Sherlock Holmes and the Discarded Cigarette

by Fred Thursfield

  Here Holmes gave me a smile of some confidence “with the help of the Baker Street Irregulars” he answered. Here I must stop and explain who Holmes had just made reference to.

  Chapter 19

  About five years ago Holmes had been asked to help solve a rash of shop lifting and pick pocketing. The fact that the Metropolitan Police could not find any clues or even suspects to these crimes they had asked Holmes to bring his powers of reason and deduction into play to halt this disturbing trend.

  Holmes had learned a very long time ago that to catch a criminal you have to think like one a look like one. It didn’t take too long in disguise to find out there was a band of young boys, who through sheer financial and social necessity had been forced to turn to a life of petty crime.

  When they were apprehended by Holmes and he realized they were not hardened criminals Holmes seeing an opportunity offered them a much more pleasant alternative to prison or the work house. I remember Holmes telling me of the moment the Baker Street Irregulars coming into existence.

  Standing among the boys Holmes offered them a future. His exact words to them were “Gentlemen a consulting detective such as myself can only be in one place at any time. I need to have eyes and ears everywhere to watch and report on criminals and any criminal behavior.

  The number of and the average age of the Baker Street Irregulars depended on the financial situation each of the boys found themselves in. At its smallest there were only about five boys aged from ten to fifteen years of age. At its largest there could be as many as twenty boys aged from ten to seventeen years of age.

  The unofficial leader of the Baker Street Irregulars at this time was a lad called Peter Stockton. “Watson” Holmes directed me “make arrangements through my usual means that Peter is contacted and comes to 221 Baker Street as soon as he can. We have no time to lose.”

  When Peter was in our company Holmes gave him a newspaper picture of Druitt with instructions that the Baker Street Irregulars were not to approach him or have any contact with, but were to come back to Holmes or myself if they had any knowledge of Druitt’s location.

  With Holmes extended eyes and ears now roaming the streets of London I hoped that Druitt would soon be spotted. Each afternoon one of us would rise from where we were seated in Holmes parlor in hopes of seeing a young lad come to the front door telling us our quarry had been spotted.

  Holmes was about to give up with his method of finding Druitt and formally hand the matter over to the Metropolitan Police when we heard a soft knocking downstairs late one afternoon on the front door and Mrs. Hudson’s voice answering the knock with “coming .”

  We heard the door open there was a brief exchange of words then we heard her say “Up the stairs and knock before entering.” We noticed that the carpeted stairs were barely being tread on as they were being ascended which left us wondering as to the nature of our caller and the urgency of the information they were bearing

  This time we heard the knock on Holmes front door “Come in” was Holmes answer as we both rose to greet our afternoon visitor. Expecting to see some slight built man or women come through the door instead our visitor was a ten year old boy named Tom who was part of Holmes Baker Street Irregulars.

  The boy removed his cap and went straight into his message “Mr. Holmes we (of course meaning some of the other members of the Baker Street Irregulars as well) think we have seen the man you have been looking for.”

  Ignoring me for a moment Holmes lowered his form down to the lads’ level and asked excitedly “Where did you see him?” “Well sir” young Tom said as if to correct himself “we saw a man who looked like him and he was seen driving a team of Clydesdale horses pulling a large pulling a large wagon on Garret lane.

  “What time was this?” Holmes asked the lad with the same enthusiasm a blood hound has when it picks up the scent of the prey. “Well it was early...about five o’clock in the morning or so we wanted to get to the bakery in time to see if they had any day old bread to give away”

  Holmes cringed slightly when hearing about such needless poverty and I knew because of this that the Baker Street Irregulars would be paid well for this important lead.

  When he straightened again he went to the mantle where he kept a loose collection of coins, scooping them up he placed the collection in Toms small hands. Looking at the bounty that he just received all the lad could muster was “thank you”.

  “This reward is for you and the rest of the Irregulars for your excellent work. When you get back instruct Peter and the rest to continue to keep the man you have seen under continued surveillance. You are not to let him know he is being watched, but let me know if you have information as to his where about and any further activities.”

  Chapter 20

  When Tom had left to bring back the bounty he had received to the rest of the Baker Street Irregulars Holmes asked me “Watson what do we know about the area surrounding Garrett Lane and summers town Road in Camden town.”

  I had to think a moment then remembering some of the work injury related patients who had come into hospital from that area. Closing my eyes and seeing the patients being off loaded by stretcher bearers from the ambulances and being taken into the hospital for care I recited from memory “shops, tanneries maybe an iron foundry and a few ware houses.

  With that last bit of information Holmes eyes just lit up then with the joy any criminal might have when picking and opening a particularly challenging lock. In a broad gesture of his hands he asked me “Watson where would be the best place to store and operate a time machine from?” Hoping I was on the same trail that he was I guessed “A ware house?”

  “Indeed...not only is it a convenient place to hide the machine and keep it away from prying eyes but also a very convenient and practical place to store original and forged works of art.

  Over the next several days Holmes and I visited each the ware houses located in the area surrounding Garrett Lane and Summers town Road. Each in turn was removed from the list of possible hiding places because they were either occupied in some way, were too small and not suitable or were in a bad state of repair.

  Except for the few which were employed and exhibited clues of their function, such as horse shoe prints and wagon wheel tracks most looked like they had not seen any use in sometime..

  Chapter 21

  It was our last place to visit that both Holmes and myself hoped our fortune would change. Burke & Wills Removals and Storage (proclaimed the faded ornate red letters painted across a pair of wide wooden vertically hung folding doors) had been located at the junction of Garrett Lane and Summers town Road in Camden town for some time.

  When we first walked around we thought because of its state it too had been abandoned, it was Homes that first noticed that it was still in use. “Look Watson faint horse shoe and wagon wheel tracks leading into the ware house.”

  I admit when I looked at the clues Holmes was pointing to I couldn’t see any evidence, but when I shifted slightly to the right I could see what Holmes had spied.

  “Now Watson it’s time to find out who is making use of this ware house and why.” “I see there is an workman’s entrance set in one of the vertical doors” knowing that I did not like to step out side the law he assured me “if you wish to remain outside while I enter you can keep watch and let me know if any one approaches.”

  But knowing I was as curious as he was as to what might be inside I followed after him. Our progress to enter was only momentarily halted by the fact that the entry door was pad locked. Not even bothered by this inconvenience Holmes reached into one of his inner pockets of his coat and produced a set of fine set of lock picking tools.

  Chapter 22

  I should pause here for a moment to let the reader know that I found some of Holmes actions to be wrong such as his willingness to bend the truth and break the law (such as lie to the police, conc
eal evidence, burgle and house break) when it suited his purposes.

  In these (Victorian) times, such actions were not necessarily considered vices as long as they were done by a gentleman for noble purposes, such as preserving a woman’s honor or a family’s reputation, or bringing a man like Montague John Druitt to justice.

  I watched in fascination as Holmes manipulated the two fine picks inside the lock then watched and heard as the hasp dropped away from the body of the lock. We removed the lock, opened the door and quickly made our way into the ware house.

  There was just enough light coming in from the over head weather stained sky lights which meant Holmes and I would not have unnecessarily attract any attention to our business by lighting a coal oil lamp.

  As we walked around about the only things we observed would be the same sorts of things that would be seen in other ware houses. There were small and large wooden packing crates every where some by them selves and others stacked on top and beside each other. We had walked all around the perimeter of the building and now found ourselves some where in the middle.

  I was beginning to think we had lost our last hope and was ready to share this thought with Holmes when he asked me a curious question “Watson do you happen to notice anything in particular about where we are standing right now?” The only obvious observation I could make was that we were standing on a packed earth floor.

  Then pointing all around he said “It is an odd thing that this ware house has packing crates of all manner and description stored everywhere but look at the size of the area we are standing is bereft of crates.”

  When Holmes paced out the dimensions of the area in question it was roughly about five feet in width and about fifteen feet in length. “You don’t suppose?” I started then crouching down Holmes lightly touched what look like to be the impressions of two long pieces of pipe about five feet apart. Holmes looked up at me and replied “I believe it is.”

  Still not ready to accept the fact we had found evidence of the time machine I tried to make reason of what Holmes had found by saying that the impressions were nothing more than the results of two long lengths of pipe that had been stored there for some time.

  Holmes now himself a little doubtful about the apparent evidence got up and went to where the back or front of the machine would be bent down and dusted for what I thought were more impressions of the machines existence.

  Getting up again then coming back to me he said a well proven statement “Watson again when you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

  “We have found where Wells time machine is being operated from,” as if to back up this incredible find Holmes then produced yet another discarded cigarette from the packed earth floor with the flair of a sleight of hand artist “this I believe will be prove to be the same brand of cigarette I found in Druitt’s rooms if it matches the one I already have then all that will be left is for us is to apprehend the man who has lit and smoked both cigarettes.

  Leaving the ware house and locking the workman’s entrance then walking back to where we could find a hansom cab Holmes and I starting making plans to go back to the ware house very early the next morning and wait for Druitt’s return.

  Chapter 23

  Returning to 221 B Baker Street Holmes instructed me as to what we would need for tomorrows early vigil while he conducted scientific tests on the two discarded cigarettes that were in his keep.

  “Our Druitt is a man of expensive tastes Watson” came Holmes voice from his laboratory “How so?” was my reply while checking the coal oil lamp. “Both cigarettes are labeled as Dunbar it is an extraordinary cross-cut English flake the result of a complex mixture of the finest Virginias, choice Turkish and Oriental tobaccos hard-pressed and broad-cut into thick flakes.”

  “Where would Druitt have purchased them?” I asked my curiosity now piqued “An educated guess” my friend said. I already knew that he had fixed the shop where they had come from “J.F. Germain & Son pipe, cigarette tobaccos.” was Holmes answer. A visit later that day to that particular tobacconist would confirm both the product and its customer.

  Chapter 24

  During my bachelor day with Holmes I remembered be awakened early in the morning to pursue some clue or apprehend some criminal but these early risings had always happened just as the sun was lighting the eastern sky. This particular morning as I was feeling myself being gently jostled and Holmes telling me wake and get ready to go it was still dark outside.

  Sitting up on Holmes chesterfield shaking off the effects of sleep I asked the obvious question “What time of the night is it Holmes?” “It’s three in the morning Watson, and to answer your next question I want us to be waiting at Burke & Wills Removals and Storage before Druitt arrives.

  It was an odd site as we both quietly stepped out the front door of 221 B Baker Street to know that only Holmes, myself and the hansom cab driver were the only ones awake and active at this early hour.

  “Watson you first” as he pointed towards the interior of the cab I listened from inside as Holmes first gave directions to the driver as to our destination then instructions to pick up other fares later that morning.

  We arrived just before four in the morning and as the last time the pad lock on the entry door proved to be no challenge. Closing the entry door behind us and once inside the ware house Holmes lit the coal oil lamp so we could find our way around in the pitch dark interior.

  Walking around carefully Holmes stated to me “Watson we will need some sort of blind where we can see the area where the machines tracks were found but where you and I cannot be detected.”

  Noticing a large collection of crates that were just a little more than waste high and wide enough for us not too be seen I pointed this “blind” out to Holmes. Going around Holmes and I crouched down and waited for Druitt’s arrival. “Watson” Holmes asked did you bring your service revolver?” “I have a feeling that once Druitt has been found out he may not be too cooperative and may try to attempt an escape.”

  I opened my coat just enough for Holmes to see the weapon. Pulling out his pocket watch from his vest and seeing what time it was Holmes extinguished the coal oil lamp and announced “I believe Druitt will be joining us shortly

  Still finding the thought of a functioning time machine hard to believe and accept I fully expected the large vertical doors to start opening shortly and see a team of horses pulling a large goods wagon start to make its way inside.

  Chapter 25

  What we both witnessed next had never been seen by any one before except by the characters in Wells novel and after today would never be witnessed again. It as if one fire fly had some how gotten into the darkened ware house only to be joined by more and more. These insects seemed to bringing with them the energy one feels just before a lighting storm

  They swirled around loosely for a short time then the different point of lights started to coalesce into a single source of light. It was at this point I expected to see and a feel a lightening bolt the bright light remained formless only for a short time then started to take shape.

  Looking just over top of the crates at the phenomenon I asked Holmes “Is that Wells time machine?” My question was answered as the image of light started to take on more color and form.

  I should say here that to truly appreciate this event the reader would have had to have been present with us that morning to witness this event. Words make a poor substitute but I shall try to tell you what I saw next.

  Even before it came into final focus I could tell that the machine was constructed of brass tubes or rails. Even with out measuring it I tell it was the length and width we had determined from our last visit.

  Not a lot of fine detail of the machine was still visible except for two facts, one I could just make out that there was some one (I assumed it was Druitt) operatin
g the machines controls and two there was a large disk at the rear of the machine was seemed to slowing down while still rotating.

  Still just looking over the top of the crate we saw the large disk almost stop its motion it was then that we knew we had our quarry. In front of us with out any doubt was Wells time machine. The mechanical drawings didn’t give any real credit or justice as to what a piece of engineering it was or what a work of art it was.

  As I had ascertained it was Druitt seated at the controls from what I could tell he was pushing down on a small crystal shaft obviously to stop the machine. Still mesmerized by this wonder I heard Holmes instruct me “Now is the moment Watson. Draw your service revolver.” Then we both reveled ourselves to Druitt from behind the crates where we had been hidden.

  Surprised that Druitt hadn’t seen our motion Holmes announced to him in a loud voice “Druitt remove you hands from the machines controls and place them in the air!” Looking both shocked and surprised Druitt failed to immediately react to Holmes instructions.

  “Druitt” Holmes tried again “My friend Dr. Watson has a service revolver aimed at you and I should remind you that all his years in the army he has never missed his target.” With that Druitt placed both his hands in the air and awaited further instructions.

  “Now you will slowly stand up, remove yourself from the machine and walk slowly in our direction.” Coming towards us in slow measured steps Druitt commented “Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson, what a pleasure to see you both again. I had counted on us never crossing paths after the Jack the Ripper business.”

  “Well if not for at first glance a series of seemingly unconnected incidents we might not find ourselves here in this ware house at this early hour of the morning.” Holmes returned.