The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-04-08

Sherlock Holmes, and ran in this way
EHave you q couple OF days to spare!
Have Just been wired for from the west
of England in connection with Bos..
combe Valley tragedy. Shall be glad If
you will come with me. Air and scenery
perfect. Leave Paddington by the
11:l5.'
"What do you say, dear9" said my
wife, looking across at me. "Win yon
''I really don't know what to say.
/ have fairly long list at present.
.,"Oh, Anstruther would do your work
for you. You have been looking a little
would do you good and you are always
so interested in Mr.. Sherlock Holmes 8
cases. - -
81 should be ungrateful if I were
not, seeing what | gained thru one OF
them,'' I answered. "But if I am to
go, must pack at once, for have
only half an hour
My experience of camp life in AT.
ghanistan had at least had the effect Of
making me a prompt and ready travel
or. Ny wants were few and simple, so
that in less than the time stated I was
in cab with my valise. rafting away
to Paddington station. Sherlock
Holmes was pacing up and down tho
platform, his tall. gaunt figure made
even SduuteT anu tdlleT ny HIS loHS
gray travelling cloak and close-ftting
cloth cap.
cit is really very good Of you to
come. Watson,' said he. eft makes
considerable difference to me, having
some one with me on whom can
thoroly rely. Local aid is always either
worthless or else biased. If you. will
keep the two corner seats l shall get
the tickets.'
We had the carriage to ourselves
save for an immense litter of papers
which Holmes had brought with him.
Among these he rummaged and read.
with intervals Of note-taking and Of
meditation, until we We're past
Read ding. Then he suddenly rolled them
all into gigantic ball, and tossed them
up onto the rack. :,
'Have you heard anything Of the
case?' he asked.
mot word; I have not seen a
"The London press has not had very
full accounts. T have just been looking
thru all the recent papers in order to
master the, particulars. It seems, from
what / gather, to be one of those simple
cases which are so extremely difficult
"That sounds little paradoxical. ~
"But it is profoundly true. SINCLAIR
fly is almost invariably clew. The
more featureless and commonplace a
crime is, the more difficult is it to bring
it home. In this case, however, they
against the son of the murdered man.
cit is murder, then9'
"Well, it is onjectured to be So J
shall take nothing for granted until l
have the opportunity of looking person:
ally into it.. I will explain the state of
things to you, as far as have been
able to understand it, in very few
words.
"Boscombe Valley is country dis
trict not very far from Ross, in Here
fordshire. The largest landed pro
prietor in that part is a Mr.. John Tur-
e ner, who made his money in Australia.
and returned some years ago to the old
country. One of the farms which he
held, that of Hatherley, was let to Mr.
Charles Mccarthy, who was also an ex
Australian. The men had known eaci
other in the colonies, so that it was mo-
unnatural that when they came to set
tie down they should do so as near eacl
other as possible. Turner was appar
emily the richer man, so Mccarthy. be
came his tenant, but still remained. l
seems, upon terms of perfect equality
as the by were frequently together. Nc
Carthy had one son, q lad of eighteen
and Turner had an only daughter Of .th
same age, but neither of them ha'
wives living. They appear to hav
avoided the society of the neighborin
English families, and, to have led re
tired lives, tho both the Mccarthy
were fond Of sport, and were frequentl
borhood. Mccarthy kept two servant
"a man and girl. Turner had cor
siderable household, some half dozen a
least. That is as much as I have bee
able to gather about the families. No
for facts.
- "On June 3, that is, on Monday las
Mccarthy left his house at Hatherle
about 8 in the afternoon, and wake
down to the Boscombe pool which.
small lake formed by the spreadir
out of the stream which runs down tt
Boscombe valley. He had been 0,
with his serving-ma in the morning
Ross, and he had told the man that
must hurry, as he had an appointme1
~ of Importance to keep at 3. From TIL
appointment he never came back aliv
"From Hatherley farmhouse to Il
and two people saw him as he pass
over this ground. One was an old wo,
an, whose name is not mentioned, al
the other was William Crowder, a gam
keeper in the employ of Mr.. Turnt
Both these witnesses depose that N
"--T Mccarthy was walking alone. IT,
game-keeper adds that within fe
minutes of his seeing Mr.. McCartl
pass he had seen his son, Mr.. Jam
Mccarthy, going the same way with
gun under his arm. To the best Of
belief the father was actually in sig
at the time, and the son was folio
ing him. He thought no moro Of t
matter until he heard in the evening
"-~ the tragedy that had occurred.
"The two McCarthys were seen aft
the time when William Crowder,
game-keeper, lost sight of them. I
Boscombe pool is thickly-wooded roul
with just fringe of grass and Of rec
round the edge. A girl Of IA, Patier
Moran, who is the daughter of
lodge keeper Of the Boscombe vail
estate, was in one of the woods pick
flowers She states that while she v
there she saw, at the border Of I
wood and close by the lake, Mr..
earthly and his son, and that they
peared to be having violent quar-
She heard Mr.. MCCARTHY the elder usi
very strong language to his son, 9
she saw the latter raise up his hand
if to strike his father. She was
frightened by their violence that
ran away, and told her mother wi
she reached home that she had left
two McCarthys quarreling near E
combe pool, and that she was afr
that they were going to fight.
had hardly said the words when yol
! Mr.. Mccarthy came running up to
lodge to say that he had found
fo+har dead in the wood and TO