The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1906-06-28
viiI-THE ADVENTURE OF THE SIX
NAPolEoNs.-co

NAPolEoNs.--continued.
IN half an hour We had reached Pitt
street. a quiet lIttlsrbackwatcr just be-
London life. No. ISL was one OF row.
all fa:-chested. respectable. and most
unromnntic dwellings. As we drove mp.
we found the ratings In front OF the
house lined by curious crowd. Holmes
whistled.
by George. ia attempted murder nj
che least. Nothing less viii hold the
London message boy. There's deed
OF violence Indicated In that fellows
round shoulders and out-stretched neck.
What's this. Watson? The top steps
swilled down and the other ones dry.
Footsteps enough. anyhow Well. well.
there's Lestrade at the front window,
and we shall soon know all about II.
The official received Us with very
grave face and showed US into n sitting
room, where an exceedingly unkempt
and ngitatcd elderly man. clad In
flannel dressing gown, was pacing Up
and down. lie was introduced To US ms
the owner OF the house-tIoracc Hnrk-
or. OF the Central Press syndicate.
tits the Napoleon bust business
again. said Lestrade. You seemed
interested last night. Mr.. Holmes. SO
be present now that the auair has TAX
en n very much grnycr turn"
What has IL turned TO. then?"
ITO murder MIR. Harker. will you
tell these gentlemen exactly what has
pccurrcd?"
The man In the dressing gown turned
upon us with "A most melancholy face.
ITS an extraordinary thing. said he.
shat all my life have been collecting
IA
real piece OF news has come my own
way I am so confused and bothered
that can't put two words together. IL
4 had come In here AS n journalist, i
should have interviewed myself ana
had two columns In every evening pa
per. As Il In. ! am giving away valu-
able copy by telling my story over and
over 20 a string OF different people, and
I can make no use OF IL myself. How
ever. rye heard your name. MIR. Sher-
lock Holmes. and n you'll only explain
this queer business. / shall be paid for
my trouble Ca telling you the story"
Holmes sat down and listened.
1T all seems tn center round that
bust OF Napoleon wnich / bought for
this very room about four months ago.
I picked "a up cheap from Harding
Brothers two doors from the High
Street station. \ great deal Of my
I often write until the early morning.
So IL was today. was sitting in my
Zen. which Is nj the back OF the top
of the house. about : o'clock, when ]
was convinced that / heard some
sounds downstairs listened. but they
were not repeated. and l concluded
that they came from outside. Then
suddenly. about five minutes later.
there came n most horrible yell-the
most dreadful sound. Mr.. Holmes. that
ever heard. IL viii ring In my ears
as long rs l live. / sat frozen with
horror for n inmate or two. Then /
seized the poker and went downstairs.
When I entered this room l found the
window wide open. and l at once OBJ
served that the bust was gone from
the mantelpiece Why any burglar
should take such n thing passes my
understanding. for II was only "A plas-
ter cast, and OF no real value whatever.
You can see for yourself that anyone
going out through that open window
sould reach the front doorstep by taxi
Ing n long stride. This was clearly
what the burglar had done. so ! went
round and opened the door. Stepping
out into the dark. ! nearly fell over n
dead man, who was lying there. / ran
back for n light. and there was the
poor fellow, n great cash In his throat
and the whole place swimming In
blood. He lay on his back. his knees
drawn up. and his mouth horribly open.
1 shall see him In my dreams. had
Just time to blow on my police whistle,
and then I must have tainted. for
knew nothing more until found the
policeman standing over me In the
hail.
well. who was the murdered mani"
asked Holmes
There's nothing To show who he
was" said Lcstrnde. You shall see
the body ut the mortuary. but we have
made nothing Of IL up To now. He is n
tall man. sunburned, very powerful.
not more than 80. He Ii poorly dressed.
and yet aaes not appear TO be n Ia
borer. A horn-handled clasp knife was
lying Ia n pool OF blood beside him.
Whether IL was the weapon which did
the deed. or whether II belonged 10 the
dead man. 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
a photograph. Here Il is
IL was evidently taken by a snapshot
from n email camera. IL represents an
alert, shnrp-featured simian man. with
thick eyebrows and very peculiar
projection OF the lower part OF the face.
like the muzzle OF baboon.
And what became OF the bust? 20
aSkeu ffoifncs, aiter u Careiul study OF
this picture.
I'VE had news Of Il Just before you
cane. IL has been found I'm the front
garden OF an empty house In Campden
House road. IL was broken into frag.
ments. / am going round now TO see
u. VIII you Gomez
Certainly. must just take one look
around" II, examined the carpet and
the window. The fellow had either
very long legs or was n most active
man." said he. with an area beneath
II was 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.. HaTkerT''
The dlsconsolatc journalist had seat
ed himself nj writing table.
Il must try and make something o.
a." said ne. though l have mo- doub
that the first editions OF the evaninI
papers are out already with full de
tails. It's like my luck! You rcmembe
when the stand fell nj Doncaster? Well
I was the only journalist In the stand
and my journal the only one That hat
no account OF ~. for | was too shaker
Co write IL. And now I'll hc too lat
with a murder done on my own door
step"
~ we LEFT the room, we hrsri his pet
travelling shrilly over the foolscsp.
The spot where the fragments or TIA
bust had been found was only "A hun
dred ynrda away. For the first tim