword stuck in an anvil atop a stone in a churchyard. When Wart touches the sword, his senses heighten. He is unable to pull it out, but as he tries again, the voices of all the animals and friends he has made give him encouragement and remind him of the lessons they taught him. On the third try, the sword comes loose, and Wart rushes to Kay with it." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- King Arthur:

  "King Arthur (Welsh: Brenin Arthur; Cornish: Arthur Gernow; Breton: Roue Arzhur; French: Roi Arthur) was a legendary king of Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain.

  ". . . The themes, events and characters of the Arthurian legend vary widely from text to text, and there is no one canonical version. Arthurian literature thrived during the Middle Ages but waned in the following centuries until it experienced a major resurgence in the 19th century. In the 21st century the legend continues to have prominence, not only in literature but also in adaptations for theatre, film, television, comics and other media." (Wikipedia HERE.) 

Resources:

- The FictionMags thumbnail about J(oy) F(erris) Hutton: "He graduated from University of California; short story writer."

- Here is FictionMags's story list for J. F. Hutton (ss = short story; vi = vignette; na = novella):

  "Death Warrant," (ss) Thrilling Detective, August 1940

  "Good Neighbor," (ss) Double Detective, September 1940

  "Short-Cut," (ss) Detective Fiction Weekly, March 29, 1941

  "The Gimp’s Last Ride," (ss) Detective Tales, April 1942

  "Time to Retire," (ss) Detective Tales, November 1942

  "God from a Machine," (ss) Esquire, April 1943 (online HERE)

  "Strange Rendezvous," (vi) The American Magazine, July 1943

  "Three Days to Howl," (ss) New Detective Magazine, May 1944 (online HERE)

  "The White Cat," (ss) The Phantom Detective, June 1945

  "Seller of Souls," (na) Two Complete Detective Books #55, March 1949

  "The Bad Samaritan," (ss) Esquire, May 1951 (online HERE)

  "Justice," (ss) Fantastic Universe, March 1956 (above).

The bottom line:

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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Comic Crime

AS YOU probably already know, comic books didn't confine themselves only to graphic arts; a lot of them inserted very short text stories as well. Here are seven of them from those controversial crime comics of the Fifties, a few of which are of the perfect crime variety:

(1) "Be Careful, Killer!"

By Ric(hard White) Hasse (1916-94).

First appearance: Crime Smashers No. 5, July 1951.

Short short short story (2 pages).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to page 26).

(Note: Faded but readable text.)

   "'Uncle Linton paid for that library,' he said aloud to himself, 'and now it's furnishing Uncle Linton's only nephew with a perfect alibi for the time of Uncle Linton's murder'."

Resources:

- Ric Hasse produced a good deal of short pulp fiction outside of the comics. Here's the FictionMags list for him (ss = short story):

 "The Merry Wives of Murder," (ss) Big-Book Detective Magazine, April 1942

 "Cupid Has Nine Lives," (ss) Gay Love Stories, December 1942

 "You Can’t Hang a Corpse," (ss) Thrilling Detective, March 1943

 "No Rest for the Wicked," (ss) Mammoth Detective, October 1946

 "Nitro at Midnight," (ss) 10-Story Detective Magazine, November 1946

 "I’ll Never Die Again," (ss) Ten Detective Aces, December 1946

 "Claim Your Own Dead," (ss) 10-Story Detective Magazine, January 1947

 "Too Old to Die," (ss) Ten Detective Aces, February 1947

 "Whistle While You Slay," (ss) 10-Story Detective Magazine, July 1947

 "Death Lights the Way," (ss) Thrilling Detective, October 1947

 "An Empire Crashes," (ss) Street & Smith’s Detective Story Magazine, October 1947

 "Frame for a Flatfoot," (ss) Ten Detective Aces, November 1947

 "Suicide Swag," (ss) 10-Story Detective Magazine, February 1948

 "Too Dumb to Live," (ss) 10-Story Detective Magazine, October 1948

 "Not by Blood Alone," (ss) Dime Detective Magazine, January 1950

 "Two Must Die!," (ss) New Detective Magazine, March 1950

 "Time to Throw Lead," (ss) Blazing Guns Western Story Magazine #3, February 1957.

(2) "Beast of Crime."

Unsigned.

First appearance: Crime-Fighting Detective No. 18, March 1952.

Short short short story (1 page).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to page 23).

(Note: Text faded but legible.)

   "Midnight doesn't eat much and one never knows when a cat will come in handy."

(3) "Pattern for Murder."

Unsigned.

First appearance: Crime-Fighting Detective No. 18, March 1952.

Short short short story (1 page).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to page 10).

(Note: Faded text but readable.)

   "His fingers began to pick nervously at the burnt-out butts in the tray."

(4) "Clue in the Cab."

Unsigned.

First appearance: Crime Detector No. 1, January 1954.

Short short short story (2 pages).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to page 22).

   "If it weren't for a case of insomnia and a dough-hungry hacker, I don't know what might have happened to the Big Town!"

(5) "Dead Give-A-Way."

Unsigned.

First appearance: Crime-Fighting Detective No. 15, June 1951.

Short short short story (1 page).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to page 18).

   "I had it planned so good."

(6) "The Hidden Witness."

Unsigned.

First appearance: Crime-Fighting Detective No. 16, September 1951.

Short short short story (1 page).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to page 24).

(Note: Text very faded but legible.)

   "At the gun's flat report, the white head within the study fell forward."

(7) "Time Will Tell."

Unsigned.

First appearance: Crime-Fighting Detective, March 1951.

Short short short story (2 pages).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to page 18).

(Note: Some text very blurry but readable.)

   "At one side of the room lay old Mark Baylor, a tall grandfather clock smashed across his back."

The bottom line:

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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