‘That is a good explanation. I expect that our engineers will find on closer examination that the plates have been strained,’ replied the official.
In one of the warehouses, we found the missing van.
Its wooden doors had been forced open to expose the steel door of the inner container. There were numerous marks and dents around the edges of the container door where an attempt had been made to break in. We made a careful scrutiny on the roadside of the warehouse. The tracks in the mud of the road revealed that a large cart had come along and been drawn up against the back door to the loading bay.
‘Mr Holmes, these ruts must have been made by a heavy wagon. Don’t you agree?’ said Lestrade.
‘Certainly. You will also observe the size of these two sets of horseshoe impressions. They could only have been made by shire horses. And that leads me to the conclusion that the robbers may have intended to transfer the bullion onto the cart. Knowing the weight of the gold bars, I expect that they would have had to make more than one journey to where they intended to hide it. There are also these impressions of the boots of the robbers. Ah, what have we here! These have been made by the boots of a boy or a small man. They are about size six.’
‘Lestrade, I think we had better leave things as they are and await the return of the robbers. More than likely they have gone to find special cutting tools. Why they did not think of it before I cannot imagine. Unless, of course, their informants within the railway or the bank failed, either deliberately or by mischance, to tell them about the inner strong door. Another possibility is that something has gone wrong with their plans and they have been forced to leave the bullion here. In the meantime they will be thinking up a new scheme.’
‘I agree, Mr Holmes. Let us leave everything as it is. We don’t want them to know we are on to them. The local police will now be requested to keep a watch on the warehouse from a distance. I must telegraph the bank officials to let them know where their bullion is. I expect they will not be too pleased to find we are using it as bait.’
‘A very valuable lure indeed. Now before we leave for London, I should like to talk to the signalman. Is that possible?’ asked Holmes. The railway superintendent agreed to his request.
We walked along the down platform and up the stairs into the signal box. The visit to Little Newark was proving most interesting. I had always wanted to see inside a signal box. The signalman explained the various levers and instruments. Holmes took a particular interest in two devices on a shelf which were making a ticking sound. ‘What is the purpose of these?’ he asked.
The signalman explained that they were the Morse sounders of the railway telegraph system. ‘It tells us what’s going on. This one’s for the down line and t’other for the up.’
‘When you say “going on” what do you mean?’ said Holmes.
‘Well, at the moment the down telegraph line is telling me that the next express from the south is running ten minutes late. It helps us to know if we have time to put a goods train out on to the main line in front of it.’
‘I see. So anyone who understands the Morse code and was listening to one of these might learn much about the movement of the trains. Is that correct?’
‘No, not really, Mr Holmes,’ answered Superintendent Devereux. ‘You see, there is a special way of making the messages up. I don’t think anyone outside the railway could make head nor tail of them.’
Away from the signal box, Holmes questioned the railway superintendent about the telegraph. ‘You say the train carrying the bullion could be identified by someone listening to the telegraph apparatus in the signal box?’
‘Correct, although, as I explained, only a few people knew of the contents of the missing van and the signalman was not one of them. And, of course, the train’s identification number was not a special one. However, this does suggest that someone may have listened covertly to the telegraph messages concerning the progress of particular trains. Provided, that is, they could read the Morse code. Somehow they had discovered that on that night one of them would include the bullion van.’
‘As we know, the timetable requires the train to wait here for at least thirty minutes, a fact relied upon by the thieves. Could it be further delayed for any reason?’
‘That does happen frequently, Mr Holmes,’ replied Devereux. ‘You see, north of here is a point where the Midland Railway crosses ours on the level. Their signalman has control of the crossing and naturally favours his trains. Hence there are frequent delays to ours. The gang knew that not only would the bullion train be held for some time to allow other trains to get ahead, there was a reasonable chance it would be further delayed.’
‘That explains a lot, except we still have to consider the two men on the engine.’
‘They were questioned extensively,’ responded the superintendent. ‘Both have exemplary records with the company and there has never been anything warranting a reprimand. I feel sorry for both. They persisted in saying they did not fall asleep. However, both mentioned that they found it strange when the signal cleared for them to proceed when they had only been in the loop for a few minutes. They assumed the trains they usually waited for had been delayed and they were given the opportunity to get ahead. The driver said that when he looked at the station clock, as they passed it, he was surprised to see it showed they had been held for over thirty minutes. He distinctly remembers comparing the time with his watch. Another thing, both found on starting the train that they had not eaten all of their snap. The lids of the snap boxes had not been shut. The usual stop in the loop gave plenty of time in which to eat and drink.’
Holmes listened intently to the railway official’s report. ‘Thank you. You have provided some very important clues to what happened that night,’ said he.
Holmes turned to Lestrade, saying, ‘I shall now attempt to reconstruct the events of that night. The villains were alerted by someone who overheard the telegraph and could understand its messages. They had been lying in wait, possibly for a number of days, away from the railway so as not to attract the attention of anyone. Once the train had stopped in the loop they approached the engine and somehow rendered the driver and fireman unconscious. They must have had a driver with them in order to move the van. As we saw, the map of the station indicated clearly that the bridges and the sharp curve of the line would have made it very difficult for the signalman, for example, to see what was going on. However, this does not account for the lack of action from the guard in his van at the back of the train.’
‘Guards have been known to “nod off”, as it were,’ explained the superintendent, ‘when their train is held for some time in a siding. He would also have been some distance back, and on past the two overbridges.’
‘Thank you for your help, Mr Devereux. Now, Lestrade, I expect you will want to stay with the local police. Please keep me informed of events.’
Back in the comfort of Baker Street and away from the rain and mud and the harsh environment of the railway, Holmes examined the gloves he had found. The application of some chemicals enabled him to determine that they had been in contact with rubber.
‘Is it possible, Watson, that a rubber tube was passed into the locomotive cab and that a somnambulating gas came from a pressurized cylinder? You will recall the impression in the mud of such an object. And, of course, I was able to get right up to the steps of the engine’s cab without being seen or heard.’
‘Gas is a possibility,’ I replied. ‘Although I know little about unusual gases. Particularly one whose effect can be judged with such precision. The villains only had about half an hour in which to keep the enginemen unconscious. Had they administered too strong a dose then the men might have died. And then the signalman would have been alerted to something wrong when the train failed to move after he had cleared the signal for it.’
‘That would not matter, Watson. You see the whole scheme depended on the exchange of vans. Whatever happened to the train afterwards was of no consequence to them. After all,
they anticipated that the theft would not be discovered until the substituted van was opened at Newcastle.’
‘Yes, I can understand that. Yet I am not so sure about the use of a gas. As you saw, the cab of a locomotive is open to the elements so that the gas would have been dispersed.’
‘Of course, you are right. However, Watson, there is a possible alternative. Someone may have added a substance to their meal. An opiate, for example, whose quantity could be just sufficient to render the men unconscious for about twenty minutes. If they had left their metal snap containers unattended at any time, anyone could have administered the opiate. The robbers relied very much on the enginemen’s habit of eating while waiting at Little Newark. You recall that the lids of the food containers had not been closed. The impression of a cylindrical object and the discarded gloves were more than likely false clues.’
‘Yes, I agree with that conclusion. Although those who planned this audacious robbery must have relied very much on the train keeping to the timetable. Had it been delayed somewhere else on its journey the enginemen could have eaten their meal earlier than the villains had anticipated. They then could have been overcome soon after restarting with possible disastrous results.’
‘Indeed, Watson, a dreadful possibility. Apart from that there is the mystery of the villains’ lack of knowledge over the manner in which the steel container was secured. You know, that brings me to the conclusion that no one in the bank was an informer to the gang. Otherwise they would have known how to open the container very quickly. Furthermore, they anticipated that the container door would have been secured by a combination lock. One of their number may have been a professional safe breaker. In the end his skill was of no use to them.’
I pondered on these facts and then said, ‘Another thing that exercises me is why consign the bullion van to a train that was more than likely to make a long stop at Little Newark? Surely it was inviting trouble?’
‘A very good question. I shall telegraph the governor of the bank immediately and put the question to him.’
The reply to the telegram indicated that the bank was not overly concerned about the train stopping at any point along its journey because they were confident that few knew about the special van and no one knew about the very secret method of securing the door to the container. The method used was one that did not rely on conventional locks and was put in place by an official of the bank with no other persons present.
Part Two
Two days after the successful location of the bullion, when Holmes and I were having breakfast, I thought, this is the moment when a telegram usually arrives. Indeed it was so.
‘This telegram from Lestrade,’ said Holmes, ‘reports that two men on horseback approached the warehouse. It was too dark to make out their faces. One was tall, the other short. Watson, you recall the footprints we examined at the back of the warehouse, one set of which was that of a small man or boy?’
‘Yes, I remember you remarked on them.’
‘Lestrade goes on to say that they just looked at the van and, as we agreed, he did not arrest them. Oh! This is most interesting. After they had ridden off he examined their footprints and decided that one of them had mounted on the wrong side. I must say, the inspector is becoming more and more observant with each new case.’
‘By the way, why should someone want to mount on the offside?’
‘There are a number of possible reasons. However, for the time being, I am unable to relate any of them to the case. No doubt Lestrade and the local police will find and arrest the whole gang. While we await the turn of events, there are other matters to be attended to. For one, I have to complete my notes on the diluted milk case. Oh, and these most flattering letters arrived from the Home Secretary and the governor of the Bank of England. I am informed that I am to receive a substantial reward that will relieve me of any concerns over my finances for at least ten years.’
‘Perhaps a complete change of interests might be of benefit. I happen to have two tickets for the D’Oyly Carte Opera. I am sure you would enjoy the evening. I find Gilbert’s libretti most entertaining and amusing.’
‘I need time in which to think about your kind offer, although I must confess I am led to believe from some reports that the music may not be to my taste.’
A week later we sat in the dress circle. I could not fail to notice that now and then Holmes’ long fingers were tapping his knee in time to the music. Suddenly, during one of the less noisy scenes, he exclaimed, ‘I’ve got it!’ Those around us shushed.
In the hansom on the way back from the theatre, I mentioned my friend’s outburst.
‘I apologize, Watson. I could not help it because the Japanese nature of the performance reminded me that, in the east, horses are mounted, so I believe, from what we term the offside. It means, of course, that one of the persons at Little Newark may have been an Oriental.’
‘That adds to the mystery, Holmes. Why should someone from the Orient be in the middle of England and involved with a bullion robbery?’
‘Indeed, why?’
‘Did the bank give any indication of how the bullion was to be loaded aboard the ship at Newcastle without attracting attention?’
‘None. Mind you, I was aware that the governor was reluctant to say very much about the transfer of so much gold to St Petersburg.’
Another morning passed and no word from Lestrade. However, late in the afternoon two telegrams arrived. One read: ‘Cannot make much progress. Your help would be much appreciated. Can you come to LN? Signed Lestrade.’ The other, from the commissioner of police, read: ‘The Home Secretary and the Foreign Secretary request that Mr Holmes takes up the case again. Lestrade informed.’
‘As you see, Lestrade’s quarry has gone to ground somewhere, so we have to pick up the trail again.’
The next morning, as we stepped onto the platform at Little Newark, we were met by Lestrade.
‘I’m very glad to see you, gentlemen. I’ve had two or three messages from London urging me to find the villains. Apparently for some reason they must be caught as quickly as possible.’
‘Like you, Lestrade, I’ve not been made party to all the facts in this case. I can only assume that the person or persons we have to find must hold some important secret. Therefore, they must be caught before they can cause further trouble. However, although we may not know all about the purpose of the task it is still, after all, just another straightforward search for one or two robbers.’
‘I wish it were as straightforward, Mr Holmes,’ said Lestrade. ‘We’ve searched around the station and the warehouses for more clues but found nothing. By the way, the van was on its way to Newcastle yesterday. However, we have had a report from the police at Nottingham concerning a body found alongside the railway. It has been difficult to determine from the injuries whether it is a case of foul play or an accident. More importantly, further investigation has disclosed that at one time he was an engine driver who had been dismissed because of drinking spirits when on duty. More than likely he was the rogue driver that night. It is likely that, as he had access to the engine shed in London, he was the one who put the opiate in the enginemen’s snap.’
Holmes nodded agreement and then asked to be left on his own to make another search for clues. I sat with Lestrade on a platform bench. The ticking of one of the telegraph instruments in the signal box prompted me to say, ‘You know, Lestrade, there may still be some clues in the signal box. Shall we have a look?’
I doubted that my ulterior motive for being in the signal box escaped Lestrade’s attention. I confess that I was more interested in the way in which the signalman operated the many levers and in the sounds of the variously toned bells than in looking for clues.
During my time in the signal box, Holmes was searching the warehouse carefully, paying particular attention to the bits of paper and other rubbish that had accumulated in one corner. It did not appear that the local police detectives had examined them. That would not have surprised hi
m because very few detectives in the official police were given any training in what to look for at the scene of a crime.
Holmes rejoined us. He was holding out a small piece of crumpled paper. ‘This was missed by the local detectives. It could be of importance because, as you see, these characters appear to be Chinese.’ Turning the paper over, he showed us where someone had written in pencil what appeared to be an address. Only part of each line remained.
‘I can make out “BKADUGANSKWR LONDON WES”. Note how badly formed the capital letters are. It is as if they had been written by a very young child,’ said I.
Lestrade tried to guess what the missing letters were. ‘Obviously somewhere or someone in London. The WES suggests the West End.’
‘Perhaps I may have more time than you in which to ponder the address,’ said Holmes. ‘I shall take it with me. The letters “KADU” may be of particular importance.’
We made a further examination of the ruts and marks in the road at the back of the warehouse, which had been made at the time of the attempted robbery. Most had been obliterated by rain. We decided that there was little to be gained by trying to find out from where the cart had come, or in which direction the two men, seen later on horseback, had gone.
‘Gentlemen, my instinct is that we should return to London. We are wasting our time here,’ said Holmes.
‘Your instinct is usually most reliable, Mr Holmes,’ responded Lestrade.
The October gale gusted along Baker Street, rattling windows and throwing the fallen leaves into every corner. In the warmth of number 221B, we discussed the case of, as it is now called, ‘The Van That Vanished’.
‘By the way, Holmes, did you learn anything from your friends at the School of Oriental Studies about the Chinese characters on that piece of paper?’
‘I learnt one important fact. They are Japanese not Chinese. Although the Japanese characters are related to Chinese there are, apparently, subtle differences.’
Sherlock Holmes at the Breakfast Table Page 2