Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1905-06-03

"This is astonishing" said I as I
handed back the volume '"Che mans
career Is that Of an honorable SOL
der"
"It is true" Holmes answered. Cup
to a certain point he did we'll He was
always a man Of iron nerve, and the
story is still told in India how he
craWled down drain after a wound
ed man-eating tiger. There are some
trees, Watson, which grow to GER
some unsightly eccentricity. You will
see it often in humans. I have a the
DRY that the individual represents in
his development the whole procession
Of his ancestors, and that such sud
den turn to good Or evil stands for
some strong influence which came into
the line of his pedigree. The person
becomes, as it were, the epitome Of the
history of his own family"
''It is surely rather fanciful."
''Well, 1 don't insist upon it. What
ever the cause, Colonel Moran began
to go wrong. Without any open scan
dial he still made India too hot to hold
him. He retired, came to LonL&l and
again acquired an evil name. 1t was
at this time that he was sought out by
Professor Moriarty, to whom for
time he was chief Of the staff. Mortar
ty supplied him literally with money
and used him only in one or two very
high class jobs which no ordinary GRIM
inal could have undertaken. You may
have some recollection of the death OF
Mrs. Stewart of Lauder in 1887. Not?
Well, am sure Moran was at the bot
tom of it, but nothing could be proved.
So cleverly was the colonel concealed
that even when the Moriarty gang was
broken up we could not incriminate
him. You remember at that date, when
/ called upon you in your rooms, how
I put up the shutters for fear of air
guns? No doubt you thought me fanci-
full l knew exactly what / was do
ing for knew Of the existence of this
remarkable gun, and knew also that
one of the best shots in the world
would be behind it, When we were in
Switzerland he followed US with MORT
arty and it was undoubtedly he who
gave me that evil five minutes on the
Reichenbach ledge
"You may think that [ read the pa
pers with some attention during my So
journ in France, on the lookout for any
chance of laying him by the heels. So
long as he was free in London my life
would really not have been worth liv
ing. Night and day the shadow would
have been over me and sooner or later
his chance must have come. What
could I do? [ could not shoot him at
sight or should myself be in the dock.
There was no use appealing to magis-
trate. They cannot interfere Oh the
Of what would appear to them
to be wild suspicion. So could do
nothing. But I watched the criminal
news, knowing that sooner or later I
should get him. Then came the death
Of this Ronald Adair. My chance had
come at last. Knowing what I did,
was it not certain that Colonel Moran
had done it? He had played cards with
the lad; he had followed him home
from the club; he had shot him through |
the open window There was not a
doubt of it. The bullets alone are |
enough to put his head in a moose.
81 came over at once was seen by
he sentinel, who would, | knew, direct
he colonel's attention to my presence.
lie could not fail to connect my sudden
'eturn with his crime and to be terribly
alarmed. I was sure he would make
IN attempt to get me out of the way
1t once and would bring round his muir
ferrous Weanon for that purpose. L left