Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-02-16

/ ALB nan NNili Ddi6A H. SAldi "a tbASIdNNAA
esq, Sherpur and Cabul. Author Of
Heavy Game OF the Western Himalay-
as (1S81); Three Months in the Jun
GLE QS84). Address, Conduit street.
Clubs, the Ang~lo-Indian the Tanker
vile. the Bagatelle Card club"
on the margin was written, In
Holmes precise hand: The second
most dangerous man in London"
This is astonishing" said l. as L
handed back the volume. THE mans
career is that Of an honorable soldier"
1T is true" Holmes answered. UP
TO a certain point he did we'll. He was
always a man OF iron nerve, and the
story is still told in India how he
crawled dow a drain after n wounded
~man-eating tiger. There are some trees,
Watson, which grow TO a certain height,
and then suddenly develop some an
slightly eccent.icity. You will see 1t
often in humans. | have a theory that
the individual represents in his de-
velopment the whole procession Of his
ancestors, and hat such a sudden turn
to good or evil stand for some strong
influence which came into the line of
his pedigree. The person becomes, as
ii were, the epitome of the history Of
his own family"
1T is surely rather fanciful."
We'll, / don't insist upon it.. What.
ever the cause, Colonel Moran began
to go wrong. Without any open scan
dal, he still made India too hot TO hold
him. He retired, came to London, n
again acquired an evil name. 1t was
at this time that he was sought out by
Professor Moriarity, to whom for a
time he was chief of staff. MoTiarity
supplied him literally with money and
used him only in one or two very nigh
class jobs, which no ordinary criminal
could ave undertaken. You may have
some recollection of the death of Mrs.
Stewart, of Lauder, in 1887. Not?
Well, | am sure Moran was at the bot
tom Of it, but nothing could be proved.
So cleverly was the colonel concealed,
that, even when the Moriarity gang
was broken up. we could not incrim-
mate him. You remember at that
date. when I called upon you In your
rooms, how l put up the shutters for.
fear of air-guns? No doubt you thought
me fanCiful. | knew exactly What l
was doing. for I knew of the existence
of this remarkable gun, and / knew also
that one of the best shots in the world
would be behind it. When we were In
Switzerland he followed us with MORT
arity, and 1t was undoubtedly he who
gave me hat evil five minutes on the
Reichenbach ledge.
You may think that l read the
papers with some attention during my
sojourn in France, on the lookout for
n chance Of laying him by the heels.
So Ions as he was free in London, my
life would really not nave been worth
living. Night and day the shadow
would have been over me, and sooner
or later his chance must have come.
What could l do? l could not shoot
him at sight, or l should myself be in
the dock. There was no use appealing
to q magistrate. They cannot inter-
fere on the strength of what would APP
pear to them to be a wild suspicion.
So / could do nothing. But I watched
the criminal news, knowing that soon
er or later / should get him. Then
came the death Of this Ronald Adair.
My chance had come at last. Knowing
what l did, was II not certain that
Colonel Moran had done it? He had
played cards with the lad, he had fol-
lowed him home from the club, he had
shot him through the open window.
There was not a doubt of 1t. The bull
let's alone are enough to put his head
in a moose. / came over at once. |
was seen by the sentinel, who would.
/ knew, direct the colonel attention
to my presence. He could not fail to
connect my sudden return with his
crime, and to be terribly alarmed. l
was sure that he would make an at
tempt to get me out of the way at once,
and would bring round his murderous
Weapon for that purpose. l left him an
excellent mark in the window, and.
having warned the police that they
might be needed-by the way. Watson,
you spotted their presence in that
doorway with unerring accuracy
took up what seemed to be a judicious
post for observation, never dreaming
that he would choose the same spot
for his attack. Now, my dear Watson.
does anything remain for me TO ex-
plain.
Yes" said l. You have not made
l = - rI
motive in numbering the Honorable
Ronald Adair?"
"Ah! my dear Watson, there we come
into those realms of conjecture, where
the most logical mind may be at fault.
Each may form his own hypothesis
upon the present evidence, and yours
is as likely to be as correct as mine"
"You have formed one, them"
Il think that il is not difficult to
explain the facts. 1t came out in evil
dence that Colonel Moran and young
Adair had, between them, won a con-
siderable amount of money. Now,
Moran undoubtedly played foul-of
that / have long been aware. | be-
lieve that on the day of the muraer
Adair had discovered that Moran was
cheating. Very likely he had spoken to
him privately, and had threatened to
expose him unless he voluntarily re-
signed his membership of the club,
and promised not to play cards again.
1t is unlikely that a youngster like
Adair would at once make a hideous
scandal by exposing a we'll known man
so much older than himself. Probably
he acted as l suggest. The exclusion
from his clubs would mean ruin TO
Moran, who lived by his ill-gotten
card gains. He therefore murdered
Adair, who at the time was ~endeavor-
ing to work out how much non he
should himself return. since he could
not profit by his partners foul play.
He locked the Dol lest the aides
should surprise him and insist upon
Knowing what he was doing with these
names and coins. Will II pass?"
Il have no doubt that you have hit
upon the truth"
1T will be verified or disproved at
the trial. Meanwhile, come what may,
Colonel Moran will trouble us no more.
The famous air-gun will embellish the
Scotland Yard museum, and once more
Mr.. Sherlock Holmes is free to devote
his life TO examining those interesting
little problems which the complex life
of London SO plentifully presents
Continued Next Week.
Eade of Tho weai{bv