Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1905-07-22
torY


'ctnce = O'CLOCK
ANY one eIse?'
Eyes. the constabI here"
~Ard you have touched nothingT
Nothing"
you have acted with great discre-
ton. Who sent for your
The housemaid. Saunders"
"Was IL she who gave the alermT'
-She and Mrs. King. the cook"
Where are they nowT'
I'm the kitchen. believe"
Then i think we had better hear
their story at once"
The old hall. oak paneled and high
windowed. had been turned into court
OF Investigation. Holmes sat I'm a
great. old fashioned chair, bis inexora-
Die eyes cleaning out OF bis haggari
face. / could read in them set pur-
pose 10 devote his Hfe 10 this quest
until the client whom be had failed 20
save should at last be avenged. The
trim Inspector Martin, the old. gray
headed country doctor. myself and a
stolid village policeman made up the
rest OF that strange company.
The two women told their story clear
~ enough. They had been aroused
from their sleep by the sound or an
explosion. which had been followed q
minute later by second one. They
slept in adjoining rooms, and Mrs.
King had rushed in 10 Saunders. 70
gethefr they bad descended the stairs
The door OF the study was open. and
candle was burning upon the table.
Their master lay upon his face in the
center OF the room. He was quite
dead. Near the window his wife was
crouching her head leaning against
the wall. she was horribly wounded.
and the side OF her face was red with
blood. She breathed heavily, but was
Incapable OF saying anything. The
passage as well as the room was full
OF smoke and the smell OF powder.
The window was certainly shut and
fastened upon the inside. Both wo-
men were positive upon the point
They had at once sent for the doctor
and for the constable. Then. with the
aid OF the groom and the stable boy.
they had conveyed their injured mis-
tress TO her room. Both she and her
husband had occupied the bed. She
was clad in her dress. he in his dress
ing gown. over his night clothes. Moth
ing had been moved in the study. SO
far as they knew, there had never been
any quarrel between husband and wife.
They had always looked upon them as
a very united couple.
These were the main points OF the
servants evidence. In answer 20 In
spector Martin they were clear that ev-
cry door was fastened upon the inside
and That no one could have escaped
from the house. In answer TO Holmes
they both remembered that they were
conscious Of the smell OF powder from
the moment that they ran out OF their
rooms upon the top floor II commend
that fact very carefully 20 your atten-
tIon." said Holmes TO his professional
colleaS que. And now I think that we
are I'm position 20 undertake thor
ough examination OF the room"
The study proved TO be small cham
Der lined on three sides with books
and with writing table facing an or
binary window. which looked cut upon
the garden. Our first attention was
given 20 the body OF the unfortunate
squire. whose huge frame lay stretch
cd across the room. His disordered
dress showed that he had been hastily
aroused from sleep. The bullet had
been fired at him from the front and
had remained IN his body after pene-
trating the heart. His death had GER
tainly been instantaneous and painless.
There was no powder marking either
upon his dressing gown or ON his
hands According 20 the country sur
geon. the lady had stains upon her
face, but none upon her hand.
THE absence OF the latter means
nothing. though its presence may mean
everything" said Holmes. Unless the
powder from badly fitting cartridge
happens 10 squirt backward one may
fire many shots without leaving n sign.
/ would suggest that Mr.. Cubitt's body
may now be removed. l suppose, doc
tor, you have not recovered the bullet
which wounded the lndyf"
"a serious operation will be necessa-
~ before that can be done. But there
are still four cartridges In the revolver
Two have been fired and two wounds
inflicted. so that each bullet can be ac-
NOuhtcV loE. - ~ se-l ~ ts~>s1rs
$50 IL would SEEM" said Holmes.
Perhaps you can account also for the
bullet which has so obviously struck
the edge OF the Window
He had turned suddenly, and his
long. thin finger was pointing 70 a hole
which had been drilled right through
the lower window sash about an inch
above the bottom.
by Georger' cried the Inspector.
How ever did you see thatY"
Because ! looked for H."
''Wonderfulr' said the country doc
tor. 'You are certainly right. sir. Then
q third shot has been fired. and there
fore a third person must have been
present. But who could that have been
and how could he have got awayY,
That Is the problem which we are
now about 10 solve" said sherlock
Holmes. You remember. Inspector
Martin, when the servants said that on
leaving their room they were at once
conscious Of a smell OF powder 1 re-
marx ~ that ~. ..<.f..s =.