The Valley of Fear-Conan Doyle
The Valley of Fear-Conan Doyle
The Valley of Fear-Conan Doyle
net
PART ONE
CHAPTER ONE
A Warning
A letter arrived for Sherlock Holmes. We were sitting in
our rooms at 221b Baker Street.
'It's Porlock's writing,' he said. 'It must be very important.'
'Who is Porlock?' I asked.
'Porlock is just a name: it's not his real one. He is a man
who is in touch with the great criminal mastermind, Professor
Moriarty. You've heard me talk about him?'
'Yes, he's famous among criminals but unknown to the
public.'
That's right. He's the "brain" that controls all crime; we'll
catch him one day, Watson.'
'Anyway, what about this letter and Porlock?'
'He works for Professor Moriarty. He has sent me
information twice before which has helped to prevent crimes.'
Holmes opened the letter and read it. The message said
that a man called Douglas at Birlstone Manor House was in
great danger.
There was a knock at the door and Inspector MacDonald
of Scotland Yard walked in. Holmes looked pleased to see him.
'You're out early,' he said.
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were in the house at the time of the murder were Ames the
butler and Mrs Allen the housekeeper.
It was at eleven forty-five at night on 6th January that
Cecil Barker told Sergeant Wilson at the local police station
that someone had murdered Mr John Douglas.
When he reached the house, Sergeant Wilson found the
drawbridge down and everyone was confused and alarmed.
Only Cecil Barker seemed calm and in control.
The dead man was in the center of the room, lying on his
back. The shotgun was lying on his chest; the end of the gun
was sawn off. The murderer had fired the gun very close to his
victim and the shot had almost blown his head to pieces. The
doctor was called but he knew there was nothing he could do.
The country policeman was not used to such serious
crime.
'We won't touch anything until the officers from London
arrive,' he said.
'I haven't touched anything,' said Cecil Barker. 'This is
exactly as I found it. It was just after half past eleven and I was
sitting in my bedroom when I heard the shot. It wasn't very
loud. I rushed down.'
'Was the door open?'
'Yes, it was open. Douglas was lying just as you see him
now. There was a candle burning on the table. I lit the lamp.'
'Did you see anyone?'
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CHAPTER TWO
Murder at Birlstone
'What time was the bridge raised?' asked the policeman.
'It was six o'clock,' said Ames the butler. 'Mrs Douglas
had visitors so I raised it after they left.'
'So if anyone came in from outside - if they did - then
they came into the house before six and hid there until Mr
Douglas came into the room at about eleven o'clock.'
'That's right. Mr Douglas always checked all the lights in
the house before he went to bed. He came in here, where the
man was waiting to shoot him. Then the murderer got away
through the window and left the gun behind. That's what I
think.'
The policeman picked up a card which was lying on the
floor beside the dead man. The initials V.V. and the number 341
were written on the card.
'What's this?' asked the policeman.
Barker looked at it.
'I didn't notice it before. The murderer probably left it
behind.'
'V.V. 341. What does it mean? Somebody's initials,
maybe.'
The policeman walked slowly around the room. He pulled
back a window curtain. 'Look at this!' he said excitedly.
'Someone was hiding here, look at these muddy footprints.'
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'No, sir.'
'Then go home. You're tired. The butler can wait outside.
Tell Cecil Barker and Mrs Douglas we want to talk to them in a
short while. Now, I'll tell you what I think so far. I think it's
murder. The question is, was it done by someone from outside
or inside the house? It doesn't seem likely that it was someone
inside the house: they did it at a time when the house was quiet
but no one was asleep, and used the noisiest weapon possible,
which hasn't been seen inside the house before. So we come
back to the theory that it was done by someone from the
outside.'
Holmes nodded in agreement.
'So, the man gets into the house sometime between four
thirty and six. He hid behind the curtain until about eleven,
when Douglas entered the room. If the two men spoke, then it
was not for long. Mrs Douglas said her husband had left her
only a few minutes before she heard the shot.'
'The candle shows that. It's a new candle but it has only
burnt down a little,' said Holmes.
'Exactly. That means he put it on the table before he was
attacked. This shows he wasn't attacked as soon as he entered
the room. When Barker arrived, the candle was lit and the lamp
was out.'
'That all seems clear,' said Holmes.
'So Douglas enters the room. He puts down the candle. A
man appears from behind the curtain with a gun. He asks for
the wedding ring - we don't know why but it seems so. Mr
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CHAPTER THREE
The People of the Drama
The bicycle was hidden behind some bushes.
'Well, it's something,' said Mason. 'But why has the man
left it behind? How did he get away without it? We are no
closer to solving this mystery, Holmes.'
'Aren't we?' answered Holmes thoughtfully.
We moved to the dining room to hear evidence from the
people who were in the house at the time of the murder. Ames
the butler told us what he had heard and seen. He had not heard
the shot because he was at the back of the house in the kitchen.
He heard the ringing of the bell which called for the servants of
the house. He and the housekeeper went to the front of the
house together. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, Mrs
Douglas was coming down. She was not hurrying and she did
not seem agitated. Then Mr Barker came rushing out of the
study telling Mrs Douglas to go back.
'Go back to your room! John is dead! There is nothing
you can do! Please go back to your room!'
Mrs Douglas did as he said. She did not scream. The
housekeeper went with her. Barker and the butler went into the
study, where they found everything just as the police had seen
it. The candle was not lit at that time but the lamp was. They
looked out of the window but it was very dark and they had
seen and heard nothing. The housekeeper said that Mrs
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CHAPTER FOUR
The Missing Dumbbell
Holmes called the butler in.
'Can you remember, Ames, what Mr Barker was wearing
on his feet when you joined him in the study?'
'Yes, Mr Holmes. He had a pair of bedroom slippers on. I
brought him his boots when he went for the police.'
'Where are the slippers now?'
'They are still under a chair in the hall.'
'Good. It's important to know which footprints belong to
Mr Barker and which come from outside.'
'Yes, sir. I noticed that the slippers were marked with
blood, sir. So were mine.'
'Thank you, Ames.'
We returned to the study. Holmes brought the slippers
with him from the hall. The slippers were dark with blood.
'Strange!' said Holmes. He was examining the slippers by
the light of the window. 'Very strange indeed!'
He placed the slipper on the blood stain under the
window. It matched exactly. Holmes looked at the others.
MacDonald looked excited. 'Barker made the mark under
the window himself! What's going on Holmes? What does it
mean?'
'That's the question,' said Holmes. 'What does it mean?'
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about half an hour before Barker called them. I think that this
was the gunshot and the real time of the murder. If I'm correct,
what were Mr Barker and Mrs Douglas doing, if they aren't the
actual murderers, from a quarter to eleven when they heard the
shot, to a quarter past eleven when they rang the bell for the
servants?'
'I'm sure there is something going on between those two,'
I agreed. 'Do you think that they are guilty of the murder?' I
asked.
'I think that Mr Barker and Mrs Douglas know the truth
about this murder. I'm not sure that they are the murderers
themselves. I think that an evening alone in the study will help
a lot. Can I borrow your umbrella please, Watson?'
I was confused, but I gave him my umbrella anyway.
Later that evening, Inspector MacDonald and Mr Mason
returned. They had found out more about the owner of the
bicycle: he was an American who was staying at a hotel in the
nearby town of Tunbridge Wells. According to the people at the
hotel he was a tall, handsome man of about fifty. He was
dressed in a grey suit and a short yellow coat and cap.
'He sounds very similar to Mr Douglas,' remarked
Holmes.
Holmes told the detectives about his theories and what he
intended to do that evening. The detectives asked if they could
help.
'No, no,' said Holmes. 'All I need is darkness and
Watson's umbrella.'
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CHAPTER FIVE
The Mystery is Solved
The next morning, the detectives were trying to find the
owner of the bicycle.
'Any luck?' asked Holmes.
'Well, so far, we have reports of a man in a yellow coat in
Leicester, Nottingham, Southampton and Liverpool. The
country seems to be full of people in yellow coats,' replied
MacDonald. 'What about you? Did you find out anything last
night?'
'I can't really tell you at the moment. However, I have
found out that Charles I was once hidden in this house for
several days during the Civil War,' said Holmes.
'I don't see what that has to do with this case,' said Mason.
'Well, I want to give you both some advice. I can't tell you
everything that I know yet, but my advice to you is to abandon
the case for today. Meet me here this evening and things will
become clear.'
The detectives were not very happy about this but
eventually agreed.
'One more thing, I want you to write a letter to Mr Barker.
Write this down. "Dear Sir, we have decided to drain the moat
in the hope that we may find some-"'
MacDonald interrupted. 'It's impossible. We've already
made inquiries.'
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PART TWO
CHAPTER ONE
Vermissa
It was 4th February, 1875. It was evening and the train
was travelling to Vermissa, U.S.A., the small town at the top of
the valley. The train was full of miners, who had been working
all day. In the first carriage there were also two policemen and
one other young man sitting alone.
He was about thirty years old, with brown hair and grey
eyes. He stared out of the window into the darkness. At one
point, he took a large gun from his pocket. It was loaded. He
checked it quickly then replaced it, but a miner sitting near him
had noticed it.
'Oh!' he said. 'You seem ready for action.'
The young man smiled. 'Yes,' he said, 'we need them
sometimes where I come from.'
'And where's that?' asked the miner.
'Chicago,' answered the young man.
'You might find that you need it here too.'
'Is that right?' asked the young man, surprised. 'I'm
looking for work here.'
'Do you have friends here?'
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'No', but I can make them,' answered the young man. 'I
belong to the Ancient Order of Freemen. There's no town
without a lodge so I'll find my friends there.'
The other man's manner changed. He got up, came over
to sit next to the young man and held out his hand. The two
men shook hands in a special way.
'I see you're telling the truth,' said the miner. Then he
raised his right hand to his right eyebrow. The young traveller
raised his left hand to his left eyebrow.
'Dark nights are unpleasant,' said the miner.
'Yes, for strangers to travel,' answered the young man.
'That's good enough for me. I'm Brother Scanlan, Lodge
341, Vermissa Valley. Welcome.'
'Thank you. I'm Brother Jack McMurdo, Lodge 29,
Chicago, Master, J. H. Scott. I'm lucky to meet a brother so
early.'
'But why did you leave Chicago?' asked the miner.
McMurdo nodded towards the policemen.
'They'd be very interested to know,' he said. 'But I don't
really want to talk about it. I've my own good reason for
leaving Chicago.'
'Okay. Where are you going tonight?'
'To Vermissa.'
'That's the third stop. Where are you staying?'
'With Jacob Shafter, Sheridan Street.'
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'Well, I'm getting off at the next stop. But I'll give you
some advice. If you're in trouble in Vermissa, go and see
Master McGinty. Maybe we'll meet at the lodge one evening.'
The train stopped and the miner got off.
The train moved off.
'You're new around here then?' one of the policemen
asked McMurdo.
'What if I am?' he answered rudely.
'Just be careful who you choose to be your friends. I
wouldn't start with Mike Scanlan and his gang if I were you.'
'What business is it of yours who my friends are?' shouted
McMurdo. Everyone looked round at him. 'Did I ask for your
advice?' The two policemen were shocked.
'No offence, stranger. It was a warning, seeing that you're
new here.'
'I'm new here but I'm not new to you and your kind,'
shouted McMurdo. 'You're all the same, giving your advice
when nobody asks for it!'
'Well. We'll probably be seeing more of you by the sound
of it,' said one of the policemen. 'You're a troublemaker if ever
I saw one!' 'I'm not afraid of you!' cried McMurdo. 'My name's
Jack McMurdo and if you want me, I'm staying at Jacob
Shafter's at Sheridan Street, Vermissa, so I'm not hiding from
you, am I?'
A few minutes later the train stopped at Vermissa station
and McMurdo and many of the other workers got off the train.
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CHAPTER TWO
Meeting Boss McGinty
One evening, Mike Scanlan came to see McMurdo.
'McMurdo, why haven't you been to introduce yourself to
Master McGinty?' he asked.
'I had to find a job,' replied McMurdo. 'I'm working as a
bookkeeper now.'
Scanlan seemed worried.
'But you have to see Boss McGinty,' he said. 'The lodge
isn't the same here as it is in Chicago. Go tonight.'
But someone else wanted to talk to McMurdo that
evening Mr Shafter called McMurdo into his room and asked
him about his feelings for Ettie, his daughter.
'It's no good, McMurdo,' said the old man. 'Someone has
got there before you.'
'Yes, Ettie told me so, but she won't tell me his name. So
who is it?' said McMurdo.
'It's one of the Scowrers,' said Shafter. 'His name is Teddy
Baldwin.'
'Who are these Scowrers? Why are you all so afraid of
them?'
'The Scowrers are the Ancient Order of Freemen,' replied
the old man.
'But I belong to that order myself,' said McMurdo.
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'So can you still make these fake dollars?' asked McGinty.
McMurdo gave him a handful of notes. 'Well, these aren't real,'
he said. At this moment, Ted Baldwin walked in.
'So, you got here first, McMurdo,' he said angrily.
Boss McGinty wanted to know what the problem was.
McMurdo told him about Ettie.
'She's free to choose for herself,' he finished.
'Between two brothers of the lodge, she certainly is,'
agreed McGinty.
'And that's your answer?' shouted Ted Baldwin. 'You've
known me for years and now you take the side of this
newcomer?'
McGinty jumped on him like a tiger. He grabbed his neck
and threw him across the room.
'While I'm the Master of this lodge, you had better accept
my rules,' he shouted.
Ted Baldwin nodded.
'So we're all friends, right?' said McGinty. 'And there's an
end to the matter.'
Ted Baldwin was back on his feet. He nodded again but
he did not look happy.
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CHAPTER THREE
Lodge 341, Vermissa
The next day, McMurdo moved from Jacob Shafter's and
went to stay with Mrs MacNamara, who was a widow. Scanlan
now also worked in Vermissa and so he stayed at the same
house. McMurdo was still allowed to go for meals with the
Shafters, so his relationship with Ettie continued to develop.
One Saturday night, McMurdo was made a full brother of
the lodge in Vermissa. He was warned that something might
happen to him but he did not know what it was. Many men had
gathered for the ceremony. McMurdo was tied up and
blindfolded. Then they took off his coat and rolled up the
sleeve on his right arm.
It was very dark and McMurdo could hear the voices of
the men around him. Then he heard Boss McGinty's voice.
'Jack McMurdo, are you a member of the Ancient Order
of Freemen?' McMurdo nodded.
'Are you from Lodge No. 29, Chicago?' Again McMurdo
nodded.
'Are you ready to be tested?' asked McGinty.
'I am,' replied McMurdo.
'Very well.'
McMurdo wanted to cry out because of the terrible pain
in his arm. He felt faint but he bit his lip and he did not cry out.
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'I can take more than that,' he said. There was loud
applause. 'I welcome you to Lodge 341, Vermissa. Let's drink
to our new brother!' said McGinty.
McMurdo took off his blindfold and examined his arm.
There was a circle with a triangle in it, burnt deep and red onto
his arm.
'So, now to business,' said McGinty. 'How is our bank
balance?'
And so McMurdo learnt of the way this community
worked. Small companies gave money to the Order so that they
were protected. If they did not give money, machinery went
wrong, buildings burnt down and men were murdered. Nothing
could be proved against the Order as most of the policemen
were paid by the society and the others were too scared to do
anything. Nobody wanted to give evidence against the Order.
But towards the end of the meeting, another man spoke.
Brother Morris told them of how one large company had forced
- all the smaller companies out of the valley and bought their
businesses.
'I don't see that it matters to us who has bought the
businesses, Brother Morris,' said Boss McGinty.
But Brother Morris continued. 'With respect, sir, I think it
will matter very much to us in the future. If big companies like
the Railroad or General Iron own large parts of this valley, and
their bosses are in New York or Philadelphia, they won't care
about our threats. The small men can't harm us. They haven't
the money or the power. But if these big companies find that
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we are stopping their profits, they won't stop until they have
brought us to justice.'
But McGinty took no notice of Brother Morris.
'I expect the big companies will find it easier to pay than
to fight, the same as the small companies,' he said. 'And now,
let's drink.'
There was one last piece of business to be sorted out that
night. The editor of the local newspaper, the Herald, had
recently printed an article criticizing the lodge. His name was
James Stanger. The headline was 'Reign of Terror in the Coal
and Iron District'. McGinty read the article to the men, who
were by now drunk and restless.
'That's what he says about us. Now what shall we say to
him?' he shouted.
'Kill him!' shouted back many voices.
'No, we must be careful. But he must get a severe
warning,' ordered McGinty. 'Who will go this evening?'
Ted Baldwin volunteered, with five or six other men.
'Take our new brother with you,' added McGinty. Baldwin
did not look pleased. 'You can come if you want,' he said to
McMurdo.
It was a very cold night. The men walked through the
town and stopped outside a high building.
'You stay down here, McMurdo. Watch the door,' said
Baldwin. 'You others come with me.'
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CHAPTER FOUR
The Valley of Fear
When McMurdo woke up the next morning, his head
ached and his arm was very painful from the mark. Because he
had his own illegal way of making money, he did not always go
to work and this morning was one of those times. He sat and
read the paper. There was an article about last night's events.
'Editor Seriously Injured at the Herald Office' was the headline.
McMurdo put down the newspaper. The landlady bought him a
note. It read 'I want to speak to you. Meet me on Miller Hill. I
have something important to tell you.' The note was not signed.
McMurdo was surprised but decided to go.
When he got to the hill, Brother Morris was waiting for
him.
'I wanted to ask you something. But please don't tell Boss
McGinty. When you joined the Freemen's Society did you
think that it would lead you to a life of crime?' he asked.
'If you call it crime,' said McMurdo. 'Some call it war.'
'Of course it's crime,' cried Morris. 'When I arrived here, I
wanted to do the best for myself and my family. But then I was
forced to join the lodge and ordered to carry out a murder. I
went but I couldn't do it. But it made me a criminal. I was a
good Catholic but now the priest will no longer speak to me. I
see you going the same way. Can't we do anything to stop it?'
'What are you going to do?' asked McMurdo. 'I think
you're making too much of this.'
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CHAPTER FIVE
Birdy Edwards's Trap
Later that evening, McMurdo went to the lodge. As it was
Saturday, the brothers were already there. Jack went to his seat.
'Master,' he said. 'I have urgent news.'
McMurdo told them what he knew and what he planned
to do about it.
'There's only one answer,' said McMurdo.
'Birdy Edwards must never leave the valley,' said
Baldwin. 'Exactly,' agreed McMurdo. 'Here's what we'll do.'
He told them his plan. Birdy Edwards was pretending to
be a journalist called Steve Wilson. He had spoken to
McMurdo, offering him money for information on the
Scowrers. McMurdo had told him some stories that he had
made up and Wilson gave him twenty dollars. Wilson offered
him more money for more information. McMurdo arranged for
Wilson to come to his house so that he could tell him all the
secrets of the lodge in exchange for more money. Wilson was
to come to Mrs MacNamara's house at ten o'clock. The house
was isolated and Mrs MacNamara did not hear very well.
Seven of the other Freemen were to come to the house at nine
o'clock, ready for Mr Wilson.
'Once we get the door shut behind him, that'll be the end
of Birdy Edwards,' said McMurdo.
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when he came out, he spent all his time looking for Birdy
Edwards. Birdy Edwards changed his name again and moved
to California and it was there that Ettie Edwards died. He took
the name John Douglas and was nearly killed when he was
working in the mining industry with an English partner named
Barker. A warning came just in time and Douglas left for
England, where he married for the second time. And so we
return to Sussex, and the fate of John Douglas.
At the trial, John Douglas was freed for having acted in
self-defense. But Holmes's advice was to leave England.
Two months had gone by and we had nearly forgotten
about the case. But then, one night, a message arrived for
Holmes. All it said was 'Dear me, Mr Holmes! Dear me!' It was
from Moriarty.
Holmes looked very serious. Later that night, Cecil
Barker came to visit us.
'I have very bad news, Mr Holmes,' he said.
'I thought so,' said Holmes.
'It's poor Douglas. They tell me his real name is Edwards,
but he'll always be Douglas to me. I told you that they left for
South Africa three weeks ago?'
Holmes nodded.
'I received this message from Mrs Douglas last night:
"John has been lost overboard. No one knows how the accident
occurred. Ivy Douglas".'
'It was no accident,' said Holmes.
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- THE END -
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