| Show I II The Th 1 he he A Adventures d ventures oJ of Bl Black l. l P Peter Pc eier i. i By Conan S Sir Doyle Arthur I PART ON ONE E EBy By SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE I Copyright 19 1921 1 by Harper Bros Published Published Published Pub Pub- by special arrangement with the McClure Newspaper Syndicate I have never known my friend to b bIn in better form both mental and physical than in the year 9 95 9 HI His us Increasing fame had had brought bro with it an immense practice practice practice tice and I should be guilty of an indiscretion indis I cr if I were even to hint at the identity Identity iden iden- I I I of some som of the illustrious clients who crossed our our humble threshold in Baker Baler street Holmes however like all aU great artists lived for his arts art's sake sale and save in the ase se of the Duke of Holder- Holder nesse I have seldom known him to claim any large reward for his inestimable services So unworldly was he or he-or or so I capricious that capricious that he frequently refused his help to the powerful and wealthy where the problem made no appeal to his sympathies sympathies sym sym- while he would devote weeks of most intense application to the affairs of some humble client whose case presented presented presented pre pre- those strange and dramatic qualities quail quail- ties which appealed to hi his imagination i j jand I 1 and challenged his ingenuity I In this memorable year 95 95 a curious curious' and incongruous succession of cases had I engaged his attention ranging from his f famous investigation of the sudden death of Cardinal Tosca Tosca-an Tosca an inquiry which was carried out by him at the express desire of His Holiness Holness the Pope Pope down down to his I arrest of Wilson Vilson the notorious canary I trainer which removed a plague spot I from the East End of London Close I on the heels of these two famous cases I came the tragedy of Woodmans Woodman's Lee and the very obscure circumstances I which surrounded the death of Captain Peter Carey No record of the doings of ot Mr Sherlock Holmes would be complete which did not include some account of I this very unusual affair During the first week of oC July my friend i had been absent so often and so long from our lodgings that I knew he had something on hand The fact that several several several sev sev- eral rough looking men called luring during that time and inquired for Captain Basil made m me understand that Holmes was working I somewhere under one of or the numerous disguises and names with which he concealed concealed concealed con con- his own formidable identity He had at least Isasi five small refuges in m different different differ differ- ent parts of London in which he was able to change his personality He lIe said nothing of his business to m me mI and it was wasI not my habit to force a confidence The I first positive sign which he gave me of oft I t he the e direction which his investigation was tal taking Baking ing was an extraordinary one He lie had gone out before breakfast and I had hadiat Jat at down to mine when he strode into the he room his hat at upon his head and a huge barbed headed spear tucked like I an umbrella under his arm Good dood gracious Holmes Holmes' I cried You dont don't mean to say th t you OU have been een walking about London wit with that I thing I 1 drove to the butchers butcher's and bac back bacic The butchers butcher's And Anti I return with an excellent appetite appe appe- tite There can be no question my ply tear dear Watson Vatson of the value of Pt exercise before breakfast But I am prepare prepared to bet that S you you will not guess the form forn that my exercise exercise ex ex- has taken I I will not attempt it He chuckled as he poured out the coffee IT If you could have looked Into Allardyce's Allardyce's Allar- Allar dyce's back shop you have seen been seena beena a dead pig swung from a a. hook in the ceilIng and a gentleman in his ida shirtsleeves shirt shirtsleeves sleeves furiously stabbing at it with this weapon l I 1 was that energetic person L I and I have satisfied myself that by no ex exertion of ny my strength can I transfix the pig with a single sing blow Perhaps you would care to lO tr trot try try Not ot for worlds But why were you doing this Because It seemed to me pie to have an Indirect bearing upon the mystery of Woodman's Woodmans Lee Ah Hopkins I got YOur wire last night and I have been expecting you ou Come and join us Our visitor was an exceedingly alert man thirty years of age drel dressed sed In a I quiet tweed suit but retaining the erect bearing of one who was accustomed to official uniform I recognized him at once fis JiS Stanley Hopkins a young ayoung youn police I inspector for tor whose future Holmes had high hopes while ho lie If turn professed proCessed the admiration and respect of a pupil for the I scientific methods of 01 the famous ama ama- Hopkins Hopkins' ns' ns brow was clouded and L he sat down with an air of pf deep de de- de 5 No No thank you sir I breakfasted before I came cam round I spent the night In town for I came up yesterday to re re- re port lort And what had you ou to report f Failure allure l sir absolute failure You have ve made no progress s None e Dear ine me meL I must have a at the matter I 1 wish to Heavens that you jou ou would Mr Holmes Its It's my first big chance chance and I am at my wits' wits end COd For goodness goodne S sake come tome down and lend me a hand Well Vell well It just happens that I have laye already alread read all the available evidence Including the report of or th the inquest with care By ny the way what do you yet ou 1 make of that tobacco pouch found on or i ithe the scene of the crime Is t there ere no clue clu S there Hopkins looked surprised It wa was the mans man's own pouch sir His Ills initials were inside it And it it was wa was I of oC sealskin and sealskin and he was an old sealer But lie he had no pipe No sir we could find no pipe In In- I I I i j I 1 I I deed he smoked very little and yet he might have kept some tobacco for his friends No do doubt bt I only mention it because if I had h-d Jeen been Leen handling the case I shoula should have been inclined to make that the starting point of my investigation However However How How- ever my friend Dr Watson knows nothing noth noth- ing of this matter and I should be none the for hearing the sequence of events once more Just give us some short sketches of the essentials Stanley Hopkins drew a slip of paper from hrs his pocket I 1 have a few tew dates here wh which ch WIT will give you the career of the dead man Captain Peter Carey He wa wag born in 45 45 fifty fifty years ears of age He was a lI most fisher daring I In and 1883 successful he lie commanded S lm seal dar and the e steam whale f sealer Sea Unicorn of Dundee He had then had several successful voyages in succession and in the following year jear ear 1884 he retired After that he traveled for some years ears and he bought a small place called Woodmans Woodman's Lee near nea Forest Row in Sussex There he has lived for six years ears and there he died just a week ago today There were wen some most singular points about the m man n. n In la ordinary life he was a strict 0 strict Puritan Puritan Puritan-a a silent gloomy Cell fellow ow His household consisted of his wife his hla daughter aged 20 W. W ana ane two rem female le ser ser- I These lat last were continually chan chanying for it was never a very situation and sometimes it became past pastI all beating bearing The man was an intermIt intermIt- I tant drunkard and when he had the fit fitI fiton fiton on him he was a perfect fiend He HI has I been known to drive his wife and daughter daughter daugh daugh- ter out of ot doors in the middle of the night and flog them through the par park I until the whole village outside the gates was aroused by their screams He was summoned once for a savage assault upon the old vicar who had called upon him to remonstrate with him upon his conduct In short Mr Ir Holmes you would go far before you ou found a more dangerous man than tian Peter Carey and I have heard that he bore bor the same charaCter character character char char- acter when he commanded his ship He was known as Black Peter Beter and the name was given him not only on account of his swarthy features and ana the color of ot his 1215 huge beard but for the humors which were the terror of all around him I need not say that he was wag loathed and avoided by ever every one of or flis neighbors and that I have not heard one single word of sorrow about his terrible end Tomorrow Tomorrow The The adventure of Black Peter Peter Pe Pe- I ter continued |
