Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1894-04-26

why, the height OF a man, in nine
cases ont of ten, can be told from the
length of his stride. It is a simple
calculation enough though there is nc
use my boring you with figures. I
had this fellows stride, both on the
clay outside and on the dust within.
Then / had a way of checking my cal
culation. When a man writes on q
wall, his instinct leads him to write
about the level of~his own yes. Now,
that writing was just over six feet
from the ground. 1t was child's play"
And his age?" / asked.
"Well, if a man can stride -four and
a half feet without the smallest effort,
he can't be quite in the sere and yell
low That was the breadth of a puddle
on the garden walk which he had
evidently walked across. Patent
leather boots had rome round and
~Square-toes had hoped vel. There
Is no mystery about it at all. ! am
simply applying to ordinary life a few
of those precepts of observation and
deduction which / advocated in that
article. Is there any thing else that
puzzles you?"
THE fnger-naiis and the Trichinop-
oily" 1 suggested.
1.-THE writing IN the wall wa done
with a mans foreinger 'ipped in blood.
My glass allowed me to observe that
the plaster was slightly scratched in
doing it, which would not have been
the case if the mans nail had been
trimmed. l gathered up some scat
tered ash from the floor. It was dark
in color and 1aky-such an ash as is
only made by a T~richinopoly. l have
made a special study of cigar ashes
in fact, l have written a monograph
upon the subject. flatter myself that
I can distinguish at a glance the ash OF
any known brand either of cigar or OF
tobacco. 1t is just in such details that
the skilled detective differs from the
Gregson and Lestrade type"
"And the ford face?" l asked.
"Ah, that was a more daring shot.
though ! have no doubt that l was
right. You must not ask me that at
4he present state of the affair
passed my hand over my brow.
MY head is il q wh;rl," | remarked;
1.-The more one thinks OF it the more
mysterious it grows. How came these
two men-if there were two men-into
In emrty house? What has become OF
the cabman who drove them? How
could one man compel another to taks
poison? Where did the blood ON
from? What was the object Of the
murderer, since robbery had nc part il
it? How came the wCrnan'S ring there:
Above all, why should the second man
write up the German word 'raclle' be
fore decamping? / confess that I can
not see any possible way OF reconciling
all these facts"
My companion smiled approvingly.
You sum up the difficulties of the
situation s~uccinctly and we'll" he said
There is much that is still obscure,
though I have quite made Up my mind
on the main facts. AS to poor Les,
trades discovery it was sinaply q blind
intended to pat the police upon a wrong
track, by suggesting socialism and
secret societies. 1t was not done by 6
German. The 4, if you noticed. was
printed somewhat after the German
fashion. Now a real German invaria
bly, prints in the Latin character, SC
that we may safely say that this was
not writer by one, but by a clumsy
icitatcr. who overdid his part. 1t was
simply q rllae to divert inquiry into E
wrong channel. I'm not going to tel
you much more of the case, doctor
You know a eonjurer gets No credit
when once he has explained his trick
and if | show you too much of my
method OF working. you will come te
the conclusion that | am a very ordinary
individual after all"
II shall never do that" | answered
you have brought detection as neal
an exact science as it eycr will bs
brought in this world"
My companion flushed up with pleas
are at my words and the earnest way
In which | uttered them. l had al
ready observed that he was as sensitive
TO fattery on the score of his art as any
girl could be of her beauty
iii tell you one other thing he
said. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. and Square
toes came in the same cab, and they
walked down the pathway together a.
friendly as possible-arm-in-arm, in al
probability. When they got inside
they walked up and down the room
or rather, Patent-leathers stood still
while S~quare-toes walked up ane
down. | could read all tina in the
dust; and l could read that, as he
walked, lie grew more and more ex
cited. That is shown by the increased
length of his strides. He was talking
all the while, and working himself up
no doubt, into q fury. Then thu
tragedy occurred. I've told you all
know myself, now. for the rest is mer,
surmise and conjecture. We have {
good wording basis, however, on which
10 start. We must hurry up, for
want to go to Halle's concert, to hea,
Norman Neruda, this afternoon"
This conversation had occurred Will
our cab had been threading it's wa,
through a long succession of ding,
streets and dreary Ly-ways. In thu
dingiest and dreariest of them on
driver suddenly am to a stand
"1hat's Audiey court in there" h,
said, pointing to a narrow slit If tn,
aine of dead-colored brick. You'll
end me here when you come back"
Audley court was not IN attractiv,
locality. The narrow passage led u
anto q quadrangle paved with flags an
lined by sordid dwellings. We pickle,
our way among groups Of dirty chill
1ren and through lines OF disco1oret
Ginen until we came to No. 46, til,
door of which was decorated with
small slip of brass, on which the nam,
Rance was engraved. On inquiry w,
Sound thai the constable was In bed
and we were shown into a little from
~oarlor, to await his coming.
He appeared presently, looking a lit
Gle irritable at being disturbed in hi
Numbers. 81 made my report at tn
office he said.
Holmes took q ha1f-sovereign from
his pocket, and played with it pensively
I'VE thought that we should like t,