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

could reach A Jagged stone was lying
among the moss, and this also he care
fo followed psr saS f sra se vpo asn un
ne came to the highroad, where all traces
1T has been case OF considerable in
natural manner. II fancy this this gray
house on the right must be the lodge.
think that will go In and have word
with Moran, and perhaps write little
back to our luncheon. You may walk to
the cab, and I shall be with you pres
emily"
It was about ten minutes before we
regained our cab and drove back into
Ross. Holmes still carrying with him the
stone which he picked up In the wood.
This may interest you, Lestrade," he
remarked, holding 1t out. "The murder
was done with it."
Il see no marks"
There are none"
"How do you know, them"
THE grass was growing under it. 1t
had only lain there a few days. There
was no sign OF place whence it had been
taken. 1t corresponds with the injuries.
There is no sign Of any other weapon"
And the murderer ..- >..
us tall man, left-handed, limps with
the right leg. wears thick-soled shooting
boots and gray. cloak, smokes Indian
cigars. uses cigar-holder and carries
| blunt penknife in his pocket. There are
| several other Indications but these may
| be enough to aid us In our search
Lestrade laughed. II am afraid that
I am still skeptic," he said. Theories
with hard-headed British jury" ~.
| Nous verrons," answered Holmes,
calmly. You work your own method,
and and a, shall work mine shall be busy
to London by the evening train"
"And leave your case unfinished?"
"No, finished. Va
| But the mystery"
| 1T Is solved"
"Who was the criminal. then?"
| "The gentleman describe"
But who Is he?"
"surely it would not be difficult to
find out. This is not such a populous
Lestrade shrugged his shoulders. Il
am practical man." he said, land !
really cannot undertake to go about the
country looking for left-handed gentle
the laughing stock Of Scotland Yard"
"All right" said Holmes. quietly. 81
have given you the chance. Here are
your lodgings:s Goodbye. I shall drop
you line before I leave,"i
Having left Lestrade at his rooms, we
drove to our hotel, where we found lunch
upon the table. Holmes was silent and
buried in thought with a panied express
sion upon his face, as one who finds him
self in perplexing position.
Look here, WATSON he said, wher
the cloth was cleared; Gust sit down in
this chair and let me preach to you fol
little. don't quite know what to do
} and I should value your advice Light
pray do So" -../. r -.
"Well, now, in considering this case
there are two points about young Nc
Carthys narrative which struck us boil
instantly, altho they impressed me IL
his favor and you against him. One wa!
the fact that his father should, according
= to his account, cry 'Cooee! before seeing
: him. The other was his singular dyinl
= reference to rat. He mumbled severa
words, you understand, but that was al
that caught the sons ear. Now, from
h this double point our research must com
: mence. and we will begin it by presuminl
t that what the lad . says Is absolutely true
g ''Well. obviously, it could not have bee
It meant for the son: The son, as far a
It he knew, was in Bristol. tt was mer
chance thatshe was within ear-shot TIL
!, ton of whoever 1t was that he had tn
3 appointment with. But 'Cooee' is a dis
;, : tinctly Australian CRY, and one which
= used between Australians. There is
~ strong presumption that the person whor
+ Mccarthy expected to meet him at Bos
r. combe Pool was someone who had bee
Ia in Australia" %-
It what Of the rat, them"
e Sherlock Holmes took a folded pape
n from his pocket and f1attened it out O
e Of Victoria" he said IT wired to Brist
ID for 1t last night" He put his hand owe
the map What do you read?' he aske,
n "'AARAT," I read.
:, "BALLARAT" ...
III "Quite so. That was the word the ma
,e uttered, and Of which his son only caugl
lI e the last two syllables. He was trying
10 utter the name Of his murderer. so-ant
~ so, of Ballarat."
ns ''It is wonderful" I exclaimed 49,
tte 1T is obvious. And now, you see. hs
is narrowed the field down considerabl
" The possession of a gray garment vi
I'd Ia third point which, granting the sor
e. We, have come now out Of mere vagu
at ness to the definite conception of an Au
a. tralian from Ballarat with gray cloak
ly "Certainly."
CHI "And one who was at home in the di
of trict, for the pool can only be approach
as by the farm or by the estate, whe
s. strangers could hardly wander"
st; "Quite So"
,e' BY an examination Of the ground gain
~, a. the trifiing details which gave to tn
o. imbecile Lestrade, as to- the PERSONAL
e- of the criminal"
Is. But how did you gain them?''
.r "You know my method. 1t is found
at upon the observance Of trifes."
ed ''His height I know that you mig
roughly Judge from the length of
tie stride, His boots, too, might be t.
,e- Eyes, they were peculiar boots"
lite But his lameness?" H.
,ut "The impression Of his right foot "
Ter always less distinct than his left.
IA put less weight upon 1t. Why? .Beca,
len he limped-he was lame" ~
ley but his left-handedness." ..
cry "You were yourself struck by the I
% ture Of the injury as recorded by I
zen surgeon at the inquest. The blow Y
IGN struck from Immediately behind, q
s le vet was upon the left side. Now, h
. zen can that be unless it were by LET
oas handed man? He had stood behind t
ths tree during the interview between
see father and son. He had even smol
ervi there found the ash Of a cigar. VIII
BON my special knowledge Of tobacco as
8 a enabled me to pronounce as an Ind
1en cigar have, as you KNOW, deYoted SO
attention to this, and written Ii
r?' monograph on the ashes Of lac. differ
varieties Of pipe, cigar and cigaret
ght bacco. Having found the ash, Il
her looked around and discovered the stu
among the moss where he had tossed
hat It was an Indian cigar, Of the vari
IS which are rolled in Rotterdam"
II, "And the cigar holder?"
eds; ct could see that the end had not b
q - in his mouth. Therefore he used holt
! % =, The tip had been cut off, not bitten
: ,,a ~ but the cut was not a clean one, so
yP or duced blunt penknife."
pU+ Holmes" said, you have draw
tha net round this man from which he can
Law escape, and you have saved an innos
,et human life as truly as If you had cut
to cord which was hanging him l see