The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1894-06-07

the laboratory. You proposed this ar
rangement, SO you must not hold me
responsible"
IF we don't get ON it will be easy
to part company" l anSw ,red. 1T
seems to me, Stamford" added, look
ing hard at my companion, that you
have some reason for washing your
hands of the matter. Is this fellows
temper so formidable, or what is it?
Don't be mealy-mouthad about it."
1T is not easy to express the mex
presSible," he answered, with laugh.
Holmes is little to scientific for my
tasteS-it approaches to cold-blooded-
ness. could imagine his giving friend
pinch of the latest vegetable alkaloid,
not out of malevOlence, you understand,
but simply out of spirit of inquiry
in order to have an accurate idea of
the effects. To do him justice, l think
that he would take it hims IF with the
same readiness. He appears to have
Il passion for definite and exact knowl-
edge"
Very right, too"
Yes; but it may be pushed to OK
cess. When it comes to beating the
subjects in the dissecting rooms with Il
stick, it is certainly taking rather a
BIZARRE shape
Beating the subjectsr'
Yes, to verify how far bruises may
be produced after death. l saw him
at it with my own eyes"
And yet you say he is not a medical
Student?
No. Heaven knows what the OBJ
iects of his duties are. But here we
are and you must form your own i'm
,i,,,,e, oh, IL l., L.
we turned down narrow lane and
passed through a small side door which
Ope ned into a wing of the great hos
pital. 1t was familiar ground to me,
and | needed no guiding as we ascend
ed the bleak, stone staircase and made
our way down the long corridor with
its vista of whitewashed walls and dim
cOlored doors. Near the farther end
a low, arched passage branched away
from it and led to the chemical labor
atOry.
This was a lofty chamber, lined and
Uttered with countless bottles. Broad,
low tables were scattered about, which
bristled with retorts, test-tubes and lit
tie BunSen lamps, with their blue.
Pickering flames. There was only one
student in the room, who was bending
over distant table absorbed in his
work. At the sound Of our steps he
glanced round and sprang to his feet
with a cry of pleasure. I've found
it! I've found itr' he shouted to my
companion, running toward us with a
test tube in his hand. Il have found
Il reagent which is precipitated by haze
mOglObin, and by nothing else" Had
he discovered a gold mine, greater de-
light could not have shown upon his
features.
DIR. Watson-Mr. Sherlock Holmes"
said Stamford, introducing us.
How are you?" he said, cordially,
gripping my hand with Il strength
for which l should hardly have given
him credit. You have been in Afghan
istan, l perceive"
How on earth did you know that?"
| asked, in establishment
'Never mind" said he chuckling to
himself. 1.-The question now is about
haemOglobin- No doubt you see the
significance of this discovery of mine? 2"
1T is interesting, chemically, no
doubt" answered; but practically''-
why, man, it is the most practical
medio-legal discovery for years. Don't
you see that it gives us an infallible
test for blood-stains? Come over here,
now! IIc seized me by the coat sleeve
III his eagemess, and drew ne over to
the table at which he had been work
ing Let us have some fresh blood"
he said, digging a long bodkin into his
finger and drawing off the resulting
drop of blood in a chemical pipette
Now, l add this small quantity of
blood to a litre of water. You per-
ceive that the resulting mixture has
the appearance of pure water. The
proportion of blood cannot be more
than one in billion. / have no doubt,
however, that we shall be able to OBJ
tain the characteristic reaction" AS
he spoke he threw into the vessel a
few white crystals, and tn IN added
| some drops of a transparent fluid. In
an instant the contents assumed dull
mahogany color, and a browlish dust
was precipitated to the bottom of the
glass jar.
"Ha, har' he cried, clapping his
hands and looking as delighted as a
child with new toy. What do you
| think of that"
"It seems to be very delicate test"
I 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 yalueless if the stains are Il 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!' l murmured.
criminal cases are continually hing
ing upon that one point. A man is
| suspected of 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.
| ''Inerc was the case OF on blScnOH
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. l could name
score of cases in which it would
have been decisive"
You seem to be IL walking calendar
of crime" said Stamford, with Il laugh.
You might start n paper on those
lines. Call it the Police News of the
Past"
Very interesting reading it might be,
! too" remarked Sherlock Holmes, stick
ing small piece of plaster over the
prick Of his finger II have to be care
full" he continued, turning to me with
a smile, "tGr | dabble with poisons a
good deal" He held out his hand as
he spoke, and noticed that it was all
mOttled over with similar pieces of
plaster and discolored with strong