The Strand Magazine, Vol. 27, No. 161, May 1904

A late‑evening visit from Lestrade brings an odd complaint to 221B Baker Street: a series of seemingly pointless burglaries in which plaster busts of Napoleon are shattered without anything else being taken. Lestrade describes the first incident—a shop owner finds a broken statue and no trace of the intruder—and then recounts a second, more personal attack on a respected doctor whose home and clinic are both defaced in the same grotesque fashion.

Holmes is instantly intrigued by the pattern of destruction that links two neighbourhoods and two victims who share a fascination with the French emperor. He begins to sift through the baffling details: missing copies, identical casts, and a lingering sense that the perpetrator is driven by an eccentric, perhaps obsessive, motive. The mystery promises a blend of detective acumen and a glimpse into the quirks of human obsession, setting the stage for a classic Holmes investigation.