Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1906-06-28
ADVENTURE OF THE SIX
NAPoLEoNs.-continued.


Itreet, a quiet little backwater just be-
tide one of the briskest currents of
london life. No. 131 was one of a row,
Ill f1at-chested, respectable, and most
lnromantic dwellings,. AS we drove up,
We found the ratings in front OF the
| house lined by a curious crowd. Holmes
vhistled.
by George. it's attempted murder at
he least. Nothing less will hold the
london message boy. There's deed
If violence indicated in that fellows
| 'ound shoulders and out-stretched neck.
What's this, Watson? The top steps
;willed down and the other ones dry.
Footsteps enough. anyhow! Well. we'll,
here's Lestrade at the front window,
and we shall soon know all about it.
The official received us with u very
grave face and showed us into a sitting
soon. where an exceedingly unkempt
and agitated elderly man. clad in a
flannel dressing gown, was pacing up
and down. He was introduced to us as
he owner of the house-Horace Hank
II. of the Central Press syndicate.
Its the Napoleon bust business
lgain." said Lestrade. i'ou seemed
Interested last night, Mr.. Holmes, SO l
thought perhaps you would be glad to
De present now that the affair has TAX
N u very much graver turn"
What has it turned to, then?"
TO murder. Mr.. Harker, will you
ell these gentlemen exactly what has
occurred?"
The man in the dressing gown turned
lpon us with a most melancholy face.
Its an extraordinary thing said he,
that all my life l have been collecting
,ther peoples news, and now that Il
ZEAL piece of news has come my own
way / am so confused and bothered
hat l can't put two words together. If
:. had come i'll here as a journalist, l
should have interviewed myself and
lad two columns in every evening pa
GER. AS it is. l ann giving away valu-
able copy by telling my story over and
over to u string of different people, and
! [ can make no use of it myself. How
ever, I've heard your name, MIR. SHEER
| ock Holmes, and if you'll only explain
his queer business, l shall be paid for
NY trouble IN telling you the story"
| Holmes sat down and listened
ut ALL seems to center round that
Dust of Napoleon which / bought for
his very room about four months ago.
| { picked it up cheap from Harding
| Brothers two doors from the High
Street station. A great deal of my
iornalistic work is done at night, and
[ often write until the early morning.
So it was today. WAS sitting in my
len, which is at the back of the top
| Of the house, about 8 O'Clock, when
was convinced that heard some
sounds downstairs. / listened, but they
were not repeated. and concluded
chat they came from outside Then
suddenly, about five minutes later
here came a most horrible yell--the
most dreadful sound, Mr.. Holmes that
ever l heard 1t will ring in my ears
as long as l live. l sat frozen with
\ l,nr fnr to f,t,n
seized the poker and went downstairs
When l entered this room ] found the
window wide open, and / at once OBJ.
served that the bust was gone from
the mantelpiece. Why any burglar
should take such thing passes my
understanding, for it was only 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 tax.
| ing a 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 {;
dead man, VINO was lying there. i rar
back for a light, and there was tn,
poor fellow, a great cash in his throa
and the whole place swimming ii
blood. He lay on his back, his knee.
drawn up, and his mouth horribly open
I shall see him in my dreams. / hat
i just time to blow ca my police whistle
and then | must have tainted, for
knew nothing more until | found th1
policeman standing over me in tn,
hall"
"Wan who was the murdered man q
asked Holmes.
There's nothing to show who h.
| was" said Lestrade. You shall sc,
the body at the mortua-5, but we have
made nothing of it up to now. He is
I tall man, sunburned, very powerful
not more than 30. He is poorly dressed
! and yet does not appear to be a la
borer. A horn handled clasp knife WA
| lying in a pool of blood beside him
| Whether it was the weapon which di,
the deed. or whether it belonged to TIN
dead man. l do not know. There wa
no name on his clothing, and nothing
| i'm his pockets save an apple. som
string. a shilling map of London am
a photograph. Here it is"
1t was evidently taken by snap-sho
from small camera. 1t represents a.
alert. sharp-feat,lred smian man. Wit
thick eyebrows and a very peculia
projection of the lower part of the face
like the muzZle of a baboon.
And what became of the bust?
| asked Holmes, after u careful study o
this picture.
I'VE had news of it just before yo
came. 1t has been found IN the from
garden of an empty house T., Campde
House road. III was broken into fraa
ments. | am going round now to Sc
it. Will Won Gomez"
Certainly. I must inst take one loo
around" A.. examined the ,,arnet an
the window. The fellow had eithe
very long legs or was a most activ
man" said he, with an area hene;,tt
4 ii was no mean feat 10 roach thai win
dow ledge and omen thar wtndow C.at
1 ting back was comnarativelv simnl
Are YOU coming with us to see the re
mains of vour bust. Mr. Harkero"
The disconsolate to,1rnalist bad so,t