The San Francisco call., 1905-04-23

case were tnereiany signs which coulC
give US ciewlas To tne criminal OF
tunatic VINO naf done the mischief
NOW MT Heines. You have got tn,
they are SINGULAR, not to say gro.
tesque' said Holmes May l ask
Whether the twp busts smashed in DR.
barhlcots rooms We're the exact dupli.
cafes or the oF which was destroyed
IN Morse Hudfon's shop?"
They were taken from tba same
mold"
such faft must teIl against the
theory that $1e man who, hreal<s thano
is lnnuencedfey any general hatred OF
Napoleon considering how many hun
areas OF st3Iues Of the great Emperor
must exist IN London, tits too much to
suppose sYeh coincidence as that a
promiscuofs iconoclast should chance
TO begin Fpon three specimens of the
same bust
We'll. thought as you do said
Lestrade. "On the other hand. this
Morse HudSon is the purseyer of busts
in that parAof London, and these three
were the onf ones which had been in
his shop for yeA<s Sa> lthough, as you
say there are many huSdreds of stat
ues in London, it is verAprobable that
these three weEs~eHs only ones in that
district: IFefefore. local fanatic
SSss11d begin with them. What do you
think, DR.. WATSON
There are no limits TO the POSSIBLE
ties Of monomania," / answered. There
is the condition which the modern
French psychologists have Called the
'idee fixe,' which may be trifling in
character, and accompanied by COM
plete sanity in every other way A man
who had read deeply about Napoleon,
or who had possibly received some her.
editary family injury through the great
war, might coneeivably form such an
\dee fixe.' and under its influence be
capapre q fantastic outrage"
That wQTt do. my dear Watson, .
said HolYks, shaking his head, '.for no
amounIof 'idee fixe' would enable your
intereEing monomaniac TO find out
wheye these busts We're situated"
TFell, how do you explain it?"
II don't attempt to do SO. would
(nly observe that there is certain
/method in the gentleman's eccentric
proceedings For example. In DIR. Bar
nicots hall. where a sound might
arouse the family, the bust was taken
outside before being broken, whereas
in the surgery, where there was less
danger Of an alarm. it was smashed
where ii stood The affair seems alb
surdly trifiing. and yet / dare call
nothing trivial when reflect that some
of my most classic cases have had
the least promising commencement
You VIII remember. Watson, how the
dreadful business of the Abernetty
family was first brought to my notice
by the depth which the parsley had
sunk into the butter upon a hot day.
] can't afford, therefore, 10 smile at
your three broken busts. Lestrade, and
] shall be very much obliged to you if
you will let me hear of any fresh de-
veiopment of so singular chain of
events
The development for which my friend
had asked came in quicker and an in
finitely more tragic form than he could
have imagined 1 was still dressing in
my bedroom next morning when there
was tap at the door and Holmes en-
tered, telegram in his hand. He read
it aloud:
Come instantly ls1 Pitt street, Ken
sington Lestrade.
What is il, theny' / asked.
fDon't know--may be anything. But
suspect 1t is tka seQueT Of the story
Of the statues. In that kase OH friend,
the image breaker. ka5 Segut \opera-
,r,,n,'.i lions IN g another au1NrNef IDSndon
" he cab at the door" v
u SaIf an hour weIhad reached Nta
streetha quiet little hbckwater just be
side onapf the briske# currents of Lotk
don life. \ No lsl VA one of row. al
} fiat-chesteS respeGfab and most un.
romantic dVelIingf. AS we drove VI
J We found tA ratings in front of the
house lined bAa curious crowd. Holme.
whistled. "
by George'vts attempted murdel
at the least. Nothing less will hole
the London message boy. There's g
J deed of violence indicated in that fel.
lows round shoulders and outstretchec
: neck. What's this, Watson? The tor
steps swilled down and the other ones
dry. Footsteps enough. anyhow. Well
J well, there's Lestrade at the front win.
! down and We shall soon know all abou
: it."
The official received us with a yer,
grave face and showed us into sitting
roonn.' where an exceedingly unkemp
and agitated elderly man. clad in Z
flannel dressing gown. was pacing vi
and down. He was introduced to u.
as the owner of the house-Mr. Horac,
) Harker. of the, Central Press syndi
: cate.
IT'S the Napoleon bust bushes.
again. said Lestrade. You seemed
! interested last night. Mr.. Holmes. so
thought perhaps you would be glas