The Adventure of the Six Napoleons.
Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard said quietly He often visited Sherlock Holmes and me when we shared rooms on Baker Street.
Holmes was always eager to find out what was going on at police headquarters, and the inspector welcomed any help that Holmes might provide.
Are you working on anything interesting, Inspector? asked Holmes.
No, nothing much, Lestrade replied.
Well, perhaps there is something, but it may be a matter more for Dr. Watson than for you.
I say that because it seems to be from some form of madness I'm dealing with.
Why else would someone go out of his way to destroy images of the French Emperor Napoleon?
Oh, really, said Holmes, disappointed.
He sat back in his chair.
How else can you explain it, asked Lestrade.
This person breaks into Holmes, doesn't steal anything and smashes statues of Napoleon that he finds there.
This becomes more interesting, Holmes said, sitting up again.
Please, continue.
It all started four days ago, Lestrade began.
The first report came from a man named Morse Hudson.
Mr. Hudson owns a small shop in Kennington Road District where he sells paintings and small statues.
It seems he and his assistant were in the back of the shop when they heard a loud crash.
They rushed to the front of the shop to see what had happened and found a small plaster statue of Napoleon on the floor.
It was smashed to pieces, but there was no one in the shop.
"'Was it a statue?' asked Holmes.
"'Or was it a bust, just the head and shoulders?'
It was a bust, answered the inspector.
Mr. Hudson then went outside.
Onlookers had seen someone run from the shop, but the person was long gone.
The piece didn't cost much at all, so there didn't seem to be any real harm done.
But last night, Lestrade continued, there was another report.
A Dr. Barnacott lives just down the road from Mr. Hudson's shop.
The doctor has a large collection of books, paintings, and other items about the French emperor.
In fact, he bought two busts of Napoleon from Mr. Hudson's shop.
He had one in his home, and he put the other in his office in Lower Brixton.
Well, this morning, someone broke into Dr. Barnacott's house.
Strangely, nothing was stolen except the bust of Napoleon.
It had been taken into the yard and smashed.'
Holmes grew more interested.
"'Go on, Inspector,' he said.
"'It gets even stranger, gentlemen,' said Lestrade.
"'This afternoon Dr. Barnacott discovered "'that someone had broken into his office "'and destroyed his other Napoleon.'
Tell me, Inspector, Holmes said, were Dr. Bonnicket's Napoleons exactly the same as Mr. Hudson's?
Yes, they were, Mr. Holmes replied Lestrade.
Then the man you are after is not driven by a hatred of Napoleon, said Holmes.
After all, there are thousands of images of the French Emperor in London.
This man seems to be after identical Napoleons.
Or perhaps, suggested Lestrade, he lives nearby.
Perhaps he is just starting his mad attacks and happened to find these three first.
What do you think, Dr. Watson?
It is possible, I replied.
Perhaps he or someone in his family was injured or harmed in the Great War.
It's possible he blames Napoleon in some odd way.
But I find it interesting, interrupted Helms, that the man took Dr. Barnacott's Napoleon outside.
Would a madman think to break the bust outside where it would not disturb the family?
Then in the doctor's office he broke it inside because he knew no one was around to be disturbed.
No, we are not dealing with the madness, gentlemen.
And I warn you said Holmes sternly these events may seem harmless and insignificant, but it is hard to say that anything is unimportant.
Remember, Watson, the dreadful case of the Abernethy family?
It all began when I noticed how deep the parsley had sunk into the butter on a hot day.
No, nothing is without meaning, and I would appreciate it if you would keep me informed, Inspector.
It wasn't long before we heard from Lestrade again.
A message arrived from him the very next morning, asking us to come to 131 Pitt Street.
Holmes and I rushed over as quickly as possible and saw a crowd gathered in front of the house.
As we made our way through the onlookers, it was clear that the mystery had become more serious.
Lestrade was already inside.
Well, Mr. Holmes, he said, it has turned to murder.
This is Mr. Horace Harker.
He is the owner of the house and is also a reporter for a newspaper.
He will explain to you what he knows.
Harker sat in his dressing gown.
His face showed us that he was very upset.
All my life I have been reporting other people's news, and now here is the most amazing story in my whole life, right in my own home.
Mr. Holmes.
As a newsman, I often do my writing at night, and so I was at work this morning at three in my upstairs den.
That's when I heard someone downstairs.
I listened carefully, but the house had gone silent.
Then, five minutes later, I heard a frightful scream.
I rushed downstairs and found the window open.
I saw that my bust of Napoleon was gone from the shelf above my fireplace.
I have no idea why a thief would take that piece.
I bought it four months ago from Harding Brothers on High Street.
It's only made of plaster and it isn't worth very much.
Harker took a deep breath and continued.
I went to the front door and opened it.
It was there I saw the dead man, lying on the front steps.
I called out for the police who arrived at once.
"'And the murdered man?
Who was he?' asked Holmes.
"'We don't know,' answered Lestrade.
'The body has been taken away, but I can tell you he was tall dark, very strong and around thirty years old'.
It was poorly dressed.
There was a knife near the body, and we found this photograph in his pocket.
The photograph was a snapshot of a man.
He was rough-looking, with thick eyebrows and a large chin.
"'And where is the bust?' asked Holmes.
In the front garden of a nearby house, answered Lestrade.
We can go there now, if you'd like.
We left Mr. Harker, who said he must still do his job and report the murder for his newspaper.
We walked down the street and found the bust, which lay in pieces on the grass.
Holmes picked up several bits of plaster and studied them closely.
We know that the man we are after brought the bus to this yard for a reason, he said.
It's an empty house, so he knew he would not be disturbed.
But there is another empty building closer to Mr. Harker's home.
Our men must have carried the Napoleon here because of the street lamp.
He wanted privacy, but he also wanted to see what he was doing.
Come to think of it, said Lestrade, both of Dr Barnacott's Napoleons were broken where there was light.
But what does it mean, Mr. Holmes?
I'm not sure, Inspector, answered my friend.
That is for us to figure out.
It seems to me, Lestrade said, that the answers will come when we find the name of the murdered man.
Then I will let you follow that line of inquiry. said Holmes.
Meanwhile, I will look for my answers elsewhere.
By the way Inspector, when you speak to Mr Harker, please tell him that I believe we are dealing with a madman, one who is driven by anger at Napoleon.
He will find that helpful for his article.
You don't really believe that, do you, Mr. Holmes? asked Lestrade.
Perhaps not said Holmes, but the readers of Mr Harker's newspaper will find it interesting.
And now we have work to do.
I would like to keep the photograph that was found in the dead man's pocket Inspector and if you would meet Watson and me at Baker Street tonight at six o'clock, we can continue our investigations together.
Holmes and I left Pitt Street and made our way to Mr Hudson's shop on Kennington Road, where the first Napoleon had been destroyed.
"'Yes, I sold two Napoleon busts to Dr. Barnacott,' said the store owner in answer to our questions.
"'I bought all three of them from Gelder and Company on Church Street.
They make statues and other types of stonework.
So the Napoleons went from—'
"'Gilder and company to this shop, and then on to Dr. Barnacott's,' said Holmes.
Then he showed Hudson the photograph and asked, "'Do you know this man?'
"'Why, yes,' replied the shopkeeper.
"'His name is Bepo.
He helped out in the store for a short time, but he quit last week, and I haven't seen him since.'
We thanked Mr. Hudson and left his shop."
Our next stop was Gelder and Company.
When we arrived, we saw a yard filled with sculptures and pieces of stone.
Inside, about fifty men were hard at work.
Holmes and I found the manager and asked him about the Napoleons.
He told us that the three busts sold to Mr. Hudson had been from a batch of six.
The other three had been sold to Harding Brothers on High Street.
He also explained how they were made.
Plasters poured into an empty mold, he said, like pouring mud into a bucket.
Once the plaster dries, the mold is taken apart to reveal the finished bust.
The manager told us the busts had been made in the room we were in.
Then they were put into another room to dry.
When Holmes showed him the photograph, the manager became very angry.
"'Him!' he yelled.
"'Yes, I know him.
His name is Beppo.
He worked here over a year ago, but one day he got into trouble with the police.
They chased him here where they caught him and arrested him.
He was put in jail, but I'm sure he's out by now.
I think Beppo's cousin works here.
We could ask him.'
"'No, no,' cried Holmes.
"'Don't say a word to the cousin.
It's very important we keep the matter a secret.
But you can tell me something.
When did you sell those six busts, and when was this man Beppo arrested?'
The manager looked in his record book and told us the six Napoleons had been sold on June 3rd of last year.
He said that Beppo had been arrested just before that, sometime around the end of May.'
The trail was becoming warm.
We now knew that Beppo had been arrested over a year ago.
Shortly after his arrest, three Napoleons were sold to Mr Hudson, and two of those had gone to Dr Barnekit.
The other three were sold to another shop, Harding Brothers on High Street.
One of those went to Horace Harker.
We...
Also knew that Beppo had been released from jail recently and went to work at Mr. Hudson's shop.
It seemed clear that Beppo was the one hunting down the Napoleons.
After our visit to Gelder and Company, we continued on the trail of the Napoleons.
Our investigation led us to the Harding brothers' shop.
Yes, we got the busts from Gelder and Company, Mr. Harding said.
One was sold to Mr. Horace Harker.
The others were sold to a Mr. Josiah Brown and a Mr. Sandiford.
I see, said Holmes.
And have you ever seen this man?
He handed Mr. Harding the photograph.
No, I can't say that I have, replied Harding.
Just one last question, said Holmes.
Is it possible for someone to look in your books and see to whom the busts were sold?
I suppose so, Harding answered.
I don't keep the books under lock and key.
Our questions answered, Holmes and I headed home to meet Lestrade.
On the way, we picked up a newspaper.
The headline read, Murder by a Madman.
The article was written by Horace Harker.
In it, Mr Harker had written that both the police and Sherlock Holmes thought there was only one explanation for the murder that had been committed by someone who was out of his mind.
The inspector was already at Baker Street when we arrived.
His day had been as productive as ours.
That's right, gentlemen, said Lestrade.
I know the name of the dead man.
One of the officers down at the headquarters knew him.
His name was Pietro Venucci, and he was a member of a well-known and dangerous gang.
I think the gang was after the man in the photograph for some reason.
Venucci was carrying his photograph so he could find him and kill him.
I believe Lestrade continued that Venucci followed his intended victim, saw him enter Harker's house and then waited outside.
When he came out, the two fought, but it was Venucci who was killed.
How is that, Mr. Holmes, said Lestrade with a big smile.
Excellent, Lestrade, cried Holmes, but what about the broken busts?
Are you still concerned about the busts? asked Lestrade.
Really, Mr. Holmes, I'm quite sure I need only question the other members of Venucci's gang.
They will lead me to the man in the photograph.
I disagree, said Holmes.
Instead of chasing after Venucci's gang, I believe we will find our man elsewhere.
There are two busts left from the original batch of six.
One has been sold to Mr. Josiah Brown, the other to a Mr. Sandiford.
We will find our man at the homes of one of these two gentlemen, and since Mr Brown lives closer, my guess is that we'll have better luck there.
Inspector, please stay for dinner, said Holmes.
Afterward, we will all pay an evening visit to Mr.
Brown.'
Watson, would you please ring for a messenger?
I have a very important letter to send.
We left Baker Street at eleven o'clock that night and were soon at the home of Josiah Brown.
The house was dark and I was glad Holmes had asked me to bring along my gun.
It looked as if everyone had gone to bed.
A single lamp shone over a side door and cast a circle of light on the garden path.
The rest of the yard was dark, and we waited outside in the shadow of a fence.
We didn't have to wait long.
As my companions and I crouched in the darkness, someone opened the gate and quietly rushed up the garden path.
Then he disappeared in the shadows by the house.
After what seemed like many minutes, we heard a creaking noise.
It was the sound of a window being opened.
Moments later, the light of a lantern flashed inside the house.
The stranger must have found what he was looking for, because he reappeared outside on the garden path.
In the dim light, I could see that he was carrying something under his arm.
He crouched down and placed the object on the ground.
This was followed by the sound of breaking plaster.
At that moment, Holmes rushed from the shadows and tackled the stranger.
Lestrade and I followed, and the burglar was quickly in handcuffs.
We turned his face to the light and saw that it was the man in the photograph.
The inspector and I carefully watched our prisoner.
Meanwhile, Holmes crouched on the garden path.
He was looking at the bust of Napoleon shattered into a hundred pieces.
He picked up piece after piece and held each one up in the light.
Just then, the front door of the house opened and a man appeared.
Holmes looked up and said, Mr. Josiah Brown, I presume.
Yes, the man replied, and you must be Sherlock Holmes.
I received your letter by messenger this evening and did exactly as you asked.
I locked every door, turned off all the lights, and made sure my family was upstairs.
I'm glad to see you caught the man.
Lestrade stepped forward and said, Yes, and now I'll take him down to the station.
I'm very grateful to you, Mr. Holmes, for bringing this affair to an end.
On the contrary, Lestrade, said Holmes, the end hasn't been written yet.
If you would care to visit Dr Watson and me tomorrow evening at six o'clock, I shall be able to give you the complete story.
When we met the next evening, Lestrade told us what he had learned about the burglar.
His name was indeed Beppo.
He had been a skilled sculptor in the past, but had turned to crime in recent years.
The man probably made the six Napoleons himself while he worked at Gelder and Company, but he would not explain why he was now destroying them.
Holmes seemed bored and impatient as he listened to the inspector.
Then the bell rang, announcing a visitor.
Our landlady, Mrs. Hudson, let the visitor in, and he joined us in the parlor.
He was an elderly gentleman with bushy sideburns.
He was carrying a large bag, which he placed on the table.
Mr. Sherlock Holmes, the man asked.
You must be Mr. Sandiford, Holmes replied.
"'Yes,' said our visitor.
'I received your message and came at once, but I don't understand how you knew that I owned a bust of Napoleon, nor why you wanted to buy it from me.
You do know that I didn't pay very much for it?'
"'Yes, Mr. Sandiford,' said Holmes.
"'I understand, but I wish to own it, and I am willing to pay the amount stated in my message.'
Our visitor shrugged his shoulders and opened the bag.
He reached in, removed a sixth bust of Napoleon, and placed it on the table.
Here, finally, was the object we had only seen before in pieces.
Holmes paid Mr. Sandiford and thanked him.
When our puzzled visitor was gone, Lestrade and I watched Holmes in amazement.
He spread a large cloth over the table and placed the bust on it.
Next he took the metal poker from the fireplace and struck the bust, breaking it into pieces.
Holmes sifted through the pile of rubble, then picked up a single piece.
He held it up for us to see, a small, round, dark object poked out from the white plaster.
Gentlemen, he cried, I give you the black pearl of Borgias.
Lestrade and I stared in stunned silence.
Then we both began to clap wildly as if we had just witnessed a great stage performance.
Holmes' cheeks grew red, showing an emotion that one rarely saw in him.
"'This valuable beauty belongs to the Prince of Kelowna,' he explained.
'I first heard of it over a year ago?
'when it went missing from the Prince's room at the Dockler Hotel?
'I was not able to help the police in finding the pearl of the thief?
'but we suspected the Prince's maid, a woman named Lucretia Venucci.
'I have no doubt that it was her brother Pietro, who was murdered the other night?
'and it would not surprise me if she knew our friend Beppo as well'.
"'But if the pearl was stolen by the maid,' I asked, "'how did it get into this Napoleon?'
Allow me to retrace the steps, starting with the theft over a year ago, replied Holmes.
The maid took the pearl.
She gave it to her brother and Beppo for safekeeping and to sell.
Then, for some reason, Beppo was pursued by the police.
He had the pearl on him and ran to Gelder and Company with the police closing in.
He saw the batch of six Napoleons drying in the factory.
He took one of the busts, carved a small hole in the soft plaster, and placed the pearl inside.
Then he covered up his handiwork with more plaster.
He was arrested by the police, but the pearl was safely hidden.
While Beppo served his year in jail, the sixth bust was sold.
Three went to Morse, Hudson's shop.
Two of those were sold to Dr. Barnegat.
Three others went to Harding Brothers where they were sold to Horace Harker, Josiah Brown and Mr Sandiford.
Then our friend was released from prison.
His cousin still worked at Gilder and Company, and it was he who found out where the Napoleons went.
Beppo managed to get a job at Morse Hudson's shop, where he smashed the first bust to see if it contained the pearl.
It didn't, so he found both of Dr. Barnegat's pieces and broke them too.
He still didn't find the pearl, Holmes said, so he traced the other Napoleons to Harding Brothers.
He looked in their books and saw that one of the busts had been sold to Horace Harker.
It is at Mr. Harker's that he met his old partner, Venucci.'
"'But why did he kill Venucci?' asked the inspector.
"'And why would Venucci have a picture of Beppo?
He already knew what he looked like.'
"'I'm not sure why Venucci was killed,' said Holmes.
"'Perhaps Beppo stole the pearl from Venucci.
Perhaps they were partners, but Venucci blamed the other for losing the pearl.
As for the photograph, Venucci probably used it to search for Beppo'.
He may have shown it to people and asked them if they had seen the man.
It's not important, continued Holmes.
What is important is that I knew he would not stop until he found the pearl.
I had Mr. Harker report that we were dealing with a madman.
I counted on Beppo reading the newspaper.
That way he would think it was safe for him to seek out the last two busts.
Mr. Brown's home was the closest, so I sent him a message.
I told him to turn out all the lights and make sure everyone was safely upstairs.
When we found our man but not the pearl, I knew right away that the treasure could only be in the very last
Napoleon, the one belonging to Mr. Sandiford.
I sent him a message asking him to come to Baker Street.
The rest you know.
And that, concluded Holmes, is how the pearl made its way from the Dakra Hotel to my hand.
He held up the precious pearl for all to admire.
"'Remarkable, Mr. Holmes, absolutely remarkable!' exclaimed Estrade.
'I've worked with you on many cases before, but I can't remember a single one that makes me more proud to know you'.
Thank you, Lestrade.
Thank you, said Holmes.
If another little problem comes your way, do let me know.
I would be happy to give you a hint or two as to its solution.
