The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-03-19

say. you must say in court You viii
walk down with me now to the police
station. Well, Mr.. Holmes, ] am very
much Obliged to You and your friend
for coming down to help me- AS it
turns out your presence was unneces-
sary, and / would have brought the
case to this successful issue without
you, but. none the less, ] am grateful.
Rooms have been reserved for YOU at
the Brambletye Hotel, so we can all
walk down to the village together"
Wen, Watson, What do YOU think OF
it?" asked Holmes. as we travelled
back next morning.
fed"
"Oh. yes. my dear Watson. ] am
perfectly satisfied. AT the same time,
Stanley Hopkins methods do not COM
mend themselves to me-. / am dis
appointed in Stanley Hopkins. I had
hoped for better thin from him.
one should always look for q possible
alternative, and provide against it. 1t
is the first rule of criminal investiga-
ton"
what then. is the alternative"
1.-THE line of Investigation which I
have myself been pursuing. it may
give us nothing. / cannot tell. But
at least shall follow it to the end"
Several letters were waiting for
Holmes at Baker street. He snatched
one of them up, opened It, and burst
out into a triumphant chuckle of
Excellent, Watson! The alterna-
tive develops. Have you telegraph
forms? Just write couple of mes-
sages for me Sumner, Shipping
Agent, Ratcliff Highway. Send three
men on. to arrive ten tomorrow morn
ling-Basil,' That's my name in those
parts. The other is: Inspector
Stanley Hopkins As, Lord Street
Brixton Come breakfast tomorrow
at nine-thirty Important. Wire il
unable to eome.-Sherlock Holmes
There. Watson, this internal case has
haunted me for ten days. / hereby
Danish it completely from my press
ence. Tomorrow, ! trust, that we shall
hear the last of it for ever"
Sharp at the hour named Inspector
Stanley Hopkins appeared, and we sat
down together to the excellent break
fast which Mrs. Hudson had prepared.
The young detectives was III high
spirits at his success.
"You really think that your solution
must be correct2" asked Holmes.
Il could not imagine a more CONF
plete case
ut did not seem to me conclusive
you astonish me. Mr.. Holmes.
What more could one ask for?"
Does your explanation cover every
point2"
Undoubtedly. / find that young
Neligan arrived at the Brambletye
Hotel on the very day of the crime.
He came on the pretence of playing
golf His room was on the ground
floor, and he could get out when he
liked. That very night he went down
to Woodman's Lee, saw Peter Carey
at the hut, quarrelled with him and
killed him with the harpoon. Then,
Mortified by what he had done, he fled
out of the hut, dropping the note
book which he had brought with him
in order to question Peter Carey about
these different securities. You may
have observed that some of them
were marked with ticks, and the 9TH
ers-the great a1ajority-wer not.
Those which are licked have been
traced on the London market but the
others, presumably, We're still in the
possession of Carey, and young Nell
gan, according to his own account,
was anxious to recover them IN order
to do the right thing by his fathers
creditors. After his fight he did not
dare to approach the hut again for
some time. but at last he forced HIM
self to do SO in order to obtain the ih-
formation which he needed. Surely
that is all simple and obvious"
Continued on Page Fifteenl