# Three Hour Mystery **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 1, 2000, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hour-mystery/15387 "2000-04-01T00:50:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MadPoet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@MadPoet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPoet)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hour-mystery/15387/1 "2000-04-01T00:50:00Z")
Hope there’s enough people to get this… I leave work in 3 hours (I’ll give answers over the weekend if unguessed.) The object being to describe the whole situation asking yes or no questions. Please don’t ask/answer if you know it, it’s a tough one. “The rope broke. The bell rang. The man died.” * * * [http://www.madpoet.com](http://www.madpoet.com) “I never meant to hurt you,” you said, And buried yourself in lies instead. Next time I would rather be slain, Than forced to bear your mercy again. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hour-mystery/15387/2 "2000-04-01T01:02:00Z")
Was the man a munk? ---
**Author:** ![Jeannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@Jeannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeannie)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hour-mystery/15387/3 "2000-04-01T01:02:00Z")
Was the man holding onto the rope when the rope broke? ---
**Author:** ![MadPoet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@MadPoet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPoet)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hour-mystery/15387/4 "2000-04-01T01:03:00Z")
-Was the man a munk? No. ---
**Author:** ![MadPoet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@MadPoet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPoet)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hour-mystery/15387/5 "2000-04-01T01:04:00Z")
-Was the man holding onto the rope when the rope broke? No. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hour-mystery/15387/6 "2000-04-01T01:09:00Z")
Was the bell a churchbell, or a bell attached to some sort of other religious building (convent, ministry, etc.)? ---
**Author:** ![Jeannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@Jeannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeannie)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hour-mystery/15387/7 "2000-04-01T01:17:00Z")
Did the rope break due to some kind of weight being suspended from it? Was the man alone when he died? * * * I never hate myself in the morning. I sleep till noon. –Sig line courtesy of Wally 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MadPoet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@MadPoet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPoet)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hour-mystery/15387/8 "2000-04-01T01:19:00Z")
-Was the bell a churchbell, or a bell attached to some sort of other religious building (convent, ministry, etc.)? No -Did the rope break due to some kind of weight being suspended from it? No -Was the man alone when he died? Yes ---
**Author:** ![GolfWidow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GolfWidow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GolfWidow)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hour-mystery/15387/9 "2000-04-01T01:21:00Z")
Did the man hang himself from the rope? Did the bell fall on the man? * * * “Words fascinate me. They always have. For me, browsing in a dictionary is like being turned loose in a bank.” - Eddie Cantor ---
**Author:** ![Jeannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@Jeannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeannie)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hour-mystery/15387/10 "2000-04-01T01:24:00Z")
Was the bell a cow bell? Did the man commit suicide? ---
**Author:** ![MadPoet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@MadPoet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPoet)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hour-mystery/15387/11 "2000-04-01T01:27:00Z")
Was the bell a cow bell? No Did the man commit suicide? No Did the man hang himself from the rope? No Did the bell fall on the man? No ---
**Author:** ![GolfWidow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GolfWidow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GolfWidow)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hour-mystery/15387/12 "2000-04-01T01:28:00Z")
Was he on a boat? * * * “Words fascinate me. They always have. For me, browsing in a dictionary is like being turned loose in a bank.” - Eddie Cantor ---
**Author:** ![Jeannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@Jeannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeannie)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hour-mystery/15387/13 "2000-04-01T01:34:00Z")
Was it a “jingle bell”? Like the kind Santa would use? Did the man die outdoors? ---
**Author:** ![MadPoet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@MadPoet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPoet)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hour-mystery/15387/14 "2000-04-01T01:40:00Z")
-Was he on a boat? No -Was it a “jingle bell”? Like the kind Santa would use? No -Did the man die outdoors? Yes ---
**Author:** ![Jeannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@Jeannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeannie)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hour-mystery/15387/15 "2000-04-01T01:48:00Z")
Was the man standing on the rope? Was the rope tied to him? ---
**Author:** ![MadPoet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@MadPoet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPoet)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hour-mystery/15387/16 "2000-04-01T01:50:00Z")
Was the man standing on the rope? No Was the rope tied to him? No ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@Lord\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hour-mystery/15387/17 "2000-04-01T01:52:00Z")
Did it happen in that order? (rope broke, bell rang, man died) Would the man have died if the rope didn’t break? … if the bell didn’t ring? ---
**Author:** ![Jeannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@Jeannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeannie)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hour-mystery/15387/18 "2000-04-01T01:53:00Z")
Was the rope attached to the bell? Was the bell attached to the man? Was the man blind? Or deaf? ---
**Author:** ![neuro-trash\_grrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3ab097/32.png) [@neuro-trash\_grrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neuro-trash_grrrl)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hour-mystery/15387/19 "2000-04-01T01:58:00Z")
Did something fall on the man? Was the bell an alarm? * * * Heck is where you go when you don’t believe in Gosh. ---
**Author:** ![MadPoet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@MadPoet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPoet)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hour-mystery/15387/20 "2000-04-01T02:07:00Z")
Did something fall on the man? No Was the bell an alarm? No [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-hour-mystery/15387.md?page=2)