The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-12-17
? :? :? ?
p The Darrow Enigma ,
BY Mdn Z sey.
Copyright ~
:?

names Is CudJ OF tHe Ldu WdHU. Is
having Been committed by, a womana
was my next question, and my answer
was, Yes, possibility, but it is SO de-
cidedly improbable that I may count it
out for the time being Accordingly,
l set aside all the female names, which
cut my list down to eighteen, Several
of the applicants had only signed the
initials Of their given names, and the
had done likewise; 50 I was, obliged
to go to the registration clerk to de-
terrnine this question Of sex, and while
there, | also ascertained the age Of
each applicant-that is, Of all but two.
The registrar could give me no in
formation regarding J. z. Weltz, or B.
W. Rizzi. When told him that one of
the clerks had copied the names for me
that if I would go back to her I would
undoubtedly find she had taken the two
last -mentioned names from the green
slips used in applying for books for hall
use, as neither J. 2. Weltz nor B. w.
Rizzi was a cardholder.
rest a while, and to give my attention to
the others. After careful elaboration
T felt reasonably sure your fathers as
sassin could not fail to be a man of
mature Judgment and extraordinary
e GINNING probably man past middle
ing upon this assumption my list was re-
duced to ten. names. But how should I
further continue this process Of exclu-
slon3 This was the question which now
confronted me. I could think Of but
one way, apart, from personally making
did not then wish to do, and that was
to ascertain what other books they had
borrowed Immediately before and after
they had read 'The Sign of the Four
This was the course determined to
pursue.
IF you ask me why T SO persistently
followed an investigation, a successful
outcome Of which anyone must recog-
n1ze would be little short Of miraculous,
can only say that I felt impelled to
Go So. Perhaps. the impulse was due to
my habit of testing patiently and thoro-
as having any degree of. probability,
and perhaps it was due to something
I don now. I determined, however,
to thoroly satisfy myself regarding
these ten men. [ made a careful list,
Of ten books taken by each man. five
taken, just prior to tThe Sign of the
Four and the other five Just following
it. L made no deductions until the list
was completed, althO began to see GER
tain things of interest as we worked
upon it. At length the whole hundred
titles were spread before me, and I sat
down to see what I could make Of them
I purposely reserved consideration of
the books borrowed by Weltz and Rizai
until the last, because I had been able
to learn nothing Of them, and consid-
cred, therefore, that they were the most
difficult persons in the list about whom
to satisfy myself. T found the other
eight exhibited no system in their read
ing. One had read-I think I can
remember the books in the order in
, which they were borrowed 'Thel-
ma, Uader IT,. TTo F staS e. David
African Farm "A Study in Scar
let,' THE Sign of the Four The Pris.
oner of Zenda,' tThe Dolly Dialogues, ,
{ The Yellow Aster,' 'The Superfuous
Woman and EIdeala. This is a fair
sample Of the other seven. Not so, how
ever, with Messrs Weltz and Rizzi. The
reading Of these men at once impressed
me as having purpose behind it.
! ~ will read you list of the books
taken by Weltz and Rizzi, just to see
what you will make out Of it:
| WF1TI RTZZT