Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1905-09-19

I. ish minister to Persia. Educated Etor
end Oxford. Served In Jowaki cam
p&ign. Afghan campaign, Charasial
(dispatchcsl. Sherpur and Cabul. Au
thor OF Heavy Game of the Western
H!malayas' QSSI; Three Months II
the Jungle QSSD. Address: Conduit
street. Clubs: The Anelo-Indlan, the
Tankerville, the Bagatelle Card club.
On the margin was written In Holmes
precise hand, "The second most dan
gerous man In London"
"This is astonishing" said as
handed back the volume "rhe mans
career is that Of an honorable sol.
dier."
"It is true" Holmes answered. up
to certain point he did well. He was
always man of iron nerve, and the
story is still told In India how he
crawled down drain after a wound
ed man-eating tiger. There are some
trees, Watson, which grow to u GER
tain height and then suddenly develop
some unsightly eccentricity. You will
see it often in humans. have the
ory that the individual represents in
his development the whole procession
of his ancestors, and that such Il sud
den turn to good or evil stands for
some strong influence which came into
tile line of his pedigree. The person
becomes, as it were, the epitome of the
history of his own family"
ut is surely rather fanclful."
well, l don't insist upon 1t. What
ever the cause, Colonel Moran began
to 20 wrong. Without any open scan-
dul he still made India too hot to hold
him. He retired, came to London and
again acquired III evil name. 1t was
| at this time that he was sought out by
| Professor Moriarty, to whom for u
| time he was chief Of the staff. Moriar-
ty supplied him literally with money
and used him only In one or two very
high class jobs which no ordinary GRIM
| inal could have undertaken. You may
have some recollection Of the death Of
Mrs. Stewart of Lauder in 1887. Not?
Well, am sure Moran was at the bot
tom Of it, but nothing could be proved.
So cleyerly was the colonel concealed
that even when the MOriarty gang was
broken up we could not incriminate
him. You remember ut that date, when
| called upon you In your rooms, how
I put up the shutters for fear Of air
guns? No doubt you thought me fanci-
full. I knew exactly what l was do
ing, for knew Of the existence Of this
remarkable gun, and knew also that
one of the best shots In the world
would be behind it. When we were In
Switzerland he followed US with Mori-
arty. and 1t was undoubtedly he who
gave me that evil FIVE minutes on the
Reichenbach ledge.
"You may think that read the pa
pers with some attention during my So
journ In France, on the lookout for any
chance of laying him by the heels. So
long as he was free In London my life
would really not have been worth liv-
ing. Night and day the shadow would
have been over me and sooner or later
his chance must have come. What
could l do? l could not shoot him ut
sight or should myself be in the dock.
There was no use appealing to magis-
trate. They cannot interfere on the
strength Of what would appear to them
to be a wild suspicion. So could do
nothing. But / watched the criminal
news, knowing that sooner or later
should get him. Then came the death
of this Ronald Adair. My chance had
come at last. Knowing what l did,
was 1t not certain that Colonel Moran
had done it, He had played cards with
the lad; he had followed him home
from the club; he had shot him through
the open window. There was not
doubt Of 1t. The bullets alone are
enough to put his head in a moose.
81 came over at once. was seen by
the sentinel. who would, knew, direct
the coloncls attention to my presence.
He could not fail to connect my sudden
return with his crime and to be terribly
alarmed. I was sure he would make
an attempt to get me out Of the way
at once and would bring round his MUIR
derous weapon for that purpose. l left
him an excellent mark In the window.
and, having warned the police that
they might be needed-by the way,
Watson, you spotted their presence In
that doorway with unerring accuracy
l took up what seemed to me to be
judicious post for observation. never
dreaming that he would choose the
same spot for his attack. Now, my
dear Watson, does anything remain for
me to eXplain"
"Yes." said I. "You have not made 1t
quite clear what was Colonel Moran's
motive in numbering the Hon. Ronald
AdairW
"Ah, my dear Watson. there we come
into those realms of conjecture where
the most logical mind may be Mt fault.
Each may form his own hypothesis up
on the present evidence, and yours is
as likely to be correct as mine."
"You have formed one. then"
81 think that it Is not difficult to ex-
plain the facts. 1t came out In evidence
that Colonel Moran and young Adair
had between them won considerable
amount of money. Now. Moran un-
doubtedly played foul. OF that have
long been aware. I believe that Oh the
day Of the murder Adair had discov-
cred that Moran was cheating. Very
likely he had spoken to him privately
and had threatened to expose him un-
less he voluntarily resigned his men,
bership of the club and promised not to
play cards again. 1t is unlikely that
youngster like Adair would Mt once
make hideous scandal by exposing a
well known man so much older than
himself. Probably he acted as sug-
Gcst The exclusion from his clubs
would mean ruin to Moran. who lived
by his i'll gotten card gains. He there
fore murdered Adalr. who ut the time
was endeavorlng to work out how
General Debility
Day in and out there is that feeling Of
r,aokrose tbat roakes a burden of itself