The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-04-29

with Imagination he might rise to great
heights in his profession. On his ar,
rival he promptly found and arrested
the man upon whom suspicion naturally
finding him, for he inhabited one Of
those villas which I have mentioned
His name, it appears, was Fitzroy Simp-
son. He was man Of excellent birth
and education, who had squandered a
fortune upon the turf, and who lived
now by doing little quiet and ,genteei
book-making in the sporting clubs of
ting-book shows that bets to the amount
of five thousand pounds had been regis
tered by him against the favorite. On.
being arrested, he volunteered the state
ment that he had come down to Dart
moor in the hope Of getting some lnfor-
nation about the Kings Pyland horses,
and also about .Desborough, the SECOND
favorite, which was in charge of Silas
Brown at the Maplston stables h He
acted as described on the evening be-
fore, but declared that he had no sin
lister designs, and had simply wished to
obtain frst-hand information. When
confronted with his cravat, he turned
very pale and was utterly unable to
account for it's presence in the hand Of
the murdered man. His wet clothing
|
storm of the night before, and his stick,
which was a enanglawyer weighted
with lead, was just such weapon as
might, by repeated blows, have inflicted
the terrible injuries to which the train
or had succumbed. On the other hand,
there was no wound upon his person,
while the state Of Straker g knife would
show that one at least Of his assailants
must, bear his mark upon him. There
you have it all in nutshell, Watson,
and if you can give me any light I
shall be infinitely obliged to you
I had listened with the greatest in
terest to the statement which Holmes.
with characteristic clearness, had laid
before me. Tho most Of the facts were
familiar to me, had not sufficiently
appreciated their relative Importance,
cts it not possible,'' I suggested,
"that the incised wound upon Straker
may have been caused by his own knife
in the CONCLUSIVE struggles which follow
any. brain injurye'
"It is more than possible; it is prob
able;' said Holmes. I'm that case one
cuse ed disappears. ' VI 'A'
"And yet,' said I, "even now I fail
to understand what the theory of the
|police can be.'
we state has very grave objections to
it," returned my companion, "The po'
lice imagine, I take it, that this Fitz,
roy Simpson, having drugged the lad
and having in some way obtained a
duplicate key, opened the stable door
and took out the horse with the inten.
tion, apparently, Of kidnapping him al;
Simpson must have put this on. Then
having left the door open behind him
he was leading the horse away over the
moor, when he was either met or over
taken by the trainer. A row naturally
ensued. Simpson beat out the trainer :
drains with his heavy stick without re.
ceiving any injury from the small knife
then the thief either led the horse on to
have bolted during the struggle and be
now wandering out on the moors. That
Is the case as it appears to the police
and improbable as it is, all other ex
plantations are more improbable still
bon shall very quickly test th
and until then I cannot really see how
we can get much further than our pres
ent position.'
| It was evening before we reached the
| little town of Tavistock, which lies
, like the boss Of shield, in the middle
, of the huge circle of Dartmoor. Two
, gentlemen were awaiting us in the sta
: tion-the one a tall, fair man with lion
, like hair and beard, and curiously, pene
t small, alert person, very neat and dap
, trim little side-whiskers and an eye
glass. The latter was Colonel Ross, tn,
3 well-known sportsman; the other, In
{ spector Gregory, a man who was rapidly
: making his name in the English detec
= tive service.
"I am delighted that you have com.
> down, Mr. Holmes,' said the colonel
f could possibly be suggested, but I wis]
r to leave no stone unturned in trying t,
l., avenge poor Straker and in recoverin,
r my horse.'
; Have there been any fresh develop
ments9'' asked Holmes.
81 am sorry to say that we hav
: made very little progress" said the in
2 spector. eve have an open carriag
l outside, and as you would no doubt lik
9 to see the place before the light fails
: we might talk it over as we drive.'
: A minute later we were all seated in
!; comfortable landau and were rattlin
I thru the quaint old Devonshire city
n Inspector Gregory was full Of his cas-
J. and poured out stream of remarks
r while Holmes threw in an occasiona
g question or inter- lection. Colonel Ros
g leaned back with his arms folded an
Il his hat tilted over his eyes. while
Y listened with interest to the dialogue o
s. the two detectives. Gregory was formr
= lating his theory, which was almost e1
e actly what Holmes had foretold in tn
train. ...
e "The net is drawn pretty close roun
8 Fitzroy Simpson, he remarked, an
/ I believe myself that he is our mar
d At the same time recognize that tn
t evidence is plSSely circumstantia1, an
Y that some new development may upse
d it, . s..
W GLOW about Straker's knife9"
IS "We have quite come to the concll
Z, sion that he wounded himself in hi
e fall.'
v "My friend, DR.. Watson, made tia
l. suggestion to me as we came down. ]
s. SO, it would tell against this man Siml
IL son.
p Undoubtedly. He has neither
70 knife nor any sign of a wound. Th
t, evidence against him is certainly yer
IS strong. He had great interest in th
d lies under suspicion of havin
N poisoned the stable boy, he was Vi
to doubtedly out in the storm, he We
Is armed with heavy stick. and his CT,
le vat was found in the dead man g han,
IT ! really think we have enough to go b.
ID fore jury.
SO Holmes shook his head. "a clevt
le counsel would tear it all to rags" sal
It he. "Why should he take the horse oil
t. of the stable2 If he wished to iniure