The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-02-26

VI, HING III IHe obvious NdC'AiiciVs -
AM HERE ABE sLANEY.
/ had so many letters now that ! could
| proceed with considerable confidence
to the second message, which worked
out in this Fashion,
A. BLRI. ELS.
Here / could only make sense by put
and supposing that the name was
that of some house or inn az which
/ the writer was staying 49,
Inspector. Martin and / had listened
1 with the utmost iHterest tofthe full
land clear account of how my friend
had produced results which had led
TO so complete a command pver our
difficulties. ~.
What did you dothen. slt2s asked
the inspector. H.
Il had every reason TO SUPPOSE that
this Abe Slaney was an American.
since Abe is an American contraction.
and since q letter from America had
| been the starting-point of all the
] trouble. had also every cause TO
| think that there was some criminal Sc
| cret in the matter. The lady's aliu-
/ sons TO her past, and her refusal TO
/ take her husband into her confidence,
| both pointed in that direction. I
therefore cabled to my friend Wilson
| Hargrave of the New York Police
| made use of my knowledge OF London
crime. | asked him whether the
| name OF Abe Slaney was known To
him. Here is his reply: The most
| dangerous crook in Chicago on the
very evening upon which had his
answer, Hilton Cubitt sent me the
last message from Slaney. Working
with known Letters, it took this
form:--
ELSIE RE ARE TO MEET THY
GO
| The addition of a = and ID compet-
ed u message which showed me that
the rascal was proceeding from per-
suasion to threats, and my knowledge
of the crooks of Chicago prepared me
to find that he might very rapidly
put his words into action. | at once
came TO Norfolk with my friend and
colleague, DR.. Watson, but unhappily
only in time To find that the worst
had already occurred"
1T is a PRIVILEGE to be associated
with you in the handling OF a case"
said the Inspector. warmly You
will excuse me- however, If I speak
frankly TO you. You are only answer
able to yourself, but l have to answer
to my superiors If this Abe Slaney.
living at Elrige's, is indeed the MUIR
derer, and if he has made his escape
while / am seated here, l should GER
tainly get into serious trouble"
you need not be uneasy. lie Will
not try to escape"
How do you know"
"To fly would be a confession OF
guilt
chen let us go to arrest him.
II expect him here every Instant
But why should he Gomez
because / have written and asked
him"
"But this is Incredible, Mr. Holiness
Why should he come beeause you
have asked him? Would not such
request rather rouse his suspicious
and cause him TO fiy?'
II think | have known how to
frame the letter." said Sherlock
Holmes. 'In fact, if / am not very
much mistaken; here is the gentleman
himself coming up the drive"
a man was striding up the path
which led to the door. He was a tall,
handsome. swarthy fellow clad in a
suit of grey flannel. with Panama
hat, bristlips~ black beard and Il
great, aggressive hooked nose, and
f1ourishing a cane as he walked lie
swaggered up the path as If the place
belonged to him, and we heard his
loud, confident peal at the beik
II think, gentlemen" said Holmes.
quietly that we had best take up
our position behind the door. Every
precaution is necessary when dealing
with such a fellow. You will need
Your handouts, Inspector. You can
leave the talking to me.
We waited in silence for a minute
one of those minutes which ole can
never forget. Then the door opened
and the man stepped in. In an i'm
Stant Holmes clapped a pistol to his
head, and Martin slipped the hand
cuffs over his wrists. 1t was all done
so swiftly and deftly that the fellow
l.. o,1r \. u y
was attacked. He glared from one
to the other of us with parrot blaz-
ing black eyes. Then he burst into
a bitter laugh A
tWen, gentlemen. you have the
drop on the this time. l seem to have
knocked up against something hard.
But came here i'm answer 10 letter
from Mrs Hilton Cubitt. Don't tell
me that she is in this? Don't tell me
that she helped to set a trap for me2"
Mrs. Hilton Cubitt was seriously
injured, ana is at deaths door
The man gave q hoarse cry OF grief
which rang through the house.
You're crazy" he cried, i1ercely.
ct was he that was hurt, not She
Who would have hurt little Elsie?
may have threatened her--God for
give met--but / would not have
touched a hair of her pretty head.
Take it back-you! say that she is
not huft!
''She was found, badly wounded. by
the side OF her dead husband"
He sank with deep groan on to
the settee, and buried his face in his
manacled hands. For five minutes he
was silent. Then he raised his face
once more, and spoke with the cold
composure of despair.
81 have nothing, to hide from you.
gentlemen" said he. IF / shot the
man he had his shot at me, and there's
no murder in that. But if you think
/ could have hurt that woman, then
you don't know either me or her.
tell YOU there was never man I'm
this world loved woman more than
loved her i had right To her. She
was pledged to me years ago. Who
was this Englishman that he should
come between us? i tell you that 1
had the first right to her. and that 1
was only claiming my own"
''She broke away from your inllu-
ence when she found the man that
you are" said Holmes sternly. She
palm. See here. mister, he cried.
with q pIa m IF cttsTfafnf1 IN Ifc