The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1905-09-03

dn.,ra-as E1os. - h1aclH-s, Ra1IIss e o.
er was sn the spring Of the
~ year. 1894 that ali London
" was Interested and the
60 fashionable world dis
@S@r01A mayed by the murder OF
NG the Hon. Ronald hdRir
sunde- most uu1susl and
inexnIfcaFHel TIE pubic
has already harmed those particulars Of
fhe crime wfnrh came out Ia the police
iurestlration. but q good deal was sup
messed upon. that occasion. since the
foase for flle prosecution was so over
i1rhelmsngly strong that Il was. notEac-
essarT % bring forward all the facts.
sOnlynovz. ct tbeend.0f nearly ten years.
an 4 allowed 70 supply those missing
links which makeup the whole Of that
.renaka'lle chain The crime wassof N
1erea ID itssif, but that interest was
as n0onfng % me compared 70 the In
cooostpahle sequel. which afforded me
Ire rreatest shock and surprise Of any
.epeuf 10 my alIpenturous BE. Even
nov. after tllis. long interval. I End ny
,self thrilling a. think Of q and. feel
ans once more eizat Sudden food Of Joy,
.amazsnent and incredunty which ut
aeriy submerged my mind Let me
so % that pubnc. which has shown
Eouae interest n nose giimpses which
II have occasionally given them Of the
rhourhts. SOD actions Of a very remark
able man mat they are not 10 blame
rle ~ bare not shared my knowledge
fyvffh them. for shOuld have consider
ed * my fnst duty-tO. have done so had
p not been barred by a positive prOhi-
aiition from his own lips. which was
only with6ravn upon the Sd OF last
month
It can De imagined that my close IN
Eimacy win sherlock Holmes had in
terested me deeply in crime and that
iafter his disappearance never failed
40 read WITH care the vaTsous problems
(which caEne before the pubic. And
even afternpted more than once FOR my
own private satisfaction 70 employ his
rnettods IN their solution, though with
En6inHent Success. There was none,
howere1, which appealed, 70 me Ike
fhis tr0csdy o. Ronald Adair AS /
read cae-eFideDce at the inquest, which
bed I'D % a verdict Of wiDful murder
against some person or persons I'M
azuopn. I realized more clearly than I
had ever yfone the 3oss which the com
rnuufty had sustzined by the death OF
Sherlock Holmes.
There were points about this strange
bushes which would, was SURE have
specially appealed to him, and the ef-
rorts OF the police would have been
Bupplemenced or more probably antici-
mated b. the trained observation and
he alert mind OF the first criminal
RFent ga Europe All day as I drove
Moon nv rozlnd turned over the case
~ my mind and found no explanation
which aEpeaEsd ito me to be adequate.
AT tie risE o. telling a twice told tale
b VIII recapltulate the facts as they
were knuzvn 20 the public at the con
clusion O. the inquest
The Bon. Rona3d Adair was the sec
iond son OF the Earl OF MaynOoth, al
that time governor Of one Of the Aus
frahan colonies. Adair's mother had
returned IRON Australia TO undergo the
lopcrarion for cataract. and she. her son
ERonald and her daughter Hilda were
living tagether az 427 Park lane. The
youth moved en- the best sOciety-hsd,
So FAR as was known. no enemies and
No particular vices. he bad been en-
lcaspd 10 Miss Edith WoOdley OF Car
stairs. but the engagement had been
Lh-oFen or by mutual consent some
months before. and there was no sign
that 30 had left any very profound feel
z dng behind g. TOR. the rest the mans
-nife moved in q uarr'w and convention
el circle for his habits were quiet and
bis nature Unconditional Yet 90 was up
hsn this easy going young aristocrat that
bdeafh cane in most strange and uneN-
iDected form between the hours OF 10
iend 1920 on the night Of March So
1ss4
Ronald Adair was fond OF cards, play
ans continually. but never for such
stakes as would hurt him He was a
Enenber OF the Baldwin, The CaveHdish
ard the BagateIle card clubs. II was
shown that after dinner on the day or
lis death De had played rubber OF
whist az the latter club. be had also
lTlaved there ln the afternoon. The
Evidence OF those who had played with
him-Mr. Murray. Sir John Hardy and
lCOlonel MorGn-showed that the game
rvvas whist and that there was q fairly
equal fan Of the cards Adair might
1lave lost -. bot not more. His for
t1uae was @ considerable one. and such
j. loss could not en- any way affect him.
ale had PLAYED nearly every day ~ one
lclub or Other. but De was a cautious
Dlaver and usually rose q winner. IL
came ont in eviGence that in partner
slip with Colonel Moan be had actu-