Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1895-07-15
CHApTER. rr-fContinued1

TeCt1VeS, and lots OF private ones. w men
these fellows are at fault they come to
ME, and manage to put them on the
right scent. They lay all the evidence
before me, and I am generally able,
by the help of my knowledge Of the
slistory Of crime, to set them strligbt
There is a strong family resemblance
about misdeeds and if you have all
the details of thousand at your finger
ends, it is odd if you can't unravel the
thousand and first. Lestrade is well
known detective He got hims Elf into
"a fog recently over a forgery case,
and that was what brought him here"
"And these other people?"
'They are mostly sent out by pri-
vate inquiry agencies. They are all
people who are in trouble about some
thing and want a little enlighteniDg.
4 listen to their story, they listen to
my comments, and then pocket my
fee.''
But do you mean to say" I said,
that without leaving your room you
can unravel some knot which other men
can make nothing of, although they
have seen every detail for themselves"
Quite so. | have a kind of intuition
that way Now and again a case turns
up which is a little more complex. Then
4 have to hustle about and see things
with my own eyes. You see I have
a Eot Of special knowledge Which 1
apply to the problem, and which IA
cilitates matters wonderfully Those
rules of deduction laid down in that ar
ticle which aroused your scorn are in
valuable to me in practical work. OBJ
SeFVatiOn Win me IS second nature.
You appeared to be surprised when
told you, on our first meeting that
you had come from Afghanistan"
you were told, no doubt"
Nothing of the sort. I knew you
came from Afghanistan From long
habit the train Of thoughts ran so
swiftly through my mind that 1 ar
Tived at the conclusion without being
conscious Of intermediate steps. There
were such steps, however. The train
Of reasoning ran. Here is a gentleman
of q medical type, but with the air
of a military man. Clearly an army
doctor, then. He has just come from
the tropics, for his face is dark, and
that is not the natural tint of his skin.
FOR his wrists are fair. He has under
gone hardship and sickness, as his bag
gard face says clearly His left arm
has been injured. He holds it in Il stiff
and unnatural manner. Where in the
tropics could an English army doctor
nave seen such hardship and got his
arm wounded? Clearly in Afghanis-
tan The whole train of thought did
not occupy a second. / then remarked
that you came from AfghaniStan, and
You were aStOnished"
1T is simple enough, as you explain
g" / said, smiling. You remind me of
Edgar Allan Poe's 'DuDin.' I had no
idea that such individuals did exist
outside of stories"
Sherlock Holmes rose and lit his pipe.
No doubt you think you are comDli-
mentIng me in comparing me to Du-
pin," he observed Nov, IN my opi1l-
ion, Dupin was a very inferior fellow.
That trick of his of breaking in on
his friends thoughts with an apropos
'eumark after a quarter of an hours
saiience is really very snowy and super
'icial He had some analytic genius,
30 d0glbt, but he was by no means
such Il phenomenon as Poe appeared
to imagine
Have you read Gaboriau's works?"
asked. Does Lecoq come up to
your idea of a detective?'
Sherlock Holmes shifted sardonically
tF2secoq was miserable bungler," he
R3ne thing to recommend him, and that
was his energy. The book made me
positively i'll. The question was how
40 identify an unknown prisoner. l
could have done it in twenty-four hours.
LecOq took six months or so. 1t might
be EnatIe a textbook for detectives to
iteach them what to avoid.
[ felt rather indignant at having two
characters whom / had admired treat
ed in this cavalier style. I walked over
70 the window and stood looking ont
into the busy street. ''This fellow may
q9e very clever / said to myself, but
he is certainly very concaited."
There are no crimes and no crimi-
mails in these days." he said, querulous-
Nv. What is the use of having brains
an our profession? | know we'll that
Il have it in me to make my name fam
,ol1s. No man lives or has ever lived
who aas brought the same amount OF
study and of natural talent to the detec-
sion of crime which | have done. And
what lis the result? There is no crime
80 detect, or, at most, some bungHng
yiIlaTny with a motive so transparent
shat even a Scotland Yard official can
see through it.
was still annoyed at his bumptious
eStyle of conversation. / thought it best
40 change the topic.
81 wonder what the fellow is looking
for?" I asked. pointing to stalwart,
rplainly-dreSSed individual VINO was
walking slowly down the other side OF
enc street, looking anxiously at the
numbers. He had Il large blue enVel-
soBe in his hand, and was evidently the
bearer of q message.
''You mean the retired sergeant Vi
marines" said Sherlock Holmes.
Drag and bounccH thought to my.
self. 'SHe knows that l cannot verlfy
his guess"
The thought had hardly passed
through my mind when the man whom
we were watching caught sight OF the
number on our door, and ran rapidly
acr&ss the roadway. We heard loul
knock, a deep voice below, ana heaV1
steps ascending the stairs.
.|F0r Mr.. Sherlock Holmes, be sad
stepping into the room and handln'
my friend the letter.
i4yvO f