The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-02-26

And stole that very singular col
lection" said Holmes thoughtfully.
Precisely"
"Hum! 1t may prove the simplest
matter in the world, but all the same
at first glance this is just a little GU
rious. is it not? A gang of burglars
acting in the country might be expected
to vary the scene of their operations,
and not TO crack two cribs in the sam
district within a few days. When you
spoke last night of taking precautions
I remembered that it passed through
my mind that this was probably the
last parish in England to which the
thief or thieves would be likely to turn
their attention-which shows that l
have still much to learn"
! 81 fancy it's some local practitioner
said the colonel. I'm that case, of
course, Acton's and Cunningham's are
just the places he would go for, since
they are far the largest about here"
and richest?"
"Well, they ought to be, but they've
had a lawsuit for some years which a
sucked the blood out of both of them,
I fancy. Old Acton has some claim on
half ~Cunningham's estate, and the law
yers nave been at it with both hands."
"If it's a local villain there should
not be much difficulty in running him
down." said Holmes with q yawn. All
right, Watson, l don't intend to med
! die"
inspector Forester, SIR said the
butler, throwing open tho door.
The official, a smart, keen-faced
young fellow, stepped into the room.
"Good-morning, colonel,9' said he; II
hope I don't intrude, but we hear that
Mr.. Holmes of Baker street is here"
The colonel waved his hand towards
my friend, and the inspector bowed.
1--WE thought that perhaps you would
care to step across, Mr.. Holmes"
1.-THE fates are against you, Watson"
said he, laughing. I'VE were chatting
about the matter when you came in,
inspector. Perhaps you can let us nave
a few details" AS he leaned back in
his chair in the familiar attitude /
knew that the case was hopeless.
1--WE had no clue in the Acton affair.
But here we have plenty to go on,
and there's no doubt it is the same
party in each case. The man was
SEEN"
"Ah!"
Eyes, sir. But he was off like a deer
after the shot that killed DOC William
Kirwan was fired. Mr.. Cunningham
saw him from the bedroom window,
and Mr.. Alec Cunningham saw him
from the back passage. 1t was a quar-
ter to II when the alarm broke out.
Mr.. Cunningham had just got into
bed. and Mr.. Alec was smoking a pipe
in his dressing-gown. They both heard
William the coachman calling for help
and Mr.. Alec ran down to see what
was the matter. The back door was
open, and as he came to the foot of the
stairs he saw two men wrestling to-
gether outside. One of them fired a
shot. the other dropped. and the muir
derer rushed across the garden and
over the hedge. Mr.. Cunningham, look
ing out of his bedroom, saw the fellow
as he gained the road, but lost sight of
him at once. Mr.. Alec stopped to see
if he could help the dying man, and SD
the villain got clean away. Beyond
the fact that he was a sized
man and dressed in some dark stuff,
we have no personal clue, but we are
making energetic inquiries, and If he
is a stranger we shall soon find out"
What was this William doing there?
Did he say anything before he died?"
mot a word. He lives at the lodge
with his mother, and as he was a very
faithful fellow we imagine that he
walked up to the house with the inten-
ton Of seeing that all was right there.
OF course this Acton business has put
every one on their guard. The robber
must have just burst open the door
the lock has been forced-when William
came upon him
Did William say anything to his
mother before going out?"
"She is very old and deaf, and we
can get no information from her. The
shock has made her half-witted, but l
understand that she was never very
bright. There is n very important
circumstance, however. Look at thisl'
He took a small piece of torn paper
from a note book and spread it out
upon his knee.
"This was found between the finger
and thumb of the dead man. 1t ap-
pears to be a fragment torn from a
larger sheet. You viii observe that
the hour mentioned upon it is the very
time at which the poor fellow met
his fate. You see that his murderer
might have torn the rest of the sheet
from him or he might have taken this
fragment from the murderer. It reads
almost as though it were an appoint
ment."
Presenting that it is an appoint
ment,' continued the inspector, 'it is,
Of course, a conceivable theory that
this William Kirwan, though he had
the reputation Of being an honest man,
may nave been in league with the thief.
He may lave met him there, may
even have helped him to break in the
door, and then they may have fallen
out between themselves"
"This writing is of extraordinary in
~terest." said Holmes. who had been
examining it with intense concentra-
ton. "These are much deeper waters
than / had thought He sank his
head upon his hands, while the in
spector smiled at the effect which his
case had upon the famous London
specialist.
Your last remark said Holmes,
presently, las to the possibility of there
being an understanding between the
burglar and the servant, and this being
q note Of appointment from one to the
other, is an ingenious and not entirely
impossible superstition. But this writ
ing opens up" He sank his head
into his hands again and remained for
some minutes in h deepest thought.