Brain Teasers
Train Robbery
Situation
Situation puzzles (sometimes called lateral thinking puzzles) are ones where you need to ask lots of yes or no questions to figure out what happened in the situation. These are good puzzles for groups where one person knows the puzzle and answers the questions.Situation
Tom was helping his father out at the printer's shop when his uncle Max ran in to tell them about the train robbery.
"It was Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch! They murdered Mr. Simpson! "
Tom's father was puzzled. Butch Cassidy was the Robin Hood of the area. He had never killed anyone. He and Tom went to the sheriff's office to collect some evidence for the newspaper.
"There were two witnesses. Ms. Greene was sitting next to him on the train. Right before Mr. Simpson was shot, she heard him say 'Butch'. The second witness was Lester Strong. It appears that Mr. Simpson pulled down Butch's handkerchief. Lester was able to identify him because of his days working at the saloon."
Tom decided to put his great brain to work. That night, he spent his time thinking of names that sound like Butch. His theory was that Ms. Greene had heard a name that sounded like Butch, and with Lester Strong yelling 'Butch Cassidy', she had decided that that was it. All he could come up with was Hutch.
The next morning, the sheriff told them that a total of about six thousand dollars was stolen from Mr. Simpson's money belt.
"If only we could trace those bills!" Tom muttered.
"Well, we do know that they were Kansas banknotes. But does anyone have an idea of who could have stolen the money and killed Mr. Simpson?" Tom's father said.
Tom remembered his theory. "Yes! Is there anyone by the name of Hutch nearby?" Tom told them his theory. Rewarding it was too, for there was one gambler who was now at the top of their suspect list. Hutch Pfifer.
The sheriff traced Hutch for the next few days. In fact, Hutch (the usually broke gambler) had bought his girl, Rose, an expensive dress, and lost two hundred dollars at the saloon, both in Kansas banknotes!
Tom had also realized that if it wasn't Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch, then there were other accomplices as well. The sheriff asked the bank to monitor Kansas banknotes. The very next day, Lester Strong turned in seven hundred dollars in Kansas banknotes.
Now the only dilemma was, how would Tom, his father, and the Sheriff prove that it wasn't Butch Cassidy?
The next day, the sheriff got some news from a nearby town. Several people, including the mayor, had met Butch on the same day as the robbery. The problem now was how to prove it was Hutch and Lester.
Tom had it all figured out. He asked the sheriff to get Mr. Simpson's mail from the hotel. Hutch and Lester were successfully put in jail. How did Tom do it?
"It was Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch! They murdered Mr. Simpson! "
Tom's father was puzzled. Butch Cassidy was the Robin Hood of the area. He had never killed anyone. He and Tom went to the sheriff's office to collect some evidence for the newspaper.
"There were two witnesses. Ms. Greene was sitting next to him on the train. Right before Mr. Simpson was shot, she heard him say 'Butch'. The second witness was Lester Strong. It appears that Mr. Simpson pulled down Butch's handkerchief. Lester was able to identify him because of his days working at the saloon."
Tom decided to put his great brain to work. That night, he spent his time thinking of names that sound like Butch. His theory was that Ms. Greene had heard a name that sounded like Butch, and with Lester Strong yelling 'Butch Cassidy', she had decided that that was it. All he could come up with was Hutch.
The next morning, the sheriff told them that a total of about six thousand dollars was stolen from Mr. Simpson's money belt.
"If only we could trace those bills!" Tom muttered.
"Well, we do know that they were Kansas banknotes. But does anyone have an idea of who could have stolen the money and killed Mr. Simpson?" Tom's father said.
Tom remembered his theory. "Yes! Is there anyone by the name of Hutch nearby?" Tom told them his theory. Rewarding it was too, for there was one gambler who was now at the top of their suspect list. Hutch Pfifer.
The sheriff traced Hutch for the next few days. In fact, Hutch (the usually broke gambler) had bought his girl, Rose, an expensive dress, and lost two hundred dollars at the saloon, both in Kansas banknotes!
Tom had also realized that if it wasn't Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch, then there were other accomplices as well. The sheriff asked the bank to monitor Kansas banknotes. The very next day, Lester Strong turned in seven hundred dollars in Kansas banknotes.
Now the only dilemma was, how would Tom, his father, and the Sheriff prove that it wasn't Butch Cassidy?
The next day, the sheriff got some news from a nearby town. Several people, including the mayor, had met Butch on the same day as the robbery. The problem now was how to prove it was Hutch and Lester.
Tom had it all figured out. He asked the sheriff to get Mr. Simpson's mail from the hotel. Hutch and Lester were successfully put in jail. How did Tom do it?
Hint
Mr. Simpson was a rancher.Answer
Ranchers usually paid and got paid in cash. They generally made a list of the numbers of the bills. Mr. Simpson mailed the list to himself, in case he lost it. That was all the evidence needed.Hide Hint Show Hint Hide Answer Show Answer
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Comments
Does this tease has to be that long!!! lol
I was laizy to read it carefully.
lol
I was laizy to read it carefully.
lol
a. wayyyyyy too long
b. wouldent this be a mistary?
c. WAYYYY TOOOOOO LOOOONNNNGGGGG
b. wouldent this be a mistary?
c. WAYYYY TOOOOOO LOOOONNNNGGGGG
tooo looong
Back then, almost all transactions were cash...no credit cards.
Explain to me again why the guy sent himself a letter with the bills numbers? why would a criminal do that?
Back then, almost all transactions were cash...no credit cards.
Explain to me again why the guy sent himself a letter with the bills numbers? why would a criminal do that?
He wasn't a criminal. read it again.
and it is only my third teaser
i think it was good, and how would you make it shorter anyways? good one keep em comeing
so is garnet someones name or are you refering to gems?
I liked it....in fact I added it to mt favorites....LOL could be because I felt a "kinship" to the story....great teaser, and a good explanation
I liked it except I didn't understand the answer.
I don't get how the answer explains that Hutch and Lester did it. All it says is that he mailed the list of banknotes to himself. Did he have sevenhundred listed on there? Is that why they knew it was Lester? But what about Hutch? Please explain it to me!! I'm sure I would think that it was a good teaser if I understood it! Please someone help me!
Great job!
people are way too lazy now days... i liked it! I never knew that about the ranchers. That was cool.
Long, but worth it. Great story.
way way way way way too long
I think you guys need to take an extra forty seconds to read it carefully, and then you'd get it. I found it fun and not long. It was really interesting. Keep it up!
This is a very novel teaser - in fact it's so long it could be a novel. I gave up after chapter 7.
Am I the only one who noticed a Pokemon reference in this?
totally copied from The Great Brain
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