The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-07-20

most remarkable things which I have
ever known How did you do it?'
II presume, doctor, that you could tell
the skull of negro from that of an
EsqumauX?'
Most certainly"
But how?''
Because that is my special hobby.
The differences are obvious. The supra
orbitN crest, the facial angle, the max
illary curve. the"
But this is my special hobby. and the
differences are equally obvious. There
is as much difference to my eyes between
the loaded bourgeois type of a Times
evel,jng half-penny paper as there could
be between your negro and your Esqui-
mauX. The detection Of types is one OF
the most elementary branches of knowl-
edge to the special expert in crime,
though / confess that once when l was
very young I confused the Leeds Mer-
curry with the Western Morning News.
But q. Times leader is entirely distinc-
tive, and these words could have been
taken from nothing else. AS it was
done yesterday the strong probability
was that we should find the words in
yesterdays ISSUE
so far as 1 can follow you, then, Mr..
Holmes" said Sir Henry Baskerville.
some one cut out this message with a
"Nail-scissors,' said Holmes. You
can see that it was a very short-bladed
scissors, since the cutter had to take
two nips over keep away"
THAT is SO. Someone then, cut out
the message with a pair OF short-bladed
scissors, pasted it with paste"
Gum said Holmes.
with gum on to the paper. But I
want to know why the word moor
should have been aWritten?"
Because he could not find it in print.
The other words were all simple and
might be found in any ISSUE but moor
would be less common"
why, of course, that would explain
it Have you read anything else in this
message. Mr.. Holmes?"
There are one or two indications, and
yet the utmost pains have been taken
to remove all clues The address, you
observe, is printed in rough characters.
But the Times is paper which is sell
dom found in any hands but those OF
the highly educated We may take It..
therefore. that the letter was composed
by educated man who wished to pose
as an uneducated one. and his effort to
conceal his own writing suggests that
that writing might be known, or come
to be known, by you. Again. YOU will
observe that the words are not gum
med on in an accurate line, but that
some are much higher than others. Life
for example, is quite out of its proper
place. That may. point to carelessness
or it may point to agitation and hurry
upon the part of the cutter. On the
whole I incline to the latter view, since
the matter was evidently important, and
it is unlikely that the composer of such
a letter would be careless. If he were
in a hurry it opens up the interesting
question why he should be in a hurry
since any letter posted up to early
morning would reach Sir Henry before
he would leave his hotel. Did the COM
poser fear an interruption-and from
whom?"
I'VE are coming now rather into the
region Of guess work. said DR.. NORTH
mer
Say, rather into the region where
we balance proba abilities and choose the
most likely. It is the scientific use Of
the imagination. but we have always
some material basis on which to start
our speculations Now, you would call
1t a guess. no doubt, but I am almost
certain that this address has been