The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-05-07

think that your course of action ia
an eAeelleht one Meanwhile, Hope,
we cannot neglect all our other du-
ties on account of this one misfor
tune should there be any fresh de-
Velopments during the dav We shall
communicate with YOU and vm, viii
no doubt let us know the results of
your own inquiries
The two statesmen bowed and
walked gravely from the room.
W men our illustrious visitors had de-
parted Holmes lit his pipe in silence,
anu sat Tor some time lost in the deep
est thought | had opened the morning
paper and was immersed In sensa
tional crime which had occurred in
London the night before, when my
friend gave an exclamation sprang to
MS feet and laid his pipe down upon
the mantelpiece
Yes, said he there is no better
way OF approaching it. The situation
Is desperate, but not hopeless. Even
now II we could be sure which of
them has taken it, it is lust possible
that 1t has not vet passed out of his
hands. After all it is a question of
money with these fellows, and | have
the British treasury behind me- II
1t $ on the market I'll buy tiff it
means another penny on the income
tax. 1t is conceivable that the fellow
might hold 1t back to see what bids
come from this side before he tries his
luck on the. other. There are only
those three capable Of playing so bold
gaine-there are Oberstein, La Roth
iere, and Eduardo Lucas. l will see
each of Them
| glanced at my morning paper.
rs that Eduardo Lucas of Godol-
phin street?".
Yes"
you will not see him."
why not?"
He was murdered in his house last
night"
My friend has so often astonished
me in the course of our adventures
that it was with a sense of exulta-
ton that | realized how eompltely /
had astonished him. He stared in
amazement, and then snatched the
paper from my hands. This was the
paragraph which | had been engaged
i'm reading when he rose from his
chair.
MURDER IN WESTMINSTER.
crime Of mysterious character was
committed last night at is, Godolphin
street, one of the od-fashioned and
secluded rows of eighteenth century
houses which lie between the river
and the Abbey almost in the shadow
of the great Tower of the Houses of
Parliament. This small but select
mansion has been inhabited for some
years by Mr.. Eduardo Lucas, well
known in society circles both on ac-
count of his charming personality and
because he has the well-deserved repu-
tation of being one of the best amateur
tenors in the country. Mr. Lucas is an
age. and his establishment consists Of
Mrs. Pringle, an elderly housekeeper,
and of Milton. his valet. The former
retires early and sleeps at the top of
the house. The valet was out for the
evening, visiting a friend AT Hammer
smith. From ten o'clock onward Mr..
Lucas had the house to himself What
occurred during that time has not yet
transpired, but at u quarter to twelve
Police Constable Barrett, passing
along Goldolphn street, observed that
the door of No. IL was AGAR He
Knocked, but received no answer. Per-
ceiving light in the front room, he
advanced into the passage and again
knocked. but without reply. He then
pushed open the door and entered
The room was in a state of wild dis
order, the furniture being all swept to
ott SibS' anu bilt tldlI lNlIB on It's
back in the center. Beside this chair.
and still grasping one of its legs, lay
the unfortunate tenant of the house.
He had been stabbed to the heart and
must have died instantly The knife
with which the crime had been COM
mitted was curved Indian dagger,
pluced down from a trophy of Oriental
arms which adorned one of the walls.
Robbery does not appear to have been
the motive of the crime, for their had
been no attempt to remove the valua-
bic contents of the ROOM Mr. Eduar-
do Lucas was so well known and pop
ular that his violent and mysterious
fate will arouse painful interest and in
tense sympathy in a widespread circle
of friends.
We'll. Watson, what do you make
of this?' asked Holmes, after a long
pause.
1T is an amazing coincidence
"a coincidence! Here is one of the
three men whom we had named as pos
sible actors in this drama, and he
meets violent death during the very
hours when we know that that drama
was being enacted. The odds are enor-
nous against it's being coincidence.
No figures could impress them. No,
my dear Watson. the two events are
connected-must be connected. 1t is
for us to find the connection"
But now the official police must
know all
Not at all. They know all they see
at Goldolphin street. They know
and shall know-nothng of Whitehall
Terrace Only we know of both events.
and can trace the relation between
them. There is one obvious point
which would, in any case have turned
my suspicious against Lucas. Godol-
phin street Westminster. is only a few
minutes walk from Whitehall Ter