The Five Orange Pips

When I glance over my notes and records of the Sherlock

Holmes cases between the years '! and '"#$ I am faced by so
many which present strange and interesting feat%res that it is no
easy matter to know which to choose and which to leave& Some$
however$ have already gained p%blicity thro%gh the papers$ and
others have not offered a field for those pec%liar '%alities which
my friend possessed in so high a degree$ and which it is the
ob(ect of these papers to ill%strate& Some$ too$ have baffled his
analytical skill$ and wo%ld be$ as narratives$ beginnings witho%t
an ending$ while others have been b%t partially cleared %p$ and
have their e)planations fo%nded rather %pon con(ect%re and s%rmise
than on that absol%te logical proof which was so dear to
him& There is$ however$ one of these last which was so remarkable
in its details and so startling in its res%lts that I am tempted
to give some acco%nt of it in spite of the fact that there are points
in connection with it which never have been$ and probably never
will be$ entirely cleared %p&
The year '* f%rnished %s with a long series of cases of
greater or less interest$ of which I retain the records& +mong my
headings %nder this one twelve months I find an acco%nt of the
advent%re of the Paradol ,hamber$ of the +mate%r -endicant
Society$ who held a l%)%rio%s cl%b in the lower va%lt of a
f%rnit%re wareho%se$ of the facts connected with the loss of the
.ritish bark Sophy +nderson$ of the sing%lar advent%res of the
/rice Patersons in the island of 0ffa$ and finally of the ,amberwell
poisoning case& In the latter$ as may be remembered$ Sherlock
Holmes was able$ by winding %p the dead man's watch$ to prove
that it had been wo%nd %p two ho%rs before$ and that therefore
the deceased had gone to bed within that time 11 a ded%ction
which was of the greatest importance in clearing %p the case& +ll
these I may sketch o%t at some f%t%re date$ b%t none of them
present s%ch sing%lar feat%res as the strange train of circ%mstances
which I have now taken %p my pen to describe&
It was in the latter days of September$ and the e'%inoctial
gales had set in with e)ceptional violence& +ll day the wind had
screamed and the rain had beaten against the windows$ so that
even here in the heart of great$ hand1made 2ondon we were
forced to raise o%r minds for the instant from the ro%tine of life
and to recogni3e the presence of those great elemental forces
which shriek at mankind thro%gh the bars of his civili3ation$ like
%ntamed beasts in a cage& +s evening drew in$ the storm grew
higher and lo%der$ and the wind cried and sobbed like a child
in the chimney& Sherlock Holmes sat moodily at one side of the
fireplace cross1inde)ing his records of crime$ while I at the other
was deep in one of ,lark 4%ssell's fine sea1stories %ntil the howl
of the gale from witho%t seemed to blend with the te)t$ and the
splash of the rain to lengthen o%t into the long swash of the sea
waves& -y wife was on a visit to her mother's$ and for a few
days I was a dweller once more in my old '%arters at .aker
Street&
5Why$5 said I$ glancing %p at my companion$ 5that was
s%rely the bell& Who co%ld come to1night6 Some friend of yo%rs$
perhaps65
57)cept yo%rself I have none$5 he answered& 5I do not
enco%rage visitors&5
5+ client$ then65
5If so$ it is a serio%s case& 8othing less wo%ld bring a man
o%t on s%ch a day and at s%ch an ho%r& .%t I take it that it is
more likely to be some crony of the landlady's&5
Sherlock Holmes was wrong in his con(ect%re$ however$ for
there came a step in the passage and a tapping at the door& He
stretched o%t his long arm to t%rn the lamp away from himself
and towards the vacant chair %pon which a newcomer m%st sit&
5,ome in95 said he&
The man who entered was yo%ng$ some two1and1twenty at the
o%tside$ well1groomed and trimly clad$ with something of refinement
and delicacy in his bearing& The streaming %mbrella which
he held in his hand$ and his long shining waterproof told of the
fierce weather thro%gh which he had come& He looked abo%t him
an)io%sly in the glare of the lamp$ and I co%ld see that his face
was pale and his eyes heavy$ like those of a man who is weighed
down with some great an)iety&
5l owe yo% an apology$5 he said$ raising his golden pince1ne3
to his eyes& 5I tr%st that I am not intr%ding& I fear that I have
bro%ght some traces of the storm and rain into yo%r sn%g chamber&5
5/ive me yo%r coat and %mbrella$5 said Holmes& 5They may
rest here on the hook and will be dry presently& :o% have come
%p from the so%th1west$ I see&5
5:es$ from Horsham&5
5That clay and chalk mi)t%re which I see %pon yo%r toe caps
is '%ite distinctive&5
5I have come for advice&5
5That is easily got&5
5+nd help&5
5That is not always so easy&5
5I have heard of yo%$ -r& Holmes& I heard from -a(or
Prendergast how yo% saved him in the Tankerville ,l%b scandal&5
5+h$ of co%rse& He was wrongf%lly acc%sed of cheating at
cards&5
5He said that yo% co%ld solve anything&5
5He said too m%ch&5
5That yo% are never beaten&5
5I have been beaten fo%r times 1 three times by men$ and
once by a woman&5
5.%t what is that compared with the n%mber of yo%r s%ccesses65
5It is tr%e that I have been generally s%ccessf%l&5
5Then yo% may be so with me&5
5I beg that yo% will draw yo%r chair %p to the fire and favo%r
me with some details as to yo%r case&5
5It is no ordinary one&5
58one of those which come to me are& I am the last co%rt of
appeal&5
5+nd yet I '%estion$ sir$ whether$ in all yo%r e)perience$ yo%
have ever listened to a more mysterio%s and ine)plicable chain of
events than those which have happened in my own family&5
5:o% fill me with interest$5 said Holmes& 5Pray give %s the
essential facts from the commencement$ and I can afterwards
'%estion yo% as to those details which seem to me to be most
important&5
The yo%ng man p%lled his chair %p and p%shed his wet feet o%t
towards the bla3e&
5-y name$5 said he$ 5is ;ohn Openshaw$ b%t my own affairs
have$ as far as I can %nderstand$ little to do with this awf%l
b%siness& It is a hereditary matter< so in order to give yo% an idea
of the facts$ I m%st go back to the commencement of the affair&
5:o% m%st know that my grandfather had two sons 11 my
%ncle 7lias and my father ;oseph& -y father had a small factory
at ,oventry$ which he enlarged at the time of the invention of
bicycling& He was a patentee of the Openshaw %nbreakable tire$
and his b%siness met with s%ch s%ccess that he was able to sell it
and to retire %pon a handsome competence&
5-y %ncle 7lias emigrated to +merica when he was a yo%ng
man and became a planter in Florida$ where he was reported to
have done very well& +t the time of the war he fo%ght in ;ackson's
army$ and afterwards %nder Hood$ where he rose to be
a colonel& When 2ee laid down his arms my %ncle ret%rned to his
plantation$ where he remained for three or fo%r years& +bo%t
=>" or =*# he came back to 7%rope and took a small estate
in S%sse)$ near Horsham& He had made a very considerable fort%ne
in the States$ and his reason for leaving them was his aversion to
the negroes$ and his dislike of the 4ep%blican policy in e)tending
the franchise to them& He was a sing%lar man$ fierce and
'%ick1tempered$ very fo%l1mo%thed when he was angry$ and of a
most retiring disposition& ?%ring all the years that he lived at
Horsham$ I do%bt if ever he set foot in the town& He had a
garden and two or three fields ro%nd his ho%se$ and there he
wo%ld take his e)ercise$ tho%gh very often for weeks on end he
wo%ld never leave his room& He drank a great deal of brandy and
smoked very heavily$ b%t he wo%ld see no society and did not
want any friends$ not even his own brother&
5He didn't mind me< in fact$ he took a fancy to me$ for at the
time when he saw me first I was a yo%ngster of twelve or so&
This wo%ld be in the year =*$ after he had been eight or nine
years in 7ngland& He begged my father to let me live with him
and he was very kind to me in his way& When he was sober he
%sed to be fond of playing backgammon and dra%ghts with me$
and he wo%ld make me his representative both with the servants
and with the tradespeople$ so that by the time that I was si)teen I
was '%ite master of the ho%se& I kept all the keys and co%ld go
where I liked and do what I liked$ so long as I did not dist%rb
him in his privacy& There was one sing%lar e)ception$ however$
for he had a single room$ a l%mber1room %p among the attics$
which was invariably locked$ and which he wo%ld never permit
either me or anyone else to enter& With a boy's c%riosity I have
peeped thro%gh the keyhole$ b%t I was never able to see more
than s%ch a collection of old tr%nks and b%ndles as wo%ld be
e)pected in s%ch a room&
5One day 11 it was in -arch$ =@ 11 a letter with a foreign
stamp lay %pon the table in front of the colonel's plate& It was
not a common thing for him to receive letters$ for his bills were
all paid in ready money$ and he had no friends of any sort& 'From
India9' said he as he took it %p$ 'Pondicherry postmark9 What
can this be6' Opening it h%rriedly$ o%t there (%mped five little
dried orange pips$ which pattered down %pon his plate& I began
to la%gh at this$ b%t the la%gh was str%ck from my lips at the
sight of his face& His lip had fallen$ his eyes were protr%ding$ his
skin the colo%r of p%tty$ and he glared at the envelope which he
still held in his trembling hand$ 'A& A& A&9' he shrieked$ and
then$ '-y /od$ my /od$ my sins have overtaken me9'
5 'What is it$ %ncle6' I cried&
5 '?eath$' said he$ and rising from the table he retired to his
room$ leaving me palpitating with horror& I took %p the envelope
and saw scrawled in red ink %pon the inner flap$ (%st above the
g%m$ the letter A three times repeated& There was nothing else
save the five dried pips& What co%ld be the reason of his overpowering
terror6 I left the breakfast1table$ and as I ascended the
stair I met him coming down with an old r%sty key$ which m%st
have belonged to the attic$ in one hand$ and a small brass bo)$
like a cashbo)$ in the other&
5 'They may do what they like$ b%t I'll checkmate them still$'
said he with an oath& 'Tell -ary that I shall want a fire in my
room to1day$ and send down to Fordham$ the Horsham lawyer&'
5I did as he ordered$ and when the lawyer arrived I was asked
to step %p to the room& The fire was b%rning brightly$ and in the
grate there was a mass of black$ fl%ffy ashes$ as of b%rned paper$
while the brass bo) stood open and empty beside it& +s I glanced
at the bo) I noticed$ with a start$ that %pon the lid was printed
the treble A which I had read in the morning %pon the envelope&
5 'I wish yo%$ ;ohn$' said my %ncle$ 'to witness my will& I
leave my estate$ with all its advantages and all its disadvantages$
to my brother$ yo%r father$ whence it will$ no do%bt$ descend to
yo%& If yo% can en(oy it in peace$ well and good9 If yo% find yo%
cannot$ take my advice$ my boy$ and leave it to yo%r deadliest
enemy& I am sorry to give yo% s%ch a two1edged thing$ b%t I
can't say what t%rn things are going to take& Aindly sign the
paper where -r& Fordham shows yo%&'
5I signed the paper as directed$ and the lawyer took it away
with him& The sing%lar incident made$ as yo% may think$ the
deepest impression %pon me$ and I pondered over it and t%rned it
every way in my mind witho%t being able to make anything of it&
:et I co%ld not shake off the vag%e feeling of dread which it left
behind$ tho%gh the sensation grew less keen as the weeks passed
and nothing happened to dist%rb the %s%al ro%tine of o%r lives& I
co%ld see a change in my %ncle$ however& He drank more than
ever$ and he was less inclined for any sort of society& -ost of his
time he wo%ld spend in his room$ with the door locked %pon the
inside$ b%t sometimes he wo%ld emerge in a sort of dr%nken
fren3y and wo%ld b%rst o%t of the ho%se and tear abo%t the
garden with a revolver in his hand$ screaming o%t that he was
afraid of no man$ and that he was not to be cooped %p$ like a
sheep in a pen$ by man or devil& When these hot fits were over
however$ he wo%ld r%sh t%m%lt%o%sly in at the door and lock and
bar it behind him$ like a man who can bra3en it o%t no longer
against the terror which lies at the roots of his so%l& +t s%ch
times I have seen his face$ even on a cold day$ glisten with
moist%re$ as tho%gh it were new raised from a basin&
5Well$ to come to an end of the matter$ -r& Holmes$ and not
to ab%se yo%r patience$ there came a night when he made one of
those dr%nken sallies from which he never came back& We fo%nd
him$ when we went to search for him$ face downward in a little
green1sc%mmed pool$ which lay at the foot of the garden& There
was no sign of any violence$ and the water was b%t two feet
deep$ so that the (%ry$ having regard to his known eccentricity$
bro%ght in a verdict of 's%icide&' .%t I$ who knew how he
winced from the very tho%ght of death$ had m%ch ado to pers%ade
myself that he had gone o%t of his way to meet it& The matter
passed$ however$ and my father entered into possession of the
estate$ and of some =B$### po%nds$ which lay to his credit at the
bank&5
5One moment$5 Holmes interposed$ 5yo%r statement is$ I
foresee$ one of the most remarkable to which I have ever listened&
2et me have the date of the reception by yo%r %ncle of the
letter$ and the date of his s%pposed s%icide&5
5The letter arrived on -arch =#$ =@& His death was seven
weeks later$ %pon the night of -ay !d&5
5Thank yo%& Pray proceed&5
5When my father took over the Horsham property$ he$ at my
re'%est$ made a caref%l e)amination of the attic$ which had been
always locked %p& We fo%nd the brass bo) there$ altho%gh its
contents had been destroyed& On the inside of the cover was a
paper label$ with the initials of A& A& A& repeated %pon it$ and
'2etters$ memoranda$ receipts$ and a register' written beneath&
These$ we pres%me$ indicated the nat%re of the papers which had
been destroyed by ,olonel Openshaw& For the rest$ there was
nothing of m%ch importance in the attic save a great many
scattered papers and note1books bearing %pon my %ncle's life
in +merica& Some of them were of the war time and showed that he
had done his d%ty well and had borne the rep%te of a brave
soldier& Others were of a date d%ring the reconstr%ction of the
So%thern states$ and were mostly concerned with politics$ for he
had evidently taken a strong part in opposing the carpet1bag
politicians who had been sent down from the 8orth&
5Well$ it was the beginning of 'B when my father came to
live at Horsham$ and all went as well as possible with %s %ntil
the ;an%ary of 'C& On the fo%rth day after the new year I heard
my father give a sharp cry of s%rprise as we sat together at the
breakfast1table& There he was$ sitting with a newly opened envelope
in one hand and five dried orange pips in the o%tstretched
palm of the other one& He had always la%ghed at what he called
my cock1and1b%ll story abo%t the colonel$ b%t he looked very
scared and p%33led now that the same thing had come %pon
himself&
5 'Why$ what on earth does this mean$ ;ohn6' he stammered&
5-y heart had t%rned to lead& 'It is A& A& A&$' said I&
5He looked inside the envelope& 'So it is$' he cried& 'Here are
the very letters& .%t what is this written above them6'
5 'P%t the papers on the s%ndial$' I read$ peeping over his
sho%lder&
5 'What papers6 What s%ndial6' he asked&
5 'The s%ndial in the garden& There is no other$' said I< 'b%t
the papers m%st be those that are destroyed&'
5 'Pooh9' said he$ gripping hard at his co%rage& 'We are in a
civili3ed land here$ and we can't have tomfoolery of this kind&
Where does the thing come from6'
5 'From ?%ndee$' I answered$ glancing at the postmark&
5 'Some prepostero%s practical (oke$' said he& 'What have I to
do with s%ndials and papers6 I shall take no notice of s%ch
nonsense&'
5 'I sho%ld certainly speak to the police$' I said&
5 '+nd be la%ghed at for my pains& 8othing of the sort&'
5 'Then let me do so6'
5 '8o$ I forbid yo%& I won't have a f%ss made abo%t s%ch
nonsense&'
5It was in vain to arg%e with him$ for he was a very obstinate
man& I went abo%t$ however$ with a heart which was f%ll of
forebodings&
5On the third day after the coming of the letter my father went
from home to visit an old friend of his$ -a(or Freebody$ who is
in command of one of the forts %pon Portsdown Hill& I was glad
that he sho%ld go$ for it seemed to me that he was farther from
danger when he was away from home& In that$ however$ I was
in error& 0pon the second day of his absence I received a telegram
from the ma(or$ imploring me to come at once& -y father had
fallen over one of the deep chalk1pits which abo%nd in the
neighbo%rhood$ and was lying senseless$ with a shattered sk%ll& I
h%rried to him$ b%t he passed away witho%t having ever recovered
his conscio%sness& He had$ as it appears$ been ret%rning
from Fareham in the twilight$ and as the co%ntry was %nknown
to him$ and the chalk1pit %nfenced$ the (%ry had no hesitation
in bringing in a verdict of 'death from accidental ca%ses&' ,aref%lly
as I e)amined every fact connected with his death$ I was %nable
to find anything which co%ld s%ggest the idea of m%rder& There
were no signs of violence$ no footmarks$ no robbery$ no record
of strangers having been seen %pon the roads& +nd yet I need not
tell yo% that my mind was far from at ease$ and that I was
well1nigh certain that some fo%l plot had been woven ro%nd him&
5In this sinister way I came into my inheritance& :o% will ask
me why I did not dispose of it6 I answer$ beca%se I was well
convinced that o%r tro%bles were in some way dependent %pon an
incident in my %ncle's life$ and that the danger wo%ld be as
pressing in one ho%se as in another&
5It was in ;an%ary$ 'C$ that my poor father met his end$ and
two years and eight months have elapsed since then& ?%ring that
time I have lived happily at Horsham$ and I had beg%n to hope
that this c%rse had passed way from the family$ and that it had
ended with the last generation& I had beg%n to take comfort too
soon$ however< yesterday morning the blow fell in the very
shape in which it had come %pon my father&5
The yo%ng man took from his waistcoat a cr%mpled envelope$
and t%rning to the table he shook o%t %pon it five little dried
orange pips&
5This is the envelope$5 he contin%ed& 5The postmark is
2ondon 11 eastern division& Within are the very words which
were %pon my father's last messageD 'A& A& A&'< and then 'P%t
the papers on the s%ndial&' 5
5What have yo% done6'' asked Holmes&
58othing&5
58othing65
5To tell the tr%th5 11 he sank his face into his thin$ white
hands 11 5I have felt helpless& I have felt like one of those poor
rabbits when the snake is writhing towards it& I seem to be in the
grasp of some resistless$ ine)orable evil$ which no foresight and
no preca%tions can g%ard against&5
5T%t9 t%t95 cried Sherlock Holmes& 5:o% m%st act$ man$ or
yo% are lost& 8othing b%t energy can save yo%& This is no time
for despair&5
5I have seen the police&5
5+h95
5.%t they listened to my story with a smile& I am convinced
that the inspector has formed the opinion that the letters are all
practical (okes$ and that the deaths of my relations were really
accidents$ as the (%ry stated$ and were not to be connected with
the warnings&5
Holmes shook his clenched hands in the air& 5Incredible
imbecility95 he cried&
5They have$ however$ allowed me a policeman$ who may
remain in the ho%se with me&5
5Has he come with yo% to1night65
58o& His orders were to stay in the ho%se&5
+gain Holmes raved in the air&
5Why did yo% come to me$5 he cried$ 5and$ above all$ why
did yo% not come at once65
5I did not know& It was only to1day that I spoke to -a(or
Prendergast abo%t my tro%bles and was advised by him to come
to yo%&5
5It is really two days since yo% had the letter& We sho%ld have
acted before this& :o% have no f%rther evidence$ I s%ppose$ than
that which yo% have placed before %s 11 no s%ggestive detail
which might help %s65
5There is one thing$5 said ;ohn Openshaw& He r%mmaged in his
coat pocket$ and$ drawing o%t a piece of discolo%red$ bl%e1tinted
paper$ he laid it o%t %pon the table& 5I have some remembrance$5
said he$ 5that on the day when my %ncle b%rned the
papers I observed that the small$ %nb%rned margins which lay
amid the ashes were of this partic%lar colo%r& I fo%nd this single
sheet %pon the floor of his room$ and I am inclined to think that
it may be one of the papers which has$ perhaps$ fl%ttered o%t
from among the others$ and in that way has escaped destr%ction&
.eyond the mention of pips$ I do not see that it helps %s m%ch& I
think myself that it is a page from some private diary& The
writing is %ndo%btedly my %ncle's&5
Holmes moved the lamp$ and we both bent over the sheet of
paper$ which showed by its ragged edge that it had indeed been
torn from a book& It was headed$ 5-arch$ =>"$5 and beneath
were the following enigmatical noticesD
Bth& H%dson came& Same old platform&
*th& Set the pips on -c,a%ley$ Paramore$ and ;ohn Swain$
of St& +%g%stine&
"th& -c,a%ley cleared&
=Oth& ;ohn Swain cleared&
=!th& Eisited Paramore& +ll well&
5Thank yo%95 said Holmes$ folding %p the paper and ret%rning it
to o%r visitor& 5+nd now yo% m%st on no acco%nt lose
another instant& We cannot spare time even to disc%ss what yo%
have told me& :o% m%st get home instantly and act&5
5What shall I do65
5There is b%t one thing to do& It m%st be done at once& :o%
m%st p%t this piece of paper which yo% have shown %s into the
brass bo) which yo% have described& :o% m%st also p%t in a note
to say that all the other papers were b%rned by yo%r %ncle$ and
that this is the only one which remains& :o% m%st assert that
in s%ch words as will carry conviction with them& Having done
this$ yo% m%st at once p%t the bo) o%t %pon the s%ndial$ as
directed& ?o yo% %nderstand65
57ntirely&5
5?o not think of revenge$ or anything of the sort$ at present& I
think that we may gain that by means of the law< b%t we have
o%r web to weave$ while theirs is already woven& The first
consideration is to remove the pressing danger which threatens
yo%& The second is to clear %p the mystery and to p%nish the
g%ilty parties&5
5I thank yo%$5 said the yo%ng man$ rising and p%lling on his
overcoat& 5:o% have given me fresh life and hope& I shall
certainly do as yo% advise&5
5?o not lose an instant& +nd$ above all$ take care of yo%rself
in the meanwhile$ for I do not think that there can be a do%bt that
yo% are threatened by a very real and imminent danger& How do
yo% go back6
5.y train from Waterloo&5
5It is not yet nine& The streets will be crowded$ so l tr%st that
yo% may be in safety& +nd yet yo% cannot g%ard yo%rself too
closely&5
5I am armed&5
5That is well& To1morrow I shall set to work %pon yo%r case&5
5I shall see yo% at Horsham$ then65
58o$ yo%r secret lies in 2ondon& It is there that I shall seek
it&5
5Then I shall call %pon yo% in a day$ or in two days$ with
news as to the bo) and the papers& I shall take yo%r advice
in every partic%lar&5 He shook hands with %s and took his leave&
O%tside the wind still screamed and the rain splashed and pattered
against the windows& This strange$ wild story seemed to
have come to %s from amid the mad elements 11 blown in %pon %s
like a sheet of sea1weed in a gale 11 and now to have been
reabsorbed by them once more&
Sherlock Holmes sat for some time in silence$ with his head
s%nk forward and his eyes bent %pon the red glow of the fire&
Then he lit his pipe$ and leaning back in his chair he watched the
bl%e smoke1rings as they chased each other %p to the ceiling&
5I think$ Watson$5 he remarked at last$ 5that of all o%r cases
we have had none more fantastic than this&5
5Save$ perhaps$ the Sign of Fo%r&5
5Well$ yes& Save$ perhaps$ that& +nd yet this ;ohn Openshaw
seems to me to be walking amid even greater perils than did the
Sholtos&5
5.%t have yo%$5 I asked$ 5formed any definite conception as
to what these perils are65
5There can be no '%estion as to their nat%re$5 he answered&
5Then what are they6 Who is this A& A& A&$ and why does he
p%rs%e this %nhappy family65
Sherlock Holmes closed his eyes and placed his elbows %pon
the arms of his chair$ with his finger1tips together& 5The ideal
reasoner$5 he remarked$ 5wo%ld$ when he had once been shown
a single fact in all its bearings$ ded%ce from it not only all the
chain of events which led %p to it b%t also all the res%lts which
wo%ld follow from it& +s ,%vier co%ld correctly describe a
whole animal by the contemplation of a single bone$ so the
observer who has thoro%ghly %nderstood one link in a series of
incidents sho%ld be able to acc%rately state all the other ones$
both before and after& We have not yet grasped the res%lts which
the reason alone can attain to& Problems may be solved in the
st%dy which have baffled all those who have so%ght a sol%tion by
the aid of their senses& To carry the art$ however$ to its highest
pitch$ it is necessary that the reasoner sho%ld be able to %tili3e all
the facts which have come to his knowledge< and this in itself
implies$ as yo% will readily see$ a possession of all knowledge$
which$ even in these days of free ed%cation and encyclopaedias$
is a somewhat rare accomplishment& It is not so impossible$
however$ that a man sho%ld possess all knowledge which is
likely to be %sef%l to him in his work$ and this I have endeavo%red
in my case to do& If I remember rightly$ yo% on one
occasion$ in the early days of o%r friendship$ defined my limits
in a very precise fashion&5
5:es$5 I answered$ la%ghing& 5It was a sing%lar doc%ment&
Philosophy$ astronomy$ and politics were marked at 3ero$ I
remember& .otany variable$ geology profo%nd as regards the
m%d1stains from any region within fifty miles of town$ chemistry
eccentric$ anatomy %nsystematic$ sensational literat%re and crime
records %ni'%e$ violin1player$ bo)er$ swordsman$ lawyer$ and
self1poisoner by cocaine and tobacco& Those$ I think$ were the
main points of my analysis&5
Holmes grinned at the last item& 5Well$5 he said$ 5I say
now$ as I said then$ that a man sho%ld keep his little brain1attic
stocked with all the f%rnit%re that he is likely to %se$ and the rest
he can p%t away in the l%mber1room of his library$ where he can
get it if he wants it& 8ow$ for s%ch a case as the one which has
been s%bmitted to %s to1night$ we need certainly to m%ster all o%r
reso%rces& Aindly hand me down the letter A of the +merican
7ncyclopaedia which stands %pon the shelf beside yo%& Thank
yo%& 8ow let %s consider the sit%ation and see what may be
ded%ced from it& In the first place$ we may start with a strong
pres%mption that ,olonel Openshaw had some very strong reason
for leaving +merica& -en at his time of life do not change
all their habits and e)change willingly the charming climate of
Florida for the lonely life of an 7nglish provincial town& His
e)treme love of solit%de in 7ngland s%ggests the idea that he was
in fear of someone or something$ so we may ass%me as a
working hypothesis that it was fear of someone or something
which drove him from +merica& +s to what it was he feared$ we
can only ded%ce that by considering the formidable letters which
were received by himself and his s%ccessors& ?id yo% remark the
postmarks of those letters65
5The first was from Pondicherry$ the second from ?%ndee$
and the third from 2ondon&5
5From 7ast 2ondon& What do yo% ded%ce from that65
5They are all seaports& That the writer was on board of a
ship&5
57)cellent& We have already a cl%e& There can be no do%bt
that the probability 11 the strong probability 11 is that the writer
was on board of a ship& +nd now let %s consider another point&
In the case of Pondicherry$ seven weeks elapsed between the
threat and its f%lfillment$ in ?%ndee it was only some three or
fo%r days& ?oes that s%ggest anything65
5+ greater distance to travel&5
5.%t the letter had also a greater distance to come&5
5Then I do not see the point&5
5There is at least a pres%mption that the vessel in which the
man or men are is a sailing1ship& It looks as if they always send
their sing%lar warning or token before them when starting %pon
their mission& :o% see how '%ickly the deed followed the sign
when it came from ?%ndee& If they had come from Pondicherry
in a steamer they wo%ld have arrived almost as soon as their
letter& .%t$ as a matter of fact$ seven weeks elapsed& I think that
those seven weeks represented the difference between the mail1boat
which bro%ght the letter and the sailing vessel which bro%ght
the writer&5
5It is possible&5
5-ore than that& It is probable& +nd now yo% see the deadly
%rgency of this new case$ and why I %rged yo%ng Openshaw to
ca%tion& The blow has always fallen at the end of the time which
it wo%ld take the senders to travel the distance& .%t this one
comes from 2ondon$ and therefore we cannot co%nt %pon delay&5
5/ood /od95 I cried& 5What can it mean$ this relentless
persec%tion65
5The papers which Openshaw carried are obvio%sly of vital
importance to the person or persons in the sailing1ship& I think
that it is '%ite clear that there m%st be more than one of them& +
single man co%ld not have carried o%t two deaths in s%ch a way
as to deceive a coroner's (%ry& There m%st have been several in it$
and they m%st have been men of reso%rce and determination&
Their papers they mean to have$ be the holder of them who it
may& In this way yo% see A& A& A& ceases to be the initials of an
individ%al and becomes the badge of a society&5
5.%t of what society65
5Have yo% never 115 said Sherlock Holmes$ bending forward
and sinking his voice 115have yo% never heard of the A% Al%)
Alan65
5I never have&5
Holmes t%rned over the leaves of the book %pon his knee&
5Here it is$5 said he presentlyD
5A% Al%) Alan& + name derived from the fancif%l resemblance
to the so%nd prod%ced by cocking a rifle& This
terrible secret society was formed by some e)1,onfederate
soldiers in the So%thern states after the ,ivil War$ and it
rapidly formed local branches in different parts of the
co%ntry$ notably in Tennessee$ 2o%isiana$ the ,arolinas$
/eorgia$ and Florida& Its power was %sed for political
p%rposes$ principally for the terrori3ing of the negro voters
and the m%rdering and driving from the co%ntry of
those who were opposed to its views& Its o%trages were
%s%ally preceded by a warning sent to the marked man
in some fantastic b%t generally recogni3ed shape 11 a sprig of
oak1leaves in some parts$ melon seeds or orange pips in others&
On receiving this the victim might either openly
ab(%re his former ways$ or might fly from the co%ntry& If
he braved the matter o%t$ death wo%ld %nfailingly come
%pon him$ and %s%ally in some strange and %nforeseen
manner& So perfect was the organi3ation of the society$
and so systematic its methods$ that there is hardly a case
%pon record where any man s%cceeded in braving it with
imp%nity$ or in which any of its o%trages were traced
home to the perpetrators& For some years the organi3ation
flo%rished in spite of the efforts of the 0nited States
government and of the better classes of the comm%nity
in the So%th& 7vent%ally$ in the year =>"$ the movement
rather s%ddenly collapsed$ altho%gh there have been sporadic
o%tbreaks of the same sort since that date&
5:o% will observe$5 said Holmes$ laying down the vol%me$
5that the s%dden breaking %p of the society was coincident with
the disappearance of Openshaw from +merica with their papers&
It may well have been ca%se and effect& It is no wonder that he
and his family have some of the more implacable spirits %pon
their track& :o% can %nderstand that this register and diary may
implicate some of the first men in the So%th$ and that there may
be many who will not sleep easy at night %ntil it is recovered&5
5Then the page we have seen 115
5Is s%ch as we might e)pect& It ran$ if I remember right$ 'sent
the pips to +$ .$ and ,' 11 that is$ sent the society's warning to
them& Then there are s%ccessive entries that + and . cleared$ or
left the co%ntry$ and finally that , was visited$ with$ I fear$ a
sinister res%lt for ,& Well$ I think$ ?octor$ that we may let some
light into this dark place$ and I believe that the only chance
yo%ng Openshaw has in the meantime is to do what I have told
him& There is nothing more to be said or to be done to1night$ so
hand me over my violin and let %s try to forget for half an ho%r
the miserable weather and the still more miserable ways of o%r
fellowmen&5
It had cleared in the morning$ and the s%n was shining with a
s%bd%ed brightness thro%gh the dim veil which hangs over the
great city& Sherlock Holmes was already at breakfast when I
came down&
5:o% will e)c%se me for not waiting for yo%$5 said he< 5I
have$ I foresee$ a very b%sy day before me in looking into this
case of yo%ng Openshaw's&5
5What steps will yo% take65 I asked&
5It will very m%ch depend %pon the res%lts of my first in'%iries&
I may have to go down to Horsham$ after all&5
5:o% will not go there first65
58o$ I shall commence with the ,ity& ;%st ring the bell and
the maid will bring %p yo%r coffee&5
+s I waited$ I lifted the %nopened newspaper from the table
and glanced my eye over it& It rested %pon a heading which sent
a chill to my heart&
5Holmes$5 I cried$ 5yo% are too late&5
5+h95 said he$ laying down his c%p$ 5I feared as m%ch& How
was it done65 He spoke calmly$ b%t I co%ld see that he was
deeply moved&
5-y eye ca%ght the name of Openshaw$ and the heading
'Tragedy 8ear Waterloo .ridge&' Here is the acco%ntD
5.etween nine and ten last night Police1,onstable ,ook$
of the H ?ivision$ on d%ty near Waterloo .ridge$ heard a
cry for help and a splash in the water& The night$ however$
was e)tremely dark and stormy$ so that$ in spite of the help
of several passers1by$ it was '%ite impossible to effect a
resc%e& The alarm$ however$ was given$ and$ by the aid of
the water1police$ the body was event%ally recovered& It
proved to be that of a yo%ng gentleman whose name$ as it
appears from an envelope which was fo%nd in his pocket$
was ;ohn Openshaw$ and whose residence is near Horsham&
It is con(ect%red that he may have been h%rrying down to
catch the last train from Waterloo Station$ and that in his
haste and the e)treme darkness he missed his path and
walked over the edge of one of the small landing1places for
river steamboats& The body e)hibited no traces of violence$
and there can be no do%bt that the deceased had been the
victim of an %nfort%nate accident$ which sho%ld have the
effect of calling the attention of the a%thorities to the condition
of the riverside landing1stages&5
We sat in silence for some min%tes$ Holmes more depressed
and shaken than I had ever seen him&
5That h%rts my pride$ Watson$5 he said at last& 5It is a petty
feeling$ no do%bt$ b%t it h%rts my pride& It becomes a personal
matter with me now$ and$ if /od sends me health$ I shall set my
hand %pon this gang& That he sho%ld come to me for help$ and
that I sho%ld send him away to his death 1195 He sprang from his
chair and paced abo%t the room in %ncontrollable agitation$ with
a fl%sh %pon his sallow cheeks and a nervo%s clasping and
%nclasping of his long thin hands&
5They m%st be c%nning devils$5 he e)claimed at last& 5How
co%ld they have decoyed him down there6 The 7mbankment is
not on the direct line to the station& The bridge$ no do%bt$ was
too crowded$ even on s%ch a night$ for their p%rpose& Well$
Watson$ we shall see who will win in the long r%n& I am going
o%t now95
5To the police65
58o< I shall be my own police& When I have sp%n the web
they may take the flies$ b%t not before&5
+ll day I was engaged in my professional work$ and it was
late in the evening before I ret%rned to .aker Street& Sherlock
Holmes had not come back yet& It was nearly ten o'clock before
he entered$ looking pale and worn& He walked %p to the sideboard$
and tearing a piece from the loaf he devo%red it voracio%sly$
washing it down with a long dra%ght of water&
5:o% are h%ngry$5 I remarked&
5Starving& It had escaped my memory& I have had nothing
since breakfast&5
58othing65
58ot a bite& I had no time to think of it&5
5+nd how have yo% s%cceeded65
5Well&5
5:o% have a cl%e65
5I have them in the hollow of my hand& :o%ng Openshaw
shall not long remain %navenged& Why$ Watson$ let %s p%t their
own devilish trade1mark %pon them& It is well tho%ght of95
5What do yo% mean65
He took an orange from the c%pboard$ and tearing it to pieces
he s'%ee3ed o%t the pips %pon the table& Of these he took five
and thr%st them into an envelope& On the inside of the flap he
wrote 5S& H& for ;& #&5 Then he sealed it and addressed it to
5,aptain ;ames ,alho%n$ .ark 2one Star$ Savannah$ /eorgia&5
5That will await him when he enters port$5 said he$ ch%ckling&
5It may give him a sleepless night& He will find it as s%re a
prec%rsor of his fate as Openshaw did before him&5
5+nd who is this ,aptain ,alho%n65
5The leader of the gang& I shall have the others$ b%t he first&5
5How did yo% trace it$ then65
He took a large sheet of paper from his pocket$ all covered
with dates and names&
5I have spent the whole day$5 said he$ 5over 2loyd's registers
and files of the old papers$ following the f%t%re career of
every vessel which to%ched at Pondicherry in ;an%ary and Febr%ary
in '@& There were thirty1si) ships of fair tonnage which
were reported there d%ring those months& Of these$ one$ the 2one
Star$ instantly attracted my attention$ since$ altho%gh it was
reported as having cleared from 2ondon$ the name is that which
is given to one of the states of the 0nion&5
5Te)as$ I think&5
5I was not and am not s%re which< b%t I knew that the ship
m%st have an +merican origin&5
5What then65
5I searched the ?%ndee records$ and when I fo%nd that the
bark 2one Star was there in ;an%ary$ 'C$ my s%spicion became a
certainty& I then in'%ired as to the vessels which lay at present
in the port of 2ondon&5
5:es65
5The 2one Star had arrived here last week& I went down to
the +lbert ?ock and fo%nd that she had been taken down the
river by the early tide this morning$ homeward bo%nd to Savannah&
I wired to /ravesend and learned that she had passed some
time ago$ and as the wind is easterly I have no do%bt that she is
now past the /oodwins and not very far from the Isle of Wight&5
5What will yo% do$ then65
5Oh$ I have my hand %pon him& He and the two mates$ are
as I learn$ the only native1born +mericans in the ship& The others
are Finns and /ermans& I know$ also$ that they were all three
away from the ship last night& I had it from the stevedore who
has been loading their cargo& .y the time that their sailing1ship
reaches Savannah the mail1boat will have carried this letter$ and
the cable will have informed the police of Savannah that these
three gentlemen are badly wanted here %pon a charge of m%rder&5
There is ever a flaw$ however$ in the best laid of h%man plans$
and the m%rderers of ;ohn Openshaw were never to receive the
orange pips which wo%ld show them that another$ as c%nning
and as resol%te as themselves$ was %pon their track& Eery long
and very severe were the e'%inoctial gales that year& We waited
long for news of the 2one Star of Savannah$ b%t none ever
reached %s& We did at last hear that somewhere far o%t in the
+tlantic a shattered stern1post of the boat was seen swinging
in the tro%gh of a wave$ with the letters 52& S&5 carved %pon it$
and that is all which we shall ever know of the fate of the 2one
Star&
FG7ndGH