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CcumbuG
JottrttaL
Volume 36, Number 43.
Columbus, Nebraska, Wednesday, January 24, 1906.
Whole Number 1788
pgwj-.
50 people, Big Beauty
Return of....
Sherlock Holmes
A threadbare and venerable device,
but useful upon occasion. I walked
Into the doctor's yard this morning and
shot my syringe full of aniseed over
the nind wheel. A dragbound will fol
low aniseed from here to John o'
Groat's, and our friend Armstrong
would have to drive through the Cam
before he would shake Pompey off his
trail. Oh, the cunning rascal! This is
how he gave me the slip the other
night"
The dog had suddenly turned out of
the road into n grass grown laue. Half
a mile farther this opened into another
broad road, and the trail turned hard
to the right in the direction of the
town which we had Just quitted. The
road took a sweep to the south of the
town and continued in the opposite
direction to that In which we had
started.
"This detour has been entirely for
our benefit, then?" said Holme-. "No
wonder that my Inquiries among those
Tillages led to nothing. The doctor has
certainly played the game for all it Is
worth, and one would like to know the
reason for such elaborate deception.
This should he the village of Trnmplng
ton to the right of us. Ami. by Jove.
here Is the brougham coming round the
corner. Qnick. Watson quick, or we !
re done!"
He sprang through a gate into a held,
dragging the reluctant Pompey after
Elm. We bad hardly got under the
shelter of the hedge when the carriage
rattled past. I caught a glimpse of
Dr. Armstrong within, his shoulders
bowed, his head sunk on hi hands, tiie
rery Image of distress. I could tell by
my companion's graver face that he
also had seen.
1 fear there Is some dark ending to
.ur quest," said he. "It cannot be long
before we know It Come, Pompey!
Ah, It is the cottage in the field!"
There could be no doubt that we had
reached the end of our journey. Pom
pey ran about and whined eagerly out
aide the gate, where the marks of the
brougham's wheels were still to Ite
seen.- A footpath led across to the lone
ly cottage. Holmes tied the dog to the
hedge, and we hastened onward. My
friend knocked at the little rusty door
and knocked again without response.
And yet the cottage was not deserted,
for a low sound came to our ears a
kind of drone of misery and despair
which was indescribably melancholy.
Holmes paused irresolute, and then he
glanced back at the road which he had
Just traversed. A brougham was com
ing down it. and there could Ite no mis
taking those gray horses.
By Jove, the doctor is coiniug back!"
cried Holmes. "That settles it We are
bound to see what it means Itefore he
comes."
He opened the door, and we stepped
Into the hall. The droning sound swell
ed louder upon our ears until it became
ne long, deep wail of distress. It came
froB upstairs. Holmes darted up, and
I followed him. He pushed open a
half closed door, and we both stood ap
palled at the sight before lis.
woman, young and beautiful, was
tylB (sad upon the bed. Her eajp,
tfO CM, with dbaww4d ootMd !
rtToactDa. Opera ZEIcra-se, Ta,:n.-vjLsc:r37,
Mellville B. Raymond's Cartoon Comedy. The Great Nursery Play.
Buster Brown and his dog' "Tig'e"
By permission of R. F. Outcault and the N. Y. Herald
Chorus, Greeted everywhere by crowded houses. Every Day's a holiday
Buster Brown Comes to Town. Prices, 50-75-1.00. Seats now selling.
eyes, looked u;wnrd from amid a great
tangle of golJeii hair. At the foot of
the bed. half sitting, half kneeling, his
face buried in the clothes, was a young
man, whose frame was racked by his
sobs. So absorbed was he by his bitter
grief that he never looked up until
Holmes' hand was on his shoulder.
"Are you Mr. Godfrey Staunton?"
Tea, yes. I am but you are too late.
She Is dead."
The mau was so dazed that he could
not be made to understand that we
were anything but doctors who had
been scut to his assistance. Holmes
was endeavoring to utter a few words
of consolation and to explain the alarm
which had been caused to his friends
by his sudden disappearance when
there was a step upon the stairs, and
there was the heavy, stern, question
ing face of Dr. Armstrong at the door.
"So, gentiemcu." said he, "you have
attained your end and have certainly
chosen a particularly delicate moment
for j'our in; usiou. I would not brawl
In the presc.ee of death, but I can as
sure yon that if I were a younger man
your monstrous conduct would not
pass witli impunity."
"Excuse me. Dr. Armstrong, I think
we are a little at cross purposes," said
my friend, with diguity. "If you
could step downstairs with us we may
each be nb3 to give some light to the
other upon this miserable affair."
A minute later the grim doctor aud
onrselcs were in the sitting room be
low. Well, sir:" said he.
"I wish you to understand. In the
first place, that I am not employed by
Lord Mount-James and that my sym
pathies in till - matter are entirely
against that nobleman. When a man
is lost it i my duty to ascertain his
fate, but having doue so the matter
ends so far as 1 am concerned, and so
long as there is nothing criminal I am
much more .inious to hush up private
scundals than to give them publicity.
If, as I imagine, there is no breach of
the law in this matter, you can abso
lutely depend upon my discretion aud
my co-operation In keeping the facts
out of the papers."
Dr. Armstrong took a quick step for
ward and wrung Holmes by the baud
"You are a good fellow," said he. "I
had misjudged you. I thank heaven
that my compunction at leaving poor
Staunton all alone in this plight caused
me to turn my carriage back and so to
make your acquaintance. Knowing as
much as yoj do, the situation is very
easily explained. A year ago Godfrey
Staunton loigeJ in London for a time
and became passionately attached to
his landlady's daughter, whom he mar
ried. he was as good as she was
beautiful an 1 as intelligent as she was
good. No man need be ashamed of
such a wife. But Godfrey was the heir
to this crabbed old nobleman, and it
was quite ccH-jn that the news of his
marruigj wou:dnaveTeenTue end of
his Inheritance. I knew the lad well,
and I loved him for his many excellent
qualities. We did our very best to
keep trie thing from every one, for
when once such a whisper gets about It
is not long i efore every one has beard
It Th nks to this lonely cottage and
his own discretion, Godfrey has up to
now succee Ic:l. Their secret was
known to no one save to me and to
one excellent servant who has at pres
ent gone, for assistance. iaJGHUPphjg-
ton. "Rut at last therecamea lerrluie.
blow in the shape of dangerous illness
to his wife. It was consumption of the
most virulent kind. The poor boy was
half crazed with grief, and yet he had
to go to Loudon to play this match, for
he could not get out of it without ex
planations which would expose his se
cret I tried to cheer him up by wire,
and he sent me one in reply imploring
me to do all I could. This was the tele
gram which you appear in some inex
plicable way to have seen. I did not
tell him how urgent the danger was,
for I knew that he could do no good
here, but I sent the truth to the girl's
father, and he very Injudiciously com
municated it to Godfrey. The result
was that he came straight away in a
state lordering on frenzy and has re
mained In the same state, kneeling at
the end of her bed, until this morning
death put an end to her sufferings.
That is all, Mr. Holmes, and I am
sure that I can rely upon your discre
tion and that of your friend."
Holmes grasped the doctor's hand.
"Come, Watson." said he, and we
passed from that bouss of grief into
the pale sunlight of the wintry day.
The Adventure of
the Abbey Grange
No. 12 of the Scries
fCfjrithl, 1904, hf A. Con an 4Dylt mni CeUitr'i
(Ctfyritht. 1905. ij MiClure, Phlllin Sf C:)
T was on a bitterly cold
and frosty morning to
ward the end of the win
ter of '07 that I was
awakened by a tugging
at my shoulder. It was
Holmes. The candle in
his hand shone upon his eager, stoop
ing face aud told me at a glance that
something was amiss.
"Come, Watson; come!" he cried.
"The game Is afoot. Not a word! Into
your clothes and come!"
Ten minutes later we were both in a
cab and rattling through the 'silent
streets on our way to Charing Cross
station. The first faint winter's dawn
was beginning to appear, and we could
dimly see the occasional figure of an
early workman as be passed as, blur
red and indistinct in the opalescent
London reek. Holmes nestled in si
lence into his heavy coat, and I was
glad to do the same, for the air was
most bitter, and neither of us had
broken our fast.
It was not until we had consumed
some hot tea at the station and taken
our places In the Kentish train that
we were sufficiently thawed, he to
speak aud I to listen. Holmes drew a
note from his pocket and read It aloud:
Abbey Grange. Marsharo, Kent.
3:30 a. m.
My Dear Mr. Holmes I should be very
glad of your immediate assistance In what
promises to be a most remarkable case.
It Is something quite In your line. Except
for releasing the lady. I will see that ev
erything is kept exactly as I have found
It but I beg you not to lose an Instant, as
It Is difficult to leave Sir Eustace there.
Tours faithfully.
STANLEY HOPKINS.
"Hopkins has called me In seven
times, and on each occasion his sum
mons has been entirely Justified," said
fell
"fy m nf hit
cases lias found its way into your col
lection, and I must admit, Watson, that
you have som power of slee,on
which atones for much which I deplore
In your narratives. Your fatal habit of
looking at everything from the paint
of view of a story instead of as a scien
tific exercise has ruined what might
have been an instructive and even
classical scries of demonstrations. You
slur over work, of the utmost finesse
and delicacy in order to dwell upon
sensational details which may excite
but cannot possibly instruct the read
er. "Why do you not write them your
self?" I said, with some bitterness.
"I will, my dear Watson, I will. At
present I am. as you know, fairly busy,
but I propose to devote my declining
years to the composition of a textbook
which shall focus the whole art of de
tection into one volume. Our present
research appears to be a case of mur
der." "You think this Sir Eustace is dead,
then?"
"I should say so. Hopkins' writing
shows considerable agitation, and he Is
not an emotional man. Yes. I gather
there has been violence and that the
body is left for our inspection. A mere
suicide would not have caused him to
send for me. As to the release of the
lady. It would appear that she has been
locked in her room during the tragedy.
We are moving in high life, Watson
crackling paper. 'E. TV monogram,
coat of arms, picturesque address. I
think that Friend Hopkins will live up
to his reputation and that we shall have
an interesting morning. The crime was
committed before 12 last night."
"How can you possibly tell?"
"By an inspection of the trains and
by reckoning the time. The local police
had to be called In; they had to com
municate with Scotland Yard; Hopkins
had to go out, and he in turn bad to
send for me. All that makes a fair
night's work. Well, here we are at
Chiselhurst station, aud we shall soon
set our doubts at rest."
A drive of a couple of miles through
narrow country lanes brought us to a
park gate, which was opsued for us by
5 old lodge keeper, whose haggard
face- bore the reflection of some great
disaster. jThe avenue ran through a
noble park between lines of ancient
elms and ended in a low, widespread
house pillared in front after the fash
Ion of Palladio. The central part was
evidently of a great ace and shrouded
in ivy, but the large windows showed
that modern changes had been carried
out and oue wiug of the house appear
ed to be entirely new. The youthful
figure and alert, eager face of Inspect
or Stanley Hopkins confronted us in
the open doorway.
"I'm very glad you have come, Mr.
Holmes, and you, too. Dr. Watson.
But Indeed, if I had my time over
again I should not have troubled you,
for since tHe lady has come to herself
she has given so clear an account of
the affair that there is not much left
for us to do. You remember that Lew
isham gang of burglars?"
"What the three Randalls?"
"Exactly; the father and two sons.
It's their work. I have not a doubt of
it They did a job at Sydenham a fort
night ago and were seen and described.
Bather cool to do another so soon and
so near, but it Is they beyond all doubt
If s a hjnglng ma$trjthjs time."
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v9EiiaiBssssBEr!!'Je'MBSBSsABBFaMBBsssssa
m9b?v ' 3?K8lBSSSEiBSSSHBVBv juBSSSSSSVBSBi SfiBBBSSSl
'sflsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss&G'ApSPvMBBsssV
' BSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSBflsliBSS' ssi v Usssssi
lor the Children when
"Sir Eustace Is deadT flien?"
"Yes; bis head was knocked in witli
his own poker."
"Sir Eustace Brackenstall, the driver
tolls me."
"Exactly; one of the richest meu in
Kent. Lndy Brackenstall is in the
morniug room. Poor lady, she lias had
a most dreadful experience. She seem
ed half dead when I saw her first. I
think you had best see her and hear
her account of the facts. Then we will
examine the dining room together."
Lady Brackenstall was no ordinary
person. Seldom have I seen so grace
ful a figure, so womanly a presence
and so beautiful a face. She was a
blond, golden haired, blue eyed, and
wonld no doubt have had the perfect
complexion which goes with such col
oring had not her recent experience
left her drawn and haggard. Her suf
ferings were physical as well as men
tal, for over one eye rose a hideous,
plum colored swelling, which her maid,
a tall, austere woman, was bathing as
siduously with vinegar and water. The
lady lay back exhausted upon a couch,
but her qnick observant gaze as we
entered the room and the alert ex
pression of her beautiful features
showed that neither her wits nor her
courage had been shaken by her terri
ble experience. She was enveloped in
a loose dressing gown of blue and sil
ver, but a black sequin covered dinner
dress was hung upon tin couch beside
her.
"I have told you all that happened.
Mr. Hopkins," she said weariiy.
"Could yon not repeat It for me? Well.
If you think it necessary I will tell
these gentlemen what occurred. Have
they been in the dining room yet?'
"I thought they had better hear your
ladyship's story first."
"I shall be glad when you can ar
range matters. It is horrible to me to
think of him still lying there." She
shuddered and buried her face in her
hands. As she did so the loose gown
fell back from her forearms. Holmes
uttered an exclamation.
"You have other Injuries, madam!
What Is this?" Two vivid red spots
stood out on one of the white, round
limbs. She hastily covered it.
"It is nothing. It has no connection
with this hideous business tonight. If
you and your friend will sit down, I
will tell you all I can.
"I am the wife of Sir Eustace Brack
enstall. I have been married about a
year. I suppose there is no use of my at
tempting to conceal that our marriage
lias not lieen a happy one. I fear that
all our neighbors would tell you that,
even if I were to attempt to deny it.
Perhaps the fault may 1m partly mine.
I was brought up in the freer, less
conventional atmosphere of South Aus
tralia, and this English life, with its
proprieties and its primness. Is not con
genial to me. But the main reason
lies In the one fact which Is notorious
to every one, and that Is that Sir Eus
tace was a confirmed drunkard. To be
with such a man for an hour Is un
pleasant. Can you imagine what It
means for a sensitive and high spirited
woman to he tied to him for day and
Bight? It is a sacrilege, a crime, a
villainy, to hold that such a marriage is
binding. I say that these monstrous
laws of yours will bring a curse upon
the land. God will not let such wicked
ness endure." Fpr an instant she Kit
ftp tier ikwl-a rtnntiad mnA hr yea
blazing from under the terrible mark
upon her brow. Then the strong,
soothing hand of the austere maid
drew her head down on to the cushion,
and the wild anger died away Into
passionate sobbing. At last she con:
tinned:
"I will tell you about last night. You
re aware, perhaps, that In this house
ell the servants sleep in the modern
wing. This central block is made up
of the dwelling rooms, with the kitchen
behind and our bedroom above. My
maid. Theresa, sleeps above my room.
There Is no one else, and no sound could
alarm those who are In the farther
wing. This must have been well known
to the rubbers or they would not have
acted as they did.
"Sir Eustace retired about half past
10. Tiie servants had already gone to
their quarters. Only my maid was up.
aud she had remained in her room at
the top of the house until I needed her
services. I sat until after 11 in this
room, absorbed in a book; then I walk
ed round to see that all was right lie
fore I weut upstairs. It was my cus
tom to do this myself, for, as I have
explained. Sir Eustace was uot always
to be trusted. I went into the kitcheu.
the butler's pantry, the gun room, the
billiard room, the drawing room and
finally the dining room. As I ap
proached the window, which Is covered
with thick curtains, I suddenly felt the
wind blow upon my face and realized
that it was open. I Hung the curtain
aside and found myself face to face
with a broad shouldered, elderly man,
who had just stepped into the room.
The Avindow Is a loug French one,
which really forms a door leading to
the lawn. I held my bedroom candle
lit in my hand, and by Its light behind
the first man I saw two others, who
were in the act of entering. I stepped
back, but the fellow was on me in an
iustaut. lie caught me first by the
wrist and then by the throat. I opened
my mouth to scream, but he struck me
a savage blow with his list over the
eye and felled me to the ground. I
must have been unconscious for n few
minutes, for when I came to myself
I found that they had torn down the
bell rope and had secured me tightly
to the oaken chair which stands at the
head of the dining table. I was so
firmly bound that I could not move, and
a handkerchief round my mouth pre
vented me from uttering a sound. It
was at this instant that my unfortu
nate husband entered the room. He
had evidently heard some suspicious
sounds, and he came prepared for such
a scene as he found. He was dressed
In his shirt and trousers, with his fa
vorite blackthorn cudgel in bis hand.
He rushed at the burglars, but an
otherit was an elderly man stooped,
picked the poker out of the grate and
struck him a horrible blow as he
passed. He fell, with a groan, and
never moved again.
"I fainted once more, but again it
could only have been for a very few
minutes during which I was insensi
ble. When I opened my eyes I found
that they had collected the silver from
the sideboard, and they had drawn a
bottle of wine which stood there. Each
of them had a glass In his hand. I
have already told you, have I not, that
one was elderly, with a beard, and the
others young, hairless lads? They
might have been a father with his two
sons. They talked together in whis
pers. Then they came over and made
sure that I was securely bound. Fi
nally they withdrew, closing the win
dow after them. It was quite a quar
ter of an hour before I got my mouth
free. When I did so my screams
brought the maid to my assistance.
The other servants were soon alarmed,
and we sent for the local police, who
instantly communicated with London.
That is really nil that I can tell you.
gentlemen, and I trust that it will not
be necessary for me to go over so pain
ful a .tur. atrain."
"Any questions, Mr. Holmes?" asked
Hopkins.
"I will not impose any further tax
upon Lady IJrackenstall's patience and
time," said Holmes. "Before I go into
the dining room I should like to hear
your experience." He looked nt the
mnld.
"I saw the men before ever they
came into the houe." said she. "As
I sat by my bedroom window I saw
three men in the moonlight down by
the lodge gate yonder, but I thought
nothing of it at the time. It was more
than an hour after that I heard my
mistress scream, and down I ran to
find her, ioor lamb, just as she says,
and him on the floor, with his blood
and brains over the room. It was
enough to drive a woman out of her
wits, tied there and her very dress spot
ted with him; but she never wanted
courage, did Miss Mary Fraser of Ade
laide, and Lady Brackenstall of Abbey
Grange hasn't learned new ways.
You've questioned her long enough,
you gentlemeu. and now she Is coming
to her own room just with her old
Theresa to get the rest that she badly
needs."
(To be continued,)
Auctioneer.
I am prepared to respond promptly
to allcalls for a praotical anctioneer
in Platte connty territory. I par for
all phone calls. W. I. Blaine. Scaay
ler, Nebraska Phost No. .