Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1895-03-14
CHAPTER VII

The intelligence with which Lestrade
greeted us was so momentous and 50 un-
expected that we were all three fairly
dumfounded. Gregson sprang out of
his chair and upset the remainder of his
whisky and water. stared in silence at
Sherlock Holmes, whose lips were COM
pressed and his brows drawn down over
his eyes.
Stangerson, tool" hs muttered.
"The plot thickens. -
''It was quite thick enough before, +"
grumbled Lestrade, taking a chair. II
seem to have dropped into sort of
council of war"
care you-are you sure of this piece
Of intelligence" stammered Gregson.
II have just come from his room,"
said Lestrade. II was the first to dis
cover what had occurred"
"We have been hearing Gregson's S
view of the matter" Holmes observed.
"Would you mind letting as know what
you have seen and doneH'
81 have no objection" Les:rade an
swered, seating himself. 81 freely con-
fess that l was Cf tho opinion that
Stangerson was concerned in the death
of Drebber. This fresh deve' -ment has
shown me that 7 was completely mis-
taken. Full of the one idea, set myself
to find out what had become of the sec
retary. They had been seen together at
Euston station about half past on the
evening of the Sd. At in the morning
Drebber had been found in the Brixton
road. The question which confronted
me was to find out how Stangerson had
been employed between $3.50 and the
time of the crime and what had become
Of him afterward. telegraphed to Liv-
erpool giving description Of the man
and warning them to keep watch upon
the American boats I then set to work
calling upon all the hotels and lodging
houses in the vicinity of Euston. You
see, argued that if Drebber and his
companion had become separated the
natural course for the latter would be
to put up somewhere in the vicinity for
the night and then to hang about the
station again next morning"
"They would be likely to agree on
some meeting place beforehand" re-
marked Holmes.
$50 it proved. spent the whole of
yesterday evening in making inquiries
entirely without avail. This morning
began very early, and at 8 o'clock
reached Halliday's Private hotel in Lit
tie George street. On my inquiry as to
whether a Mr.. Staugerson was living
there they at once answered me in the
affirmative.
"'No doubt you are the gentleman
he was expecting they said. He has
been waiting for a gentleman for two
days.
Where is he now?' asked.
"'He is up stairs in bed. He wished
to be called at O..
sit seemed to me that my sudden ap-
pearance might shake his nerves and
lead him to say something unguarded.
The boots volunteered to show me the
room. 1t was ON the second floor, and
there was small corridor leading up tc
it. The boots pointed out tho door to
me and was about to go down stairs
again when saw something that made
me feel sickish, in spite of my 20 years
experience. From under the door there
curled little red ribbon of blood, which
had meandered across the passage and
formed little pool along the skirtine
at the other side. / gave a cry, which
brought the boots back. He nearly
tainted when he saw it. The door was
locked on the inside. but we put oul
shoulders to it and knocked it in. The
window of the room was open, and be-
side the window, all huddled up, lay
the body of man in his nightdress.
He was quite dead and had been fol
some time, for his limbs were rigid ant
cold When we turned him over, the
boots recognized him at once as being
the same gentleman who had engaged
the room under the name of JOSEPH
Stangerson. The cause of death was {
deep stab in the left side, which mus
have penetrated the heart. And nov
comes the strangest part Of the affair
What do you suppose was above thu
murdered man?''
felt a creeping of the flesh and pre-
sentiment of coming horror, even befor'
Sherlock Holmes answered.
''The word 'Raohe, written in letter
Of blood" he said.
"That was it," said Lestrade in al
awestruck voice, and we were all silen
for awhile,
There was something so methodica
and so incomprehensible about the deed
Of this unknown assassin that it i'm
parted q fresh ghastliness to his crimes
My nerves, which were steady enour'
on tho field of battle, tingled as though
of it.
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