The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-04-27
"The writing on the wall was dore

| MY glass dllOWeu me 10 observe tlat
the plaster was slightly scratched in
doing it, which would not have been
the case if the mans nail had been
trimmed. / gathered up some scat
tered ash from the floor. 1t was dark
in color and falxy-suc an ash as is
only made by a Trichinopoly. ] have
made special study of cigar ashes
| in fact. / have written a monograph
upon the subject. l fiatter myself that
l 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?" asked.
"Ah, that was a more daring shot,
though l have no doubt that l was
right. You must not ask me that at
the present state of the affair.""
/ passed my hand over my brow
MY head is in a whirl," / remarked;
''the more one thinks of it the more
mysterious it grows. How came these
| two men-if there were two men-into
an empty house? What has become of
could one man compel another to take
poison? Where did the blood come
from? What was the object of the
murderer, since robbery had no part in
! it? How came the woman's ring there?
| Above all, why should the second man
write up the German word ''rache" be-
fore decamping? ] confess that | can
not see any possible way of reconciling
all these facts"
My companion smiled approvingly.
You sum up the difficulties of the
situation suceinctly and WELL" he said
There is much that is still obscure,
though | have quite made up my mind
on the main facts. AS to poor Les
trades discovery it was simply blind
intended to put the police upon wrong
track, by suggesting socialism and
secret societies. 1t was not done by a
German. The A, if you noticed, was
printed somewhat after the German
fashion. Now real German invaria-
bly, prints in the Latin character, SO
not written by one, but by a clumsy
imitator, who overdid his part. 1t was
simply ruse to divert inquiry into
wrong channel. I'm not going to tell
you much more of the case, doctor.
You know a conjurer gets no credit
when once he has explained his trick,
and if l show you toe much of my
method of working, you will come to
the conclusion that am very ordinary
individual after ALL"
81 shall never do that" / answered.;
you have brought detection as near
an exact science as it ever will be
brought in this world"
My companion flushed up with pleas
ure at my words and the earnest way
in which / uttered them. had al
ready observed that he wasa sensitive
to flattery ON the score of his art as any
girl could be of her beauty.
IN tell you one other thing" he
said. 'Patent-leathers and Square
toes came in the same cab, and they
walked down the pathway together as
friendly as possible-arm-in-ar arm. in all
probability. When they got inside
they walked up and down the room
or rather, Patent-leathers stood still
while Square-toes walked up and
down. | could read all that in the
dust; and | could read that, as he
walked, he grew more and more ex-
cited. That is shown by the increased
length of his strides. lie was talking
all the while, and working himself up,
no doubt, into fury. Then the
tragedy occurred. I've told you all l
know myself, now, for the rest is mere
surmise and conjecture. We have a
good working basis, however, on which
to start. We must hurry up, for /
want to 60 to Halle's concert, TO hear
Norman Neruda, this afternoon"
This conversation had occurred while
our cab had been threading it's way
through a long succession of dingy
streets and dreary by-ways. In the
dingiest and dreariest of them our
driver suddenly came to a stand.
That's Audley court in there" he
said, pointing to narrow slit in the
line of dead-colored brick. You'll
find me here when you come back"
Audley court was not an attractive
locality. The narrow passage led us
into a quadrangle paved with flags and
lined by sordid dwellings. We picked
our way among groups of dirty chill
dren and through lines of discolored
linen until we came to No. 40, the
door of which was decorated with q
small slip of brass, on which the name
Rance was engraved. On inquiry we
found that the constable was in bed.
and we were shown into a little front
parlor, to await his coming.
He appeared presently, looking lit
tie irritable at being disturbed in his
slumbers. Il made my report at the
office" he said.
Holmes took halt-sovereign from
his pocket, and played with it pensively.
1--WE thought that we should like to
hear it all from your own lips, he said.
81 shall be most happy to tell you
anything l can," the constable an
swered, with his eyes upon the little
golden disk.
Just let US hear it oil in your own
way, as it occurred"
nance SdU uOWn on the nOrSe-nalr
sofa and knitted his brows. as though |
determined not to omit anything in his
narrative.
''I'll tell it We from the beginning"
he said. "My time is from ten at night |
to six in the morning. At eleven there |
was fight at the White Hart; but, bar
that, all was quiet enough on the beat.
At one o'clock it began to rain, and / |
met Harry Murcher-him who has the
Holland Grove beat-and we stood to-
gether at the corner of Henrietta
street a-talkin'. Presently - maybe