The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 37 Four Signatures (21)
When we followed them out of the basement, Mr. Merriwether said: "Mr. Holmes, I really don't know how our bank should reward you. It is the first time in my experience that a bank robbery like this has been carefully planned." Once. Fortunately, you discovered it and solved the case in such a rigorous and simple way, which is really admirable."

"I have a little business or two to settle with John Clay," said Holmes. "I can ask the bank to pay for the little fee I have contributed to the case. But, besides that, I have been given the singularity of the case. experience, and to hear the uncommon story of the Redheads, that will be my rich reward."

Early in the morning, as we returned to Baker Street to drink whiskey, Holmes said to me: "You see, Watson, the case is clear from the outset. That peculiar advertisement of the Redheads and the purpose of copying the Encyclopaedia Britannica Nothing more than getting the pawnbroker out of his shop for a few hours a day. It's a strange thing to do, but it's rare to find a more ingenious way. Probably because Clay's accomplice has red hair, the redheads came up with it Idea. Use four pounds a week as a bait to pawn the pawnbroker. They intend to steal a lot of money, so the money is nothing. They advertised and rented a temporary office, so a person pretends to be a redhead clerk, another tried to persuade Wilson to apply for the position. The success of their plan ensured that Wilson was not in his shop every morning. I knew that from the time I heard Wilson say his clerk was only asking for half his salary. He must have some special purpose in being a pawnbroker."

I asked, "But how did you guess his purpose?"

Holmes said: "If there were any women in the shop, I would first suspect some vulgar affairs. But the fact is not the case. Besides, this pawn shop is a small business, and there is nothing expensive in the pawn shop. It's not worth their planning and money. So, their target must be outside the pawn shop, but what? I think of Wilson saying his guy likes to take pictures, and he's in the basement a lot. Whoa, This basement is the clue to this intricate case. So I investigated the situation of this mysterious fellow. I found that this man is the calmest and most daring of London criminals. Imagine what he is doing in the basement. Need Hours of work every day for two months. What the hell is this? I thought of this and thought there could be no reason other than to dig a tunnel to another house. When we went to scout around the pawn shop , I understood it in my heart. I surprised you by knocking on the path in front of the pawnshop door with my cane. That's because I wanted to know whether the underground passage ran forward or backward. After knocking, I knew it was not forward Yes. Then I rang the doorbell, and the guy came out to answer the door. I had a conversation with him, but we had never met each other. But at that time, I didn’t look at his face, what I wanted to see was his knees. You should Noticed too, the knees of his trousers were worn out, wrinkled and dirty, which showed that it took him a lot of time to dig the tunnel. But there was a question, why did they dig the tunnel. Then, I went around the corner and found that the city and the suburbs The branch of the bank is right next to the pawn shop. So I think that's settled. When we're done listening to the music and you're driving home, I'm off to Police Scotland to join Jones to see the chairman of the bank. As for what happened next, you have seen it all."

I asked him, "So, how did you decide they were going to act tonight?"

Holmes said: "Since their Redhead office is closed, it means that they have no need to let Mr. Wilson out of the pawn shop. That is to say, they have finished digging the tunnel. However, because the tunnel may be discovered, so They must act as soon as possible. Today is Saturday, which is a better day than other days, because if they succeed, they may not be discovered for at least a day. For various reasons, I expect them to do it tonight."

I exclaimed with great admiration: "Your reasoning is so correct. This is a very long reasoning process, but every link is interconnected."

He yawned and went on: "This case kills my boring time. I often feel that life is dull. I hope that my life will not be spent in mediocrity, and this case will help me. "

I said, "You are truly a blessing to mankind!"

He shrugged and said: "Well, I may be of some use. As Gustave Flaubert said in a letter to George Sand, 'Man is little - work is everything'. "

Boscombe Valley Mystery

One morning, while my wife and I were having breakfast, the maid brought over a telegram.The telegram was from Sherlock Holmes, and it read:
Watson, do you have a few days of free time to accompany me to the west of England to investigate the tragedy at Boscombe Vale?The air and view of that place are good.If you can go, please be at Paddington Station at [-]am.

After reading the telegram, my wife asked me across the dinner table, "What do you think, my dear? Would you like to go?"

I said, "I can't really make up my mind because there's so much to do in the clinic right now."

"Oh, Angstruther will do the job for you. And you've been looking a little pale lately, and it would be good for you to have a change of scene, and besides, you've always been so interested in the Holmes case."

I said: "I have also benefited a lot from his case. If I don't go, I will feel sorry for him. But if I really want to go, I must prepare my luggage immediately, because there is only half the time left before departure." It's been an hour."

The years I spent in the Afghan army camps gave me the habit of being quick and ready to move.Besides, I didn't have much to take with me, so I soon got ready and drove to Paddington Station by car.Holmes was already waiting on the platform at that time. He wore a long gray traveling overcoat and a traveling cap, which made his figure even more slender and slender.

He saw me, and said: "I am very glad to have you, Watson. It makes all the difference when you have someone you can trust in yourself. There are many assistants there, but they may have different opinions or prejudices. Watson, you go and sit down on the two seats in the corner, and I'll buy tickets."

Holmes's luggage was simple, except for a suitcase, which consisted of a large roll of newspapers.After getting in the car, he opened the newspapers and read them one by one.Sometimes I take notes, sometimes I meditate.It was not until the train passed Reading Station that he rolled the newspaper into a bundle, threw it on the luggage rack, and asked, "Watson, do you know anything about this case?"

"I don't know at all. I haven't read the newspaper in the past few days."

"The reports in the London newspapers are not very detailed, so I collected some recent newspapers and wanted to know more about the specific situation. I think this case is very simple, but it will be difficult to detect."

"That sounds a bit contradictory."

"But it is a truth. Unusual phenomena can always provide you with clues, but an ordinary case with no features is difficult to start. This case is like this. People think that the deceased's son is very suspicious."

"So it's a murder?"

"That's what they conjectured. But I can't say that until I start my investigation. I'll just give you a brief account of what I know so far.

"Boscombe Vale is a small village in Herefordshire, not far from Ross. John Turner was a large farmer in that place. He had made a fortune in trade in Australia, and some years ago Returning to his hometown. He rented one of his farms called Hatherley to Mr. Charles McCarthy, who also stayed in Australia. The two of them knew each other when they were in Australia, and now they settled in one place, so they are naturally closer. Turner compares Rich, and McCarthy is his tenant, but their friendship is equal, and they are still together as often as ever. McCarthy has a son, and this year, Turner has an only daughter of the same age. Both wives They are no longer alive, and they have little contact with neighboring families and live a secluded life. McCarthy and his son like horse racing, and they can often be seen going to nearby racetracks. McCarthy has two servants, a man and a woman. Turner's family has about five Six servants. That's all I know about the two families, so let me tell you about the specifics of the case.

"It was last Monday, June [-]rd, and McCarthy came out of his house in Hatherley about three o'clock in the afternoon and walked to Boscombe Pond. This pond is in the Boscombe Valley. He had been to Ross with his servant that morning, and told the servant that he must get things done as soon as possible, because he had an urgent appointment at three o'clock in the afternoon. He never came back alive.

"It was a quarter of a mile from Hatherley's Farm to Boscombe Pond when Mr. McCarthy was seen walking alone by an unknown old woman and gamekeeper, William Crowder. The game The caretaker also said that a few minutes after Mr. McCarthy walked past, he saw Mr. McCarthy's son, James McCarthy, walking behind with a gun. He was sure the father was within his son's view. He was not thinking , until at night I heard that a tragedy had taken place.

"After gamekeeper William Crowder saw the McCarthys passing by, they were also seen by a fourteen-year-old girl named Patience Moran, caretaker of the Boscombe Vale estate. Daughter. Boscombe Pond is surrounded by dense woods with overgrown weeds and reeds. She said that she was collecting firewood in the nearby woods and saw Mr. McCarthy and his son at the edge of the woods near the pond. The quarrel was violent. She heard old Mr. McCarthy yelling at his son, and saw McCarthy raising his gun as if to strike his father. She was terrified, and ran home at once to tell her mother that the McCarthys were There was an argument by the pond, and it looked like it was going to start. As soon as she had finished speaking, McCarthy ran into her house to say that he had found his father dead in the woods, and that he had asked the janitor for help. He was very agitated, he had no gun, He didn't wear a hat either. His right hand and sleeve were stained with bright red blood. They followed him there and found old McCarthy lying on the grass by the pond, badly wounded in the back of his head, as if he had been shot with something like a gun As a result. A shotgun was thrown on the grass near the body. After the police investigation, the evidence was overwhelming, and McCarthy was arrested immediately. He was arraigned on Tuesday and charged with 'intentional murder'. The magistrate has now referred the case to the Assizes Court. That is how the coroner and the court have dealt with the case."

I said, "This is a really vicious case. If the evidence at the scene is true, it can be established that this is a murder."

Holmes said: "Evidence from the scene is unreliable. It seems to confirm one situation directly, but if you think about it, you will find that the evidence can also confirm another situation that is quite different. We have to study Yes, that's it. But, as it stands, the case is against the young man, who may indeed be the murderer. But many in his village think that McCarthy is innocent, and the farmer's daughter Turner Miss also believed his innocence, and commissioned Lestrade to take the case and defend McCarthy. This man had worked with us in the Study in Scarlet. Now, Lestrade also felt that This case is tricky, so turn to me."

I said, "I'm afraid the case is well established and by the time you arrive he'll be convicted."

He said: "There are many things, Watson, where the evidence is so obvious that the facts are contrary. When I get there, I will certainly use my powers of reasoning, and I may discover what was not obvious to Lestrade." , to substantiate this fact and to overthrow his theory. I am afraid Lestrade would not understand such behavior. You know me well, Watson, and you will not feel exaggerated when I say this. To give a random example, I can prove that my words are not lying. I have never been to your bedroom, but I know that the window of your bedroom is on the right hand side. Can Mr. Lestrade think of this?"

I asked in surprise, "How do you know that..."

He smiled and said: "My dear partner, I know you very well. I know that you like to be clean and often shave. But you must shave with the light that comes in from the window. Because your right cheek is cleaner than the left, So I know your window is on the right hand side. This little thing can serve as an illustration of observational problems and reasoning. It's my forte and may be helpful in our current investigation. So, to one or two minor points raised at the arraignment Questions worth studying."

"what is the problem?"

"When the police arrested McCarthy, he was not at the scene of the crime, but returned to Hatherley Farm. When the police arrested him, he was calm and said he deserved what he deserved. His words dispelled the coroner and the coroner. any iota of doubt in the minds of the jury."

I said, "So he's confessed."

"No, because it was later suggested otherwise that he was innocent."

"It's highly doubtful that anyone would come up with a different view after this series of events."

"On the contrary," said Sherlock Holmes, "that is the only ray of light I see in the darkness at present. It would be suspicious if he had acted flustered or pretended to be angry when he was arrested. It must have been unnatural to show panic and anger under the circumstances, but it was a good way for a villain to do it, and now he admitted that it showed that if he was not innocent, he must be very restrained. As for his saying that he 'deserved what he deserved', it may be something he regrets. The little girl once said that he had quarreled with her father in the woods and seemed to beat him. Therefore, I think his words are self-condemnation and A manifestation of guilt, not of the person who has committed the crime."

I shook my head and said, "But I think this matter is very difficult to recover, because many people have been identified as murderers with far less evidence than this case."

He said: "It is true that there are more evidence of innocence in some cases than this case, but there are also many people who have been wronged."

I asked, "So, how did this young man explain himself?"

"His confession is not good for him. But there are one or two points worth studying. It's in the newspaper. You can read it for yourself."

From the bundle he drew a local Herefordshire paper and found a page for me.The headline reads "James McCarthy's Confession," and reads:

"I left home for three days to go to Bristol, and just returned on Monday (that is, the third). When I got home, my father was away, and the maid said he and John Cobb, the valet, had driven to Ross. Not long after, I Hearing the sound of the carriage entering the yard, I saw him get out of the window and turned immediately out. I didn't know where he was going. So I took the shotgun and walked in the direction of Boscomby Pond, thinking that The rabbit farm over there hunted rabbits for fun. On the way, I saw the gamekeeper William Crowder. His testimony was not wrong, but he said that I was following my father, which was a misunderstanding. Because I had no idea my father was ahead of me. When I was about a hundred yards from the pond, I suddenly heard my father yell 'kui', which is the code word between father and son, so I ran over immediately, Found him standing by the pond. He was surprised when he saw me and asked me in a gruff voice why I came here. At first it was just an argument, then it was almost a fight because he insisted on me leaving. I Knowing that his anger was getting bigger and bigger, I turned around and planned to go back. But before I had reached a distance of 150 yards, I suddenly heard a scream behind me, so I ran there again immediately. I found that my father had Fell on the ground, dying, with a severe wound to the head. I dropped the gun and raised him, but he was soon dead. I knelt by his side for a few minutes before going to Mr. Turner's janitor Pleading for help as his house is closest to the pond. I didn't see anyone when I heard the shouts and went back to my father, I don't know how he got hurt. But I can't hide my father's temperament either, he Aloof, scary behavior, but no feud with anyone. That's what I understand."

Coroner: "Did your father say anything to you when he was dying?"

Witness: "No, I just heard what seemed to be a faint 'lat' from him."

Coroner: "Do you know what that means?"

Witness: "I don't know, I thought he was out of his mind."

Coroner: "Why did you argue with your father then?"

Witness: "I don't want to answer this question."

Coroner: "If you don't tell me, I'm afraid I'll have to force you."

Witness: "I can't really say. But I can assure you that it has nothing to do with the case."

Coroner: "It's for the court to decide. You should understand that if you don't speak up, it will be very bad for you in the prosecution."

Witness: "Anyway, I still can't answer."

Coroner: "As far as I know, 'Coo' is a common code word between you and your son."

Witness: "Yes."

Coroner: "Then how did he call out the signal, since he didn't see you, and didn't know you were back from Bristol?"

The witness was silent for a while and said, "I don't know about that either."

A juror: "When you returned after hearing the shout, did you find anything else that aroused your suspicion besides your father who was seriously injured?"

Witness: "Nothing is certain."

(End of this chapter)