The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-11-26
THE FINAL PROBLEM.
The Last E Episode in the Lie Of
Sherlock Holmes.
BY A. CONAN DOYLE.
Author OF "rho Adventures OF sherlock Hoims, 9Th.
Refugees" 40.

! shat ever record the singular gifts Ivy which
my friend MIR. Sherlock Holmes. was distn-
gulshoI. In an incoherent. and. as | deeply
feel an entirely Inadequate fashion. | have
cndeavured to give some account OF my strange
experiences in his contrary from the chance
which hrat brought us together at the period
OF the study in Scarlet. up to the time Of his
Interference in the matter OF tho Naval Treaty
an Interference which had the unquostiona-
bic eject Of preventing a serious international
complication. IL was my Intention to have
stopped there and to have said nothing Of that
event which has created void in my
life which tho lapse of two years has
done little TO I'LL My hand has boon
forced. however. by tho recent letters in which
COL james Morlrty defends the memory OF
his brother. and have no choice hut TO lay the
facts before the public exactly as they oc
cured. | alone know the absolute truth ~
tho matter. and | AN satisfied that tho time
has come when no good purpose is TO be sctyed
| by its suppression. A. far as | know there
have been only three accounts in the public
press: that in tho ,Ty d. GrGcre upon May
q. 1871; tho Reuters despatch in tho English
papers unon May {. and. luaily the recent lot
tiers to which have alluded. OF those. tho
! first and second wore extremely condensed.
| while the last is rs shall now show. an abso.
lutc perversion II the facts. 1t lies with me TO
tell for the first time what really took place be-
N"'oH iNI' il"lldIly ana NlT NhcTloCk ilpllneS.
II may be remembered that after my mar
| rage and my subsequent start in private
! practice. the very intimate relations which had
existed between Holmes and myself became
| to some extent modified. He stlll came IT, mo.
! from time to time when he desired n COM
! panion in his Investigations: but these occa-
! sions grew more and more seldom. until IND
| that in the year $500. there were only three
| cases OF which | retain any record. During
fha Int nrg q H., .I.i..
| 1881 saw In the papers that he had been en-
gagged by the french Government upon mat
| ter OF supreme importance. and received two
notes from Holmes. dated from Narbonno
and from NIsmcs from which I gathered
that his stay in Franco was likely to
be n long one 1t was with sons surprise
therefore. that saw him walk into my con-
sulting room upon tho evening OF tho 18th OF
April. 1t struck mo that he was looking even
paler and thinner than usual
Yes. have been using myself up rather
too freely" he remarked. In nswer to my look
rather than to my words Il have been o lit
tic pressed OF late. Have you any objection to
my closing your shuttersp
The only light in the room came from the
lamp on the table AZ which had been read
Ing. Holmes edged his way round tho wall.
and. ningng the shutters together. he bolted |
them securely.
well am"
"Of what"
"Of air guns"
Ny dear Holmes what do you msan7-
Il think that you know me we'll enough. |
Watson. to understand that am by no means |
nervous man, At the same time It ia stu- |
pidity rather than courage to refuse to recog- |
nize danger when It IS close upon you Might !
trouble you for mntch?" He drew in the |
.,ts. .Nf af, -. 40 -
fuence was grateful to him.
II must apologize for calling SO late" said
he. and must further beg you to be so I'M
conventional as to allow me to leave your
house presently by scrambling over your back
garden wall"
But what does II all mean ?" I asked.
He held out his hand. and saw In the light
OF the lamp that two OF his knuckes were burst
and bleeding.
ITS not an airy nothing you see" said he
smiling. ON the contrary, IL Is solid enough
for O man to break his hand over. Is Mrs
Watson inT
She is away upon a visit"
Indeed! You are alone"
quite"
Then 1t makes It the ensier for me to pro-
pose that you should CONS away with me for q
week onto tho Continent"
"Where2"
oh. anywhere 1t Is all tho same to mo"
There was something very strange In all
this. II was not Holiness nature to take an
aimless holiday and something about his pale
worn face told me that his nerves were at high
tension He saw the question in my ewes. and.
putting his finger tips together and his elbows
upon his knees, he explained tho situation.
You have probably never heard OF Prot
Moriarty;" said he.
"Neyar"
"Ay there's the genius and tho wonder OF
the thing" he cried. The man pervades
London and no one has heard OF him That's
what puts him on the pinnacle in tho records Of
crime. tell You. Watson. In AL seriousness.
that II | could beat that man. II could
Tree society OF him. should feel that my own
career had reached its summit and should ,
be prepared to turn to some more placid line |
OF ne Between ourselves. the recent cases ia
which have been OF assistance to the royal
family OF Scandinavia and to the French re-
public have lett me I'm such a position that | ,
could continue to live in the quiet fashion
which Is most conEenial 10 mo. and to concern
tra'e my attention upon my chemical re-
searches. but | could not rest. Watson. |
could not sit quiet in my chair. II thought |
lhat such man as Prof Moriarty were walk
Ing the streets Of London unchal.enged"
W hat has no done thenf'
Ills career has been an extraordinary one :
lie Is a man OF good birth aud excellent sdu-
ration endowed by nature with a phenomenal '
mathematical faculty. Al tho age Of twenty :
one he wrote "a treatise upon the binomiaI
Iheorem whichh has had a European vogue. On {
oft he Won the mathematical chair =
~ one OF our smaller universities. ana had. 10 !
All spp'atanee. most brilliant career before
MN but the man had hereditary tendencies Q
u 'he most dlabolieal kind. criminal strain d
IAN III Ills blood. which. instead OF being I
modified. was increased and rendered in /,
lnltely more dangerous by his extraordinary i
mental powers Dark rumors gathered round J
l'ih III the university town, and eventually he ~
was COMPELLED 10 resign his chair and to come &
Town 70 London. whore no set up as an army 4
oAeh. 30 mu IA Is known 10 the world. hut =
p nay am telling You nov + what / have my 1
gel, discovered e.
As YOU are aware, Watson. thers is no one ,
mo knows The higher criminal world Of Lon /,
ON As wei as ] do. Tor some years past 1
'"N e'9htinually been conscious OF some power il
'ehlnd the malefActor. some deep orRaniz- e,