The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-10-01


his extraordinary mental powers.
Dark rumors gathered round him i'm
the university town and eventually he
was compelled to resign his chair and
to come to London, where he set up as
an army coach. So much is known TO
the world, but what l am telling you
now is what I have myself discovered.
LAS you are aware, Watson. there
is no one who knows the higher GRIM
inal world of London so wei, as I do.
For years past / have continually
been conscious of some power behind
the malefactor, some deep organizing
power which forever stands in the
way of the law, and throws its shield
over the wrong-doer. A gain and again
in cases of the most varying sorts
forgery cases. robberies, murders,
l have felt the presence of this force,
and / have deduced its action in many
of those undiscovered crimes in which
I have not been personally consulted.
For years l have endeavored to oIt..k
through the veil which shrouded ii.
and at last the time came when 1
seized my thread and followed it, UNI
til it led me, after a thousand cunning
windings to Ex-Professor Mariarty of
mathematical celebrity.
HE is the Napoleon of crime, Wat
is evil and of nearly all that is unde-
tected in this great city. He is a gem
ius, a philosopher, and abstract think
er. He has a brain of the first order.
He sits motionless, like a spider in the
centre of it's web, but that web has d
thousand radiations, and he knows
well every CULVER of each of them.
He does little himself He
only plans. But his agents are nu-
merous and splendidly organized. Is
there crime to be done. a paper 10
be distracted, We will say house
to be ritied a man to be removed
the word is passed to the Professor.
the matter is organized and carried
out. The agent may be caught. In
that case money is found for his bail
or his defence. But the central power
which uses the agent is never caught
never SO much as suspected. This
was the organization which I deduced.
Watson. and which / devoted my
whole energy to exposing and break
ing up.
But the professor was fenced
round with safeguards SO cunnIngly
devised that, do what L would 1t
seemed impo' Sible to get evidence
You know my powers, my dear Wat
son, and yet at the end of three
months / was forced to confess that
] had at last met an antagonist who
was my intellectual equal. My horror
at his crimes was lost in my admira-
ton of skill. But at last he made
a trip-only little, little trip--but it
was more than he could afford, when
was so close upon him. [ had my
chance, and. starting from that point,
/ have woven my net round him until
now it is all ready close. In three days
that is to say, on Monday next
matters will be ripe, and the Profess
sor. and all the principal members of
his gang, will be in the hands of the
police. Then will come the greatest
criminal trial of the century, the
clearing up of over forty mysteries.
and the rope for all of them: but if
we move at all prematurely, you UNI
derstand, they may slip out of our
hands even at the last moment.
Now, il 1 could have done this
without the knowledge of Professor
Moriarty. all would have been well.
But he was too willy for that. He
saw every step which / took to draw
my tolls round him. Again and again
he strove to break away. but I as Of
ten headed him off. / tell you my
friend that if detailed account Of
that silent contest could be written. it
would take its place as the most brill
liant bit of thrust-and- parry work
in the history of detection. Never
have / risen to such height
and never have l been so hard
pressed by an opponent. He
cut deep and yet l just undercut
He cut deep, and yet / just undercut
him. This morning the last steps
were taken, and three days only were
wanted to complete the business.
was sitting in my room thinking the
matter over when the door opened
and Professor Moriarty stood before
me.
my nerves are fairly proof. but
Watson, l must confess to start
when / saw the very man who had
been so much in my thoughts stand
mug there on my threshold. His ap-
pearance was quite familiar to me.
He is extremely tall and thin, his
forehead domes out in a white curve,
and his two eyes are deeply sunken
in his head. He is clean-Shaven,
pale and notwithstanding, retaining
something of the professor in his fea-
lures. His shoulders are rounded
from much study and his face pro-
trudes forward, and is forever slowly
oscillating from side to side in GU
riously reptillian fashion. He peered
dJ ltc Will SICdt SuliOoiSy ~ iii'
puckered eyes.
".You have less frontal develop-
ment than l should have expected.
said he at last. 1T is dangerous
habit to fingerloaded firearms in the
pocket of ones dresing-gown.'
"The fact is that upon his entrance
had instantly recognized the ex-
treme personal danger in which | lay.
The only conceivable escape for him
lay in silencing my tongue. In an
istant l had slipped the revolver from
the drawer into my pocket and was
covering him through the cloth. AT
his remark I drew the weapon out
and laid it cooked upon the table. He
still smiled and blinked, but there
was something about his eyes which
made me feel very glad that 1 had it
there.
"'You evidently don't know me-
said he.
"'On the contrary | answered, L
think it is fairly evident that / do.
Pray take a chair. L can spare you
five minutes if you have anything 70
say
"'All that l have to say has already
crossed your mind, said he.
"'Then possibly, my answer has
crossed yours l replied.
Soc