Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-08-13

CLAD IN RUDE SAILOR DRESS.
will work up as far as Richmond. II
no news comes to-day, shall start off
myself tomorrow, and go for the men
rather than the boat. But surely,
surely, we shall hear something"
We did not, however Not word
came to us either from Virgins or
from the other agencies. There were
articles in most of the papers upon the
Norwood tragedy. They all appeared
to be rather hostile to, the unfortunate
Ihaddeus Sholto. No fresh details
were to be found, however, in any of
them, save that an inquest was held
upon the following day. walked
over to Camberwel in the evening to
to report our i'll success to the ladies.
and on my return found Holmes de-
Jected and somewhat morose. He
would hardly reply to my questions.
and busted himself all evening in an
aostruse chemical analysis which in
volved much heating of retorts and dis
tiIling of vapors, ending at last in a
smell which fairly drove me out of the
apartment. Up to the small hours of
the morning | could hear the clicking
of his test-tubes which told me tina, he
was still engaged in his malodorous ex-
pertinent
In the early dawn I woke with
start, and was surprised TO fiud him
standing by my bedside clad in a rude
sailors dress, with peajaclSet, and a
coarse red scarf round his neck
II am off down the river, Watson"
said he. ~ have been turning it over
in my mind, and can see only one way
out of it. 1t is worth trying, at all
events"
Surely can come with you, then"
said |.
mo; you can be much more useful IL
you will remain here as my represent
ative- am loath to go, for it is quite
on the cards that some message may
come during the day, though Virgins
was Respondent about it last night. /
want you to open all notes and tele-
grams, and to act on your own judg-
ment il any news should come. Can
rely upon your"
Most certainly"
81 am afraid that you will not be
able TO wire to me, for can hardly tell
yet where | may find myself If am
In luck, however, | may not be gone so
very long. shall have news of some
sort or other before get back"
had heard nothing of him by break
fast time. On opening the Standard,
however, | found that there was a
fresh allusion to the business. "With
reference to the Upper Norwood trag-
edy," il remarked, 1--WE have reason to
believe that the matter promises to be
even more complex and mysterious
than was originally supposed. Fresh
evidence has shown that it is quite inn
possible that Mr.. Thaddeus Sholto
could have been in any way concerned
in the matter. He and the house
keeper, Mrs. Bernstone, were both re-
leased yesterday evening. 1t is be-
lieved, however. that the police have a
clew to the real culprits, and that it is
being prosecuted by Mr. Athelney
Jones, of Scotland Yard, with all his
well-known energy and sagacity. Fur
Their arrests may be expected at any
moment"
THAT is satisfactory so far as it
goes" thought I. Friend Sholto is
safe at any rate. I wonder what the
fresh clew may be; though it seems to
be stereotyped form whenever the
police have made blunder."
tossed the paper down upon the Ia
bic, but at that moment my eye caught
an advertisement in the agony column.
1t ran in this way:
LOST. - Whereas Mordecai Smith,
boatman, and his son Jim left Smiths
wharf at or about three o'clock last
Tuesday morning in the steam launch
Aurora, black with two red stripes,
funnel black with a white band, the
sum of five pounds will be paid to any
one who can give information to Mrs.
Smith, at Smiths wharf, or at 22l b
Baker street, as to the whereabouts OF
the said Mordecai Smith and the
launch Aurora"
This was clearly Holmes doing. The
Baker street address was enough to
prove that. 1t struck me as rather in
genious, because it might be read by
the fugitives without their seeing in it
more than the natural anxiety of a
wife for her missing husband.
1t was long day. Every time that
a knock came to the door, or a sharp
step passed in the street, ! imagined
that it was either Holmes returning or
an answer to his advertisement. I
tried to read, but my thoughts would
wander off to our strange quest and to
the ill-assorted and villainous pair
whom we were pursuing. Could
there be, ! wondered, some radi-
cal flaw in my companions reason
ing? Might he be suffering from
some huge self-deception? Was it not
possible that his nimbie and specu-
latiYe mind had h11ilt nm this mild