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Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Hangman and the Book (EP0794) · Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas

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Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
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is your host, Adam Graham. If you have a comment, email it
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to me Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow us on Twitter at
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Radio Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot com
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slash Radio Detectives. Well, today's episode is brought to you by the financial
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support of our listeners, and I especially one to thank Mike who sent along
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a nice donation, and we will send x us to our premium side as
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we do with all our nations of seven dollars or more. All Right,
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well, now it's time for today's episode of Sherlock Holmes The Adventure of the
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Hangman in the book from New York City, the makers of clipper Craft Clothes
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for Men and more than twelve hundred leading retail stores from coast to coast present
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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's immortal character, the world's most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes,
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starring John Stanley. This week's story the Adventure of the Hangman and the
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book It's rather Chilli out on the park, Holmes. Good thing that John
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Domes put along touches it's terribly dark this way, Watson, follow the inspector.
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They are missr ms just before you in the touch light. Huh.
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The dead body hung from the limb of the tree and dancing grotesquely in the
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wind. Not every man has the broad shoulders and slim, tapering waste of
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an athlete. But it's a fact that men who wear Clippercraft suits look like
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they do. That's the result of careful clipper craft styling, of design that
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emphasizes good points and minimizes bad ones. You don't ordinarily find such styling in
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forty five dollars suits, but a Clippercraft worsted suit at only forty five dollars
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gives you styling plus expert workmanship and fine quality materials. It's the same with
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clippercraft top coats. Add from forty to forty seven fifty. Clippercraft clothes actually
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looked like they cost much more, and they would except for the fact that
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over twelve hundred established, independent local merchants pull their tremendous buying bar to get
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them for you at such low prices. Compare clipper craft clothes yourself. Put
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on a Clippercraft suit and a clippercraft top coat, and see how good you
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feel. Your friends will all say gee, but you're looking swell, and
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you will be no doctor Watson. We await our rendezvous with the Adventure of
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the Hangman in the book. It was at the turn of the century.
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Mister Harris. The enormous pressure of work upon Holmes had become too much for
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him. He suggested we steal away to Paris for a week of relaxation.
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Holmes and I were in Paris at our hotel when this criminal began his operations.
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It was at the Bonton Bookstore, a world famous Parisian shop noted for
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its collection of rare works. In the cellar beneath the shop was a thin,
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drawn, nervous young chap. I'll bear the clock. He was poking
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about the bookshelves to the candle in his head, and suddenly he heard footsteps.
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He looked like, terribly fun Who is it? Who's coming down?
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I am Theresieur BoNT Ibid you to come into the cell up? Yes you
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did. I had to know the secret. I had to know what you
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kept down here. I ought to resh you snooping about When I'll belave it.
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I told you I didn't want anyone in this cellar. I want to
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low my own wife. I want to load the least down here. I
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had a lone, a miserable, sniveling clock. How long have you been
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here? Just a few minutes, long enough to look about to see what
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I keep you? No, No, I I am terribly sorry. My
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curiosity got the best of me. I'll never do it again. You you
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won't punish me, Missie Bonte. We shall see what I'll do about you.
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Are there? We shall see? Is the shop closed? Norsel?
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Yes, Alice Darling going out again for the evening. I am let me
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have alone every night this week. Don't be tiresome. You know I'm both
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a distraction when I'm home with you, and I'll go out with you.
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I'll take you wherever you wish. Norsel, We've gone over this so many
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times. Help me find my JD rings like a deal, won't you?
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You're staying home to right, Alisa? Stop polling me. Let me alone.
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I am so loathsome to you. Yes, yes, you know you
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are. You never did attract me. You know that I told you before
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I married you for prestige and financial purposes. You accepted that. Now you
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insist upon being as romantic as a school boy rappid. I don't want to
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hear that. I can't stand you insist upon forgetting that you are more than
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twenty years older than I am. Now sailing, you refuse to fast that
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you're old and wither than repulsive. I'll bear. My clock is more appealing
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to you, isn't it nonsense? Where did you get that? No,
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sho, don't light to me. I've seen you together after you thought I
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left the store. I saw you take him upstairs to the park just to
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chat. Really, get out of my way. I'm late. Go downstairs
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to the cellar to whatever fantastic secret down the intrigues you saw. If you
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go out again to night, Alies, I'll put an end to it.
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I won't be disgraced and coron aside this way, I have some pride,
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although you used every device on earth to destroy it. That's not quarrel.
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Dearis here here's a kiss for you. Now help me find my earrings.
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Won't you all right? Alice? Anything you say yes, are there?
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I act you to ask if i'll see you tonight, Alice. I waited
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for you at the cape last night, but you never came. I shan't
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see you anymore. There executed the shot. Of course on business you what
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Nasall knows about us. We must stop. But you can't just dismiss it.
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Oh yes I can. I risk my job because of you. I
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risk myself dragging me to court, possibly putting a night into me. We've
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had some rather pleasant times together. They don't suppose we forget them. You're
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capable of that. Oh you're going out with another man, aren't you.
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That does not concern you. I let you have my keep. Go back
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to the store. Nasa would be upset. Do you think you'll ever come
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to the end of it? Alice? Do you think you can go on
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forever like this? Albe call me a carriage like an angel. You wouldn't
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be very attractive to other men. Alice, lying in the morgue with your
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neck broken. That impetuous. That's very, very foolish. Go on,
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sweet, call me a carriage. H Who is there? I saw you
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behind that tree. I know you've been following me through this park. If
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you don't stop, I shall college and that I said. I know you
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are behind that tree. I can see your silghouette. Oh, so you
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will show me who you are. I might have known it would be you.
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What are you doing with that rope? You've made a hangman. Sloos
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of it? You and God, I thought God three. We are the
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Sorte, the French police. We are delighted to have you with us in
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Paris. Messieur homes than q inspect. Your accommodations here at the hotel are
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satisfactory. Quite, We're very comfortable inspection, enjoying our visit. Immense superb
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Doctor Watson. I am happy you ever relaxed, Messieur Holmes, because a
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thousand apologies. The relaxation is obel precisely what you mean in specta. Just
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a few moments ago, a gendarmes discovered the body of a woman hanging in
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the twill Arie. She had been hung to a tree by a rope.
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Routine police matter, ordinarily, Missie Romes. Yes, however, the case
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is most extraordinary. The woman was the wife of Marcel Bouton, the distinguished
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honor of the Bota bookshop. Really, I know, Marcell, remarkable shop,
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one of the best. Marcel and I correspond frequently, Missie Lmes and
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the journalist will create a great crisis over the death of Madame Bouta. I
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must find the killer immediately. I need your help with you. Have you
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questioned marcell husband will as best we could. He's grief stricken. Where's the
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body? I have closed a twel Doctor Watson. I have ordered that the
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body be left hanging from the limb exactly as it was found. It awaits
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your arrival, mess your holmes very wise, Inspector Ah, then you you
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will help us smooth all the solution. I will arrive at the solution,
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my dear Inspector Watson. A cab. Twilter's rather chilly out in the parquet
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homes where the John Darms torch us too. It's terribly dark in this way,
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Messier Arms, you may see the god we have stationed about that huge
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tweet and there you need torchlight swaying from the limb of the tree. The
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body of Alice spontifying sight. Have a closer look, Chay, Inspector,
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has myseldest dead woman's husband any notions to how this occurred? Oh? He
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is too ill, is prostrate. It will be a few days before we
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can question him thoroughly. What is at home? So you see? I
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see, my dear Watson, I must pay a visit to Monsieur Charles Guillaume,
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the eminent French publisher. What on earth does he have to do with
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this grizzled crime more than he would imagine. In the obscure record of that
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publisher, there's a forgotten entry which contains a clue as to who is responsible
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for this homicide. That entry speaks the name of the criminal, just as
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if this dead body before us were whispering it too, whispering the killer's name
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as it executes a mac carved dance in the moonlight. It's pleasant to shop
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in your local clipper craft store wherever you live, because your clipper craft merchant
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is an established, substantial hometown business man who is anxious to win and keep
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your friendship, to please you and give you more value for your money.
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He has joined with over twelve hundred outstanding merchants in a vast pool of buying
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power to make clippercraft values possible. Clippercraft genuine worsted suits for forty five dollars
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and Clippercraft top coats for forty to forty seven fifty would not otherwise be possible.
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For Clippercraft quality is the traditional quality of New England, the same careful
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craftsmanship that built the famous Yankee clippers from which Clippercraft clothes take their name.
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You can trust Clippercraft clothes, and you can trust the men who sell them.
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That's why men who know insist on Clippercraft clothes bearing the Clippercraft label.
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So be sure to visit the clipper Craft store in your city. These leading
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stores in the metropolitan area are proud to add their names to Clippercraft in your
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suits and top coats. In Manhattan, John Wannamaker Men's Stores Broadway at eighth
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and sixty seven Liberty Street, Sacks thirty fourth Broadway at thirty fourth In Brooklyn,
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Abraham and Strauss in Newer New Jersey Boulevard men Shop kraisgy Nowak, And
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in Jamaica the B and B Clothes Shop one sixty four oh eight Jamaica Avenue.
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Now Doctor Watson, Doctor Watson, Shall we return to the adventure of
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the Hangman in the book Well, mister Harris. After Holmes examined the body
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of Alice Bonta in the tril, he noticed a small detail he would not
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disclose. Next morning, he dashed to the opposers of Mousieur Guillon, the
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publisher. He returned with a Cheshire cat's grill that indicated he was close to
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his prey. Then, some time later we visited Bushur Bontor at his bookshop.
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The shop was dismal, dilopided, Junior, indeed a frightening place.
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Busher Bontur came touch Jones, I am, I hardly expected to see you
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on this trip, Marceln. You known doctor Watson, who have mentioned him
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to me frequently? Delighted you do they've heard of my tragedy? Yes myself?
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Could you recount what occurred the evening of your wife's demise? She left
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me here to visit someone she see done troubled. So I allowed her to
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leave and did not have stopt up the way she was going. Evidently,
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on her way home late that night, she chose to walk through the back.
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It's really alone. I would say she was attacked by the night father.
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She resisted him. He did away with her. I was awakened by
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a gendarme. But terror news. You have a theory, perhaps, miss
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perhaps I see you still have a magnificent collection of books. We certain man?
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Is this sieur entire stock here in the shop. Yes, our apartment
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is upstairs, our books here and below the shop the cellaris lucked. Monsieurs,
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you have not been to the cellar in many years? Anyone worked for
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you here? Monsieur Bonton boy a clerk Albert? Where is he? That
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is a problem? He did not report for work these pasting days? Were
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your relations with Albert on a pleasant basis, not a dial? How long
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has you've been in your employers? Approximately a man? What trouble have you
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had? I'd like to place the young boy in a dead light, but
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I have reason to believe he was marred and fund of my wife. I
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see a chap with Albert then might be very ling these monsieur Roomes. I
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am not accusing the poor clerk. You have his address tventy seven recearies Albert,
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Julie. Come Watson to talk with the boy. Yes, perhaps this
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romantic young clock in his leisure moments is a hangman, all holmes. What's
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our next step? His landlady said, the clerk Albert hasn't been home for
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a few days. Shall return to the Bonton bookshop. Watson, we've been
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there, Oh, we shall return much later. This evening midnight, I
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should say, when the owner has left, we shall again visit the mysterious
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bookshot but hose you looked at there is one spot we did not see,
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by far the most interesting too. What spot is there? When I inquired
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about it? Bonton turned white. He trembled, what spot? Hole?
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The seller? Watson? We shall pay a midnight visit the sellers. The
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door to Bontar seller Hose will be locked. Of course, that is why
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I brought a few instruments with me, Watson, to cost the childish your
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super bonney. I've made an extensive study of continental locks. Who we are
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now? Quiet, Watson, I shall work at the cellar door and keep
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an eye out. Shouldn't take me a moment see anyone hear anyone? No?
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All clear? Go on, Bullock, Just another moment. I hear
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someone helps coming down the street. I finished, herry homes, you'll be
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seen one one more sick. Here we are crickate the downs, careful,
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rickety wooden steps, match, Watson, might the candle be brought? Pose?
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What do you expect to find down here? Good lord? It was
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seeing so foul and mustard place you see the rats? The answer is here
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Watson. The answer must be here. What sort of shocking secret lies in
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the cellar? I'm looking for it, looking for it. Listen, someone's
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down here that direction Watson left. Bring the candle. I am not afraid
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of the dark, mama, But why is it dark at night? I
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mean, why did it's so dark a night, Mama? It's glad I
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know him from his landed, his description. He's been tied up poems.
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Look, he's bound to that pillar, so he has, and apparently he's
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gone insane. Look over his head. Isn't that a form of ancient torture?
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It is the water method, accomplished in this case with a large picture
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and a funnel, which is replenished now and then by his captor. Albert
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was bound to that pillar, but a steady drip of water strikes his head,
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and he's gone mad, tortured also by the darkness, by hunger and
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thirst, and the huge rats against which he's been defenseless and time. Watson
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first, of course, just doesn't stop. You see, only your mind
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stops. That's so cruel. Animals, that's not as cool as men.
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They enjoy human lash. It Mus been rushed to a hospital, maybe years
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before his senators restored a pillar who is a clarist compound of hydrosian and oxygen.
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It is very helpful, man. It is beautiful in the form of
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my Theosian's legs and rush angrivers. It has many uses, all of family,
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sensual to life. What are you looking for? There? We are
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this show? What is it? A book faded to eligibility and parts very
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dost a book parts not outstanding in this surprising collection. I see you mean
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you originally stole into the cellar simply to find that book. Yes, now
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we must find Marcel Bonte in media. I will stare you the airport.
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Not very hospitable of you, Marcel, to greet us with a pistol and
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familiar with your reputation Mossieurs, I realized when becomes suspicious. So I've been
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waiting for you with this pistol, which I shall you. You have gone
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to put more one time the picture man was? I asked Miss Dolmes.
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What so? This work in my hand is entitled Rare Techniques in Homicide.
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It includes an exact reproduction of a Persian manuscripts written in the time of Darius
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the first. The subject of it Techniques of torture and murder used during the
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Peloponnesian War, Pomes why that book? When I observed myself's wife hung to
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the limb of the tree Watson, I noticed she had been tried with a
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special knot. I recognized it immediately. It was the very peculiar knot for
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garrotting described in the Persian manuscript. There was just one place on earth where
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that knot is described in this book. I knew there were just two copies
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of this work left in the world. I see you have one of Baker
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Street, I dare say, of course. I therefore ask Yon, the
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publisher, an expert bibliophile, where the other copy was. He told you
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I headed them as yours. Yes he did. Therefore I paid you a
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visit to look for it. I planned it, monsieur, that I Alice.
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Why not? Because Albert, my clerk gibbering there on the corner forebred
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too. He has been to the cell before I bothered them mere pile to
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the knight of the Malbo. Yes, Marcel. When I saw the another
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immediately realized the killer must either have been you or Albert, your clerk.
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But Albert could never have read this book and learned to tie the fatal knot
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by a nut. He was here, he had access to it. Observed
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the book, sir, it's faded to the point of being eligible. It's
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still a murder bread before this day? Could he call upon your excellent knowledge
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of printing? Sir? Has it not been at least a year since this
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type was legible? Look at the pile of just accumulated upon this book.
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Has it not been at least a year since the book was touched at all?
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And did you not say to me yourself that you've employed Albert for only
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a month? Remarkable, though, Marcel, you executed the contents of the
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book to the letter. The book relates that the ancient punishment for adulter was
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physical death for the wife, so you murdered Alice, and the punishment for
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the lover was more supper, was mental death, torture to the point of
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insanity. So you punked upon Albert, tied him to that post in the
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cellar, and arranged your diabolical water pitcher. Yes, you've been deeply affected
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by this amazing collection of books. You've seed it for you, gentlemen.
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The great secret of my cellar, which I concealed all these years, every
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book on the subject of crime. Everett, I noticed you've the secret records
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of Caligula for Commada during inquisition, the Bloodstained Memoirs of the Bodger. Yes,
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was my real world down here, the world upstairs. I shot my
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wife. I was unhappy there. This began as a hobby and intellectual pursuit.
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But then I go to absorb it too heavily. Yes, i'd say,
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you become intoxicated with crime time and again. I was tempted to cry
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committing a crime. He was always in the back of my mind. Then
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when I found Alif was making a puppet of me, when I found how
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she hated me, when I found out about her an Albert, you satisfied
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your desire and accomplished what you believed with justice by enacting what you've read in
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this strange command. Now I have a wonderful oppunity to know the satisfaction of
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committing a great crime with your own, of killing both of you and then
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leaving a there as I plan to run away at the corner of my seller
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in Living Death, my own memoirs will be a glorious new addition to my
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collection. You loud host, he's going to pull the treadle my leg.
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Are you all right, missi Homes, Doctor Watson, yes, inspect I
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am coming down. I have bon tom stun Inspector. Oh it was.
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It was very far sighted, Monsieur Homes to tell me to come by.
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Should you meet Bontar unexpectedly unexpected? Then, my dear Inspectime, it's obvious
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my reputation here on the continent. Who must put his who out the British
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Empire. You may inform your associates that there is nothing unexpected to Monsieur shut
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up home, hell, doctor Watson. That was a very thrilling story in
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the will. I'm delighted that you found the adventures so exciting, mister Hencks,
24:12
and I do believe that next week's story is just as grippin. It
24:17
is called the Adventure of the East End Strangler. It concerns a city in
24:22
terror, the scream and the night, a bit of blue thread, and
24:29
an old lover. The makers of clipper Craft clothes and more than twelve hundred
24:40
stories from coast to coast have brought to another in the new series of broadcasts
24:44
featuring the world's most famous detective, Sherlock Holman. Our stories are based upon
24:52
the character Sherlock Holmes, created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and the programmer
24:56
is produced and directed by Basil Lachman. Sherlock Holmes is played by John Stanley,
25:02
Doctor Watson by George Felton. This week's story was written by Howard Merrill,
25:06
with special music by Albert Berman. If you don't know your Clippercraft dealer,
25:14
write Clippercraft two hundred, Fifth Avenue, New York City. Money can
25:19
help the fight against heart disease. Send a donation to your local Heart Association
25:23
campaign or to the American Heart Association, Box five hundred, New York City.
25:33
Be sure to listen next week to Sherlock Holmes in the Adventure of the
25:37
East End Strangler. Missus Sy Harris, speaking for Clippercraft loads the Mutual Broadcasting
25:49
System, welcome back. Well. The one I think Sherlock Holmes definitely nows
25:59
is when you're about to unveil a killer, it's helpful to have a policeman
26:03
set to conveniently show up. That does seem to be a bit of a
26:07
recurring theme. The other thing that this episode does, and it's a couple
26:12
of times they've done this and It almost seems to be a perhaps self reflective
26:23
type thought because we've seen it on previous episodes as well, where perhaps there's
26:34
a danger in knowing too much about how to commit murder. We saw that
26:41
I think in one of the episodes the Logic of Murder, and certainly a
26:47
book like the one that the killer read, there's something that a lot of
26:52
mystery writers would be familiar with. There are handbooks for mystery writers contain information
26:59
on poison reasons and forensics and all sorts of things like that, so they
27:06
can be able to plot out the murder mystery. And certainly those things have
27:10
existed in one form or another for a while. Again, I will wonder
27:14
if there's a somewhat self reflective Is this a good thing to have all this
27:18
information of Matt and I think we've seen mystery writers kind of use their work
27:22
for that sort of self reflection before in this program. Well, one thing
27:27
that is a good thing is your comments and feedback. And will begin we
27:33
have this from Matt who says, I just want to say I really enjoy
27:36
your Sherlock Holmes podcast. I listen to one almost every day before I go
27:40
to bed. I really enjoyed, and I'm glad I found your side.
27:42
Please continue to keep post them. I enjoy them. You have a very
27:47
cool project, and I'm glad you are keeping old time radio alive alive.
27:51
I truly respect that. Thank you again from Matt Well, thanks so much
27:56
for your kind not Matt, It's truly appreciated, and that aligne. Shall
28:00
they do it for today? We will be back tomorrow with your truly Johnny
28:03
Dollar. Join us back here next week for Sherlock Holmes and coming next Tuesday.
28:07
Call the police. All right, well, and your comments to Box
28:12
thirteen at Great Detectors dot net, follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives,
28:15
and to Sherton fill out our listeners survey survey dot Great detectors dot net.
28:19
From Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Grahamson and off