Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-05-25

4 0 < - line, since nowhere save in the imme- diate vicinity of great city could there be so quick succession of points. Granting that his whole journey was occupied in drawing up the will, then the train was an express. only stopping once between Norwood and London bridge"
 Lestrade began to laugh.
 You are too many for me when you begin to get on your theories, Mir. Holmes" said he. How does this bear on the case:"
 Well, it corroborates the young mans story to the extent that the will was drawn up by Jonas Oldacre in his Journey yesterday. It is curious, is 1t not. that man should draw up so im- portant document in so haphazard a fashion. It suggests that he did not think it was going to be of much prac- tical importance. If man drew up will which he did not intend ever to be effective be might do it so."
 "Well, he drew up his own death warrant at the same time" said Le- strade.
 "Oh. you think so?'
 Don't you?'
 "Well, it is quite possible, but the case is not clear to me yet"
 Not clear? Well, if that isn't clear what could be clear? Here is young man who learns suddenly that if cer- tain older man dies he will succeed to a fortune. What does he do? He says nothing to any one, but he arranges that he shall go out on some pretext to see his client that night. He waits until the only other person in the house is in bed, and then in the solitude of the mans room he murders him, burns his body in the wood pile and departs i to a neighboring hotel. The blood stains in the room and also on the stick are very slight. It is probable that he imagined his crime to be a bloodless one and hoped that if the body were consumed it would hide all traces of the method of his death, traces which for. some reason must have pointed to him. Is not all this obvious?"
 'It strikes me, my good Lestrade. aa | being just a trif1e too obvious" said Holmes. "You do not add imagination ! to your other great qualities. but If you could for one moment put your self in the place of this young man would you choose the very night after the will had been made to commit youl crime? Would it not seem dangerous to you to make so very close relation between the two incidents? Again would you choose an occasion wher you are known to be in the house when a servant has let you in? And finally, would you take the great palm to conceal the body and yet leave you own stick as a sign that you were thu criminal? Confess, Lestrade, that al this is very unlikely"
 "As to the stick, MT. Holmes, 70, know as well as I do that crimina is often Hurried and does such things which a cool man would avoid. H' was very likely afraid to go back t the room. Give me another theory tha would fit the facts"
 II could very easily give you half { dozen," said Holmes. Here, for ex ample, is a very possible and evel probable one. make you free pres ent of it. The older man is showing : documeHts4which are of evident value A passing tramp sees them through tn | window, the blind of which is only hal down. Exit the solicitor. Enter tn tramp. He seizes . stick, which b observes there. kills Oldacre and dc parts after burning the body"
 Why should the tramp burn tn bodyT'
 For the matter of that, why shoul McFarlane?''
 ITO hide some evidence
 Possibly the tramp wanted to hid that any murder at all had been con mitted."
 And why did the tramp take notf ingY'
 Because they were papers that h could not negotiate'
 Lestrade shook his head, though seemed to me that his manner wa less absolutely assured than before.
 Well Mir. Sherlock Holmes. 70 may look for your tramp, and whil you are finding him we will hold on our man. The future will show whic is right. Just notice this point, MI Holmes-that so far as we know non of the papers were removed and ths the prisoner is the one man In th world who had no reason for removin them. since he was heir at law an would come into them in any case.
 My friend seemed struck by this n mark.
 "I don't mean to deny that the ev dence is in some ways very strongly favor of your theory" said he. "l onl wish to point out that there are oth'