Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1894-06-14
"It seems to be q very delicate test"

at seems to be . very delicate test
/ remarked.
Beautiful! beautiful The old guaia-
| cum test was very clumsy and uncer-
tain. So is the microscopic examina-
ton for blood corpuscles. The latter
is ~valueless IL the stains are a few
hours Old. Now, this appears to act
as well whether the blood Is old or
new. Had this test been invented,
there are hundreds of men now walk
ing the earth who would long ago have
paid the penalty of their crimes"
'Indeed!" / murnured.
Criminal cases are continually hing
Ing upon that n point. A man is
suspected of a crime months, perhaps,
after it has been committed. His linen
or clothes are examined, and brownish
stains discovered upon them. Are they
blood stains, or mud stains, or rust
stains, Or fruit stains, or what are
they? That is a question which has
puzzled many an expert, and why! Be
cause there was no reliable test. Now
we have the Sherlock Holmes test, and
there will no longer be any difficulty"
His eyes fairly glittered as he spoke,
and he put his hand over his heart and
bowed as If TO some ~applauding crowd
conjured up by his imagination.
You are to be congratulated" I re-
marked, considerably surprised at his
enthusiasm.
There was the case Of Won Bischoff
at Frankfort last year. He would GER
tainly have been hung had this test
been in existence. Then there was
Mason of Bradford, and the notorious
Muller, and Lefevre Of Montpelier, and
Go ,-z 90 Nvzn OIL
a score OF cases in which ii would
have been decisive"
You seem TO be a walking calendar
Of crime" said Stamford. with a laugh.
You might start a paper on those
lines. Call it the Police News of the
Past"
Very interesting reading it might be,
too" remarked Sherlock Holmes, stick
ing a small piece Of plaster over the
prick of his finger. Il have to be care
full" he continued, turning TO me with
a smile, 'for l dabble with poiSons a
good deal" He held out his hand as
be spoke, and / noticed that it was oil
notified over with similar pieces of
plaster and diScolored with strong
acids.
1--WE came here on business" said
Stamford, sitting down on a ~three-leg-
ged stool and pushing another in my
direction with his foot. My friend
here wants to take lodgings, and as
you were complaining that you could
get no n to go halves with you, I
thought that l had better bring you to-
gether."
Sherlock Holmes seemed delighted
at the d OF sharing his rooms with
me. II have my eye on a suite in
Baker street" he said, which would
suit us down to the ground. You don't
mind the smell of strong tobacco, I
hope?"
Il always smoke ships myself" I
answered.
That's good enough. I generally
have chemicals about, and occasionally
do experiments. Would that annoy
your"
BY no means"
Let me see-what are my other
shortcomings? L get in the dumps at
times, and don't open my mouth for
days or end. You must not think I am
sulky when I do that. Just let me
aloce, and I'll soon be ell right. What
have yen to confess now? It's just as
well for two fellows to know the worst
of one another before they begin to
live together"
I laughed at this cross-examination.
Il keep a bull-pup," l said, and 1 OBJ
ject to rows, because my nerves are
shaken, and l get up at all sorts OF un
godly hours. and I am extremely lazy.
/ have another set of vices when I'm
well, but these are the principal ones
ut present"
DO you include violin playing in
your category Of rowsE' he asked anx-
iously.
ITO Be COntinued1