The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-07-07

a dangerous homicdal lunatic with Ma
last night. 1t will be useful for his
article"
Lestrade stared
you don't seriously believe that?"
Holmes smiled
Don't 1? Well. perhaps | don't, but
| am sure that it will interest Mr..
Horace Harker and the subscribers of
the Central Press syndicate. Now,
Watson. | think that we shall find that
we have a long and rather complex
days work before us. | should be
glad Lestrade, if you could make it
convenient to meet us at Baker street
at 6 o'clock this evening. Until then
| should like to keep this photograph
found in the dead mans pocket. 1t is
possible that ! may have to ask your
company and assistance upon a small
expedition which will have to be I'M
dertaken tonight if my chain of rea-
soning should prove to be correct. I'm
til then, goodby and good luck"
Sherlock Holmes and | walked to-
gether to the High street, where we
stopped at the shop of Harding Bros,
whence the bust had been purchased.
A young assistant Informed us that
Mr.. Harding would be absent until
after noon and that he was himself
a newcomer who could give us no in
formation. Holmes face showed his
disappointment ana annoyance
well, well, we can't expect to have
it all our own way, Watson he said at
last. I'VE must come back in the aft
ernoon, if Mr.. Harding will not be here
until then. am, as you have no doubt
surmised, endeavoring to trace these
busts to their source in order to find if
there is not something peculiar which
may account for their remarkable fate.
Let us make for Mr. Morse Hudson of
the Remington road and see if he can
throw any light upon the problem"
\ drive of an hour brought US to the
picture dealers establishment He was
Il small, stout man, with red face ana
peppery manner.
"Yes, sir. On my very counter. sir"
said he what we pay rates and
taxes for don't know, when any ruff
fan can come in and break ones
goods Yes, sir, it was l who sold DR..
Barnicot his two statues. Disgraceful,
sir! \ nihilist plot-thats what l
make it. No one but an anarchist
would go about breaking statues. Red
republicanS-thats what | call 'em.
Who did l get the statues from? /
don't see what that has to do with it.
Well, if you really want to know, l
got them from Geldcr & Co, in Church
street, Stepney. They are a we'll
known house in the trade and have
been this twenty years. How many
had /: Three-two and one are three
two of DR.. Barnicot's and one smash
ed in broad daylight on my own count
er. Do l know that photograph? No,
l don't Yes. l do though Why, it's
Beppo He was kind of Italian piece
work man. who made himself useful in
the shop. lie could carve Il bit and
gid ana frame and do odd jobs The
heard nothing of him since. No, l
cont know where he came from nor
where he went to. ! bad nothing
a@ inst him while he was here He
}2 gone two days before tn bust was
mashed"
well. that's al we could rea soaably
expect from }orsc HURON" said
Holmes As we emerged from the shop.
we have this Bepno AZ a common
factor, both III Remington and in Ken
sington, so that is worth Il. ten mile
drive Now. Watson. let us make for
Gelder x GO. OF Stepney. the source
and origin of the buSts. l shall be sur
prised if we don't get some help down
there"
In rapid succession we passed
through the fringe of fashionable Lon
q l. hotel London, theatrical London,
literary London. commercial London,
and, finally, maritime London. till we
came to Il riverside city of 100000
souls, where the tenement houses swell
ter and reek with the outcasts of Eu-
rope. Here. in broad thoroughfare.
once the abode of wealthy city mer-
chants, we found the sculpture works
for which we searched Outside was a
considerable yard full OF monumental
masonry. Inside was a large room in
which fifty workers were carving or
molding. The manager, big blond
German, received us civilly and gave
a clear answer to all Holmes ques-
tons. A reference to his books showed
that hundreds of casts had been taken
from a marble copy of Devine's head of
Napoleon. but that the three which had
been sent to Morse Hudson year or
so before had been half of batch of
six. the other three being sent to Hard
ing Bros. of KenSington. There was no
reason why those six should be differ
ent from any of the other casts. He
could suggest no possible cause why
any one should wish to destroy them
in fact. he laughed at the idea. Their
wholesale price was shillings but the
retailer would get l. or more. The
cast was taken in two molds from
each side of the face, and then these
two profiles of plaster of paris were
| Joined together to make the complete
bust. The work was usually done by
Italians in the room we We're in. When
finished the busts were put on a table
in the passage to dry and afterward
stored. That was all he could tell us
But the production of the photograph
had remarkable effect upon the man.