The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1906-09-06
BY A. CONAN DOYLE

gether, all of them tinged with wine
and one of them containing some dreGs
of beeswing. The bottle stood near
them, two-thirds full. and beside lay
a long, deeply stained cork. Its APP
pearanca and the dust upo the bottle
showed that was no common vintage
which the murderers had enjoyed.
A change had come over Holmes
manner. He had lost his listless eX-
preston, and again l saw an alert
light of interest in his keen. deep-set
eyes. He raised the cork and examined
it minutely.
Glow did they draw ito" he asked.
Hopkins pointed to a h~alf-opened
drawer. In it lay some table linen and
a large carkscrew.
Did Lady Brackenstall say that
screw was used?'
mo, you remember that she was
senseless at the moment when the bot
tie was opened
quite so. AS n matter of fact, that
screw was not used. This bottle was
opened by a pocket screw. probably
contained in a knife, and not more
than an inch II n half long. II you
will examine the top of the cork, you
will observe that the screw was driven
in three times before the cork was eX-
tracted. 1t has never been transtixed.
This long screw would ave transfiXed
it and drawn it up with a single pull.
When you catch this fellow, YOU will
find thai he has one of these multtpleN
knives in his possession"
EXCELLENT" said Hopkins.
But these glasses do puzzle ne. I
confess. Lady B~rackenstall actually
saw the three men drinking, did she
not?"
Yes: she was clear about that"
Then there is an end of it. What
more is to be said? And yet. you must
admit, that the three glasses are very
remarkable, Hopkins. What? You see
nothing remarkable? Well. we'll. let it
pass. Perhaps, when a man has spe-
cial knowledge and special powers like
my own, 1T rather encourages him TO
seek a complex explanation when a
simpler one is at hand. OF course, it
must be a mere chance about the
glasses. Well, good morning. Hopkins.
| don't see that l car be of any use to
you, and you appear to have YOU case
very clear. You will let me know when
Randall is arrested, and any further de-
velopments which may occur. I trust
that | shall soo have to congratulate
you upon q successful conclusion. Come,
Watson, I fancy that we may employ
ourselves more probably at home"
During our return journey, I could
see by Holmes face that he was much
puzzled by something which he had OBJ
served. Every now and then, by an
effort. he would throw off the impress
sion, and talk as if the matter We're
clear but then his doubts would settle
down upon him ag; III, and his knitted
broWS and distracted eyes would show
that his thoughts had one back once
more to the great dining room of the
Abbey Grange. in hitch this midnight
tragedy had been enacted. At last, by
a sudden impulse, just as our train
VIC q r,.oy ! oCr rN,,t ~F - -
ton, he sprang onto the platform and
pulled me out after him.
Excuse me. my dear fellow" said he,
as we watched the rear carriages of our
train disappearing round a curve, Il
am sorry to make 0 the victim of
what nay seem a mere within, but on
my life, Watson, I simply can't leave
that case in this condition. Every in
stinct that I possess cries out against
it. It's wrong-it's all Wrongful swear
that it's wrong. And yet the lady's
story was complete, the maids corro-
boration was sufficient, the detail was
fairly exact. What have I to put up
against that? Three wineglasses, that
is all. But if I had not taken things
for granted, if I had examined every
thing with care which 1 should have
shown had we approached h case de
noVo and had no cut-and-dried story to
warp my mind, should I not Their have
found something more definite to go
upon? OF course 1 should. Sit down
on this bench, Watson. until a train
for Chfselhurst arrives, and allow me
to lay the evidence ] fore you, implor-
ing you in the first instance to dismiss
from your mind the idea that anything
Which the maid or her mistress may
have said must necessarily be true,
The lady's charming personality must
not be permitted to warp our iude-
ment.
Surely there are details in her story
which, If we looked at II in cold blood,
would excite our suspicion. These
burglars made a considerable haul at
%Sydenham, a fortnight ago. Some ac-
count OF them and of their appearance
was III the papers I'M would naturally
occur to anyone who wished to invent
a story in which imaginary robbers
should play a part. AS a matter Of fact
burglars who have lone a good stroke
OF business are, as a rule, only too glaG
to enjoy the proceeds in peace anc
quiet without embarking on another
perilous undertaking. Again, it is un.
usual for burglars to operate at S,
early an hour, it is unusual for burglar.
to strike a lady to prevent her scream,
ing, since one would imagine that wa.
the sure way to make her scream, it il
unusual for them to commit murde.
when their numbers are sufficient t,
overpower n man, 1t is unusual TO
them to be content with a limited
plumber when there was much NOR
within their reach, and finally, L Shout,
say, that it was very unusual for sucl
men to leave a bottle half empty. HOY
do all these unusuals strike you, Wat
SOM"
"Their cumulative effect is certainl
considerable, and yet each of them i
quite possible in itself. The most I'm
usual thing Of all, as it seems to me
is that the lady should be tied to tn
chair
well, / am not so clear about tha'
Watson. for it is evident that the
must either kill her or else secure he
in such a way that she could not Civ
Immediate notice Of their escape. Blu
at n rate I have shown. have I no
that there is a certain element of i'm
probability about the lady's story? An
now, on the top of this, comes the ir
cident o. the wineglasses."
What about the wineglasses?"
Can you see them n your mind
eye?"
# see them clearly
We are told that three men dram
from them. Does that strike you a
likely?"
Why not! There was wine in eac
glass.
Exactly. but tn was beeswin,
clly in n glass. You must have no
"A ffpad that 20 81 what loo,H