The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-07-05
ADVENTURE XIV.
The Final Problem.

singular gifts by which my friend Mr..
Sherlock Holmes was distinguished
In an incoherent and, as I deeply feel,
an entirely inadequate fashion, have
endeaverode to give some account of
my strange experiences in his company
from the chance which first brought us
together at the period Of the "Study
in Scarlet up to the time of his in
reference in the matter of the "Naval
Treaty an interference which had
the unquestionable effect of preventing
serious international complication.
1t was my intention to have stopped
there, and to have said nothing of that
event which has created void in my
life which the lapse of two years has
done little to fill. Ny hand has been
forced, however, by the recent letters
in which Colonel James Moriarty de-
tends the memory of his brother, and
| have no choice but to lay the facts
before the public exactly as they oc
cured. I alone know the absolute
truth of the matter, and I am satisfied
that the time has come when no good
purpose is to be served by its suppress
sion. AS far as I know, there have
been only three accounts in the public
press: that in the Journal de Geneve
on May 9th, 1891, the Reuters dis
patch in the English papers on May 7,
and finally the recent letters to which
/ have alluded. Of these the first and
second were extremely condensed, while
the last is, as I shall now show, an alb
solute .perversion' of the facts. It lies
with me to tell for the first time what
really. took place between Professor
Moriarty and Mr.. Sherlock Holmes.
1t may be remembered that after nv
marriage, and my subsequent start in
private practice, the very intimate re-
lations which had existed between
Holmes and myself became to some ex-
tent modified. He still came to me
from time to time when he desired a.
companion in his investigations, but
these occasions grew more and more
seldom, until I find that in the year
IS9O there were only three cases Of
which l retain any record. During the
winter OF that year and the early spring
OF 1891, saw in the. papers that he
had been engaged by the French gov
eminent upon matter of supreme i'm
portance, and received two notes
from Holmes, dated from Narbonne
and from Mines, from which I gath
cred that his stay in France was likely
70 be long one. It was with some
surprise, therefore, that I saw him
walk into my consulting-room upon the
evening of April "a. It struck me that
re was looking even paler and thinner
than usual. -. < :: g. - -
: Yes, l have been using myself ur
rather too freely he remarked. il
answer to my look rather than to my
words; II have been a little pressed NJ
iate: Have you any objection to my
closing your shutters9n
The only light in the room came from
the lamp upon the table at which
had been reading. Holmes edged hi
way round the wall, and f1inging tn,
shutters together, he bolted them Sc
eurely.
You are afraid of somethinpq,
asked H.,
Well, I ann
"Of what9''
"Of air-guns."
my dear Holmes, what do M,
nlean?'' ' 'o'
think that you know mo wo1
enough, Watson, to understand thai
am oy no means nervous man. A
the same time, it is stupidity ratbe
than courage to refuse to recooniz
Danger when it is close upon vo,,
Might | trouble you for
matchs' He drew in the smoke q
nls cigarette as if the soothing inf,
ence was grateful to him.
'l must apologize for calling 9
late,' said he, "and I must firth -
peg you TO be so unconventional as +
allow me to leave your house PRESENT.
py scrambling over your back garde
wall -
But what does it all meanqu
asked . 80,
lie held out his hand, and I saw !
the light of the lamp that two of hi
Knukles were burst and bleeding.
Its not an airy nothing, you see.
said he, smiling. con the contrar,
IL is solid enough for a man to brea
has hand over. Is Mrs. Watson in9''
She is away upon VISIT
Indeed! You are alone9',
Quite
Then it makes it the easier for m
to propose that you should come ava
with me for week to the continent.
II" Where9"
"Oh, anywhere. It's all the san
to me. -
There was something very strange j
all this. 1t was not Holmes nature /
take an aimless holiday, and somethin
about his pale, worn face told me tn;
his nerves were at their highest te
sion. He saw the question in my eye
and, putting his finger tips togeth
and his elbows upon his knees, he e.
planned the situation.
81 You have probably never heard
Professor Moriarty9" said he.
Never
rs Aye, there's the genius and Il
wonder of the thing!'' he cried. sTl
San pervades London, and no one h
,saeard of him. That's what puts hi
oil q pinnacle in the records of Grim
NIEtel1 you, Watson, in all seriousness
that if could beat that man, if