The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 5, 1905, Page 2

ke had been a witness of hix friend's of ny escape. He had wai- n making his way round to e had endeavored his comrade had where t take long to think about it A at grim face h new that it £ stone. I dow to the path I I could have done It in cold was a-hundred tim .h| d no getting up. But I nk of the danger, for an- n as I hung of the oin, and only to sorrow, \ before e have discuss. ere drawn his thin lips wild down 1 Lon rom the an, that st e which grave one— 1c e utmost he was not fol- ute was certainly a sin- knowledge of the was extraordinary e passed rapidly step through a d stables, the very had never known. ) to & small road gloomy houses, which ter street, and so Here he turned TOW passage, passed ) gate into a deserted ned with a key the u We entered to- it behind us. pitch dark, but it was was an empty aked and crackled hand paper was hanging in rib- Holmes' cold, thin fingers d st and led me for- until I dimly over the door. ly to the ourselves in a room, heavily the corners, but faintly he centre from the lights of the beyond. There was no lamp and the window was thick with we could only just dis- My so that each other's figures within. wpanion put his hand upon shoulder and his lips close to m Do you know where we ar a. that is Baker street,” I an- staring through the dim win- ctly. We are in Camden House, ‘ands opposite to our own old are we here?” use it commands so excel- of that picturesque pile. uble you, my dear Wa THE / SAN FRANCISCO SUNDAY CALL. gon, to érgw a little nearer to the windcw, taking every precaution not to show yourself, and then to look up at our eld ropms—the starting- point of so many of your little fairy tales? We wili see if my three years of absence has entirely taken away power to surprise you."” and looked across at fell y of blind was down, and was burning in the v of 2 man who was ir within was thrown e upon the lumi- indow. There was no mistaking the poise of the head, the £ the shoujders, the the feafures. The face half-round. and the effect those of of black sil- ents loved was 2 per: reproduc- S0 amazed was I that / hand to make sur one Tt stand quivering with silent 1 cried “It Is e doth not wither nor finite varie said nized in his voice the > which the artist takes in n. “It really is rather £ credit of the execution is due to Monsieur ( r Meunier of Gr ble, who spent some days in doing the It is a bust in wax. The rest molding myself du ng my visit to my dear Watson, I had the ssible reason for wishi to think that I 1 was really ¢ d vou thought the ng was that they were watched.” les, Watson. By whose leader lies You must and only alive. Soon- hat I shot They watc this mo! rthing at deal for much more rson behind friend of Moriarty, the the rocks o the nost cunning and dangcrous Londc That is the man me to-night, Watson, and who is quite unaware ter him.” 1's pl were gradually re- ves. From at the watchers ¢ and the tracker shadow up y him. who was we were t od togethe tched the hu ing figures nd re n front of s. H at 1 silent and motionless; could tell that he was keenly and that his eyes were fixed in ipon the stream of passersb. s a bleak and boisterous nig vind whistled shrilly down the t. Many people were moving most of them muffled in ts and cravats. Once or it seemed to me that I en the same figure be- re and I especially noticed two 1en who appeared to be sheltering themselves from the wind in the door- way of & house some distance up the street. I tried to draw my compan- ion’s attention to them, but he gave a little ejaculation of impatience and continued to stare into the street. More than once he fidgeted with his feet and tapped rapidly with his fingers upon the wall. It was evident to me that he was becoming uneasy and that his plans were not working out alto- gether as he had hoped. At last, as midnight approached and the street gradually cleared, he paced up and down the room in uncontrollable agi- tation. I was about to make some re- mark to him, when I raised my eyes to the hted window, and again ex- almost as great a surprise before. I clutched Holmes’ arm ted upward. dow has moved!” I cried. eed no longer the profile, which was turned to- years had certainly not « the asperities of his temper his impatience with a less active lige: than his own. se it has moved,” sald he. Am I such a farcical bungler, Watson, I should erect an obvious dummy that some of the sharpest rope would be deceived by have been in this room two and Mrs. Hudson has made nge in that figure eight times, in every quarter of an hour. inte Of cou W hours or onc She works it from the front, so that her shadow H may never be seen., Ah!” drew in his breath with a shrill, ted intake. In the dim light I saw thrown forward, his whole gid with attention. Outside was absolutely deserted. » men might still be crouch- doorway, but I could no see them. All was still_and ave only that brilllant yellow in front of us with the black outlined uvon its center. Again in the utter silence I heard that thin, sibilant note which spoke of intense suppressed excitement. An instant later he pulled me back into the black- est corner of the room and I felt his hand upon my lips. The fin- which clutched me were quiver- Never had I known my friend k, een dar p gure ing. more moved and yet the dark street still stretched fore us. But suddenly I was aware of that which his keener senses had already distinguished. A low, stealthy sound came to my ear, not from the direction of Baker street, but from the back of the very house In which we lay con- cealed. A door opened and shut. An instant later steps .crept down the passage—steps which were meant to be silent, but which reverberated harshiy through the empty house. Holmes crouched back against the wall and I did fhe same, my hand closing upon the handle of my revolver. Peering through the gloom I saw the vague outliné of a man a shade blacker than the blackness of the open door. He stood for an instant and then he lonely and motionless torward the room crouching, menacing He was within three s sinister figure, and I it to meet his spring crept into 1 braced I before I realized that he had no idea of our pre ence. He passed close be- over to the windew and and nolselessly raised it for As he sank to the level of the light of the street, no longer dimmed by the dusty glass, fell full upon his face. The man seemed to be beside himself with ex- citement. His two eyes shone llke stars and his features were working convulsively. He was an elderly man, h a thin, projecting nose, a high, bald forehead and a huge grizzled mustache. An opera hat was pushed to the back of his head and an evening this openin, wit dres: hirt-front gleamed out through his open overcoat. His face was gaunt and swarthy, scored with deep, savage lines. In his hand he carried what appeared to be a stick, but as he laid it down upon the floor it gave a metalli clang. Then from the pocket of his overcoat he drew a bulky t. and he busied himself in some which ended with a loud, sharp , as if a spring or bolt had fallen into its place. Still kneeling upon the floor he bent forward and threw all his weight and strength 'upon some lever, with the result that there came a_ long, ‘whirl- ing, grinding noise, ending once 'more in a powerful click. He straightened himself un then, and I saw he hel gun with a curiously misshapen butt. He onened it at the breech, put formt- thing in and snapped the bree¢h- block. Then, crouching down, ;he rested the end of the barrel upon ‘the ledge of the open window, and I saw his long mustache droop over the Stock and his eye gleam as it peered along the sights. heard a little sigh of satisfaction as he cuddled the butt into his shoulder and saw that amaz- ing target, the black man on the yel- low ground, standing clear at the end of his fore-sight. For an instant he was rigid and motionless. Then his finger tightened on the trigger. There a strange, loud whiz and, 4 long, very tinkle of broken glass. At that ABL NOI HHE XAT instant Holmes sprang like a tiger on the marksman’s back and hurled him flat upon his face. He was up again in a moment and with convul- sive strength he seized Holmes by the threoat, but I struck him on the head with the butt of my revolver and he dropped again upon the floor. 1 fell upon him, and as I held him my comrade blew a shrill call upon a whistle. There was the clatter ot running feet upon the pavement and u hat what in his hand was afsort ot two policemen in uniform, with one plain clothes - detective, rushed through the front entrance and into the room. {‘That you, Lestrade?’’ said Holmes. ‘“Yes, Mr. Holmes. I took the job myself. It's good to see you back in London, sir.” i “I'think you want a little unofficial help. Three undetected murders in one year won't do, Lestrade. But you handled the Molesey mystery with less than your usual—that's to say, yau handled it fairly-well.” We had all risen to our feet, our prisoner breathing hard, with a stal- wart constable on each side of him. Already a few loiterers had begun to collect in the street. Holmes stepped up to the window, closed it and dropped the blinds. Lestrade had pro- duced two candles and the policemen had uncovered their lanterns. I was able at last to have a good look at our prisoner. It was a tremendously virile and yet sinister face which was turned toward us. With the brow of & phi- losopher ahove and the jaw of a sensu- alist below, the man must have started with great capacities for good or for evil. ut one could not look unon his cruel blue eyes, with their drooping, cynical lids, or upon the fierce, ag- gressive nose and the threatening, deep-lined brow without reading na- ture’s plainest danger signals. He took no heed of any of us, but his eyes werg fixed upon Holmes' face with an exs THE UNFOETUNATE ) Yaal}'y’;o TN %.1 FoUND - e Z WHELE pression in which hatred and amaze- ment were ‘8qually blended. ‘You flend!” he kept on muttering, “you clever, clever flend!"” ““Ah, colonel!” said Holmes, arrang- ing his rumpled collar, *.‘journeys end in lovers’ mesatings,’ as the old play says. I don’t think I have had the pleasure of seeing you since you fa- vored me with those attentions as I :l;y"on the ledge above Reichénbach all” The colonel still stared at my friend like a man 'in a trance. *You cun- ning, cunning flend!” was all that he could say. “I have not introduced you ‘yet,” said Holmes. “This, gentlemen, |is Colonel Sebastian Moran, once of her Majesty's Indian army, and the best This is the First Story of the “RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES” Series. of Black Peter. of the Norwood Builder, of the Dancing Men. of the Solitary Cyclist. of the Priory School. of Charles Augustus Milverton. Adventure Adventure Adventure Adventure Adventure Adventure The Other Stories to Appear, One Each Week, Are: Adventure Adventure Adventure Adventure Adventure Adventure of the Six Napoleons. of the Three Students. v of the Golden Pince-Nez. of the Missing Three-Quarter. of the Abbey Grange. of the Second Stain. ‘the bait to bring up your tiger? «failing heavy game shot that our Eastern em- pire has ever produced. I believe [ am correct, colonel, in sayipg that your bag of tigers still remains un- rivaled ?” The fierce old man said nothing, but still glared at my companion. With his savage eyes and bristling mustache he|fwa! wonderfully like a tiger him- self. “I wonder that my very simple stratagem could decelve so old a shi- karl,” said Holmes. “It must be very familiar to yeu. Have you not teth- ered a young kid under a tree, lain above it with your rifle and waited for This empty house is my tree and you are my tiger. You have possibly had other guns in reserve in case there should be several tigers or in the un- likely supposition of your own aim you. These,” he pointed around, “are ‘'my other guns. The parallel is exact,” Colonel Moran sprang forward with a snarl of rage, but the constables dragged him back. The fury upon his face was terrible to look at. “I confess that you had one small surprise for me,” said Holmes. *“I did not anticipate that you would vourself make use of this empty house and this convenient front window. I had ‘imagined you as operating from the street, where my friend Lestrade and his merry men were awaiting you. With that exception all has gone as I expected.” Colonel Moran turned to the official deteetive. “You may or may not have just cause for arresting me,” said he, “but at léast there can be no reason why 1 should submit to the gibes of this person.. If I am in the hands of the law-let things be dore in a legal way.” “Well, that’s reasonable enough,” said Lestrade. ‘Nothing further you hav:;e to say, Mr. Holmes, before we go?"” Holmes had picked up the powerful airgun from the floor and was exams ining its mechanism. “An admirable and unique weapon,* sald he, ‘‘noiseless and of tremendous power. I knew Von Herder, the blind German mechanic who constructed it to the order of the late Professor Mo- riarty. For years 1 have been aware of its existence, though I have never before had the opportunity of hand- ling it. I commend it very speclally to your attention, Lestrade, and also the bullets which fit it.” “You can trust us to look after that, Mr. Holmes,” said Lestrade as the whole party moved toward the.door. “Anything further to say?” “Only to ask what charge you in- tend to prefer?” *““What charge, sir? Why, of course, the attempted murder of Mr. Sherlock Holmes." “Not so, Lestrade. I do not propose to appear in the matter at all. To you, and to you only, belongs the credit of the remarkable arrest which you have effected. Yes, Lestrade, I congratulate you! With your usual happy mixture of cunning and auda- city you have got him.” *'Got him! Got whom, Mr. Holmes?" “The man that the whole force has been seeking in vain—Colonel Sebas- tian Moran, who shot Hon. Ronald Adair with an expanding buliet from an airgun through the open window of the second floor front of No. 427 Park Lane, upcn the 30th of last month. That's the charge, Lestrade. And now, Watson, if you can endure the draught from a broken window, I think that half an hour in my study over a cigar may afford you some profitable amusement.” Our old chambers had been left un- changed through the supervision of Mycroft Holmes and the immediate care of Mrs. Hudson. As I entered I saw, it is true, an unwonted tidiness, but the old landmarks were all in their place. There was the chemical car- ner and the acid-stained, deal-topped table. There upon a shelf was the row of formidable serap-books and becks of reference which many of our fellow-citizens would have been so glad. to burn. The dizagrams, the viclin-case, and the pipe-rack—even the Persian slipper which contained the tobacco—all met my eyes as I glanced round me. There were two occupants of the room—one, Mrs. Hudson, who beamed upon us both as we entered—thé other, the strange dvmmy which had played so im- pertant 4a part in the evening's ad- ventures. It was a wax-colored model of my friend, so admirably done that it was a perfdct fac simile. It stood on a small nedestal table with an old dressing-gown of Holmes' so draped round it that the illusion from the street was absolutely perfect. “I hope you preserved all precau- tions, Mrs. Hudson?” said Holmes. “I went to it on my knees, sir, just s vou told me."” Excellent. You carried the thing out very well. Did you observe where the bullet went?” “Yes, sir. I'm afraid it has spoiled your beautifu] bust, for it passed right through the head and flattened itself on the wall. I picked it up from the carpet. Here it is Holmes bold it out to'me. “A soft revolver bullet, as you perceive, Wat- son. There's genius in that, for who Wwould expect to find such a thing fired N In 7 i e HE CELR G FolCE~ . from au air-gun. All right, Mrs. Hud- son, I am obliged for your assistance. And now, Watson, let me see you in your old seat once more, for there are several points whieh I should like to discuss with you.” He had thrown off the seedy frock- coat, and now he was the Holmes of old in the mouse-colored dressing- gown which he took trom his-efigy.. “The old shikari’s nerves have not lost their steadiness, nor his eyes their keenness,” said he, with a laugh. as h= inspected the shattered forehead of his bust. “Plumb in the middle of the back of the head and smack through the brain. He was the best shot in India. and [ expect that there are few better in London. Have you heard the name " “No, I have not.” “Well, well, such is fame! But, then, if I remember right, you had not heard the name of Professor James Moriarty, who had one of the great brains of the century. Just give me down my index of biographies from the sheir.” He turned over the pages lazily, leaning back in his chair and blow- ing great clouds from his cigar. & “My collection of M's is a filne one, sajd he. “Moriarty himself is enough to make any letter illustrious, and here is Morgan the poisoner, and Meér- ridew of abominable memory, and Mathews, who knocked out my left canine in the waiting-reom at Charing Cross, and, fihally, here is our friend ot to-night. He handed over the book, and % read: *“Moran, . Sebastian, Colonel Unemployed. Formerly lst Bengalore Pioneers. Born London, 1846, Son of Sir Augustus Moran, C.B., once British Minister to Persia. Educated Eton and Oxford. Served in’‘Jowalki Campaign, Afghan Campaign, Char- asiab (despatches), Sherpur, and Ca- bul. Author of ‘Heavy Game of the Western Himalayas’ (1881); ‘Thyee Months in the Jungle’ (1884). Address: Conduit street. Clubs: The Anglo-In- dign, the Tankerville, the Bagateile Card Club.” On the margin was written -in Holmes’ precise- hand: = “The second most dangerous man in London.” “This is astonishing.,” said I as I handed back the volume. “The man’ career is that of an honorable soldfer. “It is true,” Holmes answered. “Up to a certain point he did well. He was always a man of iron nerve and the story is still told in India. how. Rhe crawled down a drain after.a wounded man-eating tiger. There are some trees, Watson, Which grow to a cer- tdin helght and then suddenly devefop some unsightly eccentricity. You see It often in humans. I have "a theory that the individual represerits-ia his development the whol¢ procession of his ancestors, and that such a sud- den turn to good or evil stands ‘for some strong influence which came into the. line of his pedigree. The persén becomes, as it were, the epitome of the history of his own family.” “It is surely rather fanciful.” - “Well, I don’t insist upon it. What- ever the cause, Colonel Moran began to go wrong. Without any open scan- dal he still made India too hot to Hold him. He retired, came to London and again acquired an evil name. It was at this time that he was sought out by Professor Moriarty, to whom for a time he was chief of, the staff. Mo- riarty supplied him liberally with money and used him oniy in one or two very high-class jobs, which no or- dinary criminal could have undertaken. You may have some recollection of the death of Mrs. Ste¥art of Lauder .in 1887.- Not? Well, I am sure Moran was. at the bottom of it, but nothing could be proved. So cleverly was the colonel concealed that even when'the Moriarty gang was broken up we could net.in- criminate him. You remember at that date, when 1 called upon yeou in your rooms, how I put up the shutters for fear of air-guns? No "doubt . you thought me fanciful. I knew exactly what I was doing, for I knew of the exjstence of this rémarkable gun and I knew also that one of the best shots in the world would@ be behind it. When we were in Switzerland he followed us with Morlarty and it was undoubtediy he who gave me that evil five min~ utes on the Reichenbach ledge. “You may think that I réad the papers with some dttention during my sojourn in France on the lookout for any chance of laying him by the heels. So long as he was free in London my fife would really not have been warth living. Night and day the shaddw would have been over me and sooner or later his chance must have ‘comie. What could I do? I could not sheot him at sight or I should myself be'in the dock. There was no use appealing to a magistrate. They cannot inter= fere on the strength of what would appear to them tp be a wild suspicion: So I could @o nothing. But I watehed the criminal news, knowing that soom- er or later I should get him. Then came the death of this Ronald Adair. My chance had come at last. Knowing what 1 did, was it not certain that Colonel Moran had done it? He had played cards with the lad, he had fol- lowed him home from the club, he Had shot him through the open windbw. There was not a doubt of it. The bul- lets alone are enough to put his head in a noose. I came over at once. I was seen by the sentinel, who wonld, I knew, direct the colonel’s attention to my presence. - He could not fail tp con- nect my sudden return with his crimé, and to be terribly alarmed. I was sure that he would make an attempt to get me out of the way at once and would bring round his murderous weapon for that purpose. .I left him an excellent mark in ,the win- dow, and having warned the police that they might be needed—by the way, Watson, you spotted. their pres- ence in that deorway with unerring ac- curacy—I took up what seemed to me to be a judicious pest for abservation, never dreaming -that he would choose the same spot for his attack. Now, my dear Watson, does anything remain for me to explain?” “Yes,” said 1. “You have not made it clear what was Colonel Moran's mo= tive in murdering the Honorable Ron- ald Adair?” . “Ah! my dear Watson, there weé come into those realms of conjecture, where the most logical mind may be at fault. Bach may form his own hypothesis on the present evidence, and yours is as likely to be correct as mine. “You have formed one, then? “I think that it is not difficult to ex- plain the facts. It. came out in evi- dence that Colonel Moran and young Adair had, between them, won a con- siderable amount of money. Now, Mo- ran undoubtedly played foul—of that I have long been aware. I belleve that on the day of the murder Adair had discovered that Moran was. cheating. Very likely he had spoken to him. pri- vately, and had threatened to expose him unless he yoluntarily resigned his membership of the club, and promised - not to play cards again. - It is unlikely that a youngster like Adair would at ogce make a hideous scandal by ex- posing a well-known man so much old- er than himself. Probably he acted as I suggest. The exclusion from his clubs would mean ruin to Moeran, who lived by his ill-gotten card-gains. He therefors murdered Adair, who at the time was endeavoring to wogk out how much money he should return, ‘'since he could not profit by his partner's foul play. He locked the door lest the ladies should surprise him and insist uvon knowing what he.was doing " with these names and coinms. ‘Will it pass™ . “I have no doubt that you haw “It wi e verified or disnrov the trial. Meanwhile, come what i Colonel Moran will trouble us no meve. The famous air-gun of Von Herder will embellish the Scotland Yard and once again Mr. Sherlock Hoimes is n:e t:y td"ma. bis life to ™ these interesting little probi c the complex lite of London.rm"&ga fully presents.” & s -3