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Sherlock Holmes: The Burmese Goddess (EP0819) · 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 Detectors dot Net, Follow us on Twitter at
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Radio Detectors, and call us to await nine nine, one, four,
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seven eight three. Well. Today's episode is brought to you by the financial
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support of our listeners. Thanks so much for all your support. Now it's
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time to get into today's episode. The Burmese Goddess from New York City.
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The makers of clipper Craft clothes for men and more than twelve hundred leading retail
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stores from coast to coast sent their immortal character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,
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the world's most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, starring John Stanley. This
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week's story the case of the Burmese Goddess. This Watson, this little jade
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goddess is an ancient relic of Burma, and its legend is as evil as
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its appearance. Indeed, what is its legend? Host? It said that
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he who possesses this tiny goddess dies, but first he's foreworn by a strange
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death song somewhat like the redium motherdy used by Snick Charnas. Good Lord Holmes,
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listen, We're at the door of doctor John Watson's study and we're about
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to hear another of his adventures with the fabulous Sherlock Holmes. Oh, good
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evening, mister Harris. Good evening, doctor Watson. I presume you have
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one of your memoirs ready for us tonight. Indeed I had, and this
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was mister Harris, although taking place in our familiar haunts of London, had
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sinister and mysterious overtones from the far East, which to a lesser man than
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Holmes might have defied anellusks, Well, what do you call this memoir,
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doctor Watson. Holmes and I always refer to it as the case of the
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Burmese Gudness and mister Harris. After our audience is properly informed about the merits
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of clippercraft clothes, I shall proceed with effects of this very unusual study.
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you. And now, doctor Watson, what about the case of the Burmese
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Goddess. If my memory does not fail me, mister Harris, It took
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place in the summer of nineteen eleven. This was a time when England had
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consolidated her empire and many of Britain roamed the far Eastern domains in search of
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its ancient treasure. Among these were Sir John Brandewey, recently returned from Burma
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with the collection of priceless relics. He hadn't been in London an hour,
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however, when he received a strange physical Sir John, my name is ah
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Daco. I had come a long way, indeed from my native land of
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Burmah for this interview reation. What is it to want? Sir? Some
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months ago a sacred Burmese temple near Sitang was desecrated by vandals, robbed of
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his sacred relics, Among these with the jade goddess of Emma, the sepent
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goddess. Originally there were two goddesses, the Sisters of Amar, but one
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of them vanished centuries of good, Yes, quiet, did I have the
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only remaining goddess in my collection? Now, yes, Sir John, and
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I have come to purchase it from you and restore it to the temple.
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I'm sorry, a duck cool, but the Goddess of Aymar is not for
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sale. I am prepared to offer you a handsome sun enough to keep you
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in luxury for the rest of your life. I have no need of money,
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sir, and I repeat, the Goddess of Aymar is not for sale
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at any price I see, Sir John. No doubt you are aware of
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the old Burmese legend that he who possesses the goddess died, that he is
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first worn by the song of the serpent. And yes, yes I know
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the story. Pure nonsenseant puppycock, of course, doesn't frighten me. In
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that case, there is nothing more I can say or do at the moment,
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night, Sir John, Sir John Bradleywine. Yes, my name is
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Bailey, Reginald Bailey. I am an art collector specializing in oriental optics of
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our well, mister Billy, a client of mine saw the Goddess of Emar
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when you exhibited it brieply in Paris on your way to England. Here he
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has commissioned me to purchase it for him. My dear sir, you're the
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second prospective purchaser i've seen this evening, and I'll repeat to you what I
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said to the first goddess. Is not for sale. My clients is willing
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to pay ten thousand pounds at generous offer. I am sorry, mister Bailey,
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Sir John, I'm afraid you're being stubborn. I've been a collector long
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enough to know that there is no such thing as a priceless idem. Everything
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has its price, and if it is question of money at the last time,
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Sir, I should try to make myself clear. I will not sell
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the I'd let any price. And now, mister b Alair good night.
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What who said devilish noise outside my window? No, it can't be that
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confounded ber Mes legend, it's absurd, right, find out what this is
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all about. Who's the other? My God, God forgive speak Oper.
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No, so you think sir John Brandywan was murdered because he possessed the serpent
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goddess of theym Mahme. Obviously, Watson, His demise followed the legend of
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the letter. After he was lured to the window, he was struck by
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a blowgun missile soaked in deadly reptile venom, and he died honest instantly.
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Joe, Now all this makes it hard for a chapter believe he's living in
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the twentieth century. Yes, true, Watson, but Sir John's room was
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rifled in highly modern fashion. Fortunately, however, he had the foresight to
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luck the goddess and the remainder of his collection in a vault immediately after he
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arrived in London. I wonder what became of the other goddess homes the wonder
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vanished centuries a girl, I believe I can give you the answer to that.
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Watson, Oh, okay, who has it? Her? I have
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what we yes, Watson, Oh, forgive me if it's one of the
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very few secrets I've kept from you these many years. Up to now,
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I saw no reason to mention it to anyone. You remember that the adventure
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of the Rangoon rubets did I do? That was some ten years ago?
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Yes. At the culmination of that affair, the Burmese potentate involved was very
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grateful for some slight service I had rendered him, and he gave me the
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goddess. It seems that it had secretly been kept by his family for many
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generations. But Holmes, where is the goddess now safely under lock and key
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in my tin box at Barclay's back. But the only other goddess of Ahmar
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in existence, that possessed by Sir John Brandywine, will soon see the light
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of day. Eh, What do you mean? Oh? I take it
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you haven't read the morning telegraph, Watson. It seems that Sir John's widow
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is auctioning off her deceased husband's entire Burmese collection tomorrow morning at Brandywine House on
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Barcley Square. Then, in view of Sir John's strange death, it might
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be interesting to see who bids for Goddess of Emma, quite, Watson,
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and that is precisely why we shall attend the auction tomorrow morning. Ladies and
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gentlemen, Puri tinchent please the next many from the leads to John mandy Wine's
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famous Bernie's collection is this tiny jeep goddess, the famous seven gunness of Ema.
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Rare collectors, I can indeed I see a Henry's your name, sir,
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as you in your binzer fifty pounds pomes first frenchman is doing the bidding.
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Quite, He's the only one. The others are obviously afraid of the
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legend. Watson. Note the condition of the pillow's hair and hand. What
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above interesting very well? I hear fifty POWs fifty pounds, one hundred pounds,
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one hundred pounds. I am bid one hundred pounds two hundred, three
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hundred four five homes. What are you trying to do by the goddess,
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Watson, I've pits thistle apiel for reasons of my own to her own five
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hundred pounds. Will summon off for six six, seven, seven hundred pounds.
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We'll be gentlemen in the rear road. Give me eight eight hundred bars
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one thousand pounds, one thousand pounds, one thousand. I have imposed the
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other chap stop mining. He's leaving the auction as he isn't e Watson,
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But we have a new and late arrival. Note the high born Burmese gentleman
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hurrying from the door. I happy thousand once if thousand twice sold for one
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thousand pound, mister auctioneer. Wait, my name is ur Daku and I
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wish to be I am sorry, sir, but the Goddess of Amar has
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already been sold to the tall gentleman in the front row in some months the
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door. Watson. Oh, yes, so, mister Holmes. I am
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Sherlock Holmes. This is my colleague, doctor Watson. My name is Reginald
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Bailey. I am an art collector, mister Holmes, and the client of
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mine is interested in the Goddess of Amar. You purchase at the auction this
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morning. Well, at my representative, Monsieur l'aville, foolishly allowed you to
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outbid him, thinking the price was too high. Well, I am interested
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in buying it now and am prepared to offer you a generous price. How
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generous? Ten thousand pounds Holmes, that's ten times what you paid. Yes,
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quite, Watson, But the Goddess of Aymar is not for sale.
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Mister Holmes. You don't realize what you're saying. On the contrary, I
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know perfectly well what I'm saying. I repeat, the goddess is not for
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sale at any price now, mister Bailey, I bid you good night.
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Very well, mister Holmes, I can only say you'll regret your action.
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Good night, Dashandomes. You must be led turning down an awful life.
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There, not at all, Watson. You recall the French gentleman who bit
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against me at the auction. You remember I referred to the condition of his
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hair and handness. The skin on the fellow's hands was desiccated, and he'd
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lost his fingernails. Moreover, on certain areas of his head, he'd suffered
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a complete glass of hair, Endomes, What's all this got to do with
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the Burmese Goddess. It means, my dear fellow, that the jade figure
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and I purchased his worth of fortune. It means that not one, but
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two mysterious parties want the Goddess and will stop at nothing to get it.
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If I'm not the sticken, there may be a desperate attempt to kidnap the
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Goddess to night. You choose your family, doctor, lawyer, and banker
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because you have confidence in them. It's just as smart to choose the place
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where you buy your clothes for the same reason. Right now, in your
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own city, a friendly, respected independent sells Clippercraft clothes. He believes and
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acts on the belief that you will appreciate the genuine savings he passes on to
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you. He doesn't sell dubious merchandise. His business is built four square on
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a firm foundation fine tailoring, outstanding style, value and quality. Exceptional quality
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is guaranteed by the Clippercraft label in every suit and top coat. That respected
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trademark derived from the staunch Clipper ships that established honest New England quality everywhere in
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the world. Yes, you can trust Clippercraft clothes and the men who sell
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them. 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
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leading stores in the metropolitan area are proud to add their names to Clippercraft in
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your suits and top coats. In Manhattan, John Wanna make Her Men's stores
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Broadway at eighth and sixty seven Liberty Street, Sacks thirty fourth Broadway at thirty
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fourth in Brooklyn, Abram and Strauss in New York, New Jersey Boulevard Men's
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Shop Krasgy, Newark. And in Jamaica the B and B Clothes Shop one
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six four away, Jamaica Avenue. And now doctor Watson. Doctor Watson,
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you were relating to us the case of the Burmese gutness, so I was,
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mister Harris. Holmes did not explain his observations any further, and I
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did not press him. That night at Baker Street, I fell into a
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troubled and uneasy slump. And my last recollection was of Holmes sitting in his
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easy chair, smoking his pipe and facing the window. He seemed to be
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waiting for something, expecting something. And then Watson, Watson wake up this
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water. Juice is the ice, good Lord Holmes, the warning song,
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the warning of death that let infernal legend heights. We have a visitor in
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the yard. Well confounded, less good of the windows. To stay away
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from the window, Watson, to approach and open it means certain death.
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We shall wait here on the dark and do the tramp pad set? Who
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are they? Obvious, Watson? They two shots from outside our window.
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Yes, something's happened which I did not foresee. What's in? Takel of
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over and follow me down to the yard quickly, Hose. There's a body
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of a man here in the yard. He's been shot. Yes, and
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look there's a man who just run out of the shrubbery. Hello there,
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stop, stop the hoar shoot confounded, I missed him. He's head on
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the fence. Hose, he's running down Baker Street. Quicker after him.
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The beggar was too fast, was hosy? He got away? Yes?
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Quite, But he's left us a souvenir in this corpse here right, let
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us examine the body. What is identification papers? What'son? And note?
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They prove that this dead man is Inspector Paul Duois for the French Civite what's
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the French police inspector got to do with a Burmese goddess? Host everything,
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my dear for know everything? Remember my competitive bidder at the auction was also
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French. Yes, the pieces of this remarkable puzzle are beginning to assemble themselves
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into a clear and precise pattern. And one moment once and yes, observe
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this slip of paper on the dead man's body seems to be a torn piece
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of rather expensive stationary of it. On it are written the words room three
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twenty two in red ink quill Holmes. What does it mean? It means
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that pretty soon, Watson, I shall have the answer to this whole riddle.
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Suppose you find the nearest constable and inform him this affair. The moment
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I shall return to our fat upstairs. Presently the place was a shamble,
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Yes, Watson, our fat was quickly rifled by some one looking on the
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promis. It's gone, has stolen light. From now on we must move
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with all possible speed. What do we do first? Her? First we
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must make a telephone call to the Prefective police in Paris. After that fine
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room three twenty two, and there we may discover the goddess but how are
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we going to do that? Obvious? The room number inspected Ugoi wrote down
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means that this is a hotel rendezvous. And from the expensive quality of the
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stationery we made deduce that Ugi wrote down this number in some first class hotel.
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But homes London is full of first class hotel. Yes, true,
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wantsome true. But here is the salient fact. The room number was scrawled
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in red ink, a highly unusual procedure. You can only mean that this
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particular hotel ran out of blue ink. In other words, of it if
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we didn't find a first class hotel using ready, yes, quite, Watson,
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quite, but come, we were wasting too much time in talkings.
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Resolved this affair quickly before the night's over, or it'd be too late.
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Hello, lovell, this is Bailey. I'm down in the hotel lobby.
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Wait did you get that goddess out of the homes flat? Wait while we
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here run after you, Misha Bailey, I took it from his apartment.
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Is here on the table now I have already woken the goddess from the dead.
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Bastreful what you do, Leveille? Have no fear in these matters,
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monsieur, Am I not the next Bert. Yes, But these Burmese tables
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are after that goddess too, Leveille. They were outside homes flat when I
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got rid of inspected you. Why, I'll be right up and then we'll
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get out way, Masha Bailey. As for these burmes natives, they do
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not know where we are right all right? For sure? Bailey? What
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is it? What's the matter? Yeah, here they've come from the goddess.
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What the song? The death song? It is outside my window the
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field? Hide the dead bast you here and let them have the guttage.
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That's all they want. What's your billy feel? Someone at the window and
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the faris gave me no, no, the field thee Ville Laville, sir,
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they got him, these devils they got him. They took the goddess.
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But the base, yes, is still here on the table. Fools
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didn't know. They left you a fortune. Now we get out Canada perhaps
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Australia, or you get prison, mister Bailey, homest what no will you'll
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reach for that gun? As you see, I have my service revolver am
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straight into a head. I should not hesitate to use it at the slightest
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provocation. Note Watson the dead Man on the floor is Monsieur la Ville,
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my competitor at the auction, and he suffered the same fate of Sir John
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Brandywine. The Permese revenge show this. They've taken the Goddesson. There's some
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good riddance. Let them take it back to the sacred temple once it was
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stolen. Our concern is with mister Bailey here. How did you find me
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here? No matter of routine investigation, my dear phenom, I sha'n't buy
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you with the details, and I wouldn't touch that lead base so tightly if
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I were you. Why I believe you'll find it worthless? What do you
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mean? I mean that it's merely a solid block of lead? You see,
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my dear fellow, you purloined the wrong goddess. Why toes you mean
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you switched the figures. You took the Goddess that you own from the tin
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box at Barkler's Bank and posted narflet precisely Watson, and the Goddess I purchased
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at the auction now rests quite safely in the custody of Inspector Astride at Scotland
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Yard. You cheated me, You cheated me out of a fortune. Q
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what's all this about fortune in radium? Watson? Radium exactly a grain of
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radium stolen from the Curil laboratories in Paris, hidden in the base of the
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Goddess of Amar, and thus smuggled into England. And now that we've delivered
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the smuggler Bailey to the authorities, would you mind telling me the course of
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your deduction? I must confess I am confused, are you? Watson?
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Holer affair is really quite obvious. The Burmese motive to recover the goddess was
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simple enough for sacred and religious quest. But it was at the auction,
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after observing Laville, that a new element entered. But how how did you
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know? The condition of the man's hands and hair, loss of fingernails,
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desiccated, appearance of skin, loss of patches of hair symptomatic of work with
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radium. The fact that he was a Frenchman further heightened my suspicions. I
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still don't see how Laville, as I learned from the Paris Prefective Police,
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was a worker in the Curie laboratory. He entered a conspiracy with this international
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thief Bailey to steal a grain of radium. The next problem was to smangle
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it out of the country, and so they concealed it in the Goddess of
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Ema while Sir John Brandywine displayed his collection in Paris. Exactly the lead base,
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of course, was a perfect carrier in which to hide the loot and
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get it past the customs and out of the country. They had planned to
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purchase the Goddess from Sir John and then recover the radium. Their plans,
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however, went awry. Meanwhile, inspected Uvois was hot on their trail,
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and they got rid of him and their hose closes this adventure, Not quite,
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Watson. We are living in a new and dynamic age. I am
23:19
a criminologist, not a seer, and yet I know that these radioactive substances
23:25
hold the key to the future, and I cannot help but wonder if men
23:30
will use them for good or evil. Well, doctor Watson, that was
23:48
quite an adventure, sir, Yes, indeed it was, mister Harrison.
23:52
It is, in fact one of my favorite memoirs and significant in the light
23:56
of what is being done with radioactive substance today. And now, doctor Watson,
24:02
what adventure will you have for us next week? Next week, mister
24:03
Harris, I should relate to you the Adventure of the Golden Pass Nick.
24:10
It concerns an untidy rug, a box of Egyptian cigarettes, and a stab
24:17
in the dock. The makers of clipper Craft Clothes and more than twelve hundred
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stores from coast to coast have brought to another in the new series of broadcasts
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featuring the world's most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. Our stories are based upon
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the character Sherlock Holmes, created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and the program
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is produced and directed by Bassilt Mockern. Sherlock Holmes is played by John Stanley,
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Doctor Watson by George Feltman. This week's story was written by Max Erlick
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with special music by Albert Berman. If you don't know your Clippercraft dealer,
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write Clippercraft two hundred Fifth Avenue, New York City. Be sure to listen
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next week to Sherlock Holmes in the Adventure of the Golden Past. May.
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This is Si Harris speaking for Clippercraft cl The most comfortable shoe Soul in the
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o R New York, serving the largest single station audience in America. Welcome
26:00
back. Well one of the better reason episodes, particularly in regards to having
26:06
an actual mystery at the core of the plot. Also, it's definitely something
26:12
that would strike a chord in nineteen forty nine as we're dealing with the dawn
26:19
of the atomic age. I do have to offer a programming note. Contrary
26:26
to the commercial, you're going to hear a different show than the one that
26:33
was advertised because we've I've kind of moved things around a little bit to make
26:38
sure that we can play the Blue Carbuncle on the Thursday before Christmas. So
26:45
next Thursday you'll be hearing the Blue Carbuncle. And then there was a three
26:51
part series that we skipped over that we will play, and then we'll get
26:56
to the episode that would come next week. A lot to look forward,
27:00
some pretty fine episodes ahead. Did receive a tweet David gallaher here or shared
27:10
on Twitter listening to Sherlock Holmes the Adventure of the East End Strangler. Well,
27:15
thanks so much. I appreciate folks promoting the program even in their Twitter
27:21
status is well, that will actually do it for today. I will be
27:26
back tomorrow with yours truly Johnny Dowler, and join us back here on Thursday
27:33
for Sherlock Holmes and of course coming next Tuesday. It's a great show.
27:38
I'm sure you won't want to miss replacing call the police. We have a
27:44
lafe in your hands. In the meanwhile, send your comments to Box thirteen
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at Great Detectives dot net. If you want to follow us on Twitter,
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you can do so at Radio Detectives. If you've not already, I would
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encourage you to fill out our listeners survey at survey dot Great Detective Here's dot
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and net. But from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam
28:03
Graham's son and Off