Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1895-04-25
CHAPTER VII.

We had all been warned to appear be-
fore the magistrates upon the Thursday,
but when the Thursday came there was
no occasion for our testimony. A higher
Judge had taken the matter in hand, and
Jefferson Hope had been summoned be-
fore tribunal where strict justice would
be meted out to him. On tho very night
after his capture the aneurism burst, and
he was found in the morning stretched
upon the floor of the cell, with placid
smile upon his face, Us though he had
been able in his dying moments to look
back upon useful life aud on work
we'll done.
''Gregson and Lestrade will be wild
about his DEATH" Holmes remarked as
we chatted it over next evening where
will their grand advertisement be nowr"
II don't see that they had very much
to do with his capture, answered.
"What you do in this world is mat
ter of no consequence. returned my
companion bitterly. "The question is,
What can you make people believe you
have done? Never mind. he continued
more brightly after pause, II would
not have missed the investigation for
anything. There has been no better case
within my recollection. Simple as it
was, there were several most instructive
points about it. =
"Simplel' / calculated.
well, really, it can hardly be de-
scribed as otherwise" said Sherlock
Holmes, smiling at my surprise. "Tho
proof of its intrinsic simplicity is that
without any help, save very few or.
dinary deductions, was able to lay
my hand upon tho criminal within three
days. =
THAT is true" said |.
II have already explained to you that
what is out of the common is usually n
guide rather than hindrance. In solv-
ing a problem of this sort the grand
thing is to be able to reason backward.
That is a very useful accomplishment
and very easy one, but people do not
practice it much. In the everyday af-
fairs of life it is more useful to reason
forward and 40 the other comes to be
neglected. There are 80 who can reason
synthetioally for one who can reason
analytically. I"
II confess" said I. that ] do not
quite follow you. !"
II hardly expected that you would.
Let me see If can make 1t clear. Most
people, If you describe a train of events
to them, win tell you what the result
would be. They can put those events to.
gether in their minds and argue from
them that something will come to pass,
There are few people. however, who, II
you told them q result. would be able
to evolve from their own inner con
seriousness what the steps were which
aed up TO that result. This power il
what I mean when | talk Of reasoning
backward, or analytically.
''I understand, said I.
"Now, this was case in which you
were given the result and had to fine
everything else for yourself Now, Lei
me endeavor to show you the different
steps in my reasoning. TO begin at tn,
beginning, approached the house, al
yon know, on foot and with my mine
entirely free from all Impressions
naturally began by examining the road
way, and there, as have already OK
planned to you, ! saw clearly the mark
of cab, which, ] ascertained by in
qniry, must have been there during th
night. ! satisfied myself that it was
cab and not a private carriage by tn
narrow gauge Of the wheels. Tho or
dinary London growler IL considerably
less wide than a gentlemans bronghain
This was the first point gained.
then walked slowly down the gardel
path, which happened to be composed Q
q clay soil. peculiarly suitable for TAX
ing impressions. No doubt it appeare
to you to be a mere tranlpled limo q
slush. but to my trained eye every mar
upon its surface had u meaning. Their
is no branch Of detective science whic
is 80 important and so much neglecte
az the art Of tracing footsteps, Happil
/ have always laid great stress upon II
and much practice has made it secon
nature to me. saw the heavy foot
marks Of the constables. but saw ais
the tracks Of the two men who had fir,
passed through the garden. 1t was eas
to tell that they had been before the otl
srs, because in places their marks ha
been entirely obliterated BY the othel