Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-09-16
" Where is he now?' I asked.

TO De called at nine.
1T seemed to me that my sudden
appearance might shake his nerves
and lead him to say something un-
guarded. The Boots volunteered to
show me the room; it was on the sec
ond floor, and there was a small cor
ridor leading up to it. The Boots
pointed out the door to me, and was
about to go down stairs again, when
saw something that made me feel sick
ish, in spite of my twenty years ex-
perience. From under the door there
curled a little red ribbon Of blood,
which had meandered across the pas
sage and formed a little pool along
the skirting at the other side. I 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 our shoulders to it and knocked
it in. The window of the room was
open, and beside the window, all hud-
died up, lay the body of man in his
night-dress. He was quite dead, and
had been for some time. for his limbs
were rigid and 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 James Stangerson. The cause
of death was deep stab in the left
side, which must have penetrated the
heart. And now comes the strangest
part of the affair. What do you sup
pose was above the murdered man."
felt a creeping of flesh and pre-
sentiment of coming horror, even be-
fore Sherlock Holmes answered.
'The word 'Rache," written in let
ters of blood" he said.
s'That was it," said Lestrade, in an
awstruck voice: and we were all
silent for while.
There was something so methodical
and so incomprehensible about the
deeds of this unknown assassin, that
it ..nparted a fresh ghastliness to his
crimes.
My nerves, which were steady
enough on the field of battle. tingled as
T thought Of it.
'"The man was seen," continued Les
trade. "a milkboy, passing on his way
to the dairy, happened to walk down
the lane which leads from the news
at the back of the hotel. He noticed
that a ladder, which usually lay there,
was raised against one of the windows
of the second floor, which was wide
open. After passing, he looked back
came down so quietly and openly that
the boy imagined him to be some car
penter or joiner at work in the hotel.
He took no particular notice of him,
beyond thinking in his own mind that
it was early for him to be at work. He
has an impression that the man was
tall, had a reddish face, and thought
it was early for him to be at work. He
must have stayed in the room some
little time after the murder, for we
found lood-stained water in the basin,
where he had washed his hands, and
marks on the sheet, where he had de-
liberately wiped his knife"
l glanced at Holmes on hearing the
description of the murderer which tai
lied so exactly with his own.
There was, however, no trace of exul-
tation or satisfaction upon his face.
Did you find nothing in the room
which could furnish clew to the muir
derer?" he asked.
Nothing. Stangerson had Drebber's
purse in his pocket, but 1t seems that
this was usual, as he did all the pay
ing There was eighty-odd pounds in
it, but nothing had been taken. What
ever the motives of these extraordinary
crimes, robbery is certainly not one OF
them. There were no papers or mem
oranda in the murdered mans pockets.
except a single telegram, dated from
Cleveland about month ago, and con-
tanning the words, j. H. is in Europe
There was no name appended to this
message"
"And there was nothing else?"
Holmes asked.
Nothing of any imnortance. The
mans novel. with which he had read
himself to sleep, was lying upon the
he'd, and his pipe was on chair be-
side him. There was glass of water
on the table and on the window sill
small chip ointment box containing
coun1e of Mills"
Sherlock Holmes snrang FROM his
chair with an exclamation of de1ieht.
"The last link" he cried, exultantly.
"Mv case is comnlete."
The two detectives stared at him In
amazement.
'I have now in my hands," my COM
panion said confidently, ''all the threads
which have formed such tangle.
There are, of course. details to be filled
in but | am certain of all the main
facts. from the time that Drebber part
ed from Stangerson at the station, up
to the discovery of the body of the
latter as if l had seen them with my
own eyes. will give you proof of my
knowledge Could you lay your hands
upon those pills?"
81 have them" said Lestrade, pro-
ducing a small white box: 81 took them
and the purse and the telegram, in
tending to have them put in place
of safety at the police station. 1t was
the merest chance my taking these
pills. for l am bound to say that l do
not attach any Importance to them"
Give them here" SAID Holmes.
Now, DOCTOR" turning to me, "are
those ordinary pills?"
They certainly were not. They were
of a pearly gray color, small, round.
and almost transparent against the
light
From their lightness and transpar-
ency, ! should imagine that they are
soluble in water" l remarked.
Precisely so." answered Holmes.
Now, would you mind going down and
fetching that poor little devil of a ter
rier which has been bad so long, and
which the landlady wanted you to put