Creative Computing, 1974
Every man is a perfect logician and is aware that this is true of every other
man in the town.
Every man in the town knows all about the behavior of every woman in the
town, with the exception, if he is married, of his own wife. It is taboo
for anyone to speak about a woman to her husband.
It is an immutable custom (abhorrent to us maybe, but as inevitable as night
following day to them) that, when a man discovers that his wife has been
unfaithful, he takes her out into the town square that same night, and on
the stroke of midnight shoots her.
There are 40 unfaithful wives in town.
Now, life has been continuing its uneventful course for some time when, one
fateful summer's day, June 1st actually, the Mayor summons all the townsmen
to a meeting in the town hall. 'I am very sorry to have to tell you this,'
he says, 'but there is an unfaithful wife in this town.' The meeting ends
and the men disperse.
What, if anything, happens, and when? (NOT an easy problem.)