Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-18

ooh, think SOP
Don't you?"
well, it is quite possible. but the case is
not clear to me yet"
Not clear? Well, if that isn't clear what
could be clear? Here is a young man who
learns suddenly that. If a certain older man
dies, he will succeed to a fortune. What
does he do? He says nothing to anyone,
but he arranges that he shall go out on
some pretext to see his client that night.
He waits until the only other person in
the house is in bed, and then In the soil
tude of the mans room he murders him,
burns his body in the wood pile and de-
parts to a neighboring hotel. The blood
stains in the room and also on the stick
are very slight. 1t is probable that he
imagined his crime to be a bloodless one,
and hoped that If the body were consumed
it would hide all traces of the method of
his death--traces which, for some reason,
must have pointed to him. Is not all this
obvious?
"It strikes me, my good Lestrade, as be-
ing Just a trife too obvious" said Holmes.
You do not add imagination to your other
great qualities, but If you could for one
moment put yourself in the place of this
young man. would you choose the very
night after the will had been made to COM
init your crime? Would 1t not seem dam
gerous to you to make so very close re-
lation between the two incidents? Again,
would you choose an occasion when you
are known to be in the house, when a SER
want has let you In? And. finally, would
you take the great pains TO conceal the
body, and yet leave your own stick as a
sign that you were the criminal? Confess,
Lestrade, that all this is very unlikely"
LAS to the stick, Mr.. Holmes, you know
as well as do that a criminal Is often
furried and does such things, which cool
man would avoid. He was very likely
afraid to go back to the room. Give me
another theory that would fit the facts
II could very easily :g give you half dog.
a very possible and even probable one. !
make you a free present of it. The older
man is showing documents which are OF
evident value. A passing tramp sees then,
is only half down. Exit the solicitor. En-
! ter the tramp! He seizes stick which he
observes there, kills Oldacre and departs
after burning the body" Z,
why Should the tramp burn the body?'
TOR the matter Of that. why should Mac
'Farlane?"
! ITO hide some evidence"
| Possibly the rtramp, wanted to hide thai
any murder at all had been committed"
! "And why did the tramp take nothing?"
| Because they were papers that he coult
| not negotiate"
Lestrade shook his head. though i
| seemed to mmthat his manner was less alb
| soiutely ASSURED than before.
well, Mr.. Sherlock Holmes, you ma,
| look for your tramp, and while you arr
| finding him We win hold on to our man
| notice this point, Mr.. Holiness that so fan
| as we know none of the papers was re
| moved, and that the prisoner Is the ons
| man in the world who had no reason fol
! removing them, since he was heir-at-iav
/ and would come into them in any case"
My friend seemed struck by this remark
/ II don't mean to deny that the evidences
1 is in some ways very strongly in favor o.
| your theory, said he. II only wish tt
| point out that there are other theories posi-
| sible. AS you say, the future will decide
| Good morning! ! dare say that in thu
! course of the day I shall drop in at Nor
| wood and see how you are getting on
When the detective departed my FRIEND