Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1894-05-10

W.T. DIOO<J = ITtTNC
across the passage and formed q
little pool along the skirting at
the other side. l gave a cry, which
brought the Boots back. He nearly
tainted when he sawit. The door was
locked on the inside, but we put our
shoulders to 1t, and knocked it in. The
window of the room was open, and be-
side the window, all hudd1ed up, lay
the body of a man in his night-dress.
He was quite dead, and had been for
some time, for his limbs were rigid
and cold. When we turned him yer
the Boots recognized him at once as
being the same gentleman who had en-
gagged b room under the name of JOS
eph Stangerson. The cause OF death
was a deep stab in the left side, which
must have penetrated the heart. And
now comes the strangest part of the
affair. What do you suppose was above
the murdered man?"
1 felt a creeping of flesh, and a pre-
sentiment of coming horror, even be-
fore Sherlock Holmes answered:
1.-THE word srache,' written in letter.
of blood,' he said.
THAT was it," said Lestrade, in az
awe-struck voice; and we were all ST.
lent for awhile.
There was something so methodica1
and so incomprehensible about the
deeds of this unknown assassin, that
it impaired a fresh ghastliness to his
crimes. My nerves, which were steady
enough on the field of battle, tingled
as 1 thought oft.
"The man was seen,@ continued Les
trade. ga milk-boy, passing on his
way to the dairy, happened to walk
down the lane which leads from
the news at the back of the hotel.
He noticed that ladder, which usu-
ally lay there, was raised against one
of the windows of the second floor,
which was wide open. After passing,
he looked back and saw a man de-
scend the ladder. He came down SO
quietly and openly that the boy i'm
agined him to be some carpenter or
joiner at work in the hotel. He took
no particular notice of him, beyond
thinking in his mind hat it was
early for him to be at work. He has
an impression that the map was tall,
had a reddish face, and was dressed
in a long, brownish coat. He must
have stayed in the room some little
time after the murder, for we found
b1ood-stained water in the basin,
where he had washed his hands, and
marks on the sheet where he had de-
liberately wiped his knife"
I glanced at Holmes on hearing the
description of the murderer, which tai
lied so exactly with his own. There
was, however, no trace of e~xultation or
satisfaction upon his face.
ibid you find nothing in the oom
which could furnish a clew to the
murderer?" he asked.
Nothing. Stangerson had Dreb-
ber's purse in his pocket, but it seems
that this was usual, as he did all the
paying. There was e~ighty-odd pounds
in it, but nothing had been taken.
Whatever the motives of these e~xtraor-
binary crimes, robbery is certainly not
one OF them. There were no papers or
memoranda in the murdered mans
pocket, except a single telegram, dated
from Cleveland about a month ago,
and containing the words: y. III. is in
Europe There was no name appended
to this message"
And there was nothing e1se?'
Holmes asked.
Nothing of any Importance. The
mans novel, with which he had read
AAAoO w oASNPS "oo oPO' VIZ
bed, and his pipe was on a chair beside
him. There was a glass of water on
the table, and on the window-sill a
small chip ointment-box containing a
couple of pills"
Sherlock Holmes sprang from his
chair with an exclamation of delight.
"The last link" he cried, exultantly.
"My case is complete"
| The fyra dafaatiuaQ Stara6 af him in
| amazement.
II have now in my hands," my com.
panion said, confidently, "al1 the
| threads which have formed such a
| tang1e. There are, of course, details
to be filed in, but 1 am rs certain Oh
all the main facts, from the time that
Drebber parted from Stangerson at
the station up to the discovery of the
body of the latter, as if 1 had seen
them with my own eyes. 1 will give
you a proof of my knowledge. Could
you lay your hand upon those p%ills?,~
81 have them,' said Lestrade, pro
ducing a small white box. II took
them and the purse and the telegram
intending to have them put in a place
Of safety at the police station. 1t was
the merest chance, my taking these
| pills, TOT L am DOunu 10 Say I1dG L O(
not attach any Importance to them"
"Give them here" said Holmes
"Now, DOCTOR" turning to me, "are
those ordinary pills?"
They certainlY~~were not They
were OF a pearly gray color, small
round and almost transparent agains1
the light. From their lightness and
transparency L should imagine tina
they are soluble in water" / remarked
Precisely So" answered Holmes
Now, would you mind going dow1
and fetching that poor little devil Of
terrier which has been bad so long
and which the landlady wanted you t.
put out of its pain yesterday"
I went downstairs and carried the
dog upstairs in my arms Its laboret
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