Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-09-30
Noticed anything peculiar about tn
rs~~vv.9b .sLcl Hol,raa

room2" asked Holmes.
Found screw-drver and some |
screws on the wash-hand stand. Seems |
to have smoked hcavilp during the |
night too. Here are four cigar-ends
that picked out of the fireplace"
HUMP said Holmes, "have you got
his cigar-holderg"
"No, l have seen none" i
''His cignr-case, then?"
''Yes. it was in his coat-pocket."
Holmes opened il and smelled the
single cigar which il contained.
"Oh, this is an Havana, and these
others are cigars of the peculiar sort
which are imported by the Dutch from
their East Indian colonies. They are
usually wrapped in straw, you. know,
and are thinner for their length than
any other brand" He picked up the
four ends and examined them with his
pocket-lens.
1.-TWO of these have been smoked
from a holder and two without" said
he. 1.-TWO have been cut by not very
sharp knife, and two have had the
ends bitten off by net of excellent
teeth. This is no suicide, MIR. Lanner.
y is a very deeply planned and cold
blooded murder"
''Impossibler' cried the inspector.
"And why?"
"Why should any one murder man
in so clumsy fashion as by hanging
him?"
"That is what we have to find out"
GLOW could they get in2''
Through the front door"
at was barred in the morning"
"Then it was barred after them"
"How do you know?'
az saw their traces. Excuse me q
moment, and may be able to give you
some further information about it."
He went over to the door, and turn
ing the lock he examined it in his
methodical way. Then he took out the
key, which was on the inside, and in
spected that also. The bed, the carpet,
the chairs, the mantelpiece, the dead
body, and the rope were each in turn
examined, until at last he professed
himself satisfied, and with my aid and
that of the Inspector cut down the
wretched object and laid it reverently
under sheet.
GLOW about this rope?" he asked.
ut is cut off this" said DR.. Trevel-
yam, drawing large coil from under
the bed. ''He was morbidly nervous OF
fire, and always kept this beside him
so that he might escape by the window
in case the stairs were burning"
THAT must have saved them trouble,
said Holmes, thoughtfully. Eyes, tn.
actual facts are very PLAIN, and shall
be surprised if by the afternoon | cannot
give you the reasons for them AS well
Twill take this photograph of Blessington
which i see upon the mantelpiece, as il
may help me in my inquiries"
But you have told us nothingP
cried the doctor.
"Oh, there can be no doubt as to The
sequence of events" said Holmes
There were three of them in it; tn,
Young man, the old man, and a third
to whose identity have no clue. Thu
first two. | need hardly remark, ar
the same who masqueraded as thu
Russian count and his son, so we cal
give very full description of them
They were admitted by a confederat,
inside the house. If / might offer yo'
q word of advice, Inspector, it would b
to arrest the page, who, as l under
stand, has only recently come into you
service, Doctor"
]. "The Young imp cannot be found,
said DR.. Trevelyan; ''the maid end th
cook have just been searching for him.
Holmes shrugged his shoulders
He has played a not unimportan
part in this drama" said he. "Th
three men having assembled the stairs
which they did on tiptoe, the eide
man first, the younger man second, an
the unknown man in the rear"
MY dear Holiness CALCULATED.
ooh, there could be no question as t
the superimposing of the footmarks.
had the advantage of learning whic
was which last night. They assembled
: then, to Mr.. Blessington's room, tn
> door of which they found to be LOCKED
With the help of wire, however, the
forced round the key. Even withou
the lens you will perceive, by tn
scratches on this ward, where the pre-
sure was applied.
"On entering the room their fin
proceeding must have been to gag NJ
Blessington. He may have been asleel
= or he may have been so paralyzed wit
= terror as to have been unable to or
OUT. ntet WILLS tiie tillCh- AAie ~
conceivable that his shrek, if he ha
time to utter one, was unheard.
, Having secured him, it is evident
! me that a consultation of some 80,
was held. Probably it was somethin
! in the nature of a judicial proceeding
1t must have lasted for some time, f.
I it was then that these cigars wer
smoked The older man sat in tn,
wicker chair; it was he who used IL
cigar-holder. The younger man ST
over yonder; he knocked his ash o
. against the Oh est of drawers. III
. third fellow paced up and down. BLESSING
: ton, / think, sat upright in the bed, bl
i Of that | cannot be absolutely certain.
!. We'll, it ended by their taking Bles
: ington and hanging him. The matt
d was so prearra. ged that it is my b
lief that they brought with them son
] sort of block or pulley which migl
c serve as a gallows. That screw-driv
and those screws were, as | conceiy
: for fixing it up. Seeing the hook, hoy
ever, they naturally saved themselv
, the trouble. Having finished the
work they made off, and the door VI
barred behind them by their confe'