The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 12, 1905, Page 2

/ THE SAN FRANCISCO SUNDAY CALL. - e—— ney was occupled in drawing up the will, then the train was an express, only stopping once between Norwood end London Bridge.” Lestrade began to laugh. “You gre too many for me when you to get on your theories, Mr. nes,” he. “How does this bear e case 1, it corroborates the young s story to the extent that the awn up by Jonas Oldacre ir aw up SO ggests that he did not ing to be of much prac- rtance. If a man drew up & but the de to t seem d ers that he though it hold on 1 show ice this point, we know removed, one man As you say Good morn- 1 the course of vood departed my e his preparations ith the alert air a congenial task be- vork t, Watson,” said to his frock coat, the direction of this case ene ng close to the ular incident. e mistake of another ice are ma. concentrating their attention upon the second. because it happens to be the one which is actually criminal. But it §s evident to e that the logical way to approsch the case is to begin ng to throw some light upon cident—the curious will, 50 niy made, and to so unexpected It may do something to sim- plity what followed. No, my dear fellow, I don’t think you can help me. There is no prospect of danger or I should not dream of stirring out with- out you. I trust that when I see you in the evening I will be able to report that I have been able to do something for this unfortunate youngster, who has thrown himself upon my protec- tion.” It was late when my friend returned and I could see by a glance at his hag- gerd and anxious face that the high hopes with which he had started had not Leen fulfilled. For an hour he droned away upon his violin, endeav- oring to soothe his own ruffled spirits. At last he flung down the instrument and plunged into 2 detailed account of his misadventures. “It's all going wrong, Watson—all &s wrong as it could go. I kept a bold face before Lestrade, but, upon my sounl, I believe that for once the fel- low is on the right track and we are on the wrong. -All my instincts are one way and all the facts are the other and T much fear the British Juries have not yet attained that pitch of intelligence when they will give preference to my theories over Ls- trade's facts™ “Did you go to Blackheath?” “Yes, Watson, I went there and I found very quickly that the late la- mented Oldacre was a pretty consid- erable blackguard. The father was away in search of his son. The moth- er was at home—a little, fluffy, blue- eyed person, in a tremor of fear and indignation. = Of course, she would not admit even the possibility of his guilt. But she would not . express either surprise or regret over the fate of Oldac On the contrary, she spoke of him with such bitterness that she was unconsciously considerably trengthening the case of the police, for, of course, if her son had heard her speak of the man in this fashion, it would predispose him toward hatred and violence. ‘He was more like a malignant and cunning ape than a hu- man being,’ said she, ‘and he always ever since he was a young man. ‘You knew him at that time™ aid I. Yes, 1 K w him well, in fact, he an old suitor of min Thank en, that I had the sense to turn rom him and to marry a better, han. . I was engaged to him, when I heard of a shock- of how he had turned a cat v, so hor- that I g more to do with naged in a bureau and produced a photograph hamefully defaced and h a kni “That is my n photograph,” she said. ‘He sent to me in that state, with his curse, upon wedding morning.’ “'Wel d I, ‘at least he has for- given you now, since he has left all on. my son nor I want any- Jo Oldacre, dead or , with a proper spirit. in heaven, Mr. t same God who has icked man will show, , that my son's are guiltiess of his blood. I tried one , but othing which would help d several points e against it. 1 gave at last and off I went to Nor- his own good ands Well, , Deep Dene House, is a ! villa of staring brick, ing back in its own grounds, a laurel-clumped lawn in front To the right and some distance :ck from the road was the timber vhich had been the scene of the Here's a rough plan on a leaf of tebos This window on the is' the one which pens into Old- s rocm. You ca ition I ¥ not there, bit of consc sestrade was burned woodpil wmic r als mains. them no doubt t .ttons. T even jras theor: olp with an Augts{ ¥ I got up at than be ined that also. very slight, smears and dis ons, but undoubtedly fresh. The stick had | remov but there o the re is no doubt z to our client. ght. Tk belongl . Footma of both be made out on the carpet, third person, which for the other side. piling up their score all me, and we were at a standstill. “Only one little gleam of hope did I get—and yet it amounted to nothi I examined the contents of the s most of which had been taken out and the table. The papers had de up into sealed envelopes, wo of which had been opened by the police. - They were not, so far 1 could judge, of any great value, nor did the bank-book show that Mr. Oldacre was in such very affluent cir- cumstances. But it seemed to me that all the papers were not there. There e allusions to some deeds—pos- the more valuable—which I could not find. This, of course, if we could definitely prove it, would turn :strade’s argument against himself; for who would steal a thing if he knew that he would shortly inherit it? “Finally, having drawn every other cover and picked up no scent, I tried my luck with the housekeeper. Mrs. Lexington is her name—a little, dark, silent persqn, with suspicious and sidelong eyes. She could tell' us something if she would—I am con- vinced of it. But she was as close as wax. Yes, she had Jet Mr. McFar- lane in at half-past nine. She wished her hand had withered before she had done so. She had gone to bed at half- past ten. Her room was at the other end of the house, and she could hear nothing of what passed. Mr. McFar- lane had left his hat, and to the best of her belief his stick, in the hall She had been awakened by the alarm of fire. Her poor, dear master had certainly been murdered. Had he any enemies? Well, every man had ene- mies, but Mr. Oldacre kept himself very much to himself, and only met people in the way of business. She had seen the buttons, and was sure that they belonged to 'the clothes which he had worn last night. The wocd-pile was very dry, for it had not rained for a month, It burned like tinder, and by the time she reached the spot, nothing could be seen but flames. She and all the firemen smelled the burning flesh from inside it. She knew nothing of the papers, nor of Mr. Oldacre’s private affairs. “So, my dear Watson, there’s my report of a failure, And yet—and yet —" —he clenched his thin hands in a paroxysm of conviction—'"I know it's all wrong. I feel it in my bones. There is something that has not come out, and that housekeeper knows it. There was a sort of sulky deflance in her eyes, which only goes with gullty knowledge. However, there’s no good talking any more about it, Watson; but unless some lucky chance comes our way I fear that the Norwood Dis- appearance Case will not figure in that chronicle of our successes which I on known him foresee that a patient public ‘will sooner or later have to endure.” “Surely,” sald I, “the man's disap- pearance would go far with the jury?” “That is a dangerous argument, my dear Watson. You remember that terrible murderer, Bert Stevens, who wanted us to get. him off in '87? Was there ever ‘2 more mildmannered Sunday school young man?" “It's true.”” “Unless we succeed in establishing an ailternative theory; that man is lost. You can hardly find a flaw In the case which can now be presented against him, and all further investiga- tion has served to strengthen it. "By the v, there is one curious little point about those papers which may us 28 a starting-point for an in- quiry. On looking over the bank book I found that the low state of the bal- ance was principally due to large checks which have been made out during the last year to Mr. Cornelius. I confess that I should be interested to know who this Mr. Cornelius may be with whom a retired builder has such very large transactions. Is it possible that he has had a hand in the affair? Cornelius might be a bro- ker, but we have found no scrip to correspond with these large payments. Failing any other indication, my re- searches must now take the direction of an inquiry at the bank for the gen- tleman who has cashed these checks. But I fear my dear fellow, that our case will end ingloriously by Lestrade - hanging our client, which will certain- ly be a triumph for Scotland Yard.” I do not know how far Sherlock Holmes took any sleep that night, but when I came down to breakfast I found him pale and harassed,. his bright eyes the brighter for the dark shadows round them. The carpet round his chair was littered with cig- arctte-ends and with the early editions of the morning papers. An open tele- gram lay on the table. “What do you think of this, Wat- son?""" he asked, tossing it across, It was from Norwood, and ran as fol- lows: “Important fresh evidence to hand. McFarlane's gullt definitely estab- lished. Advise you to abandon case. —Lestrade.” “This sounds serious,” said I. “It is Lestrade’s little cock-a-doodle of victory,” Holmes answered, with a bitter smile. “And yet it may be pre- mature to abandon the case. After all, Important fresh evidence is a two- edged thing, and may possibly cut in a very different direction to that which Lestrade imagines. Take your break- fast, Watson, and we will go together and see what we can do. 1 feel as if I shall need your company and your moral support to-day.” My friend had no breakfast himself, for it was one of his peculiarities that in his more intense moments he would permit himself no food, and I have presume upon his iron strength until he has fainted from pure inanition. “At present I cannot spare energy and nerve force for digestion,” he would say in answer to my medical remonstrances. I was not surprised, therefore, when this morning he left his untouched meal ind | started with me for crowd of morbid gathered round Deep | [ G ‘which was just such a suburban villa a8 I had pictured. Within the gates Lestrade met us, his face flushed with "’Gttnry. his manner grossly triumph- ant. ““Well, Mr. Holmes, have you proved us to be wrong yet? Have you found your tramp?” he cried. “I have formed no conclusion what- ever,” my companion answered. “But we formed ours yesterday, and now it proves to be correct, o _you must acknowledge that we have been & little in front of you this time, Mr. = Holmes.” “You certainly have the air of some- thing unusual having occurred,” sald Holmes. Lestrade laughed loudly.. You don't like being beaten any more than the rest of us do,” said he. “A man can’t expect always to have it his own way, can he, Dr. Watson? Step this way, if you please, gentle- “He remained on in the bed- room where the 'was committed, 80 as to see that nothing was touched.” “But why didn’t the police see this mark yesterday?” “Well, we had no particular reason 1o make a careful examination of the hall. Besides, it’s not in a very prom- inent place, ag you see.” “No, no—of course not. I suppose there Is no doubt that the mark was there yesterday?” *. Lestrade looked ati&olmes, as if he thought he was Mt of his mind. ‘T contess 1 wa myseif surprised both at hfi o nner .and at his rather wild observéition. “I don’t know whethef you think that McFarlane came out of gaol in the dead of the night in order to strengthen the evidence against himself,” said Lestrade. “I leave it to any expert in the world whether that is not the mark of his thumb.” 722 DL 0T {f;‘»%{fi/@}'f S A A s men, and 1 thifk I can convince you once for all that it was John McFar-~ lane who did this crime.” He led us through the passage and out into a dark hall beyond. g “This is where young McFarlane must have come out to get his hat af- ter the crime was done,” sald he. “Now look at this.” With dramatic suddenness he struck a match, and by its light exposed a stain of blood upon the whitewashed wall. As he held the match nearer, I saw that it was more than & stain. It was the well-marked print of a thumb. “‘Look at ‘that with your magnifying glass, Mr. Holmes.” “Yes, I am doing so.” *“You are aware that no two thumb- marks are alike?” “1 have heard kind.” . ‘“Well, then, will you pleage com- pare that print with this wax impres- sion of young McFarlane's right :humb, taken by my orders this morn- ng?" As he held the waxen print cloge to the blood-stain, it did not take a magnifying glass to gee that the two were undoubtedly from the same thumb. It was evident to me that our unfortunate client was lost. “That is final,” saild Lestrade. “Yes, that is final,” I involuntarily echoed. It is final,” said Holmes, Something in his tone caught my ear, and I turned to look &t him. -An ex- traordinary change had come over his face. It was writhing with inward merriment. His eyes were shin- ing like stars. It secemed to me that he was making desperate efforts to restrain a convulsive attack of laugh- ter. “‘Dear me! Dear me!" he said at last. “Well, now, who would have thought 1t? And how deceptive appearances may be, to be sure! Such a nice young man to look at! It is a lesson to us not -to trust our own judgment, is it not, e?"” ¢ “Yes, some of us are a little too much mzlned to be o e, Mr. goh-nu." Lestrade. man’s {nsolence was maddening, but we could not re- sent it. “What a mvideflhl thing that this young man should press his right thumb against the wall in taking his hat from the peg! Such a very natural action, too, if you come to think of it.” Holmes was outwardly calm, but his whole body gave a wriggle of s ¢ excitement as he spoke. “By he way, Lestrade, :.ho made this re- something of the ZprEFEZ EAEZZ “It is unquestionably the mark of his thumb.” ‘‘There, that's enough,” said Les- trade. “I am a cal- man, Mr. Holmes, and when 1 have got my evi- dence I come to my conclusions. If you have anything to say, you will find me writing my repo in the sitting- “room." . Holmes had recovered his equani- ‘mity, though I still seemed to detect gleams of amusement in his expres- slon. “Dear me, this is a very sad de- velopment, Watson, is it not?” said he. “And yet there are singular points about it which hold out sgme hopes for our client.” “I am delighted to hear it,” sald I, hea; . 1 was afraid it was all up “I would hardly go so far as to sa iNat, my dear Watson. The fact t there is one really sérious flaw in this evidence to which our friend at- _so much importance.” - Ony G that 1 know that that 3 W ‘outside three the hall yesterday. And now, Wat- son, let us have & little stroll round in th " W?Vl't‘::u.u:ontuua brain, but with & heart into which sothe warmth of hope friend Holmes took each, !nomrx.z. and- examined it with great nterest. He then led the way inside, l!mtdr‘event over the whole building from basement to attic. Most of the rooms were unfurnished, but none the lgis Holmes' inspected them all minutely. Finally, on the top corridor, which ran untenanted bedrooms, he again was seized with a spasm of iment. m‘e"rl:h:eennm really some very unique features-about this case, Watson,” said he. - “I think it is time now that we took our friend Lestrade into our - fidence. He has had his little smile at our expense, and perhaps we may do as much by him, if my reading of this problem proves to be correct. Yes, yes, I think I see how we should ap- roach it.” 2 The Scotland Yard inspector was !lml writing in the parlor when ‘Holmes in- terrupted him. - l:mders(and that you are writing & report of this case,” said he. “So T ai ] “Don’t it may_be a little premature? I can’t help thinking that your evidence is not complete. n Lestrade knew my friend too we to disregard his words. He laid down his pen and looked curiously at him. “What do you mean, Mr. Holmes? “Qnly that there is an important witness whom you have not seen. “Can you produce him?” L think I can.” m.” you_think How many constables have you?” 4 “There are three within call. “Excellent!” said Holmes. “May I ask if they are all large, able-bodied men with powerful voices?” “I have no doubt they are, though I fail to see what their vaices have to do with it.” “Perhaps I can help you to see that and one or two other things as well. said Holmes. “Kindly summon your men and I will try.” Five minutes later three policemen had -assembled in the hall. “In_the outhouse you will find a considerable quantity of straw,” sald Holmes.. “I will ask you to carry in two bundles of it. I think it will be of the greatest assistance in producing the withess whom I require. Thank you very much. I believe you have some matches in‘ your pocket, Wat- son. Now, Mr. Lestrade, I will ask you:all to accompany me to the top landing.” As T have said, there was a broad corridor, which ran outside three empty bedrooms. At one end of the corridor we' were all marshaled by Sherlock Holmes, the constables grin- ning and Lestrade staring at my friend’ with amazement, expectation and derision chasing each other across his features. Heolmes stood before us with the air of a conjurer who is performing a trick. “Would you kindly send one of your constables for two buckets of water? Put the straw on the floor here, free from the wall on either side. Now I think that we are all ready.” Lestrade’s face had begun to grow ré6 and angry. I don't know.whether you are play- ing a game with us, Mr. Sherlock Holmes,” said he. “If you know any- thing, you can surely say it without all this tomfoolery.” “I assure you, my good Lestrade, that I have an excellent redson for everything that I do. You may pos- sibly remember that you chaffed me a Y¥ttle, some hours ago, when the sun seemed on your side of the hedge, so you must not grudge me a little pomp and ceremony now. Might I ask you, ‘Watszon, to open that window, and then to put a match to the edge of the straw?” I did so, and driven by the draught, a eoil of gray smoke swirled down the corridor, ‘while the dry straw' crackled and flamed. “Now we must see if we can'find this witness for you, Lestrade. Might I ask you all to join in the cry of ‘Fire’'? Now, then; one, two, three—" “Fire!” we all yelled. “Thank you. I will trouble you once again.” , “Plre!* “Just once more, gentlemen, and all * . The shout must have rung over Norwood. It had hardly died away when an amazing thing happened. A door sud- denly flew open out of what appeared ‘ ; Mv/lf/” A7 /% ta be solid wall at the end of the cor- ridor, and a littl» wiztned man darted out of it, like a rabbit out of its bur- row. “Capital!” sald Holmes, ecalmly. *“Watson, a bucket of water over the straw. That will do! Lestrade, allow me to present you with your principal missing witness, Mr. Jonas Oldacre.” The detective stared at the newcom- er with blank amazement. The latter was blinking in the bright light of the corridor, and peering at us and at the smoldering fire. It was an odious face—crafty, vieclous, malignant, with shifty, light-gray eyes and white lashes. “What's this, then?" said Lestrade, at last. “What have you been doing all this time, eh?" Oldacre gave an une: la shrinking back from the furious red face of the angry detective. “I have dome no harm," “No harm? You have done your best to get an innocent man If it sn't for this gentleman . I am wat not sure that you would not have sue- con- ¢ h’l;he wretched creature, began to ‘whimper. “I am sure, sir, it was only my prac- tical joke.” “Oh! a joke, was it? You won’t find the laugh on your side, I promise you. Take him down, and keep him in the sitting-room until I come. Mr. Holmes,” he continued, when they had gone, “I could not speak before the constables, but I don’'t mind saying. in the presence of Dr. Watson, that this is the brightest thing that you have done yet, though it is a mystery to me how you did it. You have saved an innocent man’s life, and you have prevented a very grave seandal, which would have ruined my reputaticn in the Foree.” Holmes smiled, and clapped Lestrade upon-the shoulder. “Instead of being ruined, my good sir,"you will find that your reputation has been enormously enhanced. Just make a few alterations in that report which you were writing, and they will understand how hard it is to throw dust in the eyes of Inspector Lestrade.” “And you dom’t want your name to appear?” “Not at all. The work is its own reward. Perhaps I shall get the credit also at some distant day, when I per- mit my zealous historian to lay out his foolscap once more—eh, Watsen? Well, now, let us see where this rat has been lurking.” A lath-and-plaster partition had been run across the passage six feet from the end, with 2 door cunningly coneealed in it. It was lit within by slits under the eaves. A few articles of furniture and a supply of food and water were within, together with a number of books amd papers. “There’s the advantage of being a builder,” said Holmes, as we came out. “He was able to fix up his own little hiding place without any confederate— save, of course, that precious house- keeper of his, whom I should lose no time in adding to your bag, Lestrade.” “J'll take your advice. But how did you know of this place, Mr. Holmes?"” “I made up my mind that the fellow was in hiding in the house. When I paced ofle corridor and found it six feet shorter than the corresponding one below, it was pretty clear where he was. 1 thought he had not the merve to lie quiet before an alarm eof fire. We could, of course, have goue in and taken him, but it amused me to make him reveal himself, besides, I owed you a Httle mystification, Lestrade, for your chaff in the morning. “Well, sir, you certainly got equal with me on that. But how in the world did you know that he was in the houge at all™ “The thumb-mark, Lestrade. You sald it was fnal; dnd sSo it was, iIn a very different sense. I knew it had ~not been _there the day before. I pay a good deal of attention to matters of detall, as you have observed, and I had examined the hall and was sure that the wall was clear. Therefore it had been put on during the night.” “But how ?” “Very simply. When those packets were sealed up Jonas Oldacre got Mc- Farlane to secure one of the seals by putting his thumb upon the soft wax. It would be done so quickly and so naturally that I dare say the young man himself has no recollection of it. Very likely it just so happened, and Oldacre had himself no notion of the use he would put it to. Brooding over the case in that den of his, it suddenly struck him what absolutely damning evidence he could make againgt Mc- Farlane by using that thumb-mark. It was the simplest thing in the world for him to take a wax impression from the seal, to moisten it in as much blood as he could get from a pin- prick, and to put the mark upon the wall during the night, either with his own hand or with that of his hous keeper. If you examine among those documents which he took with him to his retreat I will lay you a wager that you find the seal with the thumb- mark upon it.” “Wonderful!" said Lestrade. “Won- derful! It's all as clear as crystal, as you put it.. But what is the object of this deep deception, Mr. Holmes?” It was amusing to see how the de- tectlve's overbearing manner had changed suddenly to that of a child asking questions of its teacher. “Well, I don’t think that is very hard to explain. A very deep, ma- liclous, vindictive person is the gen- tleman who is now waliting us down- stairs. You know that he was once refused by McFarlane’s mother? You don’t! I told you that you should go to Blackheath first and Norwood afterward. Well, this injury, as he would consider it, has rankled in his wicked, scheming brain, and all his life he has longed for vengeance, but never seen his chance. During the last year or two, things have gone against him—secret speculation, I think—and he finds himself in a bad way. He de- termines to swindle his creditors, and for this purpose he pays large checks to a certain Mr. Cornelius, who Is, I imagine, himself .under another name. I have not traced these checks yet, but I have no doubt that they were banked under that name at some pro- vinecial town where Oldacre from time to time led a double existence. He intended to change his name alto- gether, draw this money and wvanish, starting life again elsewhere.” “Well, that's likely enough.™ “It would strike him that in disap- pearing he might throw all pursuit off his track and at the same time have an ample and crushing revenge upon his old sweetheart if he could give the impression that he had been mur- dered by her only child. It was a mas- terplece of villainy, and he carrfed it out like a master. The idea of the will, which would give an obvious motive for the erime, the secret visit um- known to his own parents, the reten- tion of the stick. the blood and the animal remains and buttons in the wood pile, all were admirable. It was a met from which it seemed to me, a few hours ago, that there was no pos- sible escape. But he had not that su- preme gift of the artist, the knowledge of when to ston. He wished to im- prove that which was already perfect —to draw the rope tighter yet around the neck of his unfortunate victim— and so he ruined all. Let us descend, Lestrade. There are just one or two questions that I would ask him.™ The malignant creature was seated in his own parlor, with a policeman upon each side of him. “It was a joke, my good sir—a prac- tical joke, nothing more,” he whined incessantly. “I assure you, sir, that I stmply concealed myself in order to see the effect of my disappearance, and I am sure that you would not be 80 unjust as to imagine that I would have allowed any harm to befall poor young Mr. McFarlane.” “That's for a jury to decide,” said Lestrade. “Anyhow. we shall have you on a charge of conspiracy, if not far attempted murder.” “And yow'll probably find that your creditors will impotind the ac- count of Mr. Cornelius,” sald Holmes. ‘The little man started and turned his maligrant eves upen my friend. “I have to thank you for a good @eal” said he. “Perhaps I'll pay my debt some day.” Holmes smiled indulgentiy. “I fancy that for some few years you will find your time very fully oe- cupied,” sald he. “By the way, what ‘was it you put into the wood plle be- sides your old trousers? A dead or rabbits, or what? You won'g Dear me, how very unkind of you! Well, well, I dare say that a couple of rabbits would account both for the blood and for the charred ashes. If ever you write an account W, you can make rabbits serve turn."” } €