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Reigate_Mystery xxx · Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: The CBS Radio Mystery Theater presents.
• 0:03
  Speaker 2: Come in.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: Welcome. I'm Tammy Grimes.
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: A little test.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Now... Right off the top of your head, how many
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: immortal literary phrases come to mind? I'll go along with you.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: None but the brave deserve the fair. To err is mortal,
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: to forgive divine. Oh, death, where is thy sting? And
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: last but not least, elementary, my dear Watson.
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: Yes, dear mystery state of.
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: Science, you have made the correct deduction. We are about
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: to embark on another adventure with the fabulous Sherlock Holmes
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: and Dr.
• 1:06
  Speaker 3: Watson.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: My dear Holmes, I know you're a stormy petrel and
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: that puzzles follow you like night to day. This is
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: obviously a matter of petty housebreaking, pure and simple. Watson,
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: I quite agree with your diagnosis of housebreaking, but it
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: is neither pure nor simple, and I fear it may
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: yet come to be simply deadly. Our mystery drama, The
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: Reigate Mystery, was adopted especially for the Mystery Theater by
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: Murray Bennett. And stars Gordon Gould.
• 1:45
  Speaker 4: I'll be back shortly with Act One.
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: Sherlock Holmes fans, and who isn't, are accustomed to following
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: the great detective into every imaginable situation. In and out
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: of handsome cabs, on railroad stations, on the underground, on
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: the Thames, in wild boat chases. But the last place
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: you'd expect to find him is in a hostel. Good morning, Watson.
• 2:22
  Speaker 3: Why are you up, Holmes?
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: I gave you a sedative last night.
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: It should have had you sleeping till noon.
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: Indeed you did.
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: What happened?
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: You know my methods, Watson.
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: Reason it out. You didn't take it.
• 2:33
  Speaker 5: Excellent, Watson.
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: Oh, you really incorrigible Holmes.
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: I must.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: First tell me, are you visiting me as a physician
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: or as a friend? Both. But as your physician, I
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: must insist that you follow my instructions. Now, why didn't
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: you take the sedative? Because I'm feeling perfectly fit. As
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: your friend, I rejoice. As your physician, I disagree. You
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: must admit, Holmes, that even your iron constitution broke down
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: under the strain of unraveling the colossal schemes of the
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: Netherlands Sumatra Company, and you need rest. I trust you're
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: not prescribing a longer stay here in our fiddle?
• 3:11
  Speaker 3: Oh, no, not at all.
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: I know you, and this is no place for you
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: to get the rest you require. How does a week
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: in the country strike you?
• 3:19
  Speaker 3: Where? Surrey, with my old friend from Afghanistan, Colonel Hayter.
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: And his household? Oh, a bachelor establishment home. No one
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: to fuss over you except your friend in position. It
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: would be ideal. Rest is your prescription, and rest I
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: shall have. Just make arrangements to have me discharged from
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: this hospital. Oh. And so it was we came to
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: Colonel Hayter's house near Rygate in Surrey and walked straight
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: into what at first blush seemed a petty problem. Shortly
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: after dinner, I insisted upon an early bedtime because of
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: Holmes' condition.
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: But our host said.
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: Oh, by the by, I think I'll take a pistol
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: from my collection upstairs with me in case we have
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: an alarm.
• 4:07
  Speaker 3: An alarm, Colonel Hayter? Exactly.
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: We've had a scare in this part lately. Old Acton,
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: who's one of our county magnates, had his house broken
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: into last Monday. Oh, no great damage done. But the
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: thieves left him at large.
• 4:22
  Speaker 3: No clue?
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: No, none as yet.
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: Oh, but.
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: After your great international affair, this must seem small potatoes
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: to you, Mr. Holmes. I quite agree with you, Hater.
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: I suppose there were no features of interest?
• 4:34
  Speaker 5: I fancy not.
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: The thieves ransacked the library and got very little for
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: their pains. They might even have been vandals. What makes
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: you think that, Colonel? It seems obvious to me. The
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: whole place was turned upside down, drawers broken open, presses ransacked.
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: And the result is an odd volume of pokes, homer,
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: two-plated candlesticks, and ivory leatherweight, a small oak barometer, and
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: a ball of twine are all at the theme stock.
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: What an extraordinary assortment. Yes, that's why I say vandals.
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: The county police ought to be able to make something
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: of that. Why, surely it's obvious that... My dear fellow,
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: you're here for a rest. And for heaven's sake, don't
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: get started on a new problem.
• 5:17
  Speaker 3: When your nerves are still shaky.
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: You've made your point, Watson. I shall be a good
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: patient and get along to bed. Hayter and I were
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: down early to breakfast. And I was pleased to see
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: that Holmes was sleeping late. When suddenly, the butler rushed
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: in agitatedly. Have you heard the news, Colonel? At the Cunninghams? Oh,
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: that very murder. Oh, my word. I've always cared. A
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: GP or a son? Neither, sir. It was William the coachman.
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: Shot through the heart, sir. Who shot him? Well, a burglar, sir.
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: Then ran off and got clean away. Oh, it's a
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: bad business. A bad business. Good morning, gentlemen. What's a
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: bad business?
• 6:02
  Speaker 3: Oh, Helms.
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: Good morning. Here we go, Jenkins. Jenkins just told us
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: about a murder over at the Cunningham's. Cunningham? Yes, the
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: leading light in the county. Justice at peace and all that.
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: Very decent fellow. He was murdered? Oh, no, no, no, no.
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: Not Cunningham. His coachman caught a burglar in the act
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: and got shot for protecting his master's property. Evidently the
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: same villain who spoke into Acton's and stole that very
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: singular collection.
• 6:30
  Speaker 3: Precisely. No, Holmes, you promised. Just vexed this.
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: Conversation, Watson.
• 6:35
  Speaker 4: This tea is excellent.
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: It does appear to me just a trifle curious. A
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: gang of burglars or one burglar operating in the county
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: might be expected to vary the scene of their operations
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: and not crack two cribs in the same district within
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: a few days. Yes, well, not if they were local fellows.
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: In that case, actings in Cunningham's are just the places
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: to go for they're far the largest around here. And richest?
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: They ought to be. But they've had a lawsuit going
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: for some years which has sucked the blood out of
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: both of them. acting as some claim on Cunningham's estate,
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: and all the lawyers have been married with both hands. Really, Holmes,
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: I think we should change the conversation with Holmes.
• 7:17
  Speaker 5: Oh, right, Watson.
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: If it's a local villain, there shouldn't be too much
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: difficulty in running him down. And I don't intend to meddle.
• 7:24
  Speaker 3: Inspector Forrester, sir. Good morning, Colonel.
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: I hope I don't intrude, but we heard that Mr.
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: Holmes of Baker.
• 7:32
  Speaker 3: Street is here. Ah, Inspector.
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: Yes, he said to call... Holmes, if you don't mind,
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: we could do with a bit of a system. The
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: fates are against you, Watson. We were chatting about the
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: matter when you arrived. Perhaps you can fill me in
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: on some of the details. Gladly. We had no clue
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: in the Acton robbery.
• 7:52
  Speaker 3: But here we have plenty to go on.
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: And there's no doubt that it was the same party
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: in each case. The man was seen. Ah. By whom? Mr.
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: Cunningham's father and son. The elder Mr. Cunningham saw him
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: from the bedroom window.
• 8:08
  Speaker 3: And young Mr.
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: Alec saw him from the back passage.
• 8:11
  Speaker 5: What time was this?
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: Oh, a quarter to twelve.
• 8:14
  Speaker 3: Mr.
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: Cunningham had just gotten to bed.
• 8:17
  Speaker 3: And Mr.
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: Alec was in his dressing gown smoking a pipe. And? Well,
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: they heard William, the coachman, crying out for help.
• 8:25
  Speaker 3: Mr.
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: Alec ran down to aid William.
• 8:28
  Speaker 3: The back door.
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: Was open, and as he reached the foot of the stairs,
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: he saw two men struggling. One of them fired a shot.
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: The other dropped, and the killer rushed across the garden
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: and over the hedge. And there was no pursuit?
• 8:41
  Speaker 3: Mr.
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: Alex stopped to see if he could help William. So
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: the killer got clean away. Any descriptions?
• 8:48
  Speaker 3: Only the glimpse old Mr.
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: Cunningham got from the window. Beyond the fact that he
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: was a middle-sized man and dressed in some dark material... Nothing.
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: And what was William doing there at that time of night?
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: Did he say anything before he died?
• 9:04
  Speaker 3: Not a word.
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: Do you have any theories? Well, the action robbery has
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: put everyone on guard. William lived at the lodge with
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: his mother, and since he was a very faithful fellow,
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: I imagine he walked up to check the house and, well,
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: came upon this robber just as he burst through the door.
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: Burst through? Oh, the lock had been forced. Did Williams
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: say anything to his mother before going out? Well, she's
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: very old and very deaf. I'm afraid the shock has
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: turned her into complete senility. Is that all? There are
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: a few small matters I should like to examine. Oh,
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: there's one other thing, Mr.
• 9:43
  Speaker 3: Holmes.
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: This piece of paper was found between the finger and
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: thumb of the dead man. It appears to be a
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: fragment torn from a larger sheet.
• 9:53
  Speaker 3: May I? Oh, of course, sir.
• 9:56
  Speaker 5: Oh, my word, Inspector.
• 9:58
  Speaker 3: This is extraordinary.
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: There are much deeper waters than I thought.
• 10:02
  Speaker 3: Well, you notice, sir, that.
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: The fragment we have raised... At quarter to twelve, learn
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: what may be.
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: And that leads you to surmise, Inspector? Well, that it
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: may have been an appointment. The exact time, a quarter
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: to twelve, suggests that... And then that opens up the
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: possibility that William was some kind of accomplice. That's an
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: ingenious and not entirely impossible proposition. But the writing, Inspector,
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: the writing opens up a whole new area of complications
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: which must be explored. Come, Inspector. There's work to be done.
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: And Watson, you and you, Colonel, will have to excuse us.
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: I must say I was a bit put off by
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: being pushed out of the investigation in so cavalier a
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: fashion by Holmes.
• 10:53
  Speaker 3: But Holmes later gave me the reasons for his decision.
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: And also filled me in as to what steps he took.
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: His first request was to visit the morgue with Inspector
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: Forrester where he examined the clothes of the murdered coachman.
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: He certainly died from a revolver wound, Inspector. Well, had
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: you doubted it, Mr. Holmes? I'm thrilled to test everything, Inspector.
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: There are some very interesting things about his clothes. Remarkably neat,
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: I should say. And their very neatness tells us a
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: good deal. If you're referring to the fact that it
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: supports my theory that he was there because of the appointment, well.
• 11:30
  Speaker 3: I'll agree with you, sir.
• 11:32
  Speaker 5: That's quite possibly.
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: But more than that, Inspector... Much more. What's that, then?
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: I suggest you refer to your notes. I have no
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: doubt that you'll come to the same conclusions as I did.
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: Did he have a wallet? Oh, here.
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: Nothing's been touched. Two pounds, an identification card, a receipt
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: for some gloves, and... What's this? A photograph of a girl.
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: Uncommonly handsome, I tell you. She is indeed, sir.
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: That's, uh... Ann Harrison. His girl? Well, that's hard to say, Mr.
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: Holmes. Ann is, uh... Well, what you might call a
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: free spirit. I think we should visit her. That's not possible.
• 12:15
  Speaker 3: She disappeared a few days ago. Her family's upset. Doesn't
• 12:19
  Speaker 3: know where she is.
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: Have they reported a missing?
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: Oh, no, it's not like that.
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: She left a note saying she was going to London
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: and she'd be gone sometime. Does she have friends in London?
• 12:29
  Speaker 5: None that we know.
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: Was she still seeing William before she took off for London? Well,
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: it was kind of an off-again-on-again thing.
• 12:37
  Speaker 3: That's sort of difficult to explain.
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: Inspector, I think our next step is to visit the
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: scene of the crime. Here we are, Inspector. According to
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: your eyewitnesses, the struggle took place about here.
• 12:54
  Speaker 3: Yes, sir.
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: And now? Now you'll struggle with me.
• 12:59
  Speaker 3: Oh, but Mr.
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: Helms, Mr. Watson said... Touch, man. We'll only stimulate the struggle.
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: Come on.
• 13:04
  Speaker 3: Come on.
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: Remember, this is a matter of life and death. Enough, enough, enough.
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: That should do it. What are you doing, sir? Examining
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: the ground here. But we can see the marks where
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: the struggle took place just a few feet away. Oh, Inspector.
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: But I must base my deductions on facts. And facts
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: must be tested. Come along now. We are finished here.
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: Where to? The King's Arms. Well, that's a local pub.
• 13:32
  Speaker 3: Oh, I didn't know that.
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: It was the name on the matchbox William Sherwin was carrying.
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: There'll be nothing there but a lot of gossip. Exactly
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: what I'm hoping. A lot of gossip about a free
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: spirit named Anne Harriton.
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: So, Phyllis Anne.
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: is an expression much used and loved by Gaelic detectives,
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: who cling to the belief that at the center of
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: every crime is a woman. However, in the 1,300 pages
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: that constitute the Holmesian saga, it's a rarity to come
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: upon a case where the catalyst of the crime was
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: a woman. Have we made a discovery? We'll find out in.
• 14:17
  Speaker 3: Act Two shortly.
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: The importance of a straight man in comedy has been
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: well established. But how about literature? There would have been
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: no Dr. Johnson without Boswell. And in detective fiction, where
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: would Hercule Poirot have been without.
• 14:44
  Speaker 3: His share in Hastings? And Sherlock Holmes without Dr. Watson
• 14:48
  Speaker 3: is unthinkable.
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: Therefore, it's surprising to find Holmes pursuing clues in a
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: murder investigation without the good doctor at his side. We
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: find him at the Rygate Village pub without Watson. Barney,
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: this is Mr. Sherlock Holmes.
• 15:05
  Speaker 3: Mr.
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: Holmes, this is Barney Stapleford, the owner of the King's Arms.
• 15:09
  Speaker 5: Oh, it's an honor, an honor.
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: I never thought I'd meet the famous Sherlock Holmes in person.
• 15:15
  Speaker 5: Drinks are on the house.
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: Thank you, but it's a little early for me. Mr.
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: Holmes is looking for information about Anne Harrison. Oh, well,
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: that might take some time. Oh, you mind if I
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: sit down?
• 15:27
  Speaker 3: By all means.
• 15:29
  Speaker 5: Well, now, Mr.
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: Holmes, what would you like to know? Sir, did she
• 15:34
  Speaker 1: come here often?
• 15:36
  Speaker 3: Hmm.
• 15:37
  Speaker 5: If you call two or three times a week, often
• 15:39
  Speaker 5: she did.
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: But then again, there's not much doing in Highgate. Not
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: for a high-spirited looker like Annie, that is. Oh, no
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: wonder she's.
• 15:47
  Speaker 5: Off for London. That's where she belongs, if you ask me.
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: Did she have a particular friend among.
• 15:52
  Speaker 5: The local gentry? Well, I don't rightly know, so you
• 15:55
  Speaker 5: could call them gentry. Although Mr. Acton and young Alec
• 15:59
  Speaker 5: Cunningham are big landowners.
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: But William Curwen was fair corn on her. And how
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: did she feel about him?
• 16:07
  Speaker 5: The same way she felt about anything in trousers. She
• 16:11
  Speaker 5: loved him.
• 16:11
  Speaker 3: Oh, come on now, Barney.
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: That's not.
• 16:13
  Speaker 5: Oh, Inspector. You know Annie as well as I do.
• 16:18
  Speaker 5: As I recall, you had a bit of a fling
• 16:20
  Speaker 5: with her yourself.
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: Well, Bonnie, that tongue of yours is going to get
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: you into a lot of trouble one of these days. Oh, Inspector.
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: Nothing wrong with what our host has been saying. All
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: I gather is that Anne Harrison engenders warm feelings in
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: the opposite sex.
• 16:35
  Speaker 5: She was trouble.
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: That's how she came to meet the Inspector here. He
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: was called in to break up a brawl between Alex
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: Cunningham and Mr. Acton. There you go again, Barney. It
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: was simply a loud argument.
• 16:50
  Speaker 3: Not a brawl.
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: Over Miss Ellison?
• 16:52
  Speaker 5: She seemed to have gotten her dates mixed up.
• 16:56
  Speaker 3: Mr.
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: Holmes, she did seem to enjoy the fracas. When was
• 17:00
  Speaker 1: Miss Ellison last in here? Oh, I just remember exact date.
• 17:06
  Speaker 1: But I do know she was with William. Must have
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: been about a fortnight ago. Then that would have been
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: before the burglary at Mr.
• 17:14
  Speaker 5: Acton's, wouldn't it? That's right, sir. Just about before that time.
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: When Holmes returned with Inspector Forrester, he looked drawn and pale.
• 17:27
  Speaker 3: And I insisted he go up to his room and rest.
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: I took this opportunity to try to find out from
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: the inspector what progress.
• 17:36
  Speaker 3: He and Holmes had made with the case.
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: It's no use asking me any more questions, Doctor.
• 17:42
  Speaker 3: Mr.
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: Holmes is behaving very queerly. Makes me simulate a struggle, breakthrough, hedges.
• 17:48
  Speaker 1: And I told you about his interest in village gossip. Well,
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: no need to alarm yourself, Inspector. I found that there's
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: usually method in his madness. Some folks might say there
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: was madness in his message. It's not the first time
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: we've heard that from the police, eh, Watson? No.
• 18:04
  Speaker 3: I'd hoped you'd rested longer, Holmes. You really should have. Nonsense,
• 18:08
  Speaker 3: dear friend.
• 18:08
  Speaker 1: Your prescription did wonders for me. Inspector, I think we'd
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: do well if we had a talk with Anne Harrison.
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: Every effort should be made to locate her in London.
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: Begging your pardon, Mr. Holmes, but I don't see the
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: young lady as a key in this murder. We know
• 18:23
  Speaker 1: for a fact that she was well away before William
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: Cowan was shot. And well away just before the Acton
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: house was ransacked.
• 18:30
  Speaker 3: Well, coincidence, probably.
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: Had she ever gone to London before? Not to my knowledge.
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: I prefer dealing with facts, not coincidences, Inspector. The facts
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: are the Acton house was robbed, the Cunningham coachman murdered.
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: Both families are involved in a lawsuit, and members of
• 18:46
  Speaker 1: both families have evinced a strong interest in Ann Harrison,
• 18:49
  Speaker 1: who coincidentally is also deeply involved with William Kerwin, the
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: murdered coachman. I take it that you attach no great
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: importance to the scrap of paper found in the.
• 19:01
  Speaker 3: Dead man's hand.
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: You take it wrongly, Inspector. Whoever wrote that note was
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: responsible for bringing William Kerwin out of his bed and
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: perhaps to his death. How did William get the note?
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: Was it delivered by hand? Or did it come through
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: the post? Well, I made inquiries.
• 19:15
  Speaker 3: William received a letter by the afternoon post yesterday. The
• 19:19
  Speaker 3: envelope was destroyed. Excellent, Inspector.
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: Now, we agree that this is part of a sheet
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: of paper torn out of the dead man's hand. Why
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: was someone so anxious to get possession of it? Well,
• 19:32
  Speaker 1: because it might incriminate him. Exactly. And what would he
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: do with it once he'd.
• 19:37
  Speaker 3: Gotten hold of it? Well, I have no idea.
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: I told you the ground was searched thoroughly in the
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: hope of finding him.
• 19:44
  Speaker 5: No, Inspector.
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: If our deductions are correct so far, our criminal was
• 19:48
  Speaker 1: in a desperate hurry. He is not likely to have
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: stopped to dispose of it. And we can buttress this
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: line of reasoning by noting that he was in such
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: a rush, he overlooked the piece left in William Kerwin's hand.
• 20:00
  Speaker 3: Oh, very true.
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: So very true. But how does that.
• 20:03
  Speaker 3: Help us decide what he did with it?
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: The most likely thing. He thrust it into his pocket.
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: If we could get the rest of that sheet, we'll
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: have gone a long way toward solving the mystery. Well,
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: I've heard you were a miracle worker, Mr. Holmes. But
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: how do we get to the criminal's pocket before we
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: catch the criminal? On this, Inspector. Exactly the same way
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: you make an omelet without breaking eggs. After the Inspector
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: had left, not without giving Holmes a very strange look
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: and promising to meet again with Holmes later in the day...
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: I had questions to put to my old friend. Inspector
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: Forrester is quite good, Watson, but he isn't trying to
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: rush things without examining the facts very closely. As a
• 20:49
  Speaker 1: matter of fact, Holmes, he was complaining about your messages
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: being time wasters.
• 20:54
  Speaker 3: And for the life of me, I couldn't.
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: Explain to him why you insisted on making sure that
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: William Carwin had indeed been shot. I never questioned that
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: for a moment, my dear fellow. Think, Watson, think. What
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: were we told? That the man was shot. Of course. And?
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: And that the intruder or the killer ran off and escaped.
• 21:17
  Speaker 3: Before that, Watson.
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: Before that. Before that.
• 21:22
  Speaker 3: Well, there was a struggle.
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: Excellent. Now, bring to bear your knowledge of the position.
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: Two men are struggling. One, presumably, has a gun. Suddenly,
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: a shot. The man falls. The other runs away. What,
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: as a physician, would you expect to find on the
• 21:39
  Speaker 1: body of the corpse?
• 21:40
  Speaker 3: Powder burns, of course. Exactly.
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: But, Watson, not only were there no powder burns on
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: the body, neither could I find any on the clothes
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: that William Kirwan had on him when he was shot.
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: Good heavens. Did you tell this to Inspector Forrester? I
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: tried to point it out to him, but he's off
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: on another scent. You promised to tell me about the
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: note and why you were so positive that Ann Harrison
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: hadn't written the note. No one person wrote that note, Watson.
• 22:08
  Speaker 3: What on earth do you mean?
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: No doubt you noted that I made a very careful
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: examination of the corner of the paper which the inspector
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: submitted to us. And it was evident to me that
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: two different people had collaborated on the writing of the note,
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: doing ultimate work.
• 22:24
  Speaker 3: But why, Holmes?
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: Why in the world would two people go to such.
• 22:29
  Speaker 3: Lengths to write a note in that fashion?
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: Obviously, the business was a bad one. and one of
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: the writers distrusted the other and was determined that whatever
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: was done, each should have an equal.
• 22:39
  Speaker 3: Hand in it.
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: Then murder must have been a possibility when the note
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: was written. You never cease to amaze me, Watson. That
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: is indeed a most excellent deduction. And certainly, if not murder...
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: A devilish bit of business. Then, of course, we can
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: throw out the possibility that the burglaries they had acted
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: in this crime were in any way connected. I find
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: it difficult to believe that two crimes such as this
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: committed within a fortnight of each other and involving two
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: families who are having a dispute is merely a coincidence.
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: Particularly when you add the complication of Ann Harrison's involvement
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: with both the families and the murdered man. But Holmes,
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: what is the connection?
• 23:21
  Speaker 3: What could it be?
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: Watson, if we knew that, we'd know everything. Well, come along.
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: We have an appointment with Inspector Forrester at the scene
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: of the crime.
• 23:35
  Speaker 2: Mr.
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: Holmes, I have made some wrongdoings, and it may be important.
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: Was she badly injured? Oh, she's in the hospital, but
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: the doctors say that she'll recover. I never said Annie
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: was hurt.
• 23:49
  Speaker 3: How did you?
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: Come, come, Inspector. You have news from London of great
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: importance and interest to me. That news could only concern
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: the young lady, Anne Harrison.
• 23:59
  Speaker 3: Well, that's all very well, but the fact that she
• 24:01
  Speaker 3: was hurt.
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: I know of your personal interest in the lady. And
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: since you're obviously perturbed and trusted, it could only be
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: that she'd suffered some harm. How did it occur? She
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: was set upon by some thugs, robbed and beaten. But fortunately,
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: they caught the rascals. And they implicated someone from this area?
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: Not precisely, but they did say they were hired. I see.
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: Do you recall the name of the officer in charge
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: of the case?
• 24:25
  Speaker 3: Well, I'm not sure.
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: There was something that sounded like, um, Lester, oh, Lestrade.
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: Inspector Lestrade. I know him. He's a competent man. And
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: we'll have that sort of information on him soon. But
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: I fear we can't wait. I see you placed a
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: constable by the kitchen door. So let us get to
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: work immediately. If you'd be so kind, Inspector, as to
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: go round the front, I'll have the constable open the
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: kitchen door for me to enable me to take some tests.
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: And what will you be wanting of me in the front, Mr. Holmes? Times.
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: When I see Dr. Watson appear, I'll want to know
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: the exact times.
• 25:01
  Speaker 3: I'll be waiting, Mr. Holmes. Come along, Watson. Throw the
• 25:05
  Speaker 3: door open, if.
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: You please, officer. Now, Watson, I'd like you to go
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: up those stairs about halfway and tell me what you
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: can see. With or without.
• 25:16
  Speaker 3: My glasses, Holmes?
• 25:18
  Speaker 1: No, I want you to wear them, please. That's far enough, Watson.
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: Now tell me, what do you see?
• 25:24
  Speaker 3: I can see the garden quite clearly.
• 25:27
  Speaker 1: Anything else? Oh, yes, a good part of the hedge
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: that lines the road. Anything in particular strike you? Yes,
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: there's a large bush in the garden near the hedge.
• 25:39
  Speaker 1: Turns out clearly... Excellent, Watson. I'd like you to join
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: me now.
• 25:44
  Speaker 3: Oh, what was that all about, Holmes?
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: It was on those stairs that young Alec Cunningham was
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: standing when he saw the men struggling. Come along outside again.
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: And he saw the fellow get away by crashing through
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: the hedge just to the left of that bush. Now,
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: look up at the house yonder. The second window from
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: the left.
• 26:04
  Speaker 3: That's my father's room. Oh.
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: Then you must be Alec Cunningham.
• 26:10
  Speaker 3: And you must be the famous Sherlock Holmes from London.
• 26:12
  Speaker 3: Thank you.
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: And this is my friend and colleague, Dr.
• 26:15
  Speaker 3: Watson.
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: Well, well, Watson. It seems that our young friend here
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: is acquainted with us.
• 26:21
  Speaker 3: And he's a world, Mr. Holmes. I saw you strolling
• 26:25
  Speaker 3: about here and came to tell you that my father's
• 26:27
  Speaker 3: been so upset by the events of the past few
• 26:28
  Speaker 3: days that he has taken to his bed.
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: I'm sorry to hear that.
• 26:32
  Speaker 3: Anything you want to know, I'll be only too happy
• 26:34
  Speaker 3: to tell you. But I'm sure Inspector Forrester has told
• 26:37
  Speaker 3: you everything you need to know.
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: He's been very cooperative, but there are still some questions
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: to be answered.
• 26:42
  Speaker 3: Not by my father. That won't be necessary.
• 26:46
  Speaker 1: It's obvious that your father could very well have seen
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: the two men struggling from his window. Just as you
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: observed them from the stairs.
• 26:53
  Speaker 3: Yes, that's right.
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: And then you ran out and knelt beside the wounded man?
• 26:57
  Speaker 3: Correct.
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: I wonder if you could show us the precise spot.
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: The ground is very hard, you see, and there are
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: no marks to guide us. If you wish.
• 27:06
  Speaker 3: Although I don't know what good it will do. I
• 27:09
  Speaker 3: thought you were never.
• 27:10
  Speaker 5: At a loss.
• 27:11
  Speaker 3: Yes, but here. Right here is where I melt on.
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: Ah, just as the instructor told me.
• 27:16
  Speaker 5: You know, Mr.
• 27:17
  Speaker 3: Holmes, you don't seem to be so very quick as
• 27:19
  Speaker 3: you're supposed to be.
• 27:19
  Speaker 5: Oh, well, all of us need a little time.
• 27:22
  Speaker 3: Well, you'll need it. Rumbling around here, I don't see that.
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: We have any clue at all.
• 27:26
  Speaker 3: Well, no, that's not fair. You don't know that if
• 27:29
  Speaker 3: Holmes could only lay his hands on.
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: Good heavens, Holmes, what's the matter? He's been overdoing it,
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: that's what. Here, help me with him.
• 27:37
  Speaker 3: Gently now.
• 27:38
  Speaker 1: On the ground, Dr.
• 27:39
  Speaker 3: Watson. Together we can carry him into the house. And there,
• 27:44
  Speaker 3: I'm sure he'll come round.
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: THE END What is sometimes overlooked by the devotees of
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson is the genuine respect that
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: Holmes had for Watson's ability as a physician. Although Holmes
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: was tolerantly skeptical of Watson's deductive power, there is no
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: instance in any of the stories where Holmes denigrated Watson's
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: medical skills. That's all to the good, because it appears
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: that Holmes himself is sorely in need of those skills now.
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: I'll be back shortly with Act Three. I don't think
• 28:31
  Speaker 1: anyone can really claim to be a real fan of
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: Sherlock Holmes who isn't also a lover of the English countryside.
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: So many of Holmes' cases take him and Watson to
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: the moors or to various charming spots in Sussex, Wessex,
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: or as in this case, Surrey.
• 28:48
  Speaker 3: But there are actually.
• 28:49
  Speaker 1: Tours organized for Sissy and others where they can retrace
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: the steps of their favorite sleuth. Here we are in
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: the village. I'm most dreadfully sorry, Cunningham. I'm sure I
• 29:05
  Speaker 1: put you to a good deal of inconvenience.
• 29:07
  Speaker 3: Nonsense, Holmes. I was worried about you there. You looked
• 29:09
  Speaker 3: rather gaunt. Mr.
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: Holmes has only just recovered from a severe illness. I've
• 29:14
  Speaker 1: probably been overdoing, Watson.
• 29:16
  Speaker 3: Shall I send you home in my carriage?
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: Thank you very much, but since I'm here, there's one
• 29:21
  Speaker 1: point I'd like to clear up.
• 29:22
  Speaker 3: What is it?
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: It seems to me to be a distinct possibility that
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: your coachman, Williams, arrived not before... But after the entrance
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: of the burglar into the house.
• 29:33
  Speaker 3: I can't see why you think that.
• 29:35
  Speaker 1: The door was forced. The marks were clear. But you
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: and your father took it for granted that the robber
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: never got in. Well, I'd not yet gone to bed,
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: and I'd certainly have heard anyone moving about. Where were you?
• 29:45
  Speaker 3: In my dressing room.
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: Your dressing room. Is that the window next to your father's?
• 29:50
  Speaker 3: Yes, it is.
• 29:51
  Speaker 1: Then both of your lamps were lit?
• 29:53
  Speaker 3: Undoubtedly. We were both up.
• 29:55
  Speaker 1: That's very curious.
• 29:57
  Speaker 3: Very curious indeed.
• 29:58
  Speaker 1: What are you talking about? The fact that a burglar,
• 30:02
  Speaker 1: and a burglar who had some previous experience, should choose
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: to break into a house when he could see from
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: the lights that two of the family were still awake.
• 30:10
  Speaker 3: Your notion that the man robbed the house before William
• 30:13
  Speaker 3: tackled him is absurd. We should have found the place
• 30:16
  Speaker 3: disarranged and also found things missing.
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: It depends on what the things were. You must remember
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: that we're dealing with a very peculiar burglar.
• 30:23
  Speaker 3: who appears.
• 30:24
  Speaker 1: To work on lines of his own. For example, look
• 30:28
  Speaker 1: at the queer laugh he took from Acton. What was
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: it again? A ball of string, let her wait another
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: hour to end.
• 30:35
  Speaker 3: Thank you, Watson.
• 30:36
  Speaker 1: Well, crime isn't my field and we're quite in your hands.
• 30:38
  Speaker 3: but I hope anything you suggest will be done.
• 30:40
  Speaker 5: Excellent.
• 30:41
  Speaker 1: In the first place, I should like.
• 30:43
  Speaker 3: You to offer a reward... Whatever you say.
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: I've jotted down the form here, if you'd be kind
• 30:48
  Speaker 1: enough to sign it. I thought fifty pounds was quite enough.
• 30:52
  Speaker 3: My father and I would be willing to give five hundred.
• 30:54
  Speaker 5: Here's the form.
• 30:55
  Speaker 3: Oh, well, this isn't quite correct.
• 30:59
  Speaker 1: I wrote it rather hurriedly.
• 31:02
  Speaker 3: This reads, uh.
• 31:09
  Speaker 3: Well, it was at a quarter to twelve, as a
• 31:10
  Speaker 3: matter of fact.
• 31:11
  Speaker 5: Oh, my apologies. You're quite correct, of course.
• 31:13
  Speaker 3: I can't think how I happened to... Holmes, this just
• 31:16
  Speaker 3: goes to prove that you're still not yourself.
• 31:19
  Speaker 5: No matter.
• 31:21
  Speaker 3: I'll make the correction.
• 31:22
  Speaker 1: And, Mr.
• 31:23
  Speaker 3: Holmes, get it printed as soon as possible. You may
• 31:26
  Speaker 3: have mistaken the time, but.
• 31:27
  Speaker 1: The idea is an excellent one.
• 31:30
  Speaker 3: Here you are.
• 31:30
  Speaker 5: Thank you.
• 31:32
  Speaker 1: And now I think we should go over the house
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: together and make sure that this rather erratic burglar didn't
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: carry anything away with him. Let's start with the door here.
• 31:40
  Speaker 1: Marks indicate a chisel or a strong knife was used
• 31:47
  Speaker 1: to force the boat back in. You don't use.
• 31:50
  Speaker 5: Bars then, Cunningham?
• 31:51
  Speaker 3: We've never found it necessary. You do keep a dog, though? Yes,
• 31:54
  Speaker 3: but he's chained to the other side of the house.
• 31:56
  Speaker 1: When do the servants go to bed?
• 31:58
  Speaker 3: Usually about ten.
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: Was that also true of Williams? Yes. It's singular that
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: he should have been up on this particular night. And
• 32:09
  Speaker 1: so Holmes continued his methodical inspection of the architecture of
• 32:14
  Speaker 1: the house, and not without a good deal of grumbling
• 32:17
  Speaker 1: from young Alec Cunningham, who refused to yield when Holmes
• 32:21
  Speaker 1: wanted to go into his father's room. We were in
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: young Cunningham's dressing room, and he offered to let Holmes
• 32:28
  Speaker 1: examine his bedchamber.
• 32:30
  Speaker 3: Holmes accepted.
• 32:32
  Speaker 1: As we entered the room, a carafe of water and
• 32:35
  Speaker 1: a dish of oranges stood near the foot of the bed.
• 32:39
  Speaker 1: To my astonishment, as we passed, Holmes deliberately knocked the
• 32:44
  Speaker 1: whole thing over. Now you've done it, Watson. A pretty
• 32:49
  Speaker 1: mess you've made.
• 32:50
  Speaker 3: But, Holmes, I never.
• 32:52
  Speaker 1: Oh, well, I suppose I'll try to clean it up.
• 32:56
  Speaker 5: Here, I'll give you a hand.
• 32:58
  Speaker 3: Mind the gloves, Peter. Well, I hope you don't take
• 33:00
  Speaker 3: this the wrong way, Doctor, but in my opinion, your
• 33:02
  Speaker 3: friend Holmes is off his head. His behavior may be
• 33:05
  Speaker 3: due to his recent... Hello. Where is he off to now?
• 33:10
  Speaker 3: Where is he? I can't have him running around here.
• 33:12
  Speaker 1: Holmes!
• 33:14
  Speaker 3: Holmes, where are you?
• 33:15
  Speaker 1: Help! What the... Foster, help!
• 33:19
  Speaker 3: Oh, you don't let go there.
• 33:21
  Speaker 1: Oh, you would, would you? What's going on here?
• 33:25
  Speaker 3: Arrest these men, Inspector. Mr. Cunningham and his son?
• 33:28
  Speaker 1: They're the ones.
• 33:29
  Speaker 3: Well, on what charge?
• 33:30
  Speaker 1: Murdering their coachman, William Kerwin.
• 33:33
  Speaker 3: Oh, come now, Mr. Holmes. I'm sure you don't really mean.
• 33:36
  Speaker 1: Touch man, look at their faces. Well, I'm sorry, Mr.
• 33:39
  Speaker 3: Cunningham.
• 33:40
  Speaker 1: Our process will prove to be an absurd mistake. This
• 33:44
  Speaker 1: is what we really wanted. The remainder of the nose. Precisely.
• 33:49
  Speaker 1: Where did you find it? Well, I was sure it
• 33:51
  Speaker 1: must be. I'll explain everything to you presently. Watson, I'll
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: be back with the inspector at Colonel Hayter's in time
• 33:57
  Speaker 1: for lunch. And Holmes was as good as his word.
• 34:04
  Speaker 1: He and Inspector Forrester arrived just as the Colonel and
• 34:07
  Speaker 1: I were sitting down.
• 34:09
  Speaker 3: Ah, Mr.
• 34:10
  Speaker 1: Holmes, Dr. Watson has given me the news. I still
• 34:13
  Speaker 1: can't bring myself to believe it. The cunning hands. Are
• 34:17
  Speaker 1: you sure you're not barking up the wrong tree? Oh,
• 34:20
  Speaker 1: I'm afraid he's not, Colonel. Your thoughts were the same
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: as mine. But there's no question Mr. Holmes has gotten
• 34:26
  Speaker 1: the right end of the stick.
• 34:28
  Speaker 3: Well, to how he came to see it is beyond me.
• 34:31
  Speaker 1: Inspector, your handicap was in knowing these important people. You
• 34:35
  Speaker 1: recall that we both agreed immediately upon the importance of
• 34:38
  Speaker 1: the scrap of paper in the dead man's hands. Certainly,
• 34:41
  Speaker 1: but that in itself.
• 34:42
  Speaker 5: Excuse me, Inspector.
• 34:43
  Speaker 1: Alec Cunningham said that the assailant, after shooting Kerwin, fled instantly.
• 34:49
  Speaker 1: Did he not? Yes. Then it couldn't have been the
• 34:51
  Speaker 1: assailant who'd torn the paper from the dead man's hands.
• 34:54
  Speaker 1: And since young Cunningham said he'd melt by the dead man,
• 34:57
  Speaker 1: and then his father and servants had come upon the scene,
• 35:00
  Speaker 1: therefore the only one who could have snatched the paper
• 35:04
  Speaker 1: had to be Mr. Alec Cunningham. Ah, it's quite so clear, Mr.
• 35:08
  Speaker 3: Holmes.
• 35:09
  Speaker 1: Well, now it is, Colonel. Oh, but at the time...
• 35:11
  Speaker 1: We had another clue.
• 35:13
  Speaker 5: Remember, Inspector?
• 35:14
  Speaker 1: I called your attention to the condition of William Kerwin's clothes. Because,
• 35:18
  Speaker 1: according to Alec Cunningham's statement, he was shot at close range.
• 35:22
  Speaker 1: But there were no powder burns upon the clothing. It
• 35:25
  Speaker 1: was then that I found myself looking askance at the
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: part which had been played by Mr. Alec Cunningham.
• 35:29
  Speaker 3: But the motive, Holmes.
• 35:32
  Speaker 1: Why would the Cunninghams want to murder their coachman? Exactly, Watson.
• 35:36
  Speaker 1: The question cries out for an answer. I felt all
• 35:39
  Speaker 1: along that the answer would be found in the note
• 35:42
  Speaker 1: that was torn from the dead man's hand. But the
• 35:44
  Speaker 1: question remained, where was that note? Well, my question is,
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: what the devil was a coachman doing in the garden
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: at that time of night if he didn't see a burglar?
• 35:53
  Speaker 1: If you throw out the burglar theory, and I'd already
• 35:56
  Speaker 1: discarded that for reasons which I'll explain shortly, there remains
• 36:00
  Speaker 1: only one answer. He was there to meet someone. But Holmes,
• 36:05
  Speaker 1: I thought you were convinced this whole thing started with
• 36:08
  Speaker 1: the burglary at the Acton house. And so it did,
• 36:11
  Speaker 1: with the thieves taking a collection of useless objects, which
• 36:14
  Speaker 1: leads to the inescapable conclusion that the robbers didn't find
• 36:17
  Speaker 1: what they were looking for and just took the first
• 36:20
  Speaker 1: things that came to hand to make it appear to
• 36:22
  Speaker 1: be a robbery. I fail to see the connection. Now
• 36:26
  Speaker 1: is the time to refer to the corner of paper
• 36:28
  Speaker 1: the inspector submitted to me. As I told you, Watson,
• 36:31
  Speaker 1: it seemed to be part of a most remarkable document.
• 36:34
  Speaker 3: You said it was written by.
• 36:36
  Speaker 1: Two people writing alternate words. Wasn't that drawing a rather
• 36:40
  Speaker 1: long bow, Mr.
• 36:41
  Speaker 6: Hound?
• 36:42
  Speaker 1: Not at all, Inspector. Let me draw your attention to
• 36:44
  Speaker 1: the strong T's of at and to, and ask you
• 36:48
  Speaker 1: to compare them with the weak ones of quarter and twelve,
• 36:53
  Speaker 1: and you'll instantly recognize the facts.
• 36:55
  Speaker 3: Well, now that you point it out, it seems very clear.
• 36:59
  Speaker 1: But there's much more. You may not be aware that
• 37:02
  Speaker 1: the deduction of a man's age from his writing is
• 37:04
  Speaker 1: one which has been brought to considerable accuracy by handwriting experts.
• 37:08
  Speaker 1: It was simple to deduce that the writers of this
• 37:10
  Speaker 1: note were a young man and a much older one.
• 37:14
  Speaker 1: And there's a further and much softer point. The handwriting
• 37:18
  Speaker 1: belongs to men who are blood relatives.
• 37:20
  Speaker 5: How come, Mr.
• 37:21
  Speaker 1: Holmes, this almost smacks of witchcraft? So that put you
• 37:24
  Speaker 1: squarely on the trail.
• 37:26
  Speaker 3: Of the Cunninghams.
• 37:27
  Speaker 1: And the note... I was almost certain that young Alec
• 37:30
  Speaker 1: had torn it out of a dead man's hand and
• 37:32
  Speaker 1: thrust it into the pocket of his dressing gown.
• 37:34
  Speaker 3: Why, the dressing gown, Holmes. Time, Watson, time.
• 37:38
  Speaker 1: Where else could he put it?
• 37:39
  Speaker 3: Well, at that moment, I'll agree. But why would he
• 37:43
  Speaker 3: not have destroyed it later?
• 37:45
  Speaker 1: He would have, if he had known of its importance.
• 37:48
  Speaker 1: And you, Watson, were about to inform him of that
• 37:51
  Speaker 1: fact when, by the luckiest chance in the world, I
• 37:54
  Speaker 1: tumbled down in a sort of fit and so changed
• 37:58
  Speaker 1: the conversation.
• 37:59
  Speaker 3: Holmes!
• 38:00
  Speaker 1: You mean to say that that faint of yours was
• 38:02
  Speaker 1: an imposture? Then when I recovered, I managed to get
• 38:06
  Speaker 1: young Alec to write the word twelve, so that I
• 38:09
  Speaker 1: might compare it with the twelve in the paper. I
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: swear I'll never waste sympathy upon you again, Holmes. It
• 38:15
  Speaker 1: was necessary, Watson, just as it was for me to
• 38:18
  Speaker 1: blame you for upsetting the table, so that I could
• 38:21
  Speaker 1: get to the dressing gown and find the paper there. Well,
• 38:24
  Speaker 1: that's all very well, but confound it, I still don't
• 38:27
  Speaker 1: know why the Cunninghams killed the coachman. Colonel... The old
• 38:31
  Speaker 1: man cracked and told us the whole story when he
• 38:33
  Speaker 1: saw how strong a case we had against him. It
• 38:36
  Speaker 1: was pretty much as I had deduced. He and his son, Alec,
• 38:39
  Speaker 1: had robbed the Acton house looking for a legal document
• 38:43
  Speaker 1: that would have helped in their lawsuit against Acton. When
• 38:46
  Speaker 1: they failed to find it, they tried to make it
• 38:48
  Speaker 1: appear like.
• 38:49
  Speaker 5: An ordinary robbery.
• 38:50
  Speaker 1: Even where does William Kerwin get... He witnessed the robbery
• 38:53
  Speaker 1: and he attempted blackmail. Ah. The Cunninghams think he slipped
• 38:57
  Speaker 1: out and followed them the night of the robbery. But
• 38:59
  Speaker 1: I think otherwise.
• 39:00
  Speaker 3: You have some reason for that, Holmes?
• 39:03
  Speaker 1: The note. Here's the whole text. If you will come
• 39:07
  Speaker 1: around to the East Gate, you will be very much
• 39:10
  Speaker 1: surprised and learn something of the greatest value to you
• 39:14
  Speaker 1: and Annie Harrison. Say nothing to anyone. You think Annie
• 39:19
  Speaker 1: was in on it? Well, let's say that it's entirely
• 39:22
  Speaker 1: possible that she and William Kirwan were out walking the
• 39:25
  Speaker 1: night of the robbery... And after seeing what went on,
• 39:27
  Speaker 1: it's also possible that Annie... may have suggested the whole
• 39:31
  Speaker 1: plot to William.
• 39:33
  Speaker 5: However, that's no longer important.
• 39:35
  Speaker 1: And Watson and I want to thank you for the
• 39:37
  Speaker 1: distinct success of our quiet rest in the country.
• 39:41
  Speaker 2: Thank you.
• 39:48
  Speaker 1: All of us feel that we know Sherlock Holmes and Dr.
• 39:50
  Speaker 1: Watson intimately. A tribute to the literary magic of Sir
• 39:55
  Speaker 1: Arthur Common Doyle. Yet Doyle left out so many questions
• 39:59
  Speaker 1: in the private lives of his two immortals unanswered. For example,
• 40:04
  Speaker 1: did you know that Watson married a second time? He did,
• 40:08
  Speaker 1: according to a later Holmesian story. But no one knows
• 40:11
  Speaker 1: her name. Simply because Dr. Watson never mentioned it. Well,
• 40:16
  Speaker 1: perhaps therein lies the charm. I'll be back shortly. One
• 40:36
  Speaker 1: reason for the enduring popularity of the Sherlock Holmes tales
• 40:40
  Speaker 1: may lie in the life of Conan Doyle himself. He
• 40:43
  Speaker 1: was not only a writer, but also a doctor, athlete, dramatist, historian,
• 40:48
  Speaker 1: war correspondent, and spiritualist. But most of all, he was
• 40:53
  Speaker 1: always the helper of the underdog.
• 40:56
  Speaker 4: And that may be his biggest asset.
• 40:59
  Speaker 1: Our cast included Gordon Gould, William Griffiths, Ray Owens, and
• 41:03
  Speaker 1: Lloyd Batista. The entire production was under the direction of
• 41:07
  Speaker 1: Hyman Browne. And now, a preview of our next.
• 41:15
  Speaker 2: Tale.
• 41:15
  Speaker 3: All right, all right.
• 41:16
  Speaker 1: Come on now, settle down, fella. I know you're not
• 41:19
  Speaker 1: too fond of being bathed, so why don't you take
• 41:22
  Speaker 1: a couple of minutes off? Come on, Skeeter, what's this
• 41:24
  Speaker 1: plan of yours? Well, the first thing I have to
• 41:27
  Speaker 1: do is get on the phone to these friends of
• 41:29
  Speaker 1: mine who do the... They're racing out in Western Tennessee.
• 41:32
  Speaker 1: What are they going to tell you? If they happen
• 41:35
  Speaker 1: to have any bay geldings about 16 hands high racing
• 41:39
  Speaker 1: up there... Skeeter... I hope you're not thinking what I
• 41:42
  Speaker 1: think you're thinking. And what might that be? You're looking
• 41:46
  Speaker 1: for a ringer. Ted, we find a horse that can
• 41:50
  Speaker 1: pass a proud chief's twin. Except for the fact that
• 41:53
  Speaker 1: this son of a proud chief can run fast enough
• 41:55
  Speaker 1: to win races. We'll be setting ourselves up for some
• 41:58
  Speaker 1: tidy profits. Peter, you've got to be crazy even to
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: think of trying to pull such a stunt. Radio Mystery
• 42:05
  Speaker 1: Theater was sponsored in part by White Westinghouse Appliance Company.
• 42:09
  Speaker 1: This is Tammy Grimes, inviting you to return to our
• 42:12
  Speaker 1: mystery theater for another adventure in the park. Until next time,
• 42:18
  Speaker 1: keep watching.
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  Speaker 6: Save on your favourite brands this week at Dunn Stores.
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