The San Francisco call., 1905-04-23

NA>~>
occurred?''
The man in the dressing gown turn.
ed upon us with a most melancholy
face.
Its an extraordinary thing" said
he. that all my life / have been col
lecting other peoples news, ana now
that real piece of news has come my
own way am so confused and bother
ed that / can't put two words together
If / had come in here as journalist
should haze interviewed myself and
had two columns in every evening pa
per. As il is, ] am giving away valua-
Bile copy by telling my story over and
over To string of different people. and
can make no use of it myself. How
ever, I've heard your name, Mr.. Sher-
lock Holmes, and if you'll only explain
this queer business shall be paid for
my trouble in telling you the story
Holmes sat down and listened.
1T all seems to center round that
bust of Napoleon which / bought for
this very room about four months ago.
l picked it up cheap from Harding
Brothers, two doors from the High
street station. A great deal OF my
journalistic work is done at night, and
/ often write Until the early morning.
So it was to-day. was sitting in my
den. which is at the back of the top
Of the house. about 3 O'clock. when
was convinced that L heard some
sounds downstairs. listened, but they
We're not repeated, and concluded that
they came from outside. Then sudden
~. about FIVE minutes later. there came
most horrible yeli-the most dreadful
sound, Mr.. Holmes. that ever / heard
1t VIII ring in my ears as long as
live. / sat frozen With horror for
minute OF two Then / seized the poker
and went downstairs When ! entered
this room | found the window wide
open, and / at once observed that the
bust was gone from the lnantelpiece.
Why any burglar SHOULD take such a
thing passes my understanding, for it
was only plaster cast. and Of no. real
value whatever.
You can see for yourself that any
one going out through that open win
dow could reach the front doorstep by
taking a long stride This was clearly
what the burglar had done. SO I went
round and opened the door. Stepping
out into the dark / nearly fell over a
dead man who was lying there. L
lRn back for a light, and there was
the poor fellow, a great cash in his
throat and the whole place swimming
IN blood. He lay on his back, his
knees drawn up and his month hor-
ribly open shall see him in my
dreams. / had Just time to blow on
my police whistle, and then | must
have tainted, for ! knew nothing more
until l found the policeman standing
over me in the hail.
WE'LL who was the murdered mani"
asked Holmes.
There's nothing to show who he
was, said Lestrade. You shall see
the body at the mortuary. but We have
made nothing OF it up to now. He is
a tall man. sunburned, very powerful,
not more than 80. He is poorly dressed
and yet does not appear to be la
oorer- A horn handled clasp knife was
lying in a pool of blood beside him.
Whether it was the weapon which did
the deed or whether ii belonged to the
dead man, | do not know. There was
no name on his clothing and nothing
In his pockets save an apple, some
string, 4 shilling map of London and
a photograph. Here it is
1t was evidently taken by a snap
shot from small camera 1t repre-
sented an alert, sharp-featured simian
man. with thick eyebrows and q very
peculiar projection Of the lower part
OF the face, like the muzzle of ba-
boon
And what became of the bust?"
asked Holmes. after a careful study of
this picture
We had news of it just before you
came 1t has been found in the front
garden of an. empty house In Camp
den House Road. 1t was broken into
fragments ! am going round now to
see ii. Will you Gomez,
Certainly. | must just take one look
round He examined the carpet and
the window. THE fellow had either
very long legs or was d most active
man" said he. With an area beneath
1t was no mean feat to reach that win
dow-sedge and open that window. Get
ting back was comparatively simple.
AEekou coming with us to see the re-
nhitE of your bust. Mr.. Harker q.
INA dfsconsolate Journalist had seat
e4 hihself at a writing-tabie
II Must try and make something Of
itf' saR he,kthough have no doubt
that thu hrs editions Of the everkng
pfpers Ae dA already with full lhe
Yils. It'A Alife ny luck You resnkmN
Her when Ne staNd fell at Doncaster r?
Well. | was the Oily Journalist infthe
stand. and my jouNal the only Zone
that had no account Of it. for Twas
too shaken to write itN And noH I'll
be too late with murdak done oh my
own doorstep"
AS We left the room we heArd His pen
travelling shrilly over the f0&Ieap.
The spot where the fragmenH Of the
bust had been found was only a few
hundred yards away. For the first time
our eyes rested upon this presentment
of the great Emperor, which seemed
to raise such frantic and destructive
hatred in the mind of the unknown.
1t lay scattered. in splintered shards.
upon the grass. Holmes picked up sew
eral OF them and examined them care