The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-06-29
xIii-THE ADVENTURE OF THE SIX
Observation-Disclosures. .

OF violence lnQlCaleu III that le.lOW :
round shoulders and out-stretched neck.
What's this, Watson? The top steps
swilled down and the other ones dry.
Footsteps enough, anyhow! Well. we'll,
there's Lestrade at the front window,
we shall soon know all about it,
The official received us with q very
grave face and showed us into a sitting
room, where an exceedingly unkempt
and agitated elderly man., clad in a
dannel dressing gown, was pacing up
and down. He vas 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 I
be present now that the affair has TAX
en- a very much graver turn"
What has 1t turned to, them"
Z 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 face.
Its an extraordinary thing" said he,
THAT all my life I have been collecting
other peoples news, and now that a
q piece of news has come my own
way I am 81 confused and bothered
that I can't put w words together. If
I had come in here as a journalist, I
rOkAOVlO IldSC llllClfSl u MCu lily sell dllu
q two columns in every evening pa
per. As 1t Is, I am giving away valu-
able copy by telling my story over Ind
over to a string of different people, and
q can maxi no use Of 1t myself. How
ever, I've heard your NAME, Mr.. Sher-
heck Holmes, and If you'll only explain
this queer business, I shall be paid for
my trouble in telling you the story"
Holmes sat down and listened.
Ky e<ff all znoar q In ecpnfnr round %lot
bust of Napoleon which I bought for
This very room about foul months ago.
I picked 1t up cheap from Harding
Brothers two doors from the High
Street station. A great deal of my
-3ornalistic work Is done at light, and
q often write until the early morning.
80 1t was today. I was sitting in my
den. which is at the back of the top
OF the house, about 3 o'clock, when /
convinced that I heard some
sounds downstairs. / listened, but they
were not repeated, and I concluded
that they came from outside. Their
suddenly. about five minutes later,
most dreadful sound, Mr.. Holmes, that
ever I heard. 1t will ring in my ears
las long AS I live. I sat frozen with
horror for a minute or two. Then /
seized the poker and went downstairs.
When I entered this room I found the
window wide open, n I at once OBJ
sserved that the bust was gone from
uaaouid take such a thing passes my
understanding, for 1t was only a. plas-
Ter cast, and Of no real value whatever.
YouGcan see for yourself that anyone
going out through that open window
could reach the front doorstep by talk
sing a long stride. This was clearly
what the burglar had done, so I went
irOuud and opened the door,. Stepping
into the dark, I nearly fell over a
Head man, who was lying there. 1 ran
sbacd for a light, mi there was the
lpoOr fellow, a great cash in his throat
and the whole place swimming in
blood. He lay on his back, his knees
II shall see him in my dreams. I had
Gust time to blow on my police whistle,
sand then / must have tainted, for /
knew nothing more until I found the
policeman standing over me in the
well. who was the murdered man?'
asked Holmes.
There'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
TALL man.. sunburned, very powerful.
not more than 30. He is poorly dressed,
and yet does not appear to be a la
S1E ~ CldSp hllllS WAS
lying In a pool of blood beside him.
Whether 1t was the weapon which did
h deed, or whether 1t belonged to the
lead man, 1 do not know. There was
20 name OF his clothing, and nothing
In his pockets save an apple, some
string, a shilling map of London and
= photograph. Here 1t Is"
e was evidently taken by a snapshot
from a email camera. 1t represents an
alert. sharp-featured simian a 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 busf?"
asked Holmes, after a careful study OF
This picture.
I'VE al news Of it just before you
came. It q been found in the front
garden Of an empty house in Campden
House road. It was broken into frag-
xnents I am going round now to see
It. Will you come?"
/ 4Eertainly. 1 must just AXE one look
H examined the carpet and
h window. The fellow had either
very long legs or was a most active
man" said he. Wit an area beneath.
twas no mean feat to reach that Win
dow ledge and open that window. Get
Ting back was comparatively simple.
ARE you coming with US to see the re-
mains Of your bust, Mr., Harker?"
w Jodil 4 q seat.
ed himself at a writing table.
Il must try and make something of
Y" said he, though / have no doubt
that the first editions of the evening
papers are out already with full de-
calls. It's like my luck! You remember
when the stand fell at D%oncaster? Well,
yas the only Journalist in the stand,
and my journal the only one that had
no account of it. for l was too shaken
% wstte 1T. And now I'll be too late
With a murder done on my own door
step,
As we left the room, we heard his pen
shrilly over the foolscap.
The spot where the fragments Of the
bust had been found was only a hun
Sdred yards away. For the first time
our eyes rested upon this presentment
oG the great emperor. which seemed to
raise such frantic and destructive
hatred In the mind Of the unknown. It
ny scattered. in splintered shards, upon
the grass. Holmes picked up several
e the and examined them carefully. I
xEAs convinced, from his intent face and
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