Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1894-02-02

'sHal hnr' he cried. elapping his
hands, and looking as delighted as
child with a new toy What do you
think of that?"
"It seems to be very delicate test"
| remarked.
Beautiful beautiful! The old
guaiacum test was very clumsy and un-
certain. So is the microscopic exami-
nation for blood-corpuscles. The lat
ter Is valueless IL the stains are 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!' ! murmured.
Criminal cases are continually
hinging upon that one point. \ man
is suspected of a crime months per-
haps 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?
Because 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" | 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 Samson, of New Orleans. | could
name score of cases in which it 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"
Every interesting reading it might
be made, too" remarked Sherlock
Holmes, sticking small piece of plas-
ter over the prick on his finger. Il
have to be careful he continued, turn
ing to me with q smile, for dabble
with poisons a good deal" He held
out his hand as he spoke, and noticed
that it was all notified over with SINH
lar pieces of plaster and discolored with
strong acids.
I'VE came here on business" said
Stamford, sitting down on a three
legged stool and pushing another one
in my direction with his foot. MY
| friend here wants to take diggingS,
and as you were complaining that you
could get no one to go halves with
you, thought that / had better bring
you together"
Sherlock Holmes seemed delighted
at the idea of sharing his rooms with
me. Il have my eye on suite in
Baker street," he said, (which would
suit us down to the ground. You don't
| mind the smell of strong tobacco, l
hope?"
81 always smoke ships myself" l
answered.
That's good enough. l generally
have chemicals about, and occasional
ly do experiments Would that annoy
you9"
by no means"
"Let me see-what are my other
'shortcomings2 get in the dumps al
times and don't open my mouth for
days on end. You must not think
am sullxy when do that Just let me
| alone and I'll soon be all right What
| have you to confess, now? Its just as
we'll for two fellows to know the
worst of one another before they be
| gin to live together"
laughed at this cross-examination
81 keep a bull-pup." said, land OBJ
| ject to rows, because my nerves are
shaken, and get up at all sorts of un
| godly hours, and am extremely lazy
| I have another set of vices when In
| well. but those are the principal one:
at present"
"Do you include violin-playing il
your category of rows?" he asked
anxiously.
"It depends on the player" I an
swered. "a well-played violin is trea
for the gods; badly played one"
"Oh, that's all right" he cried, will
a merry laugh. II think we may con
slider the thing as settled-that is, i
the rooms are agreeable to you"
| when shall we see them?"
| "Can for me here at noon tomorrow
and well go together and settle every
thing" he answered.
"All right-noon exactly" said |
shaking his hand.
We left him working among hi!
chemicals. and we walked together to
ward my hotel
by the way" I asked suddenly
stopping and turning upon Stamford
"how the deuce did he know that haC
come from Afghanistan?"
| My companion smiled an enigmatica
smile. That's just his little pecul
iarity," he said. "A good many peo
pie have wanted to know how he find
things out"
"Ohl a mystery, is it?'' cried, rub
bing my hands. This is very piquant
am much obliged to you for bringing
US together. The proper study o
mankind is man. you know"
You must study him. them" STAN
ford said, as he bade me good-by
you'll find him knotty problem
though. I'll wager he learns more
about you than you about him Good
by"
"Good-by," answered, and strollec
on to my hotel, considerably inter
ested in my new acquaintance.