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Page 98
"Yes, I heard something of them."
"Have you formed any opinion?"
"As far as I can see, the man has been driven out of
his senses by fright. The bed has been well slept in,
you see. There's his impression deep enough. It's
about five in the morning, you know, that suicides are
most common. That would be about his time for hanging
himself. It seems to have been a very deliberate
affair."
"I should say that he has been dead about three hours,
judging by the rigidity of the muscles," said I.
"Noticed anything peculiar about the room?" asked
Holmes.
"Found a screw-driver and some screws on the wash-hand
stand. Seems to have smoked heavily during the night,
too. Here are four cigar-ends that I picked out of
the fireplace."
"Hum!" said Holmes, "have you got his cigar-holder?"
"No, I have seen none."
"His cigar-case, then?"
"Yes, it was in his coat-pocket."
Holmes opened it and smelled the single cigar which it
contained.
"Oh, this is an Havana, and these others are cigars of
the peculiar sort which are imported by the Dutch from
their East Indian colonies. They are usually wrapped
in straw, you know, and are thinner for their length
than any other brand." He picked up the four ends and
examined them with his pocket-lens.
"Two of these have been smoked from a holder and two
without," said he. "Two have been cut by a not very
sharp knife, and two have had the ends bitten off by a
set of excellent teeth. This is no suicide, Mr.
Lanner. It is a very deeply planned and cold-blooded
murder."
"Impossible!" cried the inspector.
"And why?"
"Why should any one murder a man in so clumsy a
fashion as by hanging him?"
"That is what we have to find out."
"How could they get in?"
"Through the front door."
"It was barred in the morning."
"Then it was barred after them."
"How do you know?"
"I saw their traces. Excuse me a moment, and I may be
able to give you some further information about it."
He went over to the door, and turning the lock he
examined it in his methodical way. Then he took out
the key, which was on the inside, and inspected that
also. The bed, the carpet, the chairs the
mantelpiece, the dead body, and the rope were each in
turn examined, until at last he professed himself
satisfied, and with my aid and that of the inspector
cut down the wretched object and laid it reverently
under a sheet.
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