The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-02-16

neers. Born London. 1870. son Of, sir
Augustus Moran. c. B.. once British
minister to Persia. Educated Elton and
Oxford. Served In Jowaki campaign.
esq. sherpur and Cabul. Author OF
Heavy Game OF the Western Hin.alay-
as (1SS1); Three Months in the Jun
gle uss4). Address. Conduit street.
Clubs. the Anglo-Indian. the Tanker
Vile. the Bagatelle Gard club"
Holmes precise hand: 1.-The second
most dangerous man in London"
This Is astonishing" said l. as I
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 ne
crawled down a drain after a wounded
m~an-eating tiger. There are some trees,
Watson. which grow to a certainheight.
n then suddenly develop some I'M
often in humans. I have a theory that
the individual represents IN his de-
velopment the whole procession OF his
ancestors. n that such a sudden turn
to good or evil stands for some strong
influence which came into the line Of
his pedigree. The person becomes, as
it were, the epitome OF the history Of
his W family"
1T Is surely rather fanciful."
Well. I don't insist upon 1t. What
ever the cause. Colonel Moran began
to go wrong. Without any open scan
dal. he sttll made India too hot to hold
Inn. He retired. came to London. and
agar acquired an evil name. It was
at this time that he was sought out by
Professor Moriarty, to whom for a
time he was chief OF staff. Moriarity
supplied him literally with money. and
used him only in one or two very high
class Jobs, which no ordinary criminal
could have undertaken. You may have
some recollection OF the death OF Mrs.
Stewart, Of Lauder, in 1887. Not?
Well. I am sure Moran vas at the bot
tom of 1t, but nothing could be proved.
So cleverly was the colonel concealed.
that. even when the Moriarity gang
mate him.. You remember at that
date. when I called upon you in your
rooms, how I put up the shutters for
fear OF alr-guns? No doubt you thought
me fanciful. I knew exactly what I
was doing. for I knew OF the existence
of this remarkable gun, and I knew also
thai one OF the best shots in the world
would be behind 1t. When we were In
Switzerland he followed us with MORT
arity, and It was undoubtedly he who
gave me that evil FIVE minutes on the
R~eichenbach ledge.
" tAA"y AA4A NAko \ 4SoN LAX
papers with some attention during my
sojourn in France, on the lookout for
any chance Of laying him by the heels.
So long as he was free in London. my
life would really o have been worth
living. Night and day the shadow
or later his change must have come.
What could I do? 1 could not shoot
him at sight. or I should myself be In
the dock. There was no use appealing
to a magistrate. They cannot inter-
;fere on the strength of what would APP
So I could do nothing. But I watched
the criminal news. knowing that soon
or Or later I should get him. Then
came the death of this Ronald Adair.
My chance had come at last. Knowing
what l did. vas 1t not certain that
played cards with the lad. he had fol-
lowed him home from the club, he had
hot him through the open window.
There was not a doubt of it. The bull
lets alone are enough to put his head
in a moose. I came over at once. I
I knew. direct the colone1's attention
to my presence. He could not fail to
connect my sudden return with his
crime, and. to be terribly alarmed. Il
was sure that he would make an at
tempt to get me out Of the way at once
ol1d NOul0 OlAI16 lOutlu Ills ~IluTuGTOuS
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
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 I. You a not made
motive. In numbering the Honorable
Ronald Adair?"
"Ah! My dear Watson. there we come
into those realms OF. conjecture, where
h most logical mind may be at fault.
Each may form his own hypothesis
Is as likely to be as correct as NINE"
You have formed one, them"
II think that it 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-
Moran undoubtedly played foul-of
that I have long been aware. I be-
lieve that on the day of the murder
Adair a discovered that Moran was
cheating. Very likely he had spoken to
him privately, n had threatened to
expose MIN unless ne 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 u hideous
scandal by exposing a we'll known nan
50 much older than himself. Probably
he acted as I 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 %ndeavor
ing to work out how much money he
should himself return, since he could
not profit by his partners foul play.
He locked the door lest the ladies
should surprise him and insist upon
knowing what he was doing with these
names and coins. Will 1t pass?"
II have no doubt that you have hit
upon the truth"
1T vii. 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