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Many brutal and gory cases have come to the attention of the public during the years in which Sherlock Holmes has been in practice and a good number of these matters were resolved as a result of his abilities. Throughout my chronicles of his work I have, at my own choice as much as at his request, endeavoured to show the manifestations of the extraordinary powers he possesses rather than focus upon the cases which were of a sensational nature or which afforded my friend great acclaim upon their solution. However in going through my records I see that the time has come when I am able to combine such a demonstration of one of the heights of my friend's career with one of the grisliest and most notorious crimes of the century.

Holmes' position as a private, consulting detective meant that only exceptional cases came to his notice. The carpet covering the seventeen steps up to our rooms in Baker Street has been worn down by countless varieties of clients over the years, from all walks of life, including official personages and some even of a royal nature.

Clients are swept along on the winds of their troubles to land in the strange, Bohemian oasis in the little corner of London where Sherlock Holmes can be consulted. Many an eye will come to rest nervously upon the patriotic V.R emblem made out in bullet holes on the wall, but despite the many eccentricities of the surroundings they always find solace in the calm methodology and kindness of my friend. I have often wondered at my fortunate lot in being able to witness, record and to occasionally be of service in Holmes' cases and I feel that the time is now right for me to lay a record of this particular sequence of events before the public.

One dreary October day in 1897 Holmes concluded a case which I had to some small degree assisted him with. He had worked exceptionally hard on it and that afternoon he had triumphantly announced that he was without doubt in possession of his proofs. I poured two celebratory brandies as he dispatched the necessary telegram and was about to suggest some relaxing activity for that evening, when Inspector Lestrade burst through the doors of our rooms in a state of considerable excitement, He stopped upon the threshold and looked from one to the other of us with a kind of desperation that I had never seen in him before. Despite my friend's air of calm composure I could see that the nigh on frenzied state of the official forces representative had thrilled him with the promise of something

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