St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1895-07-13


brochure with the somewhat fantastic
title of "A Study in Scarlet"
He shook his head sadly "Iglanced
over it," said he. Honestly, / cannot
congratulate you upon it. Detection
is, or ought to be, an exact science, and
should be treated in the same cold and
Unconditional manner. You have at
| tempted to tinge it with romanticism,
which produces much the same effect
as If you worked a love story or an
elopement into the fifth proposition of
Euclid
But the romance was there re-
monstrated. II could not tamper with
| the facts"
''some facts should be suppressed, or
at least just sense of proportion
| should be observed in treating them.
The only point in the case which de-
served mention was the curious ana
| lytical reasoning from effects to causes
by which succeeded in unraveling it."
| was annoyed at this criticism of
work which had been specially de-
signed to please him. I confess, too,
that I was irrltated by the egotism
i y
line of my pamphlet should be devoted
to his own special doings. More than
once during the years that had lived
with him in Baker street / had OBJ
served that small vanity underlay my
companions quiet and didactic manner
I made no remark, however, but sat
nursing my wounded leg. / had had
Jezail bullet through 1t sometime be-
fore, and though it did not prevent me
from walking, it ached wearily at
every change of the weather.
t'My practice has extended recently
to the continent" said Holmes, after
awhile, filing up his old brier-root
pipe. 81 was consulted last week by
Francois LIE Willard, who, as you prob
ably know, has come rather to the
front lately in the French detective
service. He has all the Celtic power OF
the wide range 5f
/ which is essential to the higher devel-
opments of his art. The case was con-
cerned with will, and possessed some
features of interest. was able to re-
fer him to two parallel cases, the one
at Riga in 1857, and the other at st.
Louis in 1871, which have suggested to
him the true solution. Here is the let
ter which had this morning, acknowi-
edging my assistance" He tossed over,
as he spoke, crumpled sheet OF Tor
eign notepaper. I glanced my eyes
down it, catching profusion OF notes
of admiration, with stray "magni-
fiques," s'coup de maitres' and tours
de force" all testifying to the ardent
admiration of the Frenchman.
ssHe speaks as pupil to his master
> said /.
, ssOh, he rates my assistance too high
I w." said Sherlock Holmes, lightly
HE has considerable gifts himself. lie
= possesses two out of the three quail
: ties necessary for the ideal detective
He has the power of observation ant
u that of deduction. He is only wanting
!. in lnowledge; and that may come IL
~ time. He is now translating my SINAI
- works into French" !"
"Your works?"
''oh, didn't you know?a he cried
laughing. Eyes, have been guilty 9
70 several monographs. They are al
. upon technical subjects. Here, for ez
10 ample, is one Upon the Distinction BE
tween the Ashes of the Various Iobat
Goes In it I enumerate hundre
g and forty forms of cigar, cigarette an
le pipe tobacco, with eolored plates lllu
Sc trating the difference in the ash.
is a point which is continually turnln
up in criminal trials, and which
sometimes of supreme Importance as
| clew. If you can say definitely for e.
J arnple. that some murder has bee
!, done by man who was smoking a
| Indian Iunkah, it obviously marrow
/ your field of search. To the traint
1 eve there is as much difference b
! tween the black ash of a Triehinopo
/ and the white fluff of bird's-eye as the
s is between cabbage and potato"
= aYou have an extraordinary geni
a for minutiae, remarked.
: ST appreciate their Importance. he
is nv monograph upon the tracing
footsteps, with some remarks upon t
. uses OF plaster of Paris as preserv
= Of impresses. Here, too, is curlo
little work upon the influence OF
trade upon the form of the hand, wi
the nUhOGypes VI 1AlC h1hoo - ss~ ss1
sailors, cork-cutters, compositors, wes
ers aud diamond polishers. That is
matter of great practical interest to
ate scientific detective, especially IN ca
per of unclaimed bodies, or in discoverl
ith the anteeedents of criminals. But
the weary you with my hobby
for 'sNot at ALL" / answered, earnest
ave st is of the greatest interest to me,
n pecially since / have had the opp
My tunity of observing your practical
plication of it. But you spoke j
; I now of observation and deducti
Surely the one to some extent impl
de- the other.
asst ssWhy. hardly" he answered, lean
Tee back luxuriously in his armchair, 9
or sending up thick blue wreaths fr
this his pipe. 'tFor example, observat
nal shows me that you have been to
I Wigmore street post Office this me
,ro- ing, but deduction lets me know y
aim when there you despatched t
fig gram. z
elf. .sRightp' said ]. Right on b
NV nointsl But I confess that don't
.rd. how you arrived 1T. Itwas . sud