Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 10 The Tracking of Blood Letters (9)
Originally, he planned to return to the Nevada mine for a year before returning to Salt Lake City to continue revenge.But for various reasons, he had to stay for five years.Five years have passed, but the past is still very clear in his heart, and his engraved hatred for his enemy has not changed at all, and his desire for revenge is still so strong.This time, he disguised himself, changed his name, and returned to the place that had made him miserable.As soon as he returned to Salt Lake City, he heard a very bad news for him. There was a rebellion within the Mormon Church, and the younger faction wanted to overthrow the rule of the elders. Many people left the church and left this fertile land. Draper and Stangerson were also among them, and their whereabouts are now unknown.It is said that Draper turned almost all his property into cash, so he was a millionaire when he left.And Stangerson is much shabbier compared with him.In the vast sea of ​​people, where to find them?There are many difficulties in front of him, but Hou Po has not given up his revenge plan.With all his savings, he travels from one place to another every day, running around all day, almost searching the entire United States.Soon, he ran out of money and was living on odd jobs.As time went by, his hair gradually turned gray, and his face also showed signs of aging, but revenge was his goal in life, and this matter never left his heart.In the end, hard work paid off. One day, he finally saw the face of his enemy from a car window. Although it was just a glimpse, he was sure—the person he was looking for was in Cleveland, Ohio.After returning to his temporary residence, he began intense preparations.Unfortunately, on the same day, Draper also saw Hopper, and sensed the hatred hidden in his heart, so he hurriedly asked his secretary, Stangerson, to report to the local magistrate, saying that someone There was an attempt to murder him, and Jefferson Hope was arrested.Since he had no relatives and friends, and no one was willing to be his witness, he was detained for several weeks this time. When he came out, Draper and Stangerson had already left for Europe.

Hou Po didn't grasp an excellent opportunity, but after this setback, his confidence became stronger.Since there was no travel expenses, he had to find a job to save money.Finally, he saved enough money and went to Europe, but Europe is so big, where to find it?He has been to Paris, Petersburg, and Copenhagen, but he has not found the two desperadoes.Finally, he cornered them in London.We have seen everything that happened in London, so we will not describe it anymore.Revenge

The criminal's tenacious resistance to arrest was actually not very hostile to us, so when he realized that resistance was useless, he suddenly smiled at us and asked if he had hurt us just now because of his resistance.We shook our heads.He said to Holmes: "Are you going to take me back to the police station? Well, my carriage is below. Untie me now and I will go down by myself. Otherwise, you may find it difficult to lift me up." After hearing this, Grayson and Lethred looked at each other, thinking that his request was a bit out of line, but Holmes actually untied the rope tied around his ankle for him.He stood up, stretched his muscles and bones, and looked very nonchalant.I still have a vivid memory of his appearance. He is so strong, as if his whole body is made of muscles.There was a hint of joy in his dark face, which made him look even more energetic. "I think the position of Chief of Police would be perfect for you. You have done a good job of my case."

"Let's go together," said Holmes to Grayson and Lethred.

"Okay, I'll drive," said Lesred.

"Watson, come with us too! Come, Gregson sits with us."

I readily agreed, and we all got into the carriage together.The criminal really had no intention of running away, and he got into the carriage very politely.Lesred drove the carriage, and soon we arrived at the police station.One officer ushered us into a hut, and another stepped forward to register the criminal's name and the victim's name.They were all expressionless, performing the procedures mechanically. "The prisoner will be brought before the court this week. Mr. Jefferson Hope, is there any other request before your trial? If you have any, you can make it, but you must be responsible for what you say, because it will serve as basis of your conviction."

Hou Po said eagerly: "Gentlemen, I have a lot to say, and I want to tell you the whole thing."

"Why didn't you say it until the arraignment?" the police officer asked in surprise.

"I'm afraid I've had an accident. Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not trying to kill myself. Are you a doctor?" He turned to me and asked.

"Yes, I'm a doctor." I replied.

"Then you touch me here." He pointed to his chest with his handcuffed fingers.I walked over and touched his left breast.I felt that his chest was beating extremely violently, and at the same time I could feel his chest cavity trembling slightly.I leaned my ear to his chest and listened again, and I heard that the voice inside was very noisy.

"Do you have aneurysm?" I asked.

"I went to the doctor last week. The doctor told me that I had a blood tumor, and that I was afraid it would burst in a few days. Actually, I had this disease before. Later, because I stayed in the mountains for several years, I was hungry and cold all day long. After being forced, my condition worsened. Now I finally got what I wanted, and I don’t care when I die. But I must explain this clearly, so that there will be a record after I die. I don’t want people to say that I An ordinary murderer."

"Doctor, do you think there is a possibility that his illness may be sudden?" the police officer turned to me and asked.

"It's possible," I replied.

"Oh, if this is really possible, then in order to fulfill our legal obligations, we have to record his statement in advance. Hou Po, then you can explain, but I also want to remind you that we will record everything you say of."

"Okay, then I'll sit down and say it. I'm exhausted now, and I'm dying, so I won't lie. Everything I say comes from the heart, please believe me. As for what will happen to you I don't care about such a punishment." Hou Po said.

Jefferson Hope finished speaking, leaning back in his chair.Even more surprising is his following confession.He spoke calmly and methodically, as if he were telling someone else's story.I believe that his confession is absolutely accurate.Because the following confession is taken from Lethred's notebook, and his records are all recorded according to the criminal's words at that time.

He said: "These two people have nothing against me, but why do I hate them? Because they are unforgivable, because they once killed two people-Ferrier and his daughter, so I killed them. I think that's what they deserved. If I were to accuse them, I wouldn't have any proof. But, I know for sure that they were guilty. I saw it with my own eyes, and I've done it for you The task of punishing them. If it were you, I think you would do it without hesitation as I do.

"The girl just mentioned, who was going to marry me but was forced to marry Draper, died in tears and in silence. On the day of her burial, I removed the The wedding ring, and determined to let Draper watch it die, to let him know what killed him. I tracked them down nearly two continents, and the ring stayed with me They thought they could get rid of me, but they were wrong. I will never give up, even if I die tomorrow, which is of course possible, and now I have no regrets. I have completed my task, and I killed them with my own hands, so there is no hope in this life.

"Of course, I can't compare with their financial situation, so it is really difficult for me to catch up with them. When I was in London, I could hardly even solve the problem of food and clothing. Then I decided to find a job. It was no problem for me. So I rented a horse and a carriage from a carriage factory, and I had to pay a certain amount of rent every month. I had very little left besides the rent, but I could barely support myself. At the beginning of driving, I was not familiar with the roads, so I had to carry a map with me. Later, I became familiar with several big hotels and several major stations, and the work went smoothly. After a while, I finally found the place where they lived, A flat in Kemberville, across the Thames. As long as they're in the city, they can't escape! I've grown a long beard so they don't recognize me, and I'm always following them, waiting The next opportunity. This time, no matter what, they can't escape.

"But they almost ran away again. In London, I could say that I was inseparable from them. I followed them wherever they went. I could only go out to drive late at night, so I made more and more money. Less, I can't even pay the rent, so the most important thing is to kill these two desperadoes as soon as possible. These two guys are very cunning, they seem to realize something, so they always go together and rarely come out at night ...I followed them for about two weeks and never left them. Draper was often drunk, and Stangerson was very careful. I looked for opportunities every day, but I couldn't find them. But I was not discouraged because of this, and my intuition told me that the opportunity for revenge is not far away. The only thing I worry about is my illness. I don’t know when I will never be able to stand up again. One evening, I was driving out in the Torquoise area, near where they lived, when suddenly I found a carriage parked where they lived. After a while, the coachman came out with the luggage. Draper and Stangerson followed, and they got into the carriage, and I started to move too, following them, and I thought, they were going to change places again.

"At Euston station, they got off the train. I got a boy to help me lead the horse, and followed them into the platform. They were booking tickets to Liverpool, and the conductor said that one had just left, and they had to leave. Having to wait a few more hours. Annoyed by Stangerson and complacent by Draper, I moved closer to them to hear what they were saying more clearly. Draper told Stangerson to wait for him , He was going to do something. Stangerson suggested that he should not act alone, because they had already discussed that two people should act together in everything. Draper said that this was his personal matter and did not need other people to intervene. Stangerson said to him: "You must be careful when doing things and don't act rashly." Draper said angrily: "You are just my private secretary. What right do you have to interfere with me?" He said angrily: "If you can't catch the last train, come and find me at the Holliday Hotel." Draper said: "I'll be back before eleven o'clock." Then he left.

"The good opportunity I've been looking forward to for a thousand years has finally arrived. Now they are in my hands. It turns out that when the two of them are together, it is difficult for me to strike. As long as they are separated, neither of them can escape my palm. Even so I am very careful, I think if let them die indistinctly, then there is no point even killing them. My revenge plan has already been drawn up, I want them to know how much shame they have done That is to say, they are full of evil. Just the other day, a man took my carriage to Brixton Road to check a few houses, and then accidentally left the key of one of them in the carriage. I gave him the key after making one. Now it's all right. I have found a reliable place to complete my task. At present, the most important thing is how to bring Draper into that house .

"He entered a hotel first, and came out after about half an hour. When he came out, he was almost unconscious. He got into a small carriage parked in front of me, and I hurriedly followed them. We After passing Waterloo Bridge, I walked a few more miles, and came to the place where he used to live. I don't know what he went back for, but I followed him. I parked the carriage in a hidden place, and I saw him walking quickly. The house, and the carriage he hired is leaving at once." At this point Hope begged for some water, and his throat was dry.

I handed him a glass of water, and he drank it for a long time.

He added: "That's all right. I've been waiting there when I heard a commotion in the house. Then the door was flung open and two people ran out, one was Draper and the other was a man." Young man, he ran forward and grabbed Draper by the collar, punched Draper in the face, followed by another kick, and Draper rolled into the street. The young man held a Bangzi chased Draper, and Draper ran left and right to the corner, saw my carriage at a glance, and beckoned me to go over immediately. When I passed, he jumped into my carriage and said: "Go The Holliday Hotel.' He got into my carriage. I was very excited and my heart was beating hard. What I was most worried about was the bursting of the blood tumor. I drove the carriage forward slowly, thinking about how to deal with this matter. In fact, I I can take him to a remote place and settle accounts with him. When I didn't know what to do, he had an alcoholic attack and asked me to take him to a big hotel and let me wait for him outside. He drank until the hotel closed , I was already drunk when I came out, I think this time it must be a success.

"You may think that I will take the opportunity to give him a knife. I will not do that. It would be too cheap for him. I have already decided to give him a chance to choose. If he is lucky enough to take this opportunity, then he still has a chance. When I was wandering in America, I worked as a sweeper in the laboratory of 'York College', and I happened to overhear the teaching assistant explaining to the students about poisons. He talked about alkaloids, which were made by the natives of South America Extracted from the venom of poisonous arrows, it is very poisonous, and people who touch it will fall to the ground on the spot. I remembered the bottle containing the poison and poured out a little secretly when no one was around. I took these medicines Make small pills, put them in two boxes, and put a non-toxic pill in each of the two boxes. I want them to choose one first, and I will eat the rest. I always carry this with me two boxes.

(End of this chapter)