The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-09-17


from Sherlock Holmes and ran in this
way:
Have you a couple of days to spare?
Have just been wired from the West
OF England in connection with Bos-
combe Valley tragedy. Shall be glad
if you will come with me. Air and
scenery perfect. Leave Paddington
by the 11:15."
What do you say. dear?" said my
wife, looking across at me. Twill you
go?''
II really don't know what to say.
] have a fairly long list at present"
"Oh, Anstruther would do your
work for you. You have been looking
q little pale lately. 1 think the change
would do you good, and you are al
ways interested in Mr.. Sherlock
Holiness cases"
II should be ungrateful If I were
not, seeing what / gained through one
of them,' l answered. But il I am
to go. must pack at once, for I have
only half an hour"
My experience of camp life in AT
ghanistan had at least had the eff
feet of making me a prompt and ready
traveller. My wants were few and
simple. so that in less than the time
stated l was in a cab with my valise,
rafting away to Paddington Station.
Sherlock Holmes was pacing UP and
down the platform, his tall gaunt
figure made even gaunter and taller by
his long gray travelling-cloak and
close-fitting cloth cap.
1T Is really very good of you to
come, Watson" said he. at makes a
considerable difference to me, having
some one with me on whom l can
thoroughly rely. Local aid is always
either worthless or else BIASED. If
you will keep the two corner seats
shall get tickets
We had the carriage to ourselves
save for an immense litter of papers
which Holmes brought with him.
Among these he rummaged and read.
with intervals of note-taking and of
meditation, until We were past Read
ing. Then he suddenly rolled them
all into a gigantic ball, and tossed
them up onto the rack.
Have you heard anything of the
case?' he asked
mot a word. / have not seen a pa
per for some days.
THE London press has not had very
full accounts. l have just been look
ing through all the recent papers in
order to master the particulars. 1T
seems from what l gather, to be one
of those simple cases which are SO
extremely difficult
THAT sounds little paradoxical."
ty is almost invariably clew. The
more featureless and commonplace a
crime is, the more difficult is it to
bring it home. In this case, however.
they have established a very serious
case against the son of the murdered
man."
1T is murder, then?"
well, it is conjectured to be so.
shall take nothing for granted until /
have the opportunity of looking per-
sonally into it. l will explain the state
of things to you. as far as / have been
able to understand it, in a very few
words.
"Boscombe Valley is a countrv dis
trict not very far from Ross, IN mere
Gordshire. The largest landed pro-
prietor in that part is a Mr.. John
Turner, who made his money in Aus
tralia, and returned some years ago
To the old country. One of the farms
which he held, that of Hatherley, was
let to Mr.. Charles Mccarthy, who was
also an ex-Australian. The men had
known each other in the colonies. so
% that it was not unnatural that when
they came to settle down they should
do So as near each other as possible.
Turner was apparently the richer man,
sc Mccarthy became his tenant, but
still remained. it seems, upon terms of
perfect equality, as they were frequent
lv together. Mccarthy had one son.
a lad of eighteen. and Turner had an
only daughter of the same age, but
neither of them had wives living. They
appear to have avoided the society of
the neighboring English families and
to have led retired lives, though both
the McCarthys were fond of sport, and
were frequently seen ct the raCe-meet-
ings of the neighborhood. Mccarthy
kept two servants man and a girl.
Tt,rn ho do hnI
some half-doZen at the least. That is
as much as have been able to gath
err about the families. Now for the
facts:
ION June 3, that is, on Monday last,
Mccarthy left his house at Hatherley
about three in the afternoon, and
walked down to the Boscombe Pool
which is a small lake formed by the
spreading out of the stream which
runs down the BoScombe Valley. He
had been out with his serving man in
the morning at Ross, and he had told
the man that he must hurry, as he
had an appointment of Importance to
keep at three. From that appointment
he never came back alive.
From Hatherley Farm house to the
Boscombe Pool is i quarter of u mile.
and two people saw him as he passed
over this ground. One was an old
woman, whose name is not mentioned,
and the other was William Crowder.
a game-keeper in the employ of Mr..
Turner. Both these witnesses deDoSe
that Mr.. Mccarthy was walking alone.
The game-keeper adds that within a
few minutes of his seeing Mr. Nc
Carthy pass he had seen his son. Mr..
James Mccarthy, going the same way
with 4 gun under his arm. To the
best of his belief, the father was ac-
tually in sight at the time. and the
son was following him. He thought
no more of the matter until he heard
in the evening of the tragedy that had
occurred
1.-The two McCarthys were seen at
ter the time when William Crowder.
the game-keeper, lost sight of them.
The Roscombe Pool is thickly-wooded
round. with just a fringe of grass and
of reeds round the edge. A girl Of
fourteen. Patience Moran, who is the
daughter of the lodge-keeper of the
Boscombe Valley estate, was in one
of the woods picking flowers. She
states that while she was there she
saw. at the border of the wood and
close by the lake, Mr.. Mccarthy and
his son, and that they appeared to be
having a violent quarrel. She heard
Mr. Mccarthy the elder using very