The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-10-08

.I have the things themselves in the sitting room, if you would care to see them"
 sJ should be very glad" We all filed into the front room and sat round the center table while the inspector unlocked 4 square tin box and laid small heap of things before us. There was a box of vestas two inches of tallow candle, and A D. P. brierwood pipe, a poueh ol sealskin with half an ounce of long-cut Cayendish, a silver watch with a gola chain, five severeigns in gold, an aluill- mum pencil case. a few papers, ana an ivory handled knife with very delicate intlexible blade marked Weiss S Co., London.
 sThis is very singular knife said Holmes, lifting it up and examining it minutelv. "I presume. as l see the blood stains upon it. that it is the one which was found in the dead mans grasp. Wat son. this knife is surely in your llne?
 eIt is what we call cataract knife, said l.
 devised for very delicate work strange thing for man to carry with him upon a rough expedition. especially as 1t would not shut in his pocket.
 .The tip was guarded by a disk of cork which we found beside his body,' said the inspector His wife tells us that 1 the knife had lalu upon the piessiiS 'ei ble and that he had picked it up as he left the room. It was poor weapon i but perhaps the best that he could lay l his hands on at the moment
 "Very possibly. How about these pa- pers?"
 "rhree of them are receipted hay deal ] ers' accounts. One of them is a letter or I instructions from Colonel Ross. This | other is a milliner's account for thirty ] bV Mad anne Lesurier of Bond street to William | Derbyshire Mrs Straker tells us that | Derbyshire was friend of her husband s, and that occasionally his letters were addressed here"
 Madame Derbyshire had somewhat ex- | penslve tastes" remarked Holmes, glanc- l ing down the account. 'Twenty-two guineas is rather heavy for a single cos tune. However, there appears to be nothing more 10 learn, and we may now | go down to the scene of the crime" | As we emerged from the sitting room a woman who had been waiting in the | passage took a step forward and laid her hand upon the Inspectors sleeve. | Her face was haggard and thin and eager, stamped with the print of a recent | horror.
 "EIave you got them? Have you found l them?' she panted
 "No, Mrs. Straker. But MT. Holmes here has come from London to help us, and we shall do all that is possible"
 Surely met you in Plymouth at a | garden party some little time ago, Mrs l Straker?" said Holmes. | "No, sir; you are mistaken"
 Dear mel Why I could have sworn It. | You wore a costume of dove-colored silk with ostrich feather trimmings" | "I never had such a dresN sir" an- | swered the lady.
 |. ' .a I.I.,, ! And with an apology he followed the In spector outside. A short walk across the | moor took us to the hollow in which the l body had been found. A the brink of it was the furze bush upon which the coat /, had been hung.
 'There was no wind that night, I un- derstand," said Holmes.
 None; but very heavy rain"
 "In that case the overcoat was not blown against the furze bushes, bu placed there"
 "Yes, it was laid across the bush"
 "You fill me with interest. l perceive that the ground has been trampled UT a good deal. No doubt many feet have been here since Monday night" ] "A piece of mating has been laid here at the side, and we have all stood upon that"
 "Excelent."
 "In this bag I have one of the boots | which Straker wore, one of Fitzroy Simp- sons shoes, and a cast horseshoe of Sil- yer Blaze"
 My dear Inspector, you surpass your. self" Holmes took the bag, and, de | scending into the hollow, he pushed tn, mating into more central position Then stretching himself upon his face and leaning his chin upon his hands, he mad, a careful study of the trampled mud 1T front of him. 'Hullon said he suddenly What's this?" It was a wax vesta nali burned. which was so coated with muo that it looked at first like a little chiI of wood.
 q cannot think how l came to over look it,' said the Inspector, with an ex