The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-04-22
| cap which lies upon the pavement be-

that no, one can pass him
without observing him. A shock of
orange hair, q pale face, disfgured by
q horrible scar, which, by its contrac-
ton has turned up the outer edge Of !
his upper lip, bulldog chin and pair
of very penetrating dark eyes, which
present q singular contrast TO the color
amid the common crowd Of mendicants,
and so, too, does his wit, for he is ever
ready with reply to any piece of
chaf which may be thrown at him by
the passerby. This is the man whom
we now learn to have been the 4lodger
ut the opium den and to have been
the last man to see the gentleman Of
whom we are in quest.
sBut a cripplel'' said I. HWhat
could he have done single-handed
against man in the prime of lifeg'
walks with limp; but in other re.
spects he appears to be powerful and
well-nurtured man. Surely your medi-
cal experience would tell you, Wat
son, that weakness in one limb is often
compensated for byexceptional strength
in the others. -
"Pray continue your narrative"
"Mrs. St. Clair had tainted at the
sight of the blood upon the window,
by the police, as her presence could be
Of no help to them in their investiga-
tions Inspector Barton, who had charge
of the case, made very careful ex-
animation Of the premises, but without
finding anything which htrew any light
upon the matter. One mistake had been
made in not arresting Boone instantly,
as he was allowed some few minutes
during which he might have communl-
No bss frtonA tho soar blIt
this fault was soon remedied, and he
was seized and searched, without any
thing being found which would incriln-
mate him. There were, it is true, some
blood-stains upon his right shirt-sleeve,
but he pointed to his ring finger, which
had been cut near the nail, and ex-
planned that the bleeding came
from there, adding that he had been
to the window, not long before, and that
there came doubtless from the same
source. He denied strenuously having
ever seen Mr.. Neville St. Clair, and
swore that the presence Of the clothes
in his room was as much mystery to
him as to the police. AS to Mrs. st..
Clair's assertion that she had actually
seen her husband at the window, he
declared that she must have been either
mad or dreaming. He was removed,
loudly protesting, to the police station,
while the inspector remained upon the
premises in the hope that the. ebblng
tide might afford some fresh clew.
"And it did, tho they hardly found
upon the mudbank what they feared TO
find. It was Neville st. Clair $ coat,
and not Neville St.. Clair, which lay IN
covered as the tide receded. And what
do you think they found in the peck
etsf'' ,.>
1T cannot imagine"
"No, I don't think you would guess:
Every pocket stuffed with pennies and
half-Pennies-421 pennies and 27o half;
aof human nesn SS body i is diferent maver
, There is a fierce eddy between the
wharf and the house. It seemed likely
enough that the weighted coat had
remained when the stripped body. had
been sucked away into the river.
"But understand that all the other
clothes were found in the room. Would
the body be dressed in coat aloneG'
: ono, sir, but the facts might be met
! speciously enough. Suppose that this
man Boone had thrust Neville St. Clai,
! thru the window, there is no human eye
which could have seen the deed: What
would he do then7 It would Of course
instantly strike him that he must get
rid Of the tell-tale garments. He woult
seize the coat, then, and be In the ac1
Of throwing it out, when it would occur
to him that it would swim and not sink
He has little time, for he has heard TIL
scuffle downstairs when the wife triet
to force her way up, and perhaps n
has already heard from his Lascar con
federate that the police are hurryinf
up the street. There is not an instan
to be lost. He rushes to some secre
= horde, where he has accumulated tn
fruits Of his beggary, and he stuffs al
the coins upon which he can lay nj
hands into the pockets to make sur
out, and would have done the sam
with the other garments had not h
heard the rush Of steps below, and onl.
just had time to close the window whe'
: the police appeared. -
cit certainly sounds feasible
l "Well, we will take it as workin
. hypothesis for want Of better. Boone
as T have told you, was arrested; an
] taken to the station, but it could no
, been anything against him. He had 70
!, years been known as a professional bee
: gar, but his life appeared to have bee
r very quiet and innocent one. Their
: the matter stands at present, and tn
l questions which have to be solved
|, what Neville St. Clair was doing in tn
Q opium den, what happened to him whe
8 there, where is he now, and what Hug
Boone had to do with his disappearance
a are all as far from a solution as eve
9 confess that I cannot recall any cas-
b within my experience which looked
J, the first glance SO simple, and ye
! which presented such difficulties
f While Sherlock Holmes had been d.
s failing this singular series Of event
8 we had been whirling thru the outskir1
t OF the great town until the last stra.
: Cling houses had been left behind, an
t we ratified along with country hede
s upon either side Of US. just as he fl
Q ished, however, we drove thru two sea
y tered villages where few lights sti
Y glimmered in the windows.
:. sWe are on the outskirts Of Lee,
o said nv companion. eve have touche
II on three English counties in our sho
o drive, starting in Middlesex, passir
8, over an angle Of Surrey, and endir
IS in Kent, See that light among II
o trees9 That is sThe Cedars,' and
y side that lamp sits woman who
Y, anxious ears have already, have lit
n doubt, caught the clink Of our horse
e. feet. -
e, "But why are you not conducting Il
i case from Baker street?'' asked.
2, Because there are many inquiri
c. which must be made out here. Mrs.
# Clair has most kindly put two roor
at my disposal, and you may rest q
+. sured that she will have nothing b
% welcome for my friend and coleagu
n, I hate to meet her, Watson, when I ha
N no news Of her husband. Here we al
le Whoa. there. whoa! -