Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-06-09
9mres- 3r4nhlira,1 9latsEa1tnnr gnua, annr g 1905

and bluebottles, and the floor and walls
were like slaughter house. He had
called 1t q cabin, and cabin it was,
1 sure enough, for you would have
thought that you were in ship. There
was a bunk at one end, q sea chest
maps and charts, picture of the Sea
Unicorn, line Of logbooks on shelf,
all exactly as one would expect to find
it in a captains room. And there, IN
the middle of it, was the man himself
his face twisted like lost soul In tor
ment. and his great brindled beard
stuck upward in his agony. Right
through his broad breast steel har-
poon had been driven. and it had sunk
deep into the wood Of the wall behind
him. He was pinned like beetle on
card. OF course he was quite dead and
had been so from the instant that he
had uttered that last yell of agony.
II know your methods, sir, and ap-
piled them. Before I permitted any
thing to be moeed I examined most
carefully the ground outside ana also
the floor Of the room. There were no
footmarks."
"Meaning that you saw none?"
~ assure you, sir, that there were
none"
"Nfy good Hopkins, l have investl-
gated many crimes, hut have never
yet seen one which was committed by
a flying creature. AS long as the GRIM
inal remains upon two legs 80 long
must there be some indentation, some
abrasion, some trifling displacement
which can be detected by the scientific
| searcher. 1t is incredible that this
blood bespattered room contained no
trace which could have aided us. I'M
derstand. however, from the inquest
that there were some objects which you
failed to overlook
| The young inspector WINGED at my
companions ironical comments.
81 was fool not to call you in at the
time, Mr.. Holmes. However, that's
past praying for now. Yes. there were
several objects in the room which call
ed for special attention. One was the
harpoon with which the deed was com
mitted. 1t had been snatched down
from a rack on the wall. Two others
remained there, and there was a va
cant place for the third. On the stock
was engraved IS. Sea Unicorn, Dun
dee.' This seemed to establish that the
crime had been done in q moment OF
fury and that the murderer had seized
the first weapon which came In bis
way. The fact that the crime was COM
mitted at 2 in the morning. and yet Pc
ter Carey was fully dressed, suggested
that he had an appointment with the
murderer, which Is borne out by the
fact that bottle Of rum and two dirty
glasses stood upon the table,"
eyes," said Holmes. II think that
both differences are permissible. Was
there any other spirit than rum In the
room?"
eyes, there was tantalus contain
Ing brandy and whisky on the sea
chest. It is Of no Importance to u.s.
however, since the decanters we're full,
and 1t had therefore not been used"
"For all that. its presence has some
significance" said Holmes However
let us hear some more about the objects
which do seem to you to bear upon the
case"
,"rhere was this tobacco pouch upon
the table,
"What part of the tableT'
ut lay In the middle. It was Of
coarse sealskin-the straight haired
skin, with leather thong to bind it.
! Inside were p. c. on the flap. There
was half an ounce Of strong ships to-
bacco In it."
Excellent! What more?"
| Stanley Hopkins drew from bis peck
ct drab covered notebook. The out
side was rough and worn, the leaves
discolored. On the FIRST page were writ
ten the initials ~. Fl. N" and the date
1884," Holmes laid 1t on the table and
examined it in his minute way, while
Hopkins and gazed over each shorl-
der. On the second page were the
printed letters &c. P. r. and then
came several sheets Of numbers. An
other heading was Argentine" anoth-
er "Costa RIGA" and another San
Paulo," each with pages of signs and
| figures after 1t.
"What do you make Of these?" ask
ed Holmes.
| "They appear to be lists of Stock
| Exchange securities. thought that
j. 81. NJ were the initials Of broker
and that C. p. r. may have been his
client"
"Try Canadian Pacific railway" said
Holmes.
| Stanley Hopkins swore between his
teeth and struck his thigh with his
clinched haad.
"What fool have beenw he cried.
| sOf course it is as you say. Then
| y. Fl. NJ are the only initials we have
to solve. have already examined the
old Stock Exchange lists, and l can
find no one in 1883, either in the house
or among the outside brokers. whose
initials correspond with these. Yet 1
| feel that the clew is the most iinpor-
tant one that hold. You will admit,
Mr.. Holmes, that there is possibility
| that these initials are those Of the sec
ond person who was present-ih other
words, of the murderer. would also
urge that the Introduction into the case
Of a document relating to large masses
of valuable securities gives us for the
first time some indication of motive
for the crime"
Sherlock Holmes face showed that