Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1905-08-03
BY A. CONAN DOYLE,

HAS he been moved~ ASKED Holmes.
eve have moved nothing except the
lady. We could not leave her lying
wounded upon the floor
How long have you been here, doc
tori
"Since i O'clock"
"Any one else?'
Eyes. the constable here
"And you have touched nothingT'
"Nothing."
You have acted with great discre-
ton. Who sent for you:"
1.-THE housemaid- Saunders"
"Was it she who gave the alarln2"
"She and Mrs. King, the cook"
"Where are they pow?"
"In the Kitchen I believe"
"Then I think we had better hear
their story at once"
The old hall, oak paneled and high
windowed, had been turned into a court
Of Investigation. Holmes sat in a
great, old fashioned chair, his inexora-
bic eyes cleaning out Of his haggard
face. l could read in them a set pur-
pose to devote his life to this quest
Until the client whom he had failed to
save should at last be avenged. The
trim Inspector Martin. the old. gray
headed country doctor. myself and 4
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 of an
explosion, which had been followed a
minute later by a second one. They
slept in adjoining rooms and Mrs.
King had rushed in to Saunders. To-
gether they had descended the stairs.
The door Of the study was open. and
a candle was burning upon the table.
Their master lay upon his face in the
center of the room. He vas 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 vas full
Of smoke and the smell of powder.
The window vas certainly shut and
fastened upon the inside. Both wo-
men were positive upon the point.
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 to In
spector Martin they were clear that ev-
cry door vas fastened upon the inside
and that no one could have escaped
from the house. In answer to Holmes
they both remembered that they We're
conscious Of the smell of powder from
the moment that they ran put of their
rooms upon the top floor. Il commend
that fact very carefully to your atten.
ton said Holmes to his professional
colleague. And now l think that We
are in a position to undertake a thor
ough examination of the room
The study proved to be q small cham.
Der lined on three sides With books
and with a writing table facing an or
binary window. which looked out upon
the garden. Cur first attention was
given to the body of the unfortunate
squire, whose huge frame lay stretch,
ed across the room. His disordereG
dress showed that he had been hastily
aroused from sleep. The bullet haC
been fired at him from the front anC
had remained in his body after pene
trating the heart. His death had Ger
t31nly been instantaneous and painless
There was no powder marking either
upon his dressing gown or on hi!
hands. According to the country sur
geon, the lady had stains upon he
face, but none upon her hand.
"The absence of the latter mean:
nothing, though It's presence may meal
everything" said Holmes. "Unless the
powder from q badly fitting cartridge
happens TO squirt backward one MAY
fire many shots without leaving a sign
l would suggest that Mr.. Cubitt's bod,
may now be removed. l suppose, doc
tor, you have not recovered the bulle
Which wounded the LADY,"
"a serious operation will be necessa
~ before that can be done. But Their,
are still four cartridges IN the revolver
Ywo have been fired and two wound
Inflicted, SO that each bullet can be &C
counted for.
$50 it would SEEM" said Holmes
Perhaps you can account also for tn
9gI1et which has so obviously strucl
The edge of the Window
He had turned suddenly, and hi
bpgsthin finger was pointing to a hol
which had been drilled right througl
mtIoWer window sash about an inc
above the bottom.
"By G%eorgew cried the inspecto,
Hoy ever did you see that?'
Because I looked for It."
"sSWonderfuly' said the country doc
tor, "You are certainly right, sir. The,
asfhfYy3 shot Inns hpan fred ana +hou,