Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-06-29
svIii-THE ADVENTURE OF THE SIX
Observation-Disclosures.

GIIGCtf ~ uulCk baAN So 49,
side one Of the briskest currents OF
London life. No. 13l was one OF a row,
ali ~nat-chested, respectable, and most
unromantic dwellings,. AS we drove up,
we found the ratings in front OF the
house lined by a curious crowd. Holmes
whistled.
ssBy Ceorgel it's attempted murder at
the least. Nothing less will hold the
London message boy. There's a deed
of violence indicated in that fellows
round shoulders and out-stretched neck.
What's this, Watson? The top steps
sswilIed down and the other ones dry
Footsteps enough, anyhow! Well We'll
there's aestrade at the front window,
and we shall soon know ali about it,
The official received US with a very
grave face and SHOWED us into a sitting
room, where an exceedingly unkempt
and agitated elderly nan clad In a
flannel dressing gown, was pacing UP
and down. He was introduced to us as
the owner Of the house-Horace Hark-
,er. OF the Central Press syndicate.
TITS the Napoleon bust business
again" said Lestrade. You seemed
interested last night. Mr.. Holmes, so l
thought perhaps o would be glad to
be present now that the affair has tax
EN- a very much graver turn
What has it turned TO, them"
soro murder. Mr.. Harker, will you
tell these gentlemen exactly what has
.occurred?"
The man In the dressing gown turned
upon us with a most melancholy race.
Its an extraordinary thing" said he,
that all my life l have been collecting
other peoples news, n 10Y that a
real piece of news has come my own
way | am so confused and bothered
that L can't put two words together. If
\ had come in here as a journalist, l
should have interviewed myself and
had two columns In every evening pa
per. As ii is, / am giving away yalu-
able copy by telling my story over and
over to q string Of different people, and
Il can make no use OF IL myself. How
ever I've heard your Name, Mr.. Sher-
lock Holmes, and If you'll only explain
this queer business, l shall be paid for
my trouble in telling you the story"
Holmes sat down and istened.
at all seems to center round hat
bust of Napoleon which | bought for
This very room about four months ago.
L picked 1t up cheap from Harding
Brothers two doors from the High
Street station. A great deal Of my
journalistic work is done at night, n
Il often write until the early morning.
$50 IL was today. 1 was sitting In my
den, which is at the back of the top
OF the house, about 8 o'clock, when l
was convinced that / heard some
sounds downstairs. / listened, but they
were not repeated, and / concluded
that they came from outside. Then
suddenly, about five minutes later,
there came a most horrible ycll-the
most dreadful sound, Mr.. Holmes, that
ever / heard. 1t will ring in my ears
n long as / live. / sat frozen with
horror for a minut or two. Then /
seized the poker and went downstairs.
When ! entered this room / found the
window wide open, and / at once OBJ
served that the bust was gone from
h mantelpiece. Why any burglar
should take such a thing passes my
understanding, for 1t was only a plas-
ter cast, and of no real value whatever.
you can see for yourself that anyone
going out through that open window
could reach the front doorstep by taxi
ang n long stride. This was clearly
what the burglar had done, so l went
round and opened the door. Stepping
out into the dark, / nearly fell over a
dead man, who was lying there. l ran
back E@r a light, and there was the
i. poor fellow, a great cash in his throat
*and the whole place swimming in
Ahlood. He lay on his back, his knees
drawn up. and his mouth horribly open.
n shall see him in my dreams. / had
Just time to blow on my police whistle,
and Their / must have tainted, for /
KNEW nothing more until i u the
policeman standing over me In the
Ehall."
saaked Holmes.
~~rhcre's nothing to show who he
was" said Lestrade. You shall see
the body at the mortuary, but we have
made nothing of 1t up TO now. He is a
tail man, sunburned, very powerful,
not more than so. He Is poorly dressed.
and vet does not appear to be a la
H.-o~ A b~arn-handIad ola Sn knife was
lying in a pool of blood beside him
Whether IL was the weapon which did
the deed, or whether Ii belonged to the
dead man, / do not know. There was
no name on his clothing, and nothing
in his pockets save an apple, some
string. a shilling map of London and
a photograph. Here 1t Is"
II was evidently taken by a snapshot
from a email camera. 1t represents an
alert, sharp-featured simian man, with
thick eyebrows and a very peculiar
projection of the lower part of the face,
Like the muzzle of a baboon.
-And what became of the bust?'
asked Holmes, after a careful study OF
this picture.
w had news OF It just before yov
came. 1t has been found In the fron'
garden of an empty house in Campder
House road. 1t VA broken into frag'
ments. / am going round now to SEQ
IL. Will you Gomez"
Certainly. / must just take one look
around" He examined the carpet and
the window. THE fellow had either
very long legs or was a most active
man. said he. with an area beneath
1T WAS no mean feat to reach that win
dow ledge and open that window. Get
ting bac was comparatively simple
Are you coming with us to see the re
mains of your bust, Mr., Harke-?"
The d~isconsolate journalist had seat
ed himself at a writing table.
II must try and make something o
IT. said he, though I ave no doub
that the first editions OF the evenin,
papers are out already with full de
tails. It's like my luck. You remembe
when the stand fell at Doncaster? Well
Il was the only journalist In the stand
and my journal the only one that ha'
no account OF II, for ! was too shaker
10 write II. And now TIL be too lat
with a murder done on my own door
step
Az we left the room. we heard his pc
travelling shrilly over the foolscap.
The spot where the fragments or tn
Uust had been found was only a hun
bred yards away. For the first tim
onr eyes rested upon this presentmen
Of the great emperor. which seemed I
raise such frantic and destructiv
hatred In the mind Of the !