Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-11-27

/ t'N W VI dIltl 10
French republic have left me in such
n position that l could continue to live
IN the quiet fashion which is most con-
genial TO me. and to concentrate my
attention upon my chemical researches
But could not rest, Watson, l could
not sit quiet in my chair If ] thought
that such man as Professor Moriarty
were walking the streets of London
unchallcnged."
What has he done, them"
Ills career has been an extraordi-
nary one. He is n man of good birth
and excellent education, endowed by
nature with a phenomenal mathe-
matical faculty. At the age of twenty
one he wrote a treatise upon the BIZ
nominal Thcorcm, which has had a Eu-
ropcan vogue. On the strength of il
he won the Mathematical Chair at one
OF our smaller universities, and had, 10
all appearances. a most brilliant career
before him. But the man had hcredi-
tary tendencies of the most diabolical
KIND. "A criminal strain ran in his
blood, which instead Of being modified,
was increased and rendered infinitely
more dangerous by his extraordinary
mental powers. Dark rumors gathered
round HIM in the university town, and
eventually he was compelled to resign
his chair and TO come down TO London,
where he set up as an army coach. So
much Is known to the world, but what
| am telling you now is what l have
myself discovered.
"As you are aware, Watson, there is
no one who knows the higher criminal
world Of London SO well rs ] do For
years past | have continually been
conscious OF some power behind the
malciactor, some deep organizing
power which forever stands in the way
of the law. and throws its shield over
the wrong-doer. Again and again in
cases of the most varying sorts-forg-
cry cases, robberics, murders--I have
felt the presence of this force. and l
have deduced its action in many of
those undiscovered crimes in which |
have not been personally consulted.
For years | hive endeavorcd 10 break
through the veil which shrouded il,
and at last the time fcame when
seized my thread and followed it. until
/ Il led me, after a thousand cunning
windings, 10 ex-Professor Moriarty OF
mathematical celebrity.
He is the Napoleon of crime, Wat
SON. He Is the organizer of half that
Is evil and of nearly all that is undc-
tected IN his great city. He is genius,
a philosopher, an abstract thinker.
Tie has a BRAIN of the first order. He
sits motionless, like a spider in the center
Of its web, but that web has thousand
radiations, and he knows well every
/ s,tsf ..f oa@h 80 sL.,., l.. Is<s4 l.ssl,
himself. He only plans. But his agents
are numerous and splendidly organized.
Is there a crime TO be done, paper TO bc
distracted, We viii say house TO be
rifed, a man to be removed-the word
Is passed TO the Professor, the matter
Is organized and carried out. The
agent may be caught. In that case
money is found for his bail or his de-
fense. But the central power which
uses the agent is never caught--never
so much rs suspected. This was the
organization which deduced, Watson
and which ! devoted my whole energy
TO exposing and breaking up.
But the Professor was fenced round
with safeguards so cunningly deviseC
that, do what ! would, il seemed i'm
i possible 20 get evidence which would
convict IN a court of law. You know
my powers, my dear Watson, and yet
at the end of three months | was
forced 10 confess that | had AZ last met
an antagonist who was my intelligent
equal My horror at his crimes wa.
lost IN my admiration az his skill
But az last he made a trip-only {
little, little trip-hnt il was more thar
I - could r.@-l ..-ks1n I IL.
upon him. had my chance, and
starting from that point, ! have woveI
my net round HIM until now It Is al
ready to close. In three days-that i
20 say, on Monday neXt-matters vii
! he ripe, and the Professor, with all tn
principal members of his gang, will b'
in the hands OF the police Then vii
come the greatest criminal trial OF TN
century, the clearing up OF over fort,
mysteries, and the rope for all of them
but Il we move at all prematurely, yol
understand, they NAV slip out OF ou
hands even AZ the last moment.
Now, II ! could have done this with
, out the knowledge OF Professor Mo
marty, all would have been well. Bu
be was too willy for that. He say
, every step which ] took 10 draw m,
tolls round hIm. Again and again b
strove 10 break away, but ! as oftel
headed him of. ! tel you, my frienC
that II a detailed account OF that sller
contest could be written, il would TAX
It's place as the most brilliant bit (
thrust-and-parry work in the hlstor
( of detection. Never have ] risen I
such a height, and never haye ! bee
20 hard pressed by an opponent. L
/ cut deep, and yet just undercut hin
/ This morning the last steps wei
! taken, and three days only were wante
b 10 complete the business. | was sittir
IN my room thinking the matter owe
when the door opened and Profess
] | Moriarty stood before me.
\ My nerves are fairly proof, Watso
: but ! must confess TO a start when
o saw the very man who had been {
much IN my thoughts standing the
q on my threshold. His appearance vi
Q quite familiar 10 me. He is extreme
tall and thin, his forehead domes OF
IN q white curve, and his two eyes a
deeply sunkeni in his head. lie
clean-shaven, pale, and ascetic-lookin
retaining something of the professor
his features. His shoulders are rounde
from much study, and his face protrud'
forward, and is forever slowly oscillatin
from side 10 side in a curiously reptilia
fashion. He peered at me with gre;
curiosity in his puckered eyes.
You have less frontal developmeI
than | should have expected said b
at last. 1t is a dangerous habit
finger loaded firearms in the pocket
ones dressing-gown
"The fact is that upon his entranc
had instantly recognized the extrem
personal danger in which / lay. Tn
only conceivable escape for him lay il