The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-07-12


night probably with his hat in one hand
and a guttering candle in the other.
Anyhow, he never got tallow stains
from a gas jet. Are you satisfied"
"Well, it is very Ingenious" said I,
laughing; "but since, as you said Just
now, there has been on crime COM
mitted, and no harm done, save the loss
of goose, all this seems to be rather
waste Of energy
Sherlock Holmes had opened his
mouth to reply, when the door flew open
and Peterson, the commissionaire,
rushed into the apartment with flushed
cheeks and the face Of man who is
dazed with establishment.
t'The goose, Mr.. Holmes! The goose,
sir!' he gasped.
"Eh9 What of it, then7 Has it
returned to life and tapped off thru the
kitchen windowq'' Holmes twisted him
self round upon the sofa to get fairer
view Of the man g excited face.
'See here, sir! See what my wife
found in it's crop!' He held out his
hand and displayed upon the center of
the palm a brilliantly scintillating blue
stone, rather smaller than bean in
| size, but Of such purity and radiance
that it twinkled like an electric point
| in the dark hollow of his hand.
Sherlock Holmes sat up with a whis-
tie. "By Jove, Peterson!' said he,
pose you know what you have gotq'
"a diamond, sir7 A precious stone.
1t cuts into glass as tho it were putty"
"It's more than precious stone. It
is the precious stone''
"Not the Countess of Morcar's blue
carbuncle!" I calculated.
"Precisely so. I ought to know it's
size and shape, seeing that I have read
the advertisement about it in the Times
every day lately. It is absolutely
unique, and it's value can only be con-
jectured, but the reward offered of
1000 is certainly not within TWEEN
tieth part Of the market price, r.
"a thousand pounds! Great Lord
of mercy!'' The commissionaire
pumped down into chair and stared
from one to the other Of us.
"That is the reward, and have rea-
son to know that there are sentimental
considerations in the background which
would induce the countess to part with
half her fortune if she could but re-
cover the gem. -
i cit was lost, if I remember Alright,
at the Hotel Cosmopolitan, re-
marked z
= "Precisely so, on Dec. %, just five
Il days ago. John Homer, a plumber
] was accused of having distracted it
from the lady's jewel-case. The evi-
, dence against him was 50 strong that
the case has been referred to the as.
sizes. I have some account of the mat
ter here, believe. " He rummaged
amid his newspapers, glancing over the
dates, until at last he smoothed one
{ out, doubled it over, and read the fol
lowing paragraphs:
! "Hotel Cosmopolitan Jewel Rob
! berry, John Horner, 26, plumber, was
brought up upon the charge of having
!. upon the 22d inst. distracted from the
i jewel-case of the Countess Of Morcal
s
!. carbuncle. James Ryder, upper attend
| ant at the hotel gave his evidence tc
the effect that he had shown Hornel
! up to the dressing-room OF the Countess
! Of Morcar upon the day of the rob
berry, in order that he might solder the
second bar of the crate, which was
loose. He had remained with Hornel
some little time, but had finally beer
: called away. On returning, he foune
that Homer had disappeared, that TIT
bureau had been forced open, and thai
the small morocco casket in which, a.
it afterwards transpired, the countess
was accustomed to keep her jewel, wa:
, lying empty upon the dressing table
Ryder instantly gave the alarm, ant
!. Horner was arrested the same evening
l but the stone could not be found eithe:
: upon his person or in his rooms. Cath
posed to having heard Ryder's cry 0:
8. dismay on discovering the robbery, an(
:. to having rushed into the room, wher.
! she found matters as described by thu
: last witness. Inspector Bradstreet, I
l division, gave evidence as to the arres
:, Of Horner, who struggled frantically
strongest terms. Evidence of previ
Gus conviction for robbery having beer
: given against the prisoner, the magis
trate refused to deal summarily witt
the offense, but referred it to the as
Sizes Horner, who had shown signs O
! intense emotion during the proceedings
Q tainted away at the conclusion, and wa
/ carried out Of court.
> Hum! So much for the. polio
: court said Holmes, thoughtfully, toss
$ ing aside the paper. The question
t for us now to solve is the sequence O
y events leading from rifed jewel cas-
: at one end to the crop Of a goose il
, Tottenham Court road at the other. Yol
8 see, Watson, our little deductions hav
:, suddenly assumed a much more impo1
v tant and less innocent aspect. Here i
the stone; the stone came from tn
: goose, and the goose came from Henri.
9 Baker, the gentleman with the bad ha
D and all the other characteristics wit
) which I have bored you. So now W
: must set ourselves very seriously t
|, finding this gentleman, and ascertain
t ing what part he has played in thi
little mystery. To do this, we mus
j try the simplest means first, and thes
lie undoubtedly in an advertisement i
+ shall have recourse to other methods
uWhat will you say?''
Give me pencil and that slip o
i paper. Now, then: Found at the col
/ ner of Goodge street, goose and
/ black felt hat. Henry Baker can hav
. the same by applying at $3.50 this eve
: ming at 221B, Baker street. That
: clear and concise.
every. But will he see it9
4 Well, he is sure to keep an ey
/. on the papers,, since, to poor man, tn
g loss was a heavy one. He was clearl
;. so scared by his mischance in break