The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1921-04-27
Part Three.

There are some points about that
document. Lestrade, are there not t?''
said he, pushing them over. Il
The Official looked at them with a
puzzled expression. ~.
II can read the first few lines, and
these in the middle Of the second page,
and one or two at the end. Those are
as clear as print" said he. but the
writing in between is very bad, and
there are three places where / cannot
read it at all 49,.
What do You make of that?" said
Holmes.
f. We'll, what do you make OF it?"
That it was written in a train. The
good writing represents stations, the
bad writing movement, and the very
bad writing passing over points. A
scientific expert would pronounce at
once that his was drawn up on a sub.
urban line, since nowhere save in the
immediate vicinity of a great city
could there be so quick succession of
points. Granting that his whole jour
ney WAS occupied in drawing up the
will. then the train was an express,
only stopping once between Norwood
and London Bridge"
Lestrade began to laugh.
You are too many for me when you
begin to get on your theories, Mr..
Holmes said he. How does this
bear on the case?"
We'll. it corroborates the young
mans story to the extent that the will
was drawn up by Jonas Oldacre in his
journey yesterday. It is curious-is it
not?-that a man should draw up so
important a documents in so haphaz-
ard a fashion. 1t suggests that he did
not think it was going to De cf much
practical importance. If a man drew
Up a will which he did not intend ever
to be effective, he might do it So"
We'll, he drew up his own death
warrant at the same time" said, Les
trade. "Oh. you think so?'
Don't you?"
We'll, it is quite possible, but the
case is not clear to me yet
Not clear? Well, if that isn't clear,
what could be clear? Here is young
man who learns suddenly that. if q
certain older man dies, he will succeed
to fortune. What does he do? He
says nothing to anyone, but he arran-
ges that he shall go out on some
pretext to see his client that night. He
waits until the only other person in
the house is in bed, and then in the
colitude of the mans room he murders
him, burns his body in the wood-pile,
and departs to neighboring hotel
The blood-stains in the room and also
on the stick are very slight 1t Is prob.
able that he imagined his crime to be
bloodless one, and hoped that if the
| body were consumed it would hide all
traced of the method of his death
traces which. for some reason, must
! have pointed tc him. Is not all this
obvious?"
! "It strikes me-. my good Lestrade, as
| being just a trifle too obvious" said
! holmes. You do not add Imagination
! TO your other great qualities. but II
YOU could for one moment put yourself
| in the place of this young man, would
You choose the very night after the
will had been made 10 commit youl
crime? Would it not seem dangerous
to you to make so very close a rela
| ton between the two incidents? Agar
would yc'i choose an occasion wher
you are known to be in the house
when a servant has let you in? And
finally, would you take the great pains
to conceal the body. and yet leave your
own stick as q sign that you were
the criminal? Confess, Lestrade, that
! ali this is very unlikely
"As to the stick. Mr.. Holmes, yor
know as. we'll as do that a criminal is
often furried and does such things