WAS SHERLOCK HOLMES A CRIMINAL ? by A. Roy Mukherjee

Part – VI.

In the “Final Problem”, we find Holmes suddenly appearing before Dr. Watson one evening and narrated that he had collected all evidences against Moriarty and in three days’ time the Professor with all the principal members of his gang would be in the hands of the police. But Moriarty had already got scent of Holmes’ activities and as a result, He was in mortal danger. So he wanted to get away for the few days till Moriarty and his gang members were arrested. He wanted to flee to the continent and requested Dr. Watson to accompany him. He also told that his presence would be necessary for the conviction and he would come back in time for that purpose after the arrests. Watson agreed and according to the plan, both of them left for the continent the next morning. On the train, Homes suddenly told Watson that Moriarty would obviously follow them, but not by the same train. He would engage a special. Therefore, to give Moriarty a slip, he proposed to get down at a midway station for an alternative route to the continent. They got down at Canterburry. While they were still at Canterburry railway station a special train actually passed with a rattle and a roar. Eventually, by resorting to many subversions and diversions, both of them finally reached the village of Meiringen, where they put up at a place ran by one Peter Steiler, who spoke excellent English. They then started for another place across the hills and on the way stood the now famous Reichenbach Falls. When they reached a placed near the falls, they saw a Swiss boy come running to them with a letter purportedly from the inn-keeper Peter Steiler to Dr.Watson requesting him to come back immediately to attend a serious patient. So Watson returned back to the inn with an arrangement that the young swiss messanger would remain with Holmes as a guide and companion, while the doctor, after attending the patient would rejoin Holmes at Rosenlaui in the evening. While Watson was hurrying back to attend the patient, he saw a man walking very rapidly towards the place where he left Holmes. Reaching Meiringen he could however discover that the letter was a fake one and the inn-keeper suggested that it must have been written by the tall Englishman who came there after Holmes and Watson had left. Watson then surmised that it was definitely a trick played by Moriarty and hurried back to the place where he left Holmes. But back at the site of the falls there was no sight of any human being. Then he found the letter written by Holmes to him. In fact, it was the last dying statement of a person, wherein Holmes gave a definite hint that he was going to die in the hands of Moriarty. Watson concluded that both Holmes and Moriarty died while combating for life, reeling over into the dreadful cauldron of the swirling water of Reichenbach Falls. This story, particularly the way it ended with the news of the death of Sherlock Holmes, created a furore amongst the public and Holmes’ fans. ( .. to be continued)