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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 3, 1905)
Illustrated Bee HE NUMBER 325. Entered Second Class at Omaha Fostoffice Published Weekly by The Ike Publishing Co. Subscription, 2.50 Per Year. SKITKMUKK 3, 1003. Exploits of Sherlock Holmes Adventure of the Noble Bachelor Being an Account of the Strange and Mysterious Disappearance of an American Girl Just After Her Marriage to an English Nobleman and the Fart Flayed in it by a Rich American Miner. r 'X THE Lord St. Simon marriage and its cunous termination Have Ions ceased to be a subject of Interest In those exalted cir cles in which the unfortunate bridegroom moves. Fresh scandals have eclipsed It, and their more piquant details hare drawn the gossips, away from this four-year-old drama. As I have reason to believe, however, that the full facts have never been revealed to the general public, and as my friend Sherlock Holmes had a considerable share in clearing the matter up, 1 feel that no memoir of him would be complete without some little sketch of this remarkable episode. It was a few weeks before my own marriage, during the days when I was still sharing rooms with Sherlock Holmes in Baker fttreet, that be came home from an afternoon stroll to find a letter on the table waiting for him. I bad remained indoors all day, for the weather had taken a midden turn to rain, with high autumnal winds, and the jezall bullet which I had brought back in one of my limbs as a relic of my Afghan campaign, throbbed with dull per sistency. With my body in one easy chair and my legs upon an other, I had surrounded myself with a cloud of newspapers, until at last, saturated with the news of the day, I tossed them all aside and lay listless, watching the huge crest and monogram upon the envelope upon the table, and wondering lazily who my friend's noble correspondent could be. "Here is a very fashionable epistle," I remarked, as he entered. "Your morning letters, if I remember right, were from a fish mon ger and a tide waiter." "Yes, my correspondence has certainly the charm of variety," he answered, smiling," and the humbler are usually the more inter esting. This looks like one of those unwelcome social summonses which call upon a man either to be bored or to He." He broke the seal and glanced over the contents. "Oh, come, it may prove to be something of Interest, after all." "Not social, then?" "No, distinctly professional." "And from a noble client?" "One of the highest in England." "My dear fellow, I congratulate you." "I assure you, Watson, without affectation, that the status of m client is a matter of less moment to me than the interest of his case. It Is just possible, however, that that also may not be want ing in this new investigation. You have been reading the papers diligently of late, have yu not?" "It looks like it," said I, ruefully, pointing to a huge bundle in the corner. "I hnve had nothing else to do." "It is "fortunate, for you will perhaps he able to post me up. I read nothing except the criminal news and the agony column. The latter it. always instructive. But if you have followed recent events 'so rl.onely you must have read about Lord St. Simon and his wed ulns?" "Oh, yes, with the deepest' Interest." "That is well. The letter which I hold in my hand is from Lord St. Simon. I will read it to you, and in return you must turn oter these papers and let me have whatever bears upon the mat-, .ter. Thin is what he says: "'My Dear Mr. Sherlock Holmes: Lord Backwater tells me that I may place Implicit reliance upon your Judgment and discre tion. I have determined, therefore, to call upon you, and to consult you in reference to the very painful event which has occurred in connection with my wedding. . Mr. Lestrade of Scotland Yard,' is . uctin(! already In the matter, but he assures me that he- sees no ob ' lection to your co-operation, and that he even thinks that it might bo of some assistance. T will call at 4 o'clock, in the afternoon, and should you have any other engagement at tha.t time, I hope that you will postpone It, as this matter is of paramount Importance. Yours faithfully. ST. SIMON.' "It is dated from Grosvenor Mansions, written with a quill .pen, and the noble lord has had the misfortune to get a smear of ink upon the outer side of his right little finger," remarked Holmes, as he folded up the epistle. "lie tays 4 o'clock. It is 3 now. He will be here in an hour." "Ther. I have Just time, with your assistance, to get clear upon the subject. Turn over those papers, and arrange the extracts in their order of time, while I take a glance as to who our client is." He jii'-ked a red-covered volume from a line of books of reference beside the mantel piece. "Here he is." said he, sitting down and fattening it out upon his knee. "Lord Robert Walsingham de Vero St. Simon, second son of the duke of Balmoral Hum! Arms: Aaure, three caltrops in chief over a fess sable. Born in 1846. He's 41 years or age, which is mature for marriage. Was under secre tary for the colonies in a late administration. The duke, his father, was at one time secretary for foreign affairs. They inherit Plan ta?enet blooo bv direct descent, and Tudor on the distaff side. Ha! Well, there is nothing very instructive in all this. I think that I must turn to vou, Watson, for something more solid." "I hav very little difficulty in finding what I want," said I, "for the facts are quite recent, and the matter struck me as re markable. I feaied to refer them to you, however, as I knew that you had an inquiry ou hand, and that you disliked the intrusion of other matters." ' "Oh, you mesn the little problem of the Grosvenor Square furniture van. Thnt is quite cleared up, now though, Indeed, it was obvious from the first Pray give the results of your news paper selections. " . "Hero is the tr"t notice which I can find. It is in the personal column of th Morning Post, and dateB, as you see, some weeks back. 'A marriage has been arranged,' it says, 'and will, if rumor Is correct, very, shortly take place, between Lord Robert St. Simon, second son of the duke of Balmoral, and Miss Hatty Doran, the pnly daughter of Aloyslus Doran, esq., of San Francisco, Cal., U. 8. A. That is all." "Terse and to the point," remarked Holmes, stretching his long, thin legs toward the fir. "Ther was a paragraph amplifying this In one of the society papers of the sam week. Ah! here it 1b. "Inhere will soon be a call for protection In the marriage market,' for the present free trade principle appears to tell heavily against our home product One by one the management of the noble houses of Great Britain is passing into the hands of our fair cousins from across the Atlantic An Important addition has been made during the last week to the list of prizes which have been borne away by these charming In vaders. Lord St. Simon, who has shown himself for over twenty years proof against the little god's arrows, has now definitely an nounced his approaching marriage with Miss Hatty Doran, the fascinating daughter of a California millionaire. Miss Doran, whose graceful figure and striking face attracted much attention at the Westbury House festivities, is an only child, and It is currently re ported that her dowry will run to considerably over the six figures, with expectancies for the future. As it is an open secret that the duke of Balmoral has been competed to sell his pictures within the last few years, and as Lord St. Simon has no property of his own, save the small estate of Blrchmoor, it is obvious that the CalU fornla heiress is not the only gainer by an alliance which will enable her to make the easy and common transition from a repub lican lady to a British peeress.' " "Anything else?" asked Holmes, yawning. "Oh, yes; plenty. There is another note in the Morning Post to say that the marriage would be an absolutely quiet one; that it would be at St. George's, Hanover Square, that only half a dozen Intimate friends would be Invited, and that the party would return to the furnished house at Lancaster Gate which had been taken by Mr. Aloyslus Doran. Two days later that Is, on Wednesday last there was a curt announcement that the wedding had taken place, and that the honeymoon would be passed at Lord Backwater's place, near Petersneld."-, Those are all the notices which appeared before the disappearance or tn bride." "Before ta what?' asked Holmes.' with a start. "The vanUhla of the Jady." . I - . "When did sh vanish, then?" VU the wedding breakfast." Thrilling Chapters from the Life Story of the World's Greatest Detective Character "Indeed. This is more in teresting than it promised to -be; quite dramatic, in fact." "Yes; it struck me as being a little out of the com mon." "They often vanish before the ceremony, and occasion ally during the honeymoon; but I cannot call to mind any thing quite so prompt as this. Pray let me have the details." "I warn you that they are very Incomplete." "Perhaps we may make them less so." "Such as they are, they are set forth in a single article of a morning paper of yesterday, which I will read to you. It is headed, 'Singular Occurrence at a Fashionable Wedding:' " 'The family or Lord Robert St. Simon has been thrown into the greatest con sternation by the strange and painful episodes which have taken place In connection with his wedding. The ceremony, as shortly announced in the papers of yesterday, occurred on the previous morning; but it is only now that it has been possible to confirm the strange rumors which have been so persistently floating about: In spite of the attempts of the friends to hush the matter up, so much public attention has now been drawn to it that.no good purpose can be served by affecting to disregard what, is a common subject for conver sation. " 'The ceremony, which was performed at St. George's, Hanover Square, was a very quiet one, no one being present save the father of the bride, Mr. Aloyslus Doran, the duch ess of Balmoral, Lord Back water, Lord Eustace and Lady Clara St. Simon (the younger brother and sister of the bride groom), and Lady Alicia Whit tington. The whole party pro ceeded afterward to the house of Mr. Aloyslus Doran, at Lancaster Gate, where breakfast had been prepared. It appears that some little trouble was caused by a woman, whose name has not been ascertained, who endeavored to force her way into the house after the bridal party, alleging that she had some claim upon Lord St. Simon. It was only after a pain- As to my own case, I am ready to give you any In formation which may assist you in forming an opinion." "Thank you. I have al ready learned all that Is in the public prints, nothing more. I presume that I may take It as correct-this arti cle, for example,, as to the disappearance of the bride." Lord St. Simon glanced over it. "Yes, It is correct, so far as it -goes." "But it needs a great deal of supplementing before any one could offer an opin ion. I think that I may ar rive at my facts most directly by questioning you." "Pray do so." "When did you first meet Miss Hatty Doran?" San Francisco, a "In year ago." "You were traveling in the states?" "Yes." "Did you become en gaged then?" "No." "But you were on a friendly footing?" "I was amused by her society, and she could see that I was amused." "Her father is very rich?" "He is said to be the richest man on the Pacific slope." "And how did he make his money?" "In mining. He had nothing a few years ago. Then he struck gold, invested It, and came up by leaps and bounds." "Now, what is your own impression as to the young lady's your wife's charac ter?" The nobleman swung his glasses a little faster and stared down Into the fire." "You see, Mr. Holmes," said he, "my wife was 20 before her father became a rich man. During that time she ran free in a mining camp, and wandered through woods or mountains, so that her education has come from nature rather than from the school master. She is what we call in England a tomboy, with a strong nature, wild and free, unfettered by any sort of traditions. She Is ful and prolonged scene that she was ejected by the butler and the Impetuous volcanic, I was about to say. She is swift In making up "SHE HAD CAUCHT VT AN UISTER AND BONNET. footman. The bride, who had fortunately entered the house before this unpleasant interruption, had sat down to breakfast with the rest, when she complained of a sudden Indisposition and retired to her room. Her prolonged absence having caused some comment, her father followed her, but learned from her maid that she had only come up to her chamber for an instant, caught up an ulster and bonnet, and hurried down to the passage. One of the footmen de clared that he had seen a lady leave the house thus apparelled, but had refusod to credit that It was his mistress, believing her to be with the company. On ascertaining that his daughter had disap- her mind, and fearless in carrying out her resolutions. On the other hand, I would not have given her the name which I have the honor to bear" he gave a little stately cough "had not I thought, her to be at bottom a noble woman. I believe she is capable of heroic self-sacrifice, and that anything dishonorable would be re pugnant to her." "Have you her photograph?" "I brought this with me." He opened a locket, and showed us the full face of a very lovely woman. It was not a photograph, but an Ivory miniature, and the artist had brought out the full effect of the lustrous black hair, the large dark eyes, and the exquisite Then he closed peared, Mr. Aloyslus Doran, in conjunction with the bridegroom. instantly put themselves into communication with the police, and mouth. Holmes gazed long and earnestly at It. very energetic inquiries are being made, which will probably result the locket and handed it back to Lord St. Simon. in a speedy clearing up of this very singular business. Up to a late "The young lady came to London, then, and you renewed your hour last night, however, nothing had transpired as to the where- acquaintance?" abouts of the misBing lady. .There are rumors of foul play. In the "Yes, her father brought her over for this last London season, matter, and it is said that the police have caused the arrest of the I met her several times, became engaged to her, and have now mar woman who had caused the original disturbance, in the belief that, rled her." from Jealousy or some other motive, she may have been concerned In the strange disappearance of the bride." "And is that all?" Only one little item in another of the morning papers, but it is a suggestive one." "And it is" "That Miss Flora Millar, the lady who had caused the dis turbance, has actually been arrested. It appears that she was for merly a danseuse at the 'Allegro,' and that she has known the bride groom for some years. There are no further particulars, and the whole case is in your hands now so far as it has been set forth in the public press." "And an exceedingly interesting case it appears to be. I would not have missed it for worlds. But there Is a ring at the bell, Wat son, and as the clock makes it a few minutes after 4, I have no doubt that this will prove to be our noble client. Do not dream of going, Watson, for I very much prefer having a witness, if only as a check to my own memory." "Lord Robert St. Simon," announced our pageboy, throwing open the door. A gentleman entered, with a pleasant, cultured face, high-nosed and pale, with something perhaps of petulance about the mouth, and with the steady, well-opened eye of a man whose pleasant lot It had ever been to command and to be obeyed. His manner was brisk, and yet his general appearance gave an undue Impression of age, for he had a Blight forward stoop and a little bend in the knees as he walked. His hair, too, as he swept off his very curly-brimmed bat, was grizzled round the edges and thin upon the top. As to his dress, It was careful to the verge of foppishness, with high collar, black frock coat, white waistcoat, yellow gloves, patent-leather shoes, and light-colored gaiters. He advanced slowly Into the room, turning his head from left to right, and swinging in his right hand the cord which held hla golden eye-glasses. Good-day, Lord St. Simon," said Holmes, rising and bowing. "Pray take the baskei-chalr. This is my friend and colleague, Dr. Watson. Draw up a little to the fire, and we will talk this matter over." "A most painful matter to me, as you can most readily imagine, Mr. Holmes. I have been cut to the quick. I understand that you have already managed several delicate cases of this sort, sir, though I presume that they were hardly from the same class of society." "No, I am descending." "I beg pardon." "My last client of the sort was a king." "Oh, really! I had no idea. And which king?" "The Kins of Scandinavia." "What! Had be lost his wife?" "You can understand," said Holmes, suavely, "that I extend to the affairs of my other clients the same secrecy which I promise to you la yours." "Of course! Very right! -Tery right! I'm sure I beg pardon. "She brought, I understand, a considerable dowry?" "A fair dowry. Not more than is usual in my family." "And this, of course, remains to you, since the marriage Is a fait accompli?" "I really have made no inquiries on the subject." "Very naturally not. Did you see Miss Doran on the day be fore the wedding?" "Yes." "Was she in good spirits?" "Never better. She kept talking of what we should do In our future lives." "Indeed! That is very Interesting. And on the. morning of the wedding?" "She was as bright as possible at least until after the cere mony." "And did you observe any change In her then?" "Well, to tell the truth, I saw then the first signs that I had ever seen that her temper was Just a little sharp. The incident, however, was too trivial to relate and can have no possible bearing upon the case." "Pray let us have it. for all that." "Oh, It is childish. She dropped her bouquet as we went to ward the vestry. She was passing the front pew at the time, and it fell over into the pew. There was a moment's delay, but the gen tleman in the pew handed it up to her again, and It did not appear to be the worse for the fall. Yet when I spoke to her of the matter she answered me abruptly, and In the carriage, on our way home, she seemed absurdly agitated over this trifling cause." "Indeed! You say that there was a gentleman In the pew. Some of the general public were present, then?" "Oh, yes. It Is Impossible to exclude them when the church la open." "This gentleman was not one of your wife's friends?" "No, no; I call him a gentleman by courtesy, but he was quite a common looking person. I hardly noticed his appearance. But really I think that we are wandering rather far from the point." "Lady St. Simon, then, returned from the wedding in a less cheerful frame of mind than she had gone to It. What did she do on re-entering her father's house?" "I saw her In conversation with her maid." "And who is her maid?" "Alice la her name. She la an American, and came from Cali fornia with her." "A confidential servant?" "A little too much so. It seemed to me that her mistress al lowed her to take great liberties. Still, of course, in America they look upon these things in a different way." "How long did she speak to this Alice?" "Oh, a few minutes. I had something else to think of." "You did not overhear what they said?" "Lady St. Simon said something about 'Jumping a claim.' She was accustomed to use slung of the kind. I have no Idea what she meant." "American slang Is very expressive sometimes. And what did your wife do when she finished speaking to her inuid?" "She walked into the breakfast room." "On your arm?" s "No, alone. She was very independent in little matters like that. ,Then, after we had sat down for ten minutes or so, she rose hurriedly, muttered some words of apology, and left the room. She never came back." v "But this maid, Alice, as I understand, deposes that she went to her room, covered her bride's dress with a long ulster, put on a bonnet, and went out." "Quite so. And she was afterward seen walking Into Hyde Park In company with Flora Millar, a woman who is now In cus tody, and who had already made a disturbance at Mr. Doran's house that morning." "Ah, yes. I should like a few particulars as to this young lady and your relations to her." Lord St. Simon shrugged his shoulders and raised his eye brows. "We have been on a friendly footing for some years I may say on a very friendly footing. She used to be at the 'Allegro.' I have not treated her ungenerously, and she has no Just cause of complaint against me, but you know what women are, Mr. Holmes. Flora was a dear little thing, but exceedingly hot-headed, and de votedly attached to me. She wrote me dreadful letters when she heard that I was about to be married; and, to tell the truth, the reason why I had the marriage celebrated so quietly was that I feared lest there might bo a scandal in the church. She came to Mr. Doran's door just after we returned, and she endeavored to push her way in, uttering very abusive expressions toward my wife, and even threatening her; but I had foreseen the possibility of some thing of the sort, and I had two police fellows there In private clothes, who soon pushed her out again. She was quiet when she saw that there was no good in making a row." "Did your wife hear all this?" "No, thank goodness, she did not." "And she was seen walking with this very woman afterward?" "Yes. That is what Mr. Lestrade of Scotland Yard, looks upon as so serious. It Is thought that Flora decoyed my wife out and laid some terrible trap for her." "Well, It Is a possible supposition." "You think so, too?" "Ijlld not say a probable ono. But you do not yourself look upon this as likely." "I do not think Flora would hurt a fly." "Still, jealousy is a strange transformer of character. Pray what Is your own theory as to what took place?" "Well, really, I CHtne to. seek a theory, not to propound one. I have given you all the facts. Since you ask me, however, I may say that it has occurred to me as possible that the excitement of this affair, the consciousness that she had made so immense a social stride, had the effect of causing some little nervous disturbance In my wife." "In short, that she had become suddenly deranged?" "Well, really, when I consider that she has turned her back I will not say upon me, but upon so much that many have aspired to without success I can hardly explain it In any other fashion." "Well, certainly that is also a conceivable hypothesis," said Holmes, smiling. "And now, Lord St. Simon, I think that I have nearly all my data. May I ask whether you were seated at the breakfast table so that you could see out of the window?" "We could see the other side of the road and the park." "Quite so. Then I do not think that I need to detain you longer. I shall communicate with you." ''Should you be fortunate enough to solve this problem," said our client, rising. "I have solved it." "Eh? What was that?" . ' "I say that I have solved it." "Where, then, is my wife?" "That Is a detail wV'ch I shall speedily supply.'' Lord St. Simon shook his head. "I am afraid that It will tak wiser heads than yours or mine,' he remarked, and, bowing In a stately, old-fashioned manner, he departed. "It la very good of Lord St. Simon to honor my head by put ting It on a level with his own," said Sherlock Holmes, laughing. "I think that I shall have a whisky and soda and a cigar after all this cross-questioning. I had formed my conclusions as to the caso before our client came Into the room." "My dear Holmes!" "I have notes of several similar cases, though none, as I re marked before, which were quite as prompt. My whole examination served to turn my conjecture into a certainty. Circumstantial evi dence is occasionally very convincing, as when you find a trout in the milk, to quote Thoreau's example." "But I have heard all that you have heard." "Without, however, the knowledge of pre-existing cases which serves me so well. There was a parallel instance in Aberdeen soma years back, and something on very much the same lines at Munich the year after the Frp.nco-Pnissian war. It is one of these cases but, hello, here is Lestrade! Good afternoon, Lestrade! You will find an extra tumbler upon the sideboard, and there are cigars in the box." The official detective was attired in a peajacket and cravat, which gave him a decidedly nautical appearance, and he carried a black canvas bag in his hand. With a short greeting he seated him self and lit the cigar which had been offered to him. "What's up, then?" asked Holmes, with a twinkle In his eye. "You look dissatisfied." " And I feel dissatisfied. It is this Infernal St. Simon mar riage case. I can, make neither head nor tall of the business." "Really! YoSi surprise me." "Who ever heard of such a mixed affair? Every clue seema to slip through my fingers. I have been at work upon it all day." "And very wet it seems to have made you," said Holmes, lay ing his hand upon the arm of the peajacket. "Yes, I have been dragging the Serpentine." "In heaven's name, what for?" "In search of the body of Lady St. Simon." Sherlock Holmes leaned back in his chair and laughed heartily. "Have you dragged the basin of Trafalgar Square fountain?" he asked. "Why? What do you mean?" "Because you have Just as good a chance of finding this lady In the on as in the other." Lestrade shot an angry glance at my companion. "I suppose you know all about It," he snarled. "Well, I have only Just heard the facts, but my mind is made up." "Oh, Indcod! Then you tbluk that the Seipvullue plays no part In the matter?" "I think it very unlikely." "Then perhaps you will kindly explain how It is that we found this In it?" He opened his bag as he spoke and tumbled on to the floor a wedding dress of watered silk, a pair of I white satin shoes and a bride's wreath and veil, all discolored and soaked in water. "There," said he, putting a new wedding ring upon the top of the pile. "There Is a little nut for you to crack. Master Holmes." "Oh, Indeed!" said my friend, blowing blue rings into the air. "You dragged them from the Serpentine?" "No. They were found floating near the margin by a park keeper. They have been Identified sb her clothes, and It seemed to me that if the clothes were there the body would not be far off." "By the same brilliant reasoning, every man's body Is to be found In the neighborhood of bis wardrobe. And pray what did you hope to arrive at through this?" (Continued on Page Eight)
