Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1905-07-22

Lue SlSdLu OIL lu0Ldl Caught my eye 1fOl
amid the thick gorse bushes. Out o.
them we dragged bicycle, Palmer
tired, one pedal bent and the whole
front Of it horribly smeared and slob
bered with blood. On the other side
of the bushes shoe was projecting
We ran round and there lay the I'm
fortunate rider. He was tall man
full bearded, with spectacles, one glass
of which had been knocked out. The
cause of his death was a frightfu
blow upon the head, which had crush
ed in part of his skull. That he could
have gone on after receiving such al
injury said much for the vitality anC
courage Of the man. He wore shoes
but no socks, and his open coat dis
closed a nightshirt beneath it. 1t was
undoubtedly the German master.
Holmes turned the body over rever-
emily and examined it with great at,
tention He then sat in deep thought
for a time. and l could see by his ruff
fed brow that this grim discovery had
not, in his opinion, advanced US much
in our inquiry.
cit is q little difficult to know what
| to do, Watson" said he at last. my
own inclinations are to push this in
| quiry on, for we have already lost SO
much time that we cannot afford to
waste another hour. On the other hand,
! we are bound to inform the police of
the discovery and to see that this poor
| fellows body is looked after"
II could take a note back"
''But l need your company and as
sistance. Wait a bit! There is fell
low cutting peat up yonder Bring him
over here, and he will guide the po-
lice"
l brought the peasant across, and
Holmes dispatched the frightened man
with note to DR.. Huxtable.
"Now. Watson" said he, eve have
picked up two clews this morning. One
is the bicycle with the Palmer tire,
and we see what that has led to. The
other Is the bicycle with the patched
Dunlop Before we start to investl-
gate that let us try to realize what we
do know, so as to make the most OF 1t
and to separate the essential from the
accidental"
''First Of all, I wish to impress upon
you that the boy certainly left of his
own free will. He got down from his
window, and he went off either alone
or with some one. That is sure"
/ assented.
"Well, now, let us turn to this I'M
fortunate German master. The boy
was fully dressed when he fed. There
fore he foresaw what he would do.
But the German went without his
socks. He certainly acted on very
short notice."
Undoubtedly"
"Why did he go? Because from his
bedroom window he saw the fight of
the boy; because he wished to over
take him and bring him back. He
seized his bicycle, pursued the lad and
in pursuing him met his death"
$50 it would SEEM"
'Now I come to the critical part Of
my argument. The natural action Of
a man in pursuing little boy would
be to run after him. He would know
that he could overtake him. But the
German does not do SO. He turns to
his bicycle / am told that he was an
excellent cyclist. He would not do
this if he did not see that the boy had
some swift means Of escape"
1.-THE other bicycle"
"Let us continue our reconstruction
He meets his death five miles from the
school-not by bullet, mark you,
which even a lad might conceivably
discharge, but by savage blow dealt
by vigorous arm. The lad, then, had
a companion in his fight. And the
fight was swift one, since 1t took five
miles before an expert cyclist could
overtaka them. Yet we survey the
ground round the scene of the tragedy.
What do we find? A few cattle tracks,
nothing more. I took wide sweep
round, and there is no path within fifty
yards. Another cyclist could have bad
nothing to do with the actual murder,
nor were there any human footmarks."
Holmes" l cried, "this is 1mpossi-
ble"'
"Admirable!' he said. "a most IL
Eliminating remark. 1t is impossible as
I state it, and therefore I must in
some respect have stated it wrong.
Yet you saw for yourself. Can you
suggest any fallacy?"
"He could not have fractured his
skull in a fall?"
''In a morass, Watson?'
II am at my wits end"
'"Tut. tut! We have solved some
worse problems. At least we have
plenty Of material, if we can only use
it. Come, then, and, having exhausted
the Palmer, let us see what the Dun
lop with the patched cover has to offer
u.s.
We picked up the track and followed
it onward for some distance, but soon
the moor rose into long, heather tuft- |
ed curve, and we left the water course
behind us. No further help from tracks
could be hoped for. At the spot where
we saw the last of the Dunlop tire it
might equally have led to Holdernesse
Hall, the stately towers of which rose