The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1906-06-28
Vfit-THE ADVENTURE OF TIE SIX
Observation-Disclosures.

eide one of the bTiSkeSt currents o
London life. No. 13l was M Of a row
all nat-chested, respectable, and mos
sunromantic dwellings,. AS we drove up
we found the ratings in front Of The
house lined by Il curious crowd. Holmes
whistled.
"By George! it's attempted murder n
fhe least. Nothing less will hold the
London message boy. There's Il deco
of violence indicated in that fellows
round shoulders and out-stretched neck
What's this, watson? The top steps
4swilled down and the other ones dry
Footsteps enough, anyhow. We'll, well
there's Aestrade at the front window
In we shall soon know all about it.
The official received US with q very
grave face and showed us into a sitting
Don where an exceedingly unkemp;
and agitated elderly man, clad in d
flannel dressing gown, was pacing VI
In down. He was introduced to us rs
che owner OF the house-IIoraCe Hank
or, OF the Contra Press syndicate.
IT'S the Napoleon bust business
again. said Lestrade. you seemed
interested last night, Mr.. Holmes, sc
thought perhaps you would be glad to
be present now that the affair has talk
el a very much graVer turn"
what has it turned 10, them"
ITO murder. Mi. Harller, will you
tell these gentlemen exactly what has
occurred"
The man in the dressing gown turned
upon us with a most melancholy face.
IT'S an extraordinary thing" said he,
sfthat all my life l have been collecting
other peoples news, and nov that n
real piece of news has come my own
way L am so confused and bothered
that 1 can't put two words together. If
7 had come in here as u journalist, /
should have interviewed myself and
had two columns in every evening pa
per. AS it is, I 4 am giving away valu-
able copy by telling my story over and
ave to n string of different people, and
i can make no use Of 1t myself. How
ever, I've heard o 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"
HolnIeG sat down and listened.
lit all seems to center round that
bust of Napoleon which / bought for
this very room about four months ago.
1 picked it up cheap from Harding
Brothers two doors from the High
Street station. A great deal of my
.5orualistic work is done at night, and
j often write until the early morning.
So it was today. l was sitting in my
den, which is at the back of the top
uf the house, about 8 o'clock, when I
was convinced that l heard some
sounds downstairs. l listened, but they
Were not repeated, and I concluded
that they came from outside. Then
suddenly, about five minutes later,
there came q most horrible yell-the
dreadful sound, Mr.. Holmes, that
ever L heard. 1t will ring in my ears
8 long as / live. l sat frozen with
horror for a minute or two. Then T
seized the poker and went downstairs.
b I entered this room 1 found the
window wide open, and l at once OBJ
served that the bust was gone from
the nlantelpiece. Why any burglar
should take such a thing passes my
understanding, for it was only a plas-
Ter cast, and of no real value whatever.
Ion can see for yourself that anyone
Eoing out through thai open window
sEanla reach the front doorstep by tax
jSrig a long stride. This was clearly
what the burglar had done. SO went
rround and opened the door. Stepping
saut into the dark, I nearly fell over a
dead man, who was lying there. T ran
back for a light, n there was the
fellow, q great cash in his throat
Rnd the whole place swimming in
blood. He lay IN his back, his knees
drawn up, and his mouth horribly open.
"a shall see him in my dreams. I had
.3ust time to blow on, my police whistle,
sand then l must have tainted, for /
knew nothing more until / found the
policeman standing over me in the
tIlall."
We'll, who was the murdered man?"
asked Holmes.
There's nothing to show who he
said Lestrade. You shall see
the body at the mortuary, but we have
made nothing Of it up to now. He is a
tall nan s%unburned, very powerful.
r1nf moro thai an Ha fc Y,nn,I,v' = o,.,
and yet does not appear to be a la
borer. a horn-handled clasp knife was
lying in a pool of blood beside him.
Whether it was the weapon which did
h deed, or whether it belonged to the.
dead man, I 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
q photograph. Here it is"
1t was evidently taken by a snapshot
arom a small camera 1t represents an
alert, sha~rp-featured simian man., with
thick eyebrows and a very peculiar
protection of the lower part of the face,
Hike h muzzle of a baboon.
And what became of the bust?"
asked Holmes, after a careful study Of
1his picture.
had news of 1t just before you
care. 1t has been found in the front
garden of an empty house in Carapden
blouse road. 1t was broken into frag-
n1ents: am going round now to see
1f. VIII you Gomez"
certainly. I must just take one look
He examined the carpet and
p window The fellow had either
VeTIT long legs or was a most active
E,aan," said he. with an area beneath,
at vas no mean feat to reach that win
dow edge ana open that window. Get
aing back was comparatively simple.
ARE you coming with us to see the re-
EEnaII1s OF your bust, Mr., Harlses ?''
The d~isconsolate journalist had seat
60 himself at a writing table.
q must try and make something Of
II SAID he, though I have no doubt
THAT first editions of the evening
papers are out already with full de-
Sails. It's like my luck, You remember
when the stand fell at Doncaster? we'll,
Z was the comfy journalist in the stand.
End my Journal the only one that had
no account OF 1t, forsI was too shaken
TO Write 1t. And now I'll be too late
with murder done on my own door
step.
AS We left the room, we heard his pen
Nraveiiag shrillg over the foolscap.
The spot where the fragments Of the
FJsssSf had been found was only a hun
SfFad wards AWAY For tia 6rct +ir,as