The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-07-07

SSsA - in upon US Of an even
KSS1NMAT ing. and his visits were
E&5S e welcome 10 Sherlock
1aAl' '-A'1 Holmes, for they enabled
him to keep in touch with an that was
going on at the police headquarters.
In return for the news which Lestrade
would bring Holmes was always ready
TO listen with attention to the details
Of any case upon which the detective
was engaged ana was able occasion
ally without any active Interference TO
give some hint or suggestion drawn
from his own vast knowledge and eX-
perience.
On this particular evening desirable
had spoken of the weather and the
newspapers Then he had fallen silent,
putting thouShtfuly at his cigar.
Holmes looked keenly at him.
anything remarkable ON hand?" he
asked.
"Oh, no, Mr. Holmes-nothing very
particular"
Then tell me about it,"
LeStrade laughed
"WeH. Mr. Holmes. there is no use
denying that there is something on my
mind. And yet it is such an absurd
business that ! hesltated to bother you
about il. ON the other hand, although
1t is trivial ii is undoubtedly queer,
and ! know that you have a taste for
all that is ont of the common. But in
my opinion 1t comes more in DR.. Wat
sons line than ours"
"DiseaseE" said /.
madness. anyhow. and queer mad
ness too. You wouldn't think there
was any one living at this time Of day
who had such hatred of Napoleon I.
that he would break any image of him
that he could see"
Holmes sank back in his chair
THAT'S no business Of mine" said he
Exactly That's what l said. But.
then when the man commits burglary
in order 70 break images which are
not his own, that brings it away from
the doctor and on to the policeman"
Holmes sat up again.
Burglary. This is more interesting.
Let me hear the details"
Lestrade took out his official note
book and refreshed his memory from
Its pages.
"The first case reported was four
days ago" said he, 1t was ut the
shop of Morse Hudson, who has
place for the sale of pictures and stat
ues in the Remington road The as
sistant had left the front shop for an
instant when he heard a crash. and.
hurrying in, he found a plaster bust
of Napoleon, which stood with several
other works of art upon the counter.
lying shivered into fragments. He
rushed out into the road: but, although
several passersby declared that they
had noticed a man run out of the shop.
he could neither see any one nor could
he find any means of identifying the
rascal. 1t seemed to be one of those
senseless acts of HoolganiSm which
occur from time to time, and it was re-
ported to the constable on the beat as
such. The plaster cast was not worth
more than a few shillings. and the
whole affair appeared to be too child
ish for any particular investigation
'The second case, however. was more
serious and also more singular 1t oc-
CURED only last night.
In Remington road and within a
few hundred yards of Morse HudSon's
shop there lives a well known medical
practitioner named Dr. Barnicot, who
has one Of the largest practices upon
the south side of the Thames His res
idence and principal consulting room is
at Remington road but lie has a
branch surgery and dispensary at Low
or Brixton road. two miles away This
DR. Barnicot is an enthusiastic admir-
er of Napoleon. and his house is full
of books. pictures and relics of the
French emperor Some little time ago
he purchased from Morse Hudson two
duplicate plaster casts of the famous
head Of Napoleon by the French sculp-
tor Devine One Of these he placed in
his hall in the house at Remington
road and the other on the mantelpece
of the surgery at Lower Brixton
Well, when Or. Banicot came down
this morning he whs astonished to find
that his house had been burgled dur
ing the night but that nothing had
been taken save the plaster head from
the hall. 1t had been carried out and
had been dashed sayagely against the
garden wall, under which its splinter
ed fragments were discovered"
Holmes rubbed his hands.
This is certainly very novel;" said
he.
Il thought it would please you But
/ have not got to the end yet. DR.. Bar
nicot was due at his surgery at ~
o'clock. and you can imagine his amaze
ment when on arriving there he found
that the window had been opened in
the night and that the broken pieces
Of his second bust were strewn all over
the room. 1t had been smashed to
atoms where it stood. In neither case
were there any signs which could give
us clew as to the criminal or lunatic
who had done the mischief Now, Mr..
Holmes, you have got the facts
''They are singular, not to say gro
tesQue," said Holmes. MAY | ask
whether the two busts smashed in DR..
Barnicot's rooms were the exact du-
plieates of the one which was destroy
ed in Morse Hudson's shopT
''They were taken from the same
mold"
aSuch a fact Must tell against the
theory that the nan who breaks them |