1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:06,759 The Lost Special by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The confession of Herbert de Lernac, 2 00:00:06,919 --> 00:00:10,800 now lying under sentence of death at Marseilles, has thrown a light upon 3 00:00:10,839 --> 00:00:15,199 one of the most inexplicable crimes of the century, an incident which is I 4 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:20,359 believe absolutely unprecedented in the criminal annals of any country. Although there is a 5 00:00:20,399 --> 00:00:25,239 reluctance to discuss the matter in official circles, and little information has been given 6 00:00:25,239 --> 00:00:29,600 to the press, there are still indications that the statement of this arch criminal 7 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:34,200 is corroborated by the facts, and that we have at last found a solution 8 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:38,719 for a most astonishing business. As the matter is eight years old, and 9 00:00:38,799 --> 00:00:43,079 as its importance was somewhat obscured by a political crisis which was engaging the public 10 00:00:43,119 --> 00:00:46,560 attention at the time, it may be as well to state the fact as 11 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:50,359 far as we have been able to ascertain them. They are collated from the 12 00:00:50,399 --> 00:00:55,200 Liverpool papers of that date, from the proceedings at the inquest upon John Slatter, 13 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:59,600 the engine driver, and from records of the London and West Coast Railway 14 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,439 Company, which had been courteously put at my disposal. Briefly, they are 15 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:08,920 as follows on the third of June eighteen ninety a gentleman who gave his name 16 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:15,359 as Monsieur Louis Caratal desired an interview with mister James Bland, the superintendent of 17 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:22,439 the London and West Coast Central Station in Liverpool. He was a small man, 18 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:26,359 middle aged and dark, with stoop which was so marked that it suggested 19 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:30,319 some deformity of the spine. He was accompanied by a friend, a man 20 00:01:30,359 --> 00:01:34,400 of imposing physique, whose deferential manner and constant attention showed that his position was 21 00:01:34,439 --> 00:01:38,959 one of dependents. His friend or companion, whose name did not transpire, 22 00:01:40,079 --> 00:01:44,480 was certainly a foreigner, and probably from his swarthy complexion, either a Spaniard 23 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:49,120 or a South American. One peculiarity was observed in him. He carried in 24 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:53,519 his left hand a small black leather despatch box, and it was noticed by 25 00:01:53,519 --> 00:01:57,439 a sharp eyed clerk in the central office that this box was fastened to his 26 00:01:57,480 --> 00:02:01,799 wrist by a strap. No importance was attached to the fact at the time, 27 00:02:01,879 --> 00:02:07,240 but subsequent events endowed it with some significance. Monsieur Carrettal was shown up 28 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:14,599 to mister Bland's office, while his companion remained outside. Mister Bland struck the 29 00:02:14,599 --> 00:02:19,280 electric bell, summoned mister potter Hood, the traffic manager, and had the 30 00:02:19,319 --> 00:02:23,560 matter arranged in five minutes. The train would start in three quarters of an 31 00:02:23,599 --> 00:02:25,639 hour. It would take that time to ensure that the line should be clear. 32 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:31,479 The powerful engine, called Roachdale number two forty seven on the company's register, 33 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:37,840 was attached to two carriages, with a guard's van behind. The first 34 00:02:37,879 --> 00:02:42,120 carriage was solely for the purpose of decreasing the inconvenience arising from the oscillation. 35 00:02:43,319 --> 00:02:46,879 The second was divided as usual into four compartments, a first class, a 36 00:02:46,919 --> 00:02:53,199 first class smoking, a second class and a second class smoking. The first 37 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:55,280 compartment, which was nearest to the engine, was the one allotted to the 38 00:02:55,319 --> 00:03:00,039 travelers. The other three were empty. The guard of the special train was 39 00:03:00,159 --> 00:03:04,719 James mc pherson, who had been some years in the service of the company. 40 00:03:05,319 --> 00:03:09,360 The stoker, William Smith, was a new hand Monsieur Carettel. Upon 41 00:03:09,479 --> 00:03:15,360 leaving the superintendent's office, rejoined his companion, and both of them manifested extreme 42 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:19,680 impatience to be off. Having paid the money asked, which amounted to fifty 43 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:23,599 pounds five shillings at the usual special rate of five shillings a mile, they 44 00:03:23,599 --> 00:03:28,080 demanded to be shown the carriage, and at once took their seats in it, 45 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:30,360 although they were assured that the better part of an hour must elapse before 46 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:35,759 the line could be cleared. In the meantime, a singular coincidence had occurred 47 00:03:35,759 --> 00:03:39,719 in the office which Monsieur Carretel had just quitted. A request for a special 48 00:03:39,759 --> 00:03:45,680 is not a very uncommon circumstance in a rich commercial center, but the two 49 00:03:45,759 --> 00:03:50,360 should be required upon the same afternoon was most unusual. It so happened, 50 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:53,919 however, that mister Bland had hardly dismissed the first traveler before a second entered 51 00:03:53,919 --> 00:04:00,240 with a similar request. This was a mister Horace Moore, a gentlemanly man 52 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:03,560 of military appearance, who alleged that the sudden serious illness of his wife in 53 00:04:03,599 --> 00:04:09,159 London made it absolutely imperative that he should not lose an instant in starting upon 54 00:04:09,159 --> 00:04:14,439 the journey. His distress and anxiety were so evident that mister Bland did all 55 00:04:14,479 --> 00:04:17,319 that was possible to meet his wishes. A second special was out of the 56 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:21,600 question, as the ordinary local service was already somewhat deranged by the first. 57 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:27,360 There was the alternative, however, that mister Moore should share the expense of 58 00:04:27,399 --> 00:04:31,839 Monsieur Carretel's train, and should travel in the other empty first class compartment, 59 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:38,519 if Monsieur Carretel objected to having him in the one which he occupied. It 60 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:42,639 was difficult to see any objection to such an arrangement. And yet Monsieur Carretel, 61 00:04:42,759 --> 00:04:46,360 upon the suggestion being made to him by mister potter Hood, absolutely refused 62 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:51,279 to consider it for an instant. The train was his, he said, 63 00:04:51,439 --> 00:04:56,920 and he would insist upon the exclusive use of it. All argument failed to 64 00:04:56,920 --> 00:05:01,000 overcome his ungracious objections, and finally the pl had to be abandoned. Mister 65 00:05:01,079 --> 00:05:05,519 Horace Moore left the station in great distress after learning that his only course was 66 00:05:05,560 --> 00:05:11,920 to take the ordinary slow train which leaves Liverpool at six o'clock. At four 67 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:15,480 thirty one, exactly by the station clock, the special train containing the crippled 68 00:05:15,519 --> 00:05:21,759 Monsieur Carattel and his gigantic companion steamed out of the Liverpool station. The line 69 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:26,439 was at that time clear and there should have been no stoppage. Before Manchester. 70 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:30,480 The trains of the London and West Coast Railway run over the lines of 71 00:05:30,519 --> 00:05:34,279 another company as far as this town, which should have been reached by a 72 00:05:34,279 --> 00:05:40,160 special rather before six o'clock. At a quarter after six, considerable surprise and 73 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:45,439 some consternation were caused amongst the officials at Liverpool by the receipt of a telegram 74 00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:49,600 from Manchester to say that it had not yet arrived. An inquiry directed to 75 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:53,800 Saint Helens, which is a third of the way between the two cities, 76 00:05:53,800 --> 00:06:00,839 elicited the following reply to James Bland, Superintendent Central l and W see Liverpool 77 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:05,160 Special passed here at four fifty two, well up to time, Dowster Saint 78 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:11,839 Helen's. This telegram was received at six forty. At six fifty a second 79 00:06:11,879 --> 00:06:16,160 message was received from Manchester, no sign of special as advised by you, 80 00:06:17,439 --> 00:06:23,639 and then ten minutes later a third more bewildering. Presume some mistake as to 81 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:28,439 propose running of special local train from Saint Helen's. Time to follow. It 82 00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:33,120 has just arrived and has seen nothing of it. Kindly, wire advises Manchester. 83 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:40,040 The matter was assuming a most amazing aspect, although in some respects the 84 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:44,399 last telegram was a relief to the authorities at Liverpool. If an accident had 85 00:06:44,399 --> 00:06:47,240 occurred at the special, it seemed hardly possible that the local train could have 86 00:06:47,279 --> 00:06:51,879 passed down the same line without observing it, And yet what was the alternative? 87 00:06:53,319 --> 00:06:57,279 Where could the train be had it possibly been sidetracked for some reason in 88 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:01,000 order to allow the slower train to go past. Such an explanation was possible 89 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:05,160 if some small repair had to be effected. A telegram was despatched to each 90 00:07:05,199 --> 00:07:11,199 of the stations between Saint Helens and Manchester, and the superintendent and traffic manager 91 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:15,480 waited, in the utmost suspense at the instrument for the series of replies which 92 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:18,240 would enable them to say for certain what had become of the missing train. 93 00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:24,480 The answers came back in the order of questions, which was the order of 94 00:07:24,519 --> 00:07:29,600 the stations, beginning at Saint Helen's End. Special Past here five o'clock, 95 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:35,720 Collins Green Special Past here, six past five, Earlstown Special Past here five 96 00:07:35,879 --> 00:07:44,439 ten, Newton Special Past here five twenty Kenyon Junction. No special train has 97 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:48,560 passed here. Barton Moss. The two officials stared at each other in amazement. 98 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:54,199 This is unique in my thirty years of experience, mister Plann said, 99 00:07:55,399 --> 00:08:01,240 absolutely unprecedented and inexplicable, Sir, The special has gone wrong between Kenyon Junction 100 00:08:01,439 --> 00:08:05,079 and Barton Mosse, and yet there is no siding so far as my memory, 101 00:08:05,079 --> 00:08:09,079 Sir has made between the two stations. The Special must have run off 102 00:08:09,079 --> 00:08:15,079 the metals. But how could the four fifty Parliamentary pass over the same line 103 00:08:15,079 --> 00:08:18,560 without observing it. There is no alternative, mister Hood. It must be 104 00:08:18,639 --> 00:08:22,720 so. Possibly the local train may have observed something which may throw some light 105 00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:28,360 upon the matter. We'll wire to Manchester for more information, and to Kenyon 106 00:08:28,439 --> 00:08:31,200 Junction with instructions that the line be examined instantly as far as Barton Moss. 107 00:08:33,039 --> 00:08:37,600 The answer from Manchester came within a few minutes. No news of missing special, 108 00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:41,960 driver and guard of slow train positive. No accident between Kenyon Junction and 109 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:48,440 Barton Moss line quite clear, and no sign of anything unusual. Manchester, 110 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:54,759 that driver and guard will have to go, said mister Bland grimly. There 111 00:08:54,759 --> 00:08:58,360 has been a wreck and they have missed it. The Special has obviously run 112 00:08:58,399 --> 00:09:01,360 off the metals without disturbing the line. How it could have done so passes 113 00:09:01,399 --> 00:09:05,519 my comprehension. But so it must be, and we shall have a wire 114 00:09:05,519 --> 00:09:07,799 from Kenyon or Barton Moss presently to say that they have found her at the 115 00:09:07,799 --> 00:09:13,360 bottom of an embankment, but mister Bland's prophecy was not destined to be fulfilled. 116 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:16,840 Half an hour passed and then there arrived the following message from the station 117 00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:22,679 master of Kenyon Junction. There are no traces of the missing Special. It 118 00:09:22,759 --> 00:09:26,840 is quite certain that she passed here and that she did not arrive at Barton 119 00:09:26,879 --> 00:09:31,480 Moss. We have detached engine from goods train and have myself ridden down the 120 00:09:31,519 --> 00:09:35,200 line. But all is clear and there is no sign of an accident. 121 00:09:35,799 --> 00:09:41,440 Mister Bland tore his hair in his perplexity. This is rank lunacyhood, he 122 00:09:41,519 --> 00:09:46,759 cried. Does a train vanish into thin air in England in broad daylight? 123 00:09:46,559 --> 00:09:50,600 The thing is preposterous. An engine at tender, two carriages, a van, 124 00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:56,360 five human beings and all lost on a straight line of railway. Unless 125 00:09:56,360 --> 00:10:00,759 we get something positive within the next hour, I'll take in space to Collins 126 00:10:00,759 --> 00:10:05,720 and go down myself. And then at last something positive did occur. It 127 00:10:05,799 --> 00:10:09,200 took the shape of another telegram from Kenyon Junction, regret to report that the 128 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:13,879 dead body of John Slater, driver of the Special train, has just been 129 00:10:13,919 --> 00:10:18,039 found among the Gorse bushes at a point two and a quarter miles from the 130 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:22,279 junction, had fallen from his engine, pitched down the embankment, and rolled 131 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:26,480 among the bushes. Injuries to his head from the fall appear to be cause 132 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:31,080 of death. Grounds has now been carefully examined, and there is no trace 133 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:37,639 of the missing train. The country, of course, was, as has 134 00:10:37,679 --> 00:10:41,879 already been stated, in the throes of a political crisis, and the intention 135 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:46,559 of the public was further distracted by the importance and sensational developments in Paris, 136 00:10:46,039 --> 00:10:50,840 where a huge scandal threatened to destroy the government and to wreck the reputations of 137 00:10:50,879 --> 00:10:54,039 many of the leading men in France. The papers were full of these events, 138 00:10:54,039 --> 00:10:58,080 and the singular disappearance of the special train attracted less attention than would have 139 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:03,039 been the case in more peaceful times. The grotesque nature of the event helped 140 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:07,200 to detract from its importance, for the papers were disinclined to believe the facts 141 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:11,600 as reported to them. More than one of the London journals treated the matter 142 00:11:11,639 --> 00:11:18,240 as an ingenious hoax until the coroner's inquest upon the unfortunate driver, an inquest 143 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:22,200 which elicited nothing of importance, convinced them of the tragedy of the incident. 144 00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:28,519 Mister Bland, accompanied by Inspector Collins, the senior detective officer in the service 145 00:11:28,519 --> 00:11:31,120 of the company, went down to Kenyon Junction the same evening, and their 146 00:11:31,159 --> 00:11:37,279 research lasted throughout the following day, but was attended with purely negative results. 147 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:41,919 Not only was no trace found of the missing train, but no conjecture could 148 00:11:41,919 --> 00:11:46,000 be put forward which would possibly explain the facts. At the same time, 149 00:11:46,039 --> 00:11:50,200 Inspector Collins's official report, which lies before me, as I write, served 150 00:11:50,279 --> 00:11:56,919 to show that the possibilities were more numerous than might have been expected. Inspector 151 00:11:56,919 --> 00:12:01,279 Collins writes, in the stretch of railway between these two points, the country 152 00:12:01,320 --> 00:12:05,480 is dotted with iron works and collieries. Of these, some are being worked, 153 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:09,919 and some have been abandoned. There are no fewer than twelve which have 154 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:13,879 small gage lines which run trolley cars down to the main line. These can 155 00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:18,360 of course be disregarded. Beside these, however, there are seven which have 156 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:24,559 or have had proper lines running down and connecting with points to the main line, 157 00:12:24,279 --> 00:12:28,960 so as to convey their produce from the mouth of the mine to the 158 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:33,120 great centers of distribution. In every case these lines are only a few miles 159 00:12:33,159 --> 00:12:37,399 in length. Out of the seven, four belong to collieries which are worked 160 00:12:37,399 --> 00:12:41,840 out, or at least two shafts which are no longer used. These are 161 00:12:41,879 --> 00:12:50,440 the Red Gauntlet, Hero Slov Despond and Heart's Ease mines, the latter having 162 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:54,360 ten years ago been one of the principal mines in Lancashire. These four side 163 00:12:54,399 --> 00:12:58,639 lines may be eliminated from our inquiry, for to prevent possible accidents. The 164 00:12:58,759 --> 00:13:03,519 rail nearest to the main line have been taken up and there is no longer 165 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:11,559 any connection. There remain three other side lines, leading A to the Carnstock 166 00:13:11,639 --> 00:13:18,840 Iron Works, B to the big Ben colliery C to the Perseverance Colliery. 167 00:13:20,039 --> 00:13:22,720 Of these, the big Ben line is not more than a quarter of a 168 00:13:22,759 --> 00:13:26,159 mile long and ends at a dead wall of coal waiting removal from the mouth 169 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:31,320 of the mine. Nothing had been seen or heard there of any special. 170 00:13:31,399 --> 00:13:35,600 The Carnstock Iron Works line was blocked all day upon the third of June by 171 00:13:35,679 --> 00:13:41,799 sixteen truck loads of hematite. It's a single line and nothing could have passed 172 00:13:43,159 --> 00:13:48,080 at the Perseverance line, a large double line which does a considerable traffic for 173 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:52,480 the output of the mine is very large. On the third of June, 174 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:56,799 this traffic proceeded as usual. Hundreds of men, including a gang of railway 175 00:13:56,840 --> 00:14:01,320 plate layers, were working along the two lines and a quarter which constituted the 176 00:14:01,320 --> 00:14:05,480 total length of the line, and it is inconceivable that an unexpected train could 177 00:14:05,519 --> 00:14:11,919 have come down there without attracting universal attention. It may be remarked in conclusion 178 00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:13,919 that this branch line is nearer to Saint Helens than the point at which the 179 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:18,879 engine driver was discovered, so that we have every reason to believe that the 180 00:14:18,919 --> 00:14:24,039 train was past that point before his fortune overtook her. As to John Slater, 181 00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:28,120 there is no clue to be gathered from his appearance or injuries. We 182 00:14:28,159 --> 00:14:30,440 can only say that, so far as we can see, he met his 183 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:33,519 end by falling off his engine. Though why he fell or what became of 184 00:14:33,559 --> 00:14:37,759 the engine after his fall is a question upon which I do not feel qualified 185 00:14:37,759 --> 00:14:43,759 to offer an opinion. In conclusion, the inspector offered his resignation to the 186 00:14:43,759 --> 00:14:48,320 board, being much nettled by an accusation of incompetence in the London papers. 187 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:54,799 A month elapsed during which both the police and the company prosecuted their inquiries without 188 00:14:54,799 --> 00:14:58,120 the slightest success. A reward was offered and a pardon promised in case of 189 00:14:58,159 --> 00:15:03,320 crime, but they were both unclaimed. Every day the public opened their papers 190 00:15:03,320 --> 00:15:07,559 with a conviction that so grotesque a mystery would at last be solved. But 191 00:15:07,279 --> 00:15:11,159 week after week passed by, and a solution remained as far off as ever. 192 00:15:13,159 --> 00:15:16,000 In broad daylight upon a June afternoon, in the most thickly inhabited portion 193 00:15:16,039 --> 00:15:22,240 of England, a train with its occupants had disappeared, as completely as if 194 00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:28,279 some master of subtle chemistry had volatilized it into gas. Indeed, among the 195 00:15:28,320 --> 00:15:31,240 various conjectures which were put forward in the public press, there were some which 196 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:39,320 seriously asserted that supernatural or at least preternatural agencies had been at work, and 197 00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:43,639 that the deformed Monsieur Caratal was probably a person who was better known under a 198 00:15:43,720 --> 00:15:48,960 less polite name. Others fixed upon his swarthy companion as being the author of 199 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:54,000 the mischief, but what it was exactly which he had done could never be 200 00:15:54,039 --> 00:15:58,960 clearly formulated in words. Among the many suggestions put forward by various newspapers or 201 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:03,080 private individuals, there were one or two which were feasible enough to attract the 202 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:07,840 attention of the public. One which appeared in the Times over the signature of 203 00:16:07,879 --> 00:16:11,639 an amateur reasoner of some celebrity at that date, attempted to deal with the 204 00:16:11,679 --> 00:16:17,919 matter in a critical and semi scientific manner. An extract must suffice, although 205 00:16:17,919 --> 00:16:19,960 the curious can see the whole letter in the issue of the third of July. 206 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:26,639 It's one of the elementary principles practical reasoning. He remarked that when the 207 00:16:26,679 --> 00:16:30,399 impossible has been eliminated, the residuum, however improbable, must contain the truth. 208 00:16:32,519 --> 00:16:36,399 It is certain that the train left Kenyon Junction. It is certain that 209 00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:40,559 it did not reach Barton Moss. It is in the highest degree unlikely, 210 00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:44,279 but still possible, that it may have taken one of the seven available sidelines. 211 00:16:45,279 --> 00:16:48,639 It's obviously impossible for a train to run where there are no rails, 212 00:16:48,279 --> 00:16:53,039 and therefore we may reduce our improbables to the three open lines, namely the 213 00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:59,000 Carnstock Iron Works, the Big Ben and the Perseverance. Is there a secret 214 00:16:59,039 --> 00:17:04,319 society of Klia an English camorra which is capable of destroying both train and passengers. 215 00:17:06,279 --> 00:17:10,359 Now it's improbable, but it is not impossible. I confess that I 216 00:17:10,359 --> 00:17:14,880 am unable to suggest any other solution. I should certainly advise the company to 217 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:18,799 direct all their energies toward the observation of those three lines, and of the 218 00:17:18,839 --> 00:17:23,440 workmen at the end of them. A careful supervision of the pawnbrokers shops of 219 00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:30,880 the district might possibly bring some suggestive facts to light. The suggestion, coming 220 00:17:30,880 --> 00:17:36,359 from a recognized authority upon such matters, created considerable interest and a fierce opposition 221 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:40,960 from those who considered such a statement to be a preposterous libel upon an honest 222 00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:45,519 and deserving set of men. The only answer to this criticism was it challenged 223 00:17:45,519 --> 00:17:49,240 to the objectors to lay any more feasible explanations before the public. In reply 224 00:17:49,359 --> 00:17:56,279 to this, two others were forthcoming the Times July seventh and ninth. The 225 00:17:56,359 --> 00:18:00,519 first suggested that the train might have run off the metals and belying merged in 226 00:18:00,559 --> 00:18:04,759 the Lancashire and Staffordshire Canal, which runs parallel to the railway for some hundreds 227 00:18:04,759 --> 00:18:10,599 of yards. This suggestion was thrown out of court by the published depth of 228 00:18:10,599 --> 00:18:15,599 the canal, which was entirely insufficient to conceal so large an object. The 229 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:18,319 second correspondent wrote, calling attention to the bag which appeared to be the sole 230 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:23,400 luggage which the travelers had brought with them, and suggesting that some novel explosive 231 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:29,759 of immense and pulverizing power might have been concealed in it. The obvious absurdity, 232 00:18:29,799 --> 00:18:33,240 however, of a supposing that the whole train might be blown to dust 233 00:18:33,599 --> 00:18:40,240 while the metals remained uninjured, reduced any such explanation to a farce. The 234 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:45,839 investigation had drifted into this hopeless position when a new and most unexpected incident occurred. 235 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:49,880 This was nothing less than the receipt by Missus mc pherson of a letter 236 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:53,359 from her husband, James mc pherson, who had been the guard on the 237 00:18:53,359 --> 00:18:57,640 missing train. The letter, which was dated July fifth, eighteen ninety, 238 00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:03,799 was posted from New York and came to hand upon July fourteenth. Some doubts 239 00:19:03,799 --> 00:19:08,279 were expressed as to its genuine character, but Missus mc pherson was positive as 240 00:19:08,319 --> 00:19:11,559 to the writing, and the fact that it contained a remittance of a hundred 241 00:19:11,599 --> 00:19:15,960 dollars and five dollar notes was enough in itself to discount the idea of a 242 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:18,759 hoax. No address was given in the letter, which ran in this way, 243 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:23,880 my dear wife, I've been thinking a great deal, and I find 244 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:27,680 it very hard to give you up. The same with Lizzie. I try 245 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:30,680 to fight against it, but it will always come back to me. I 246 00:19:30,759 --> 00:19:34,839 send you some money which will change into twenty English pounds. This should be 247 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:38,519 enough to bring both Lizzie and you across the Atlantic, and you'll find the 248 00:19:38,559 --> 00:19:44,079 Hamburg boats which stop at Southampton, very good boats and cheaper than Liverpool. 249 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:48,240 If you could come here and stop at the Johnston House, I would try 250 00:19:48,279 --> 00:19:51,559 and send you word how to meet. But things are very difficult with me 251 00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:53,920 at present, and I am not very happy finding it hard to give you 252 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:59,880 both up. So no more at present from your loving husband, James mc 253 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:04,799 For a time it was confidently anticipated that this letter would lead to the clearing 254 00:20:04,880 --> 00:20:08,400 up of the whole matter, the more so as it was ascertained that a 255 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:14,519 passenger who bore a close resemblance to the missing guard had traveled from Southampton under 256 00:20:14,519 --> 00:20:18,680 the name of Somers in the Hamburg and New York liner Vistula, which started 257 00:20:18,759 --> 00:20:23,319 upon the seventh of June. Missus mc pherson and her sister Lizzie Dalton went 258 00:20:23,359 --> 00:20:27,359 across to New York as directed, and stayed for three weeks at the Johnston 259 00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:33,039 House without hearing anything from the missing man. It's probable that some injudicious comments 260 00:20:33,039 --> 00:20:37,319 in the press may have warned him that the police were using them as a 261 00:20:37,319 --> 00:20:41,839 bait. However this may be, it's certain that he neither wrote nor came, 262 00:20:41,839 --> 00:20:45,920 and the women were eventually compelled to return to Liverpool. And so the 263 00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:51,079 matter stood and has continued to stand up to the present year eighteen ninety eight. 264 00:20:51,880 --> 00:20:56,440 Incredible as it may seem, nothing has transpired during these eight years which 265 00:20:56,440 --> 00:21:00,559 has shed the least light upon the extraordinary disappearance of the special tree which contained 266 00:21:00,559 --> 00:21:07,200 Monsieur Carretel and his companion. Careful inquiries into the antecedents of the two travelers 267 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:11,960 have only established the fact that Monsieur Carretal was well known as a financier and 268 00:21:11,039 --> 00:21:17,359 political agent in Central America, and that during his voyage to Europe he had 269 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:22,759 betrayed extraordinary anxiety to reach Paris. His companion, whose name was entered upon 270 00:21:22,799 --> 00:21:26,599 the passenger list, says Eduardo Gomez, was a man whose record was a 271 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:32,000 violent one and whose reputation was that of a bravo and a bully. There 272 00:21:32,039 --> 00:21:34,279 was evidence to show, however, that he was honestly devoted to the interests 273 00:21:34,279 --> 00:21:38,960 of Monsieur Carretal, and that the latter, being a man of puny physique, 274 00:21:40,519 --> 00:21:44,039 employed the other as a guard and protector. It may be added that 275 00:21:44,079 --> 00:21:48,200 no information came from Paris as to what the objects of Monsieur Carratill's hurried journey 276 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:53,119 may have been. This compromises all the facts of the case. Upon the 277 00:21:53,160 --> 00:22:00,599 publication in the Marseilles papers of the recent confession of Herbert de Lernac, now 278 00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:03,839 under sentence of death for the murder of a merchant named bon Balow. This 279 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:10,799 statement may be literally translated as follows. It is not out of mere pride 280 00:22:10,839 --> 00:22:15,160 or boasting that I give this information, for if that were my object, 281 00:22:15,400 --> 00:22:18,240 I could tell a dozen actions of mine which are quite as splendid. But 282 00:22:18,319 --> 00:22:22,519 I do it in order that certain gentlemen in Paris may understand that I, 283 00:22:22,079 --> 00:22:26,359 who am able here to tell about the fate of Monsieur Caratal, can also 284 00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:30,519 tell in whose interest and at whose request the deed was done, unless the 285 00:22:30,599 --> 00:22:36,559 reprieve which I am awaiting comes to me very quickly. Take warning, monsieurs, 286 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:41,200 before it is too late. You know Herbert de Lernac, and you 287 00:22:41,279 --> 00:22:44,680 are aware that his deeds are as ready as his words. Hasten then, 288 00:22:45,519 --> 00:22:48,880 or you are lost at present, I shall mention no names. If you 289 00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:53,119 only heard the names, what would you not think? But I shall merely 290 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:57,079 tell you how cleverly I did it. I was true to my employers then, 291 00:22:57,119 --> 00:23:02,559 and no doubt they will be true to me now. I hope so. 292 00:23:03,319 --> 00:23:06,640 And until I am convinced that they have betrayed me, these names, 293 00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:11,880 which would convulse Europe, shall not be divulged. But on that day where 294 00:23:11,920 --> 00:23:18,119 I say no more in a word. Then there was a famous trial in 295 00:23:18,160 --> 00:23:22,000 Paris in the year eighteen ninety, in connection with a monstrous scandal in politics 296 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:26,880 and finance. How monstrous that scandal was can never be known save by such 297 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:30,839 confidential agents as myself. The honor and careers of many of the chief men 298 00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:34,920 in France were at stake. You have seen a group of nine pins standing 299 00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:40,119 also rigid and prim and and bending. Then there comes the fall from far 300 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:44,000 away and pop pop pop. There he are nine pins on the floor. 301 00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:48,119 Well, imagine some of the greatest men in France as these nine pins. 302 00:23:48,559 --> 00:23:52,039 And then this Monsieur Caratal, was the ball which could be seen coming from 303 00:23:52,079 --> 00:23:56,279 far away. If he arrived, then it was pop pop, pop, 304 00:23:56,480 --> 00:24:03,680 for all of them, it was determined that he should not arrive. I 305 00:24:03,759 --> 00:24:07,359 do not accuse them all of being conscious of what was to happen. There 306 00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:10,640 were, as I have said, great financial as well as political interests at 307 00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:15,359 stake, and as syndicate was formed to manage the business. Some subscribed to 308 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:19,359 the syndicate who hardly understood what were its objects. But others understood very well, 309 00:24:22,079 --> 00:24:25,640 and they can rely upon it that I have not forgotten their names. 310 00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:29,839 They had ample warning that Monsieur Carretell was coming, long before he left South 311 00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:33,920 America, and they knew that the evidence which he held would certainly mean ruin 312 00:24:33,039 --> 00:24:37,200 to all of them. The Syndicate had the command of an unlimited amount of 313 00:24:37,240 --> 00:24:42,200 money, absolutely unlimited. You understand. They looked round for an agent who 314 00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:47,759 was capable of wielding this gigantic power. The man chosen must be inventive, 315 00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:52,480 resolute, adaptive, a man in a million, and they chose Herbert de 316 00:24:52,599 --> 00:24:57,640 Lernac, and I admit that they were right. My duties would to choose 317 00:24:57,680 --> 00:25:02,319 my subordinates, to use freely the power which money gives, and to make 318 00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:07,920 certain that Monsieur Carretel should never arrive in Paris with characteristic energy. I set 319 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:11,119 about my commission within an hour of receiving my instructions, and the steps which 320 00:25:11,119 --> 00:25:15,480 I took were the very best for the purpose which could possibly be devised. 321 00:25:17,079 --> 00:25:21,160 A man whom I could trust was dispatched instantly to South America travel home with 322 00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:25,480 Monsieur Carretel. Had he arrived in time, the ship would never have reached 323 00:25:25,519 --> 00:25:30,039 Liverpool. But alas it had already started before my agent could reach it, 324 00:25:30,119 --> 00:25:33,079 I fitted out a small armed brig to intercept it. But again I was 325 00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:37,799 unfortunate. Like all great organizers, I was, however, prepared for failure, 326 00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:42,200 and had a series of alternatives prepared, one or the other of which 327 00:25:42,279 --> 00:25:48,160 must succeed. You must not underrate the difficulties of my undertaking, or to 328 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:52,319 imagine that a mere commonplace assassination would meet the case. We must destroy not 329 00:25:52,400 --> 00:26:00,359 only Monsieur Carretel, but Monsieur Carrattel's documents and Monsieur Carretel's companion also, if 330 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:04,440 we had reason to believe that he had communicated his secrets to them, and 331 00:26:04,519 --> 00:26:08,799 you must remember that they were on the alert and keenly suspicious of any such 332 00:26:08,839 --> 00:26:12,799 attempt. It was a task which was in every way worthy of me, 333 00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:18,200 for I am always most masterful where another would be appalled. I was all 334 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:22,440 ready for Monsieur Carotell's reception in Liverpool, and I was the more eager because 335 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:26,920 I had reason to believe that he had made arrangements by which he would have 336 00:26:26,920 --> 00:26:30,359 a considerable guard from the moment that he arrived in London. Anything which was 337 00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:33,720 to be done must be done between the moment of his setting foot upon Liverpool 338 00:26:33,799 --> 00:26:40,000 Quay and that of his arrival at the London and West Coast terminus. In 339 00:26:40,079 --> 00:26:45,000 London. We prepared six plans, each more elaborate than the last. Which 340 00:26:45,039 --> 00:26:48,160 plan would be used would depend upon his own movements do what he would. 341 00:26:48,279 --> 00:26:52,279 We were ready for him if he stayed in Liverpool. We were ready if 342 00:26:52,279 --> 00:26:57,039 he took an ordinary train and express or a special All was ready. Everything 343 00:26:57,039 --> 00:27:03,799 had been foreseen and provided for. You may imagine that I could not do 344 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:07,640 all this myself. What could I know of the English railway lines. But 345 00:27:07,759 --> 00:27:12,000 money can procure willing agents all the world over, and I soon had one 346 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:17,319 of the acutest brains in England to assist me. I will mention no names, 347 00:27:17,319 --> 00:27:19,920 but it would be unjust to claim all the credit for myself. My 348 00:27:21,039 --> 00:27:25,119 English ally was worthy of such an alliance. He knew the London and West 349 00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:29,319 Coast line thoroughly, and he had the command of a band of workers who 350 00:27:29,319 --> 00:27:33,519 were trustworthy and intelligent. The idea was his, and my own judgment was 351 00:27:33,559 --> 00:27:40,359 only required in the details. We bought over several officials, amongst whom the 352 00:27:40,359 --> 00:27:44,759 most important was James mac Pherson, whom we had ascertained to be the guard 353 00:27:44,839 --> 00:27:48,440 most likely to be employed upon a special train. Smith the Stoker was also 354 00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:52,440 in our employ John Slater, the engine driver, had been approached, but 355 00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:57,200 had been found to be obstinate and dangerous, so he desisted. We had 356 00:27:57,200 --> 00:28:02,880 no certainty that Monsieur Carretel would take a special but we thought it very probable, 357 00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:06,920 for it was of the utmost importance to him that he should reach Paris 358 00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:11,400 without delay. It was for this contingency, therefore, that we made special 359 00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:15,720 preparations, preparations which were complete down to the last detail, long before his 360 00:28:15,759 --> 00:28:19,640 steamer had sighted the shores of England. You will be amused to learn that 361 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:23,440 there was one of my agents in the pilot boat which brought that steamer to 362 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:30,599 its moorings the moment that Cantel arrived in Liverpool. We knew that he suspected 363 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:33,240 danger and was on his guard. He had brought with him as an escort 364 00:28:33,319 --> 00:28:37,720 a dangerous fellow named Gomez, a man who carried weapons and was prepared to 365 00:28:37,799 --> 00:28:44,240 use them. This fellow carried Carotel's confidential papers for him and was ready to 366 00:28:44,279 --> 00:28:49,119 protect them, either them or his master. The probability was that Caratal had 367 00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:53,759 taken him into his counsels, and that to remove Carotel without removing Gomez would 368 00:28:53,759 --> 00:28:57,759 be a mere waste of energy. It was necessary that they should be involved 369 00:28:57,759 --> 00:29:02,920 in a common fate, and our plans to that end were much facilitated by 370 00:29:02,960 --> 00:29:07,039 their request for a special train. On that special train, you will understand 371 00:29:07,519 --> 00:29:11,160 that two out of the three servants of the company were really in our employ 372 00:29:11,039 --> 00:29:15,119 at a price which would make them independent for a lifetime. I do not 373 00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:18,880 go so far as to say that the English are more honest than any other 374 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:22,920 nation, but I have certainly found them more expensive to buy. I have 375 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:26,240 already spoken of my English agent, who was a man with a considerable future 376 00:29:26,279 --> 00:29:30,599 before him, unless some complaint of the throat carries him more before his time. 377 00:29:30,200 --> 00:29:33,960 He had charge of all arrangements at Liverpool, while I was stationed at 378 00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:38,559 the Inn at Kenyon, where I awaited a cipher's signal to act. When 379 00:29:38,599 --> 00:29:44,200 the special was arranged for, my agent instantly telegraphed to me and warned me 380 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:47,839 how soon I should have everything ready. He himself, under the name of 381 00:29:47,920 --> 00:29:51,960 Horace Moore, applied immediately for a special, also in the hope that he 382 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:56,319 would be sent down with Monsieur Carretaut, which might, under certain circumstances, 383 00:29:56,359 --> 00:29:59,839 have been helpful to it. If, for example, our great coup had 384 00:30:00,039 --> 00:30:03,079 failed, it might then have become the duty of my agent, who have 385 00:30:03,119 --> 00:30:07,559 shot them both and destroyed their papers. Cannatell was on his guard, however, 386 00:30:07,599 --> 00:30:11,440 and refused to admit any other traveler. My agent then left the station, 387 00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:15,519 returned by another entrance, entered the guards van on the side farthest from 388 00:30:15,519 --> 00:30:19,960 the platform, and traveled down with McPherson the guard. In the meantime, 389 00:30:21,039 --> 00:30:25,920 you will be, of course interested to know that my movements were Everything had 390 00:30:25,960 --> 00:30:30,519 been prepared for days before, and only the finishing touches were needed. The 391 00:30:30,599 --> 00:30:33,960 side line which we had chosen had once joined the main line, but it 392 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:37,799 had been disconnected. We had only to replace a few rails to connect it 393 00:30:37,839 --> 00:30:41,519 once more. These rails had been laid down as far as could be done 394 00:30:41,519 --> 00:30:45,680 without danger of attracting attention, and now it was merely a case of completing 395 00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:48,920 a juncture with the line and arranging the points as they had been before. 396 00:30:49,720 --> 00:30:53,000 The sleepers had never been removed in the rails. Fish plates and rivets were 397 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:56,640 all ready for. We had taken them from a siding on the abandoned portion 398 00:30:56,680 --> 00:31:00,079 of the line with my small but comp but a band of workers. We 399 00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:04,680 had everything ready long before the special arrived. When it did arrive, it 400 00:31:04,799 --> 00:31:08,759 ran off upon the small side lines so easily that the jolting of the points 401 00:31:08,759 --> 00:31:14,759 appears to have been entirely unnoticed by the two travelers. Our plan had been 402 00:31:14,759 --> 00:31:18,880 that Smith the Stoker should chloroform John Slater and the driver, so that he 403 00:31:18,920 --> 00:31:22,680 should vanish with the others in this respect, and in this respect only our 404 00:31:22,720 --> 00:31:27,160 plans miscarritt I expect the criminal folly of Macpherson, in writing home to his 405 00:31:27,319 --> 00:31:33,480 wife Arstoker did his business so clumsily that Slater and his struggles fell off the 406 00:31:33,559 --> 00:31:38,319 engine, and through fortune was with us so far that he broke his neck 407 00:31:38,359 --> 00:31:42,240 in the fall. Still he remained as a blot upon that which would otherwise 408 00:31:42,279 --> 00:31:47,640 have been one of the most complete masterpieces, which are only to be contemplated 409 00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:52,200 in silent admiration. The criminal expert will find him, John Slater, the 410 00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:56,960 one floor in all our admirable combinations, a man who has had as many 411 00:31:56,000 --> 00:32:00,480 triumphs as I can afford to be frank. And I therefore or lay my 412 00:32:00,519 --> 00:32:06,240 finger upon John Slater and proclaim him to be a floor. But now I 413 00:32:06,279 --> 00:32:09,880 have got our special train upon the small line two kilometers or rather more than 414 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:13,960 one mile in length, which leads, or rather used to lead to the 415 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:19,799 abandoned Heartsea's Mine, once one of the largest coal mines in England. You'll 416 00:32:19,799 --> 00:32:22,079 ask how it is that no one saw the train upon this unused line, 417 00:32:22,599 --> 00:32:25,839 And I answered that along its entire length it runs through a deep cutting, 418 00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:30,519 and that unless some one had been on the edge of that cutting, he 419 00:32:30,559 --> 00:32:32,799 could not have seen it. There was some one on the edge of that 420 00:32:32,920 --> 00:32:37,759 cutting. I was there, and now I will tell you what I saw. 421 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:40,960 My assistant had remained at the points in order that he might superintend the 422 00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:45,680 switching off of the train. He had four armed men with him, so 423 00:32:45,720 --> 00:32:49,400 that the train ran off the line. We thought it probably because the points 424 00:32:49,400 --> 00:32:53,039 were rusty, we might still have resources to fall back upon. Having once 425 00:32:53,119 --> 00:32:57,480 seen it safely on the side line, he handed over the responsibility to me. 426 00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:00,160 I was waiting at a point which overlook the mouth of the mine, 427 00:33:00,519 --> 00:33:04,880 and I was also armed, as were my two companions. Come. What 428 00:33:05,079 --> 00:33:09,119 might you say? I was always ready. The moment that the train was 429 00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:13,920 fairly on the side line, Psmith the stoker slowed down the engine, and 430 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:16,359 then, having turned it on to the fullest speed again, he and mac 431 00:33:16,359 --> 00:33:21,640 Pherson with my English lieutenant sprang off before it was too late. It may 432 00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:25,119 be that it was this slowing down which first attracted the attention of the travelers, 433 00:33:25,680 --> 00:33:29,839 But the train was running at full speed again before their heads appeared at 434 00:33:29,839 --> 00:33:32,680 the open window. It makes me smile to think how bewildered they must have 435 00:33:32,720 --> 00:33:37,240 been. Picture to yourself your own feelings. If, on looking out of 436 00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:40,759 your luxurious carriage, you suddenly perceived that the lines upon which you ran were 437 00:33:40,880 --> 00:33:46,920 rusted and corroded, red and yellow with disuse and decay. What a catch 438 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:51,119 must have come in their breath, as in a second it flashed upon them 439 00:33:51,119 --> 00:33:54,000 that it was not Manchester, but death, which was waiting for them at 440 00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:59,400 the end of that sinister line. But the train was running with frantic speed, 441 00:33:59,519 --> 00:34:02,279 rolling on the rocking over the rotten line, while the wields made a 442 00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:07,759 frightful screaming sound upon the rusted surface. I was close to them and could 443 00:34:07,759 --> 00:34:10,719 see their faces. Carratelle was praying. I think there was something like a 444 00:34:10,800 --> 00:34:15,880 rosary dangling out of his hand. The other roared like a bull who smells 445 00:34:15,880 --> 00:34:19,119 the blood of the slaughter house. He saw us standing on the bank, 446 00:34:19,159 --> 00:34:22,280 and he beckoned to us like a madman. Then he tore at his wrist 447 00:34:22,360 --> 00:34:27,440 and threw his despatch box out the window in our direction. Of course, 448 00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:30,079 his meaning was obvious. Here was the evidence, and they would promise to 449 00:34:30,079 --> 00:34:35,239 be silent if their lives were spared. It would have been very agreeable if 450 00:34:35,239 --> 00:34:37,639 we could have done so, but business is business. Besides, the train 451 00:34:37,760 --> 00:34:44,000 was now as much beyond our controls as theirs. He ceased howling when the 452 00:34:44,039 --> 00:34:49,079 train rattled round the curb, and they saw the blank mouth of the mine 453 00:34:49,159 --> 00:34:52,039 yawning before them. We had removed the boards which had covered it, and 454 00:34:52,119 --> 00:34:55,960 we had cleared the square entrance. The rails had formerly run very close to 455 00:34:57,000 --> 00:35:00,400 the shaft for the convenience of loading the coal, and we had only to 456 00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:02,199 add two or three lengths of rail in order to lead to the very brink 457 00:35:02,239 --> 00:35:06,880 of the shaft. In fact, as the lynks would not quite fit, 458 00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:10,280 our line projected about three feet over the edge. We saw the two heads 459 00:35:10,320 --> 00:35:15,280 at the window Caratal below Gomez above that they had both been struck silent by 460 00:35:15,280 --> 00:35:19,840 what they saw, and yet they could not withdraw their heads. The sight 461 00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:23,440 seemed to have paralyzed them. I have wondered how the train, running at 462 00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:28,159 great speed would take the pit into which I had guided it, and I 463 00:35:28,239 --> 00:35:31,039 was much interested in watching it. One of my colleagues thought that it would 464 00:35:31,039 --> 00:35:34,840 actually jump it, and indeed it was not very far from doing so. 465 00:35:35,840 --> 00:35:38,239 Fortunately, however, it fell short and the buffers of the engine struck the 466 00:35:38,239 --> 00:35:43,639 other lip of the shaft with a tremendous crash. The funnel flew off into 467 00:35:43,679 --> 00:35:47,000 the air. The tender carriages and van were all smashed up into one jumble, 468 00:35:47,519 --> 00:35:51,440 which, with the remains of the engine, choked for a minute or 469 00:35:51,480 --> 00:35:54,039 so the mouth of the pit. Then something gave way in the middle, 470 00:35:54,039 --> 00:35:59,760 and the whole mass of green iron smoking coals, brass fittings, wheels would 471 00:35:59,800 --> 00:36:05,440 work, and cushions all crumbled together and crashed down into the mine. We 472 00:36:05,519 --> 00:36:07,840 heard the rattle, rattle, rattle as the debris struck against the walls, 473 00:36:08,519 --> 00:36:13,679 and then quite a long time afterwards, there came a deep roar as the 474 00:36:13,719 --> 00:36:17,519 remains of the train struck the bottom. The boiler may have burst, for 475 00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:22,320 a sharp crash came after the roar, and then a dense cloud of steam 476 00:36:22,440 --> 00:36:27,320 and smoke swirled up out of the black depths, falling in a spray as 477 00:36:27,360 --> 00:36:31,000 thick as rain all around us. Then the vapors shedded off into thin wisps, 478 00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:36,199 which floated away in the summer sunshine, and all was quiet again in 479 00:36:36,239 --> 00:36:40,159 the hearts eased mine, And now having carried out our plans so successfully, 480 00:36:40,159 --> 00:36:45,239 it only remained to leave no trace behind us. Our little band of workers 481 00:36:45,239 --> 00:36:47,760 at the other end had already ripped up the rails and disconnected the sideline, 482 00:36:49,199 --> 00:36:52,480 replacing everything as it had been before. We were equally busy at the mine. 483 00:36:52,880 --> 00:36:57,440 The funnel and other fragments were thrown in, The shaft was planked over 484 00:36:57,480 --> 00:37:00,480 again as it used to be, and the lines which led to it were 485 00:37:00,519 --> 00:37:04,519 torn up and taken away. Then, without furry, but without delay, 486 00:37:05,039 --> 00:37:07,320 we all made our way to the countrary, most of us to Paris, 487 00:37:07,719 --> 00:37:13,320 my English colleague to Manchester, and Macpherson to Southampton. Whence he emigrated to 488 00:37:13,360 --> 00:37:16,880 America. That the English papers of that date tell how thoroughly we had done 489 00:37:16,880 --> 00:37:22,079 our work, and how completely we had thrown the cleverest of their detectives off 490 00:37:22,079 --> 00:37:27,760 our track. You will remember that Gomez threw his bag of papers out of 491 00:37:27,760 --> 00:37:30,000 the window, and I need not say that I secured that bag and brought 492 00:37:30,039 --> 00:37:36,079 them to my employers. It may interest my employers now, however, to 493 00:37:36,159 --> 00:37:38,199 learn that out of that bag I took one or two little papers as a 494 00:37:38,239 --> 00:37:43,960 souvenir of the occasion. I have no wish to publish these papers. But 495 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:46,280 still it is every man for himself in this world. And what else can 496 00:37:46,320 --> 00:37:49,840 I do if my friends will not come to my aid when I want them. 497 00:37:50,800 --> 00:37:54,119 Messieurs, you may believe that Herbert de Lernac is quite as formidable when 498 00:37:54,159 --> 00:37:58,360 he is against you as when he is with you, and that he is 499 00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:00,960 not a man to go to the guillotine until he has seen that every one 500 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:06,119 of you is all out for new Caledonia. For your own sake, if 501 00:38:06,159 --> 00:38:10,880 not for mine, make haste, Monsieur de Blanc and General Blanc and Baron 502 00:38:12,039 --> 00:38:15,280 Blanc. You can fill up the blanks for yourselves as you read this, 503 00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:20,599 I promise you that in the next edition there will be no blanks to fill. 504 00:38:21,719 --> 00:38:23,400 P. S. As I look over my statement, there is only 505 00:38:23,440 --> 00:38:29,199 one omission which I can see. It concerns the unfortunate man Macpherson, who 506 00:38:29,239 --> 00:38:31,079 was foolish enough to write to his wife and to make an appointment with her 507 00:38:31,079 --> 00:38:35,880 in New York. It can be imagined that when the interests like ours were 508 00:38:35,920 --> 00:38:38,000 at stake, we could not leave them to the chance of whether a man 509 00:38:38,039 --> 00:38:42,320 in that class of life would or would not give away his secrets to a 510 00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:45,599 woman. Having once broken his oath by writing to his wife, we could 511 00:38:45,599 --> 00:38:50,039 not trust him any more. We took steps, therefore, to ensure that 512 00:38:50,079 --> 00:38:53,280 he should not see his wife. I have sometimes thought that it would be 513 00:38:53,280 --> 00:38:58,159 a kindness to write to her and assure her that there is no impediment to 514 00:38:58,239 --> 00:39:04,639 her marrying again. End of the Lost Special by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle