Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1895-10-07
CHAPTER v -(Continuedo

other. / shall take what you leave.
Let us see if there is justice upon the
earth, or if we are ruled by chance
HE covered away with wild cries
and prayers for mercy, but / drew my
knife and held it to his throat until he
had obeyed me- Then I swallowed the
other, and we stood facing one another
In silence for a minute or more, wait
ing to see which was to live and which
was to die Shall ever forget the look
which came over his face when the first
warning pangs told him that the poison
was in his system? I laughed as |
saw it, and held Lucy's marriage ring
in front of his eyes. It was but for
Il moment, for the action Of the aka
loid is rapid. A spasm of pain comfort
ed his features. He threw his hands
out in front of him, staggered, and
then with a hoarse cry, fell heavily
upon the floor. I turned him over with
my foot, and placed my hand upon his
heart There was no movement. He
was dead.
The blood had been streaming from
my nose, but / had taken no NOTICE or
it. / don't know what it was that put
it into my head to write upon the wall
with it. Perhaps it was some mischlev-
GUS ued Ol S6LlllIS IuS pO1ASC upOh
a wrong track, for I felt light-hearted
and cheerful I remembered a German
being found in New York with Racine
written up above him, and it was ar
gued at the time in the newspapers
that the secret societies must have
done it. 1 guessed that what puzzled
the New Workers would puzzle the
Londoners. So / dipped my finger IN
my own blood and printed it on con
venient place on the wall. Then l
walked down to my cab and found
that there was nobody about, and that
the night was still very wild. / had
driven some distance, when | put my
hand into the pocket in which / usually
kept Lucy'S ring, and found that 1t
was not there ! was thunderstruck at
this, for it was the only memanto that
I had of her. Thinking that / might
have dropped it when I stopped over
Drebber's body, drove back; and leav-
ing my cab in a side street, | went
boldly up to the house, for | was ready
to dare anything rather than lose the
ring. When L arrived there, / walked
right :nto the arms of a police officer
who was coming out, and only manag-
ed to disarm his suspicious by pre-
tending to be helplessly drunk.
'.That was how Enoch Drebber came
to his death All / had to do then was
to do as much for Stangerson, and so
pay off John Terriers debt l knew
that he was staying at Halliday's PHI
vate hotel, and / hung about all day,
but he never came out. [ fancy he sus-
npcted something when Drebber failed
to put in an appearance. lie was cum
nirg. was Stangerson, and always On
his guard. If he thought he could keep
me off by staying indoors he was very
much mistaken. | soon found out
which was the window Of his bedroom,
and early next morning l took adVan-
tage of some ladders which were lying
in the lane behind the hotel, and so
made my way into his room in the gray
of the dawn. I woke him up and
told him that the hour had come when
he was to answer for the life he had
taken so long before. / described Dreb-
ber's death to him, and | gave him
the same choice Of the poisoned pills.
instead of grasping at the chance OF
safety which that offered him, he
sprang from his bed and flew at my
throat In self-defense I stabbed him
10 the heart. 1t would have been the
same in any case, for Provid ance would
never have allowed his guilty hand to
pick cut anything but the poison
az have little more to say, and it's
as well, for / am about done up. /
went on cabling it for day Or so,
Intending to keep at it until | could
save enough to take me to America.
was standing in the yard when a rag
ged youngster asked if there was a cab
by there called Jefferson Hope, and
said that his cab was wanted by gen
tleman at 221b Baker street. I went
round, suspecting no harm; and the
next thing I knew this young man here
had the bracelets on my wrists, and as
neatly shackled as ever | was in my
life That's the whole of my story,
gentlemen. You may conSfEer me to be
Il murderer, but I hold that / am just
as much an officer Of justice as you
are"
So thrilling had the mans narrative
been, and his manner was so impress
sive, that we had sat silent and alb
sorbed. Even the professional detect
ives, blase as they were in every detail
of crime, appeared to be keenly inter
ested iE the mans story. When he had
finished we sat for some minutes in
stiffness, which was only broken by
scratching of Lestrade's pencil as he
gave the finishing touches to his short
hand account.
''There is only one point on which 1
would like a little more information"
Sherlock Holmes said at last. "Who
was your accomplish who came for the
ing which / advertised?'
The prisoner winlled at my friend jo-
coseIy. II can tell my own secrets.
he said, 'but I don't get other people
into trouble. 1 saw your advertise
ment and I thought it might be plant
or it might be the ring / wanted. My
friend volunteered to go and see.
think you'll own he did it smartly."
"Not a doubt of that" said Sherlock
Holmes heartily.
''Now, gentlemen, the Inspector re-
marked gravely, 1.-The forms of the law
must be complied with. On Thursday
the prisoner will be brought before the
magistrates, and your attendance will
6e required Until then [ will be re-
sDonsible for him"