Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-11-20
Part One
nv sI1 A1TNUE CONAN DOYLl

1t was no very unusual thing for
Mr.. Lestradc, Of Scotland Yard, to
look in upon IVA of an evening, and his
visits were welcome to Sherlock Holmes
for they enabled him to keep in touch
with all that was going on at the police
headquarters. In return for the news
which Lestrade would bring. Holmes
was always ready to listen with atten-
ton to the details OF any case upon which
the detective was engaged, and was able
occa sionally, without any active inter-
ferpnce, to give some hint or suggestion
drawn from his own vast knowledge and
experience.
On this particular evening, Lestrade
had spoken of the weather and tho news
papers. Then he had fallen silent,
putting thoughtfully at his cigar. Holmes
looked keenly at him.
Anything remarkable on handf"
"oh, no, Mr.. Holmes-nothins very
particular"
Then tell me about it."
Lestrade laughed.
'Wel, Mr.. Holmes, there is no
use denying that there is something
o1s A'y ibhho. anu lct ~ NJ cuN't W.
absurd business, that I hcsitated to
bother you about it, On the other hand,
although it is trivial, it is undoubtedly
queer, and know that you have a taste
for all that is out of the common. But,
in my opinion, it comes more in DR..
Watson's line than ours"
"Disease?" said l.
Madness, anyhow. And q queer
madness, too. You wouldn't think there
was anyone living at this time OF day
who had such q hatred OF Napoleon
the First that he would break any image
of him that he could Sec"
Holmes sank back in his chair.
That's no business of mine," said
he.
Exactly That's what l said. But
then, when the man commits burglary
IN order to break images which are not
his own, that brings it away from the
doctor and on to the policeman"
Holmes sat up again.
Burglary This is more inter-
esting. Let me hear the details"
Lestrade took out his officials note
book, and refreshed his memory from
its pages.
The first case reported was four
days ago." said he "It was at the
shop of Morse Hudson, who has a
place for the sale of pictures and statues
in the Remington Road. The assistant
had left the front shop for an infant,
when he heard crash and hurrying in he
found plaster bust of Napoleon, which
stood with several other works OF
art upon the counter, lying shivered
into fragments. He rushed out into
the road, but, although several pas
sers-by declared that they had no.
ticed a man run out Of the shop, he
could neither see anyone nor could
he find any means of identifying the
rascal 1t seemed to be one of those
senseless acts of Hooliganism which
occur from time to time, and it was
reported to the constable on the beat
as sueh. The plaster cast was not worth
more than few shillings, and the w hole
affair appeared to be too childish for any
particular investigation.
The second case, however, was more
serious, and also more singular. 1t
occurred only last night.
"In Remington Road, and within
few hundred yards Of Morse Hudson.
shop, there lives well-known medica
practitioner, named DR.. Barnicot, whs
has one Of the largest practices upon the
SOuOu SitC vi Vic lliS iCsttShNs
and principal consultng-room is a
Remington Road, but he has brancl
surgery and dispensary at Lower BrixtoI
Road, two miles away. This DR.. Barni
cot is an enthusiastic admirer of Napo
leon, and his house is full of books
pictures, and relics of the French En-
peror. Some little time ago he purchased
from Morse Hudson two duplicate
plaster casts of the famous head o
Napoleon by the French sculptor
Devine. One Of these he placed in hi
hall in the house at Remington Road
and the other on the mantelpece of tn
surgery at Lower Brixton. Well, whel
DR.. Barnicot came down this morning
he was astonished to find that his hous
had been burgled during the night, bu
that nothing had been taken save th
plaster head from the hall. 1t had bee
carried out and had been dashed savagel
against the garden wall, under which il
splintered fragments were discovered"
Holmes rubbed his hands.
This is certainly very move" ," sal
he.
II thought it would please you, Blu
] have not got to the end yet. Dl
Barnitcot was due at his surgery q
twelve o'clock and you can imagine hi
amazement when, on arriving there
ne found that the window had bee
opened in the night, and that tn
broken pieces of his second bust wer
strewn all over the room. 1t had bee
smashed to atoms where it stood. /
neither case were there any signs whic
could give us clue as to the criminal G
lunatc who had done the mischief Nov
Mr.. Holmes, you have got the facts.
''They are singular, not to- sa
grotesque," said Holmes. May
ask whether the two busts smashe
in DR.. Barnicots rooms were the exac
duplicates of the one which was dt
stroyed in Morse Hudson's shop"