Sherlock Holmes Complete Works 2

Chapter 1 Memoirs 1
"I'm afraid, Watson," said Holmes, who had breakfasted with us early in the morning. "I'm afraid I'll have to go once myself." "A visit?! Where are we going?" Not surprised.

In fact, I was surprised that Holmes was surprised to ignore a curious case which was now being talked about all over England.He now frowns all day long, bows his head in thought, smokes endlessly strong tobacco, and is completely deaf to my questions.The newspapers of the day, too, he just glanced at and tossed them aside.However, I clearly know that he is actually thinking about something carefully.Now, there is only one problem that people face, and it urgently requires Holmes to use his intelligence to analyze and solve it. This problem is the strange disappearance of the famous horse in the Wessex Cup Championship and the tragic death of the horse trainer.So when he suddenly announced that he was going to investigate, I was not surprised, because I thought so too.

"If I don't get in your way, I'd be more than happy to go with you."

"My dear Watson, if you can go with me, I assure you that your time will not be wasted. I think we will now go to Paddington, and I will give you the details of the case on the way. Besides, You'd better get those binoculars of yours."

An hour later we were sitting in a first class train bound for Exeter.He was flipping through the pile of today's papers he'd bought at Paddington Station.The train was well away from Reading when he tucked the last newspaper he had read under the seat and offered me a cigarette.

"We are moving very quickly," said Holmes, looking at his watch. "We are traveling at about fifty-three and a half miles an hour."

"I don't have time to count the poles for a quarter mile," I said.

"So did I, but the poles next to this railroad are sixty yards apart, so it's pretty easy to work out. I suppose you already know about the murder of John Straker and the disappearance of the silver white-fronted horse." .”

"I know something."

"In this case, we should go into the details rather than rush to find any new evidence. The case is not only very confusing, but also has many personal interests attached to it. The main difficulty now is that we need to bring those solid facts Facts are to be separated from those made up by journalists, and our task is to rely on reliable facts to draw conclusions and determine which are the main issues in this case.

On Tuesday night, I received a telegram from both the owner of the horse, Colonel Ross, and Sheriff Gregory, asking me to cooperate with him in solving the case. "

"Tuesday night! But it's Thursday morning. Why didn't you start yesterday?" I asked.

"My dear Watson, I am afraid too many mistakes will be made, and in fact I do not believe that anyone could have kept this famous English horse so long, especially in a wild place like North Dartmoor. Yesterday I I have been hoping to hear that someone has found the horse, and the person who took the horse away must be the murderer of John Straker. But who knows that except for a young man named Fitzroy Simpson who was arrested Besides, there is no progress on the rest, so I have to do something. But I don't think yesterday was wasted."

"So, you have made an analysis and judgment."

"It seems to me that the best way to get to the bottom of a case is to be able to tell it carefully to another; besides, it will be very difficult for you to help me if I don't relate to you what I have in hand."

I leaned back in my chair and smoked at my cigar, while Holmes, leaning forward, began to describe to me the object of my journey.

"The Silver Grenade is a Somomi. Like his ancestors, he has always had an excellent record. As a five-year-old horse, he has won Colonel Ross the first race in every race. And in this unfortunate Previously, he was also the winner of the Wessex Cup Championship, for which every bet on him won as much as three to one. He never failed his lover's wishes, so even in such disparities, People are betting huge sums on him too, so it's clearly in a lot of people's interest to try and keep the horse out of next Tuesday's race.

"Of course, the people at Colonel Ross' Kingspiran Stables were aware of the plot, and they did everything they could to protect the famous horse. John Straker, the trainer, was Ross. The Colonel's jockey, who had to be replaced later because he had grown fat. Straker was a jockey for five years and a horse trainer for seven years at the Colonel's house, and he was also a kind servant in ordinary times. Straker's men There were three stableboys. The colonel's stable was small, with only four horses in it. One stableboy spent the night in the stable, while the other two slept in the hayloft, and all three boys were very good in character. John Straker lived in a cottage two hundred yards from the stables. He was married, but had no children, and had a maid, and lived tolerably. Several cottages have been built by Tavistock contractors for the sick and others who would like to breathe the fresh air of Dartmoor. Tavistock is two miles west of the stables, but through The moor, about as far away, is the Mapleton Stables belonging to Lord Buckwater. The keeper is called Silas Brown. The rest of the place is very deserted, except for a few scattered gypsies. The case took place on a Monday night, and the basic facts so.

"As before, the stables were washed that evening after the horses' training and the stables were locked at nine o'clock. Afterwards two of the stablemen went to the Strike's for supper, while a third Ned Hunt, the waiter, stayed behind to watch. After nine o'clock, Edith Baxter, the maid, went to the stables and gave Ned a plate of mutton curry. According to regulations, the stable guards were only allowed to drink while on duty. Water. The path through the moor was dark, so the maid brought a lantern.

"When Edith Baxter was within thirty yards of the stables, a man jumped out of the shadows and called her to her. The man was wearing a gray tweed suit, a fedora hat, and a pair of belts. High boots with leggings, a log walking stick in his hand, and a high-class attire. However, what left the deepest impression on her was the flustered and excessively pale face. She guessed that he must be over 30 years old .

"'What is this place?' asked the man.

"'You are now at the Kingspiran stables,' she said.

"'Ah! Really! I know a stableman who sleeps here alone every night. This is his supper. You mustn't be so noble as to earn money for a new dress, are you?' This man never From his vest pocket he took out a folded sheet of paper. 'Give this to the kid this evening, and you'll get the money for the most beautiful coat ever.'

"Edith was baffled by his earnestness. She hurried to the window. The window opened, and Hunter was sitting by himself at the little table. Before Edith could tell him what had just happened, the stranger coming.

"'Good evening, I have something to say to you,' said the man. And the girl swore that he was clutching a little piece of paper with a corner sticking out when he spoke.

"'What's the matter with you?' asked the stable boy.

"The stranger said: 'This business will do you some good. Your Silver Blaze and Bayard are going to the Wessex Cup Championship. And you can give me some reliable news, you No loss. I heard that in the five-furlong race, Bayard passed the silver white-fronted horse, and you all bet on Bayard. Is this true?"

"The little stable boy yelled: 'Damn spies! I'll show you what we do with these guys!' He ran to let the dogs go, and the girl ran home at once, looking back as she ran. The The stranger was still leaning over to look in the window. When Hunter came out with the dog, the man had already left, and Hunter looked around without seeing him."

I asked, "Was the stable locked when the stable boy went out with his dogs?"

"Excellent, Watson!" said Holmes. "I telegraphed yesterday to inquire about the matter. The stables were locked when the stableboy left, and the windows were too small to allow anyone to enter.

"When the other two stable boys came back, Hunter sent to report to Straker. But Straker was in a great panic. So Mrs. Straker woke up at one o'clock in the night and saw him dressing Clothes, and said he couldn't sleep because he was thinking about the horses, and planned to go to the stables to see them. Hearing the rain, his wife begged him not to go, but he went anyway.

"Mrs. Straker woke up at seven o'clock in the morning and found that her husband had not returned. She woke up the maid, went to the stables, and found the stable door wide open. Hunter was sitting in a chair unconscious, and the famous horse and Strike was nowhere to be seen.

"They immediately woke up the two stable boys in the barn, but they heard nothing. So the two women and the two stable boys ran to find the missing trainer and famous horse. They went up the knoll Looking around the wilderness, expecting to find the trainer putting the horses to work, they saw no famous horses. But they found something that made them feel that disaster was coming.

"Strike's coat was exposed among the gorse bushes a quarter of a mile from the stables, and the body of the trainer was found in a sunken place nearby. His head had apparently been smashed to pieces with some heavy weapon. There was a long cut on his leg by a sharp weapon. He was holding a small knife tightly in his left hand, and the blood clots had solidified all the way to the handle. All this showed that he had fought with his opponent before. The man's black and red silk tie. Hunter also said the tie belonged to the man. He said the man had drugged the mutton curry to make him faint so that there would be no keeper in the stable. Evidence It is well proved that the famous horse was present at the fight, but it disappeared in the morning. Although a large price was paid for the famous horse that all the gypsies in Dartmoor were watching, there was no news at all. After assay, The dinner that the stable boy had did contain a great deal of narcotics. Nothing happened to the food the Strikes had that same night.

"That's the whole case. I'm going to tell you how the police dealt with it.

"Sergeant Gregory was a very able officer, and it was he who investigated the case. He arrived at the scene of the incident, found the suspect immediately, and arrested him. His name was Fitzroy Simpson. He was of noble birth. He had spent a great deal of money at the racetracks in the past, and now earned a living as a betting agent at the London Sports Club. When his betting book was examined, the Sheriff found that he had spent a total of five thousand pounds Betting on the defeat of the silver white horse. After Simpson was arrested, he took the initiative to explain that he went to Dartmoor to learn about the status of Kings Pilan's famous horse, and also wanted to know about the No.2 horse Desborough. Desborough was under the care of Silas Brown of the Mapleton Stables. But of his visit to the stables that night, he said, he only wanted first-hand information. His face immediately changed at the sight of the tie. and it is impossible to explain why his tie was in the victim's hands. His wet clothes were evidence of having been out in the rain that night, and his areca-wood walking stick with a lead tip could have been a weapon. thus wounding the horse trainer to death. But Simpson was not wounded, which is inconsistent with the blood on Strike's knife indicating that at least one of his assailants had knife wounds. These are the gist of the case. Wah Sir, I would be very grateful if you could give me any hints."

"Could it be that Strike scratched himself because of the brain injury?" I asked.

"Very likely, but the evidence in favor of the defendant is gone," said Holmes.

I said, "What do the police think?"

"I am very much concerned about a conflict with the police. As far as I know, the police believe that after the stable boy was drugged, Fitzroy Simpson opened the stable with the key he had provided and took the silver white-fronted horse. Stealing When the horse lost its bridle, he put a tie around the horse's mouth, and then led the horse into the wilderness. On the way, he collided with the trainer. In the fight, Simpson was not injured, but was smashed with a heavy walking stick. the trainer's head. And either the horse was hidden in a hidden place by the horse thief, or escaped during the fight. Although the police's opinion is not reliable, the other is even less likely. So I must go to Just do a field trip on the spot.”

We arrived in the small town of Tavistock at dusk.A tall, handsome, curly-haired gentleman with pale blue eyes and a short, alert, dapper man in a frock coat and high boots, with a neat beard and a single eyeglass The gentleman was already waiting for us.The former is Sergeant Gregory, who is well-known in the British detective circle, while the latter is Colonel Ross, a famous sports enthusiast.

"I am delighted, Mr. Holmes. I will do everything in my power to avenge poor Straker and find my horse, as will the Sheriff."

"Are there any new signs?" asked Holmes.

"No. You must want to go to the scene first, let's take the open carriage outside, we can arrive before dark, and we can talk about it on the way." The sheriff said.

In the carriage, Inspector Gregory talked endlessly, while Holmes interrupted now and then to ask a question.Colonel Ross, with his hat slanted over his eyes, leaned back with his arms folded.Gregory expressed his opinion methodically.

"Fitzroy Simpson, I believe he is the murderer, but new evidence is likely to disprove that view," Gregory said.

(End of this chapter)