The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1906-06-21
That's no business Of mine" said

me NfSt case reported was four day.
ago said lie. 1t was at the shop o
Morse Hudson. who has q place for tn,
sale OF pictures and statues in the Ken
Nington Road, The assistant had lef
the front shop for ar instant, when hi
heard n crash, and hurrying in ht
found 4 plaster bust of Napoleon. which
stood with several other works of arr
upon the counter, lying shirered into
fragments. He rushed out into the road
but, although several passevsby de.
clared they had noticed a man run on,
OF the shop, he could neither see any.
one nor could he find any means OF
identifying the rascal. It seemed to be
one of those senseless acts of Hooligan-
ism which occur from time TO time. and
1t was reported TO the constable on the
beat as such, The plaster cast was
not worth more than a few shillinCs,
and the whole affair appeared TO be too
childish for any particular investiga-
ton.
The second case, however. was more
serious, and also more singular. It oc-
CURED only last night.
IN Remington Road. and within a
few hundred yards of Morse Hudson's
shop, there lives a we'll known medical
practitioner, named DR.. Barnicot, who
has Il Of the largest practices upon
the south side of the Thames. His
residence and principal consulting room
is at Remington Road, but he has a
branch surgery and dispensary at
Lower BriXton Road, two miles away.
This DR.. Barnicot is an enthusiastic
aulnircr OF Napoleon. ard his house is
fuil OF books, pictures and relics of the
French emperor. Some little time ago
he purchased from Morse Hudson two
dupllCate plaster casts of the famous
mead Of Napoleon by the French sculp-
tor, DeVine One of these he placed in
his hall in the house at Remington
Road. n the other on the mantel-
piece OF the surgery at Lower BriXton.
Well, wl,en DR.. Barnicot came down
this morning Re was astonished to find
that his house haG been burgled dur
ing the night, but that nothing had
been taken save the plaster head from
the hall. 1t had been carried out ana
had been dashed savagely against the
garden wall. under which it's splintered
fragments were discovered"
Holmes rubbed his hands.
This is certainly very novel," said
he.
= thought it would please you. But
i have not got to the end yet. DR..
Barnicot was due at mis- surgery at
twelve O'Clock, n you can imagine
his amazement when, IN arriving there,
he found that the window had been
opened in the night, and tina the
broken pieces Of his second bust were
iSN Il ohSI lIIe room. II naQ been
to atoms where it stood. In
neither case were there any signs which
could give us a clew as to the criminal
or lunatlc who has done the mischief.
Now, Mr.. Holmes. you have got the
facts"
They are singular, not to say
grotesque," said Mr.. Holmes. May r
ask whether the two busts smashed in
DIR. Barnicot's rooms We're the exact
duplicates of the one which was de-
stroyed in Morse Hudspn's shop?'
They were taken from the same
mould
Such q fact must tell against the
theory that the mar who breaks them
is influenced by any general hatred of
Napoleon. Considering how many hun
dreds OF statues Of the great emperor
must exist in London, it is too much to
suppose such a coincidence as that a
promiscuous iconoclast should chance
to begin upon three specimens Of the
same bust"
Lcstrade. o the other hand, this
Morse Hudson is the purveyor of busts
IN that part Of London, and these three
We're the only ones which had been in
his shop for years. So, although, as you
say, there are many hundreds Of
statues in London, it is very probable
that these three were the only ones
- NAA"S 'i'N4 ~. d lOCdl
fanatic would begin with them. What
do you think, DR.. Watson?"
There are no limits to the possibilt-
ties OF monomania," l answered. There
is the condition which the modern
french psychologists have called the
1dee hxe,' which a be trifing in
character, and accompanied by a COM
who had read deeply about Napoleon,
or who had possibly received some
hereditary family injury through the
great war, might conceivably form
such an 'idee fxe' and under it's in
fuence be capable Of any fantastic out
rage"
That won't do, my dear watson"
said Holmes. shaking his head, for no
amount of idee fixe' would enable your
interesting monomaniac to find out
Where these busts were situated"
Well, how do you explain it?"
Il don't attempt to do so. I would
only observe that there is a certain
method in the g~entleman's eccentric
proceedings. For Example, in DR..
Barnicot's hall, where a sound might
arouse the family, the bust was taken.
outside before being broken, whereas
In the surgery, where there was less
danger Of an alarm, it was smashed
where 1t stood. The affair seems abb
surdly trifling, and yet I dare call moth
ing trivial when I reflect that some Of
my most classic cases have had the
least promising commencement. You
Will remember, Watson, how the dread
full business Of the Abernetty family
was first brought to my notice by the
depth which the parsley had sunk into
the butter upon a hot day. I can't af-
lord, therefore, to smile at your three
broken busts, Lestrade, and I shall be
very much obliged to you if you will
let me hear Of any fresh development
of so singular a chain Of events"
The development for which my friend
had asked came in a quicker and an
infinitely more tragic form than he
could have imagined. I was still dress
ing in my bedroom mex morning, when
there was a tap at the door and Holmes
entered. a telegram in his hand. He
read it aloud:
Come instantly, 131 Pitt street, Ken
sington.-Lestrade."
What is it, then?"I asked.
fE. ~ --..-