Re: Where is Mr. Holmes, we need a good detective
Dr. Watson you posed the following question:
<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>My colleague Mr. Sherlock Holmes, however, remains in Frederick's debt. Mr. Delius' experience as a Florida orchardsman, disastrous though it may have proved as a business venture, gave insight into the workings of a certain sinister American organization in the matter of The Five Orange Pips.
If I may venture into your entertaining "quadrivia" game, I pose: What organization am I referring to, and what happened to Mr. Holmes' client, who appealed to Mr. Holmes for protection?[/quote]
The sinister American organization is the KKK (Klu Klux Klan) and John Openshaw was murdered by agents of the KKK because John Openshaw’s grandfather, father and John himself did not follow directions sent to them from the KKK agents.
John Openshaw was referred to Mr. Holmes, after contacting the police who did not take his story seriously, by Major Prendergast who was a client of Holmes in a previous case.
After Holmes heard Openshaw’s story he made several deductions:
1. That Openshaw’s life was very real and imminent danger.
2. That Openshaw must follow the directions in the letter;
“You must put this piece of paper which you have shown us into the brass box which you have described. You must also put in a note to say that all the other papers were burned by your uncle, and that this is the only one which remains. You must assert that in such words as will carry conviction with them. Having done this, you must at once put the box out upon the sundial, as directed”
3. That because it was not yet nine, the streets would be crowded and he might be in safety. Openshaw told Holmes that he carried a weapon.
4. Holmes told Openshaw, "Do not think of revenge, or anything of the sort, at present. I think that we may gain that by means of the law; but we have our web to weave, while theirs is already woven. The first consideration is to remove the pressing danger which threatens you. The second is to clear up the mystery and to punish the guilty parties." Holmes also told Openshaw that he would contact him in two days.
The meeting was never to be because according to the morning’s newspaper Openshaw’s body was found in the Thames near Waterloo Bridge and the police determined he was the victim of an unfortunate accident. (Unfortunate accidents were also determined to be the cause of his grandfather’s and father’s death.)
Holmes deduced that Openshaw’s grandfather, after serving in the southern military and had taken a strong part in opposing the carpet-bag politicians who had been sent down from the North, had some very strong reason for leaving America. Men at his time of life do not change all their habits and exchange willingly the charming climate of Florida for the lonely life of an English provincial town. His extreme love of solitude in England suggests the idea that he was in fear of someone or something, so we may assume as a working hypothesis that it was fear of someone or something which drove him from America. As to what it was he feared, we can only deduce that by considering the formidable letters which were received by himself and his successors.
Holmes also deduced from the dates on the letters to the three Openshaws that the letters were sent by the man or men on a sailing-ship and that they always sent their singular warning or tokens before them when starting upon their mission.
Holmes spent an entire day over Lloyd's registers and files of the old papers following the future career of every vessel which touched at the ports from which the letters containing the orange pips were sent. He deduced that it must be an American and that the vessel Lone Star, instantly attracted his attention, since the name is that which is given to one of the states of the Union.
The ship had cleared London en route to Savannah and Holmes thinking to extract some retribution for the Openshaws, cabled the police of Savannah that the three American crew members were want in England upon a charge of murder.
From Dr. Watson’s journal:
“There is ever a flaw, however, in the best laid of human plans, and the murderers of John Openshaw were never to receive the orange pips which would show them that another, as cunning and as resolute as themselves, was upon their track. Very long and very severe were the equinoctial gales that year. We waited long for news of the Lone Star of Savannah, but none ever reached us. We did at last hear that somewhere far out in the Atlantic a shattered stern-post of the boat was seen swinging in the trough of a wave, with the letters "L. S." carved upon it, and that is all which we shall ever know of the fate of the Lone Star.”
There is the answer to your questions. if anyone wants to read the short story, here's a link to a great site. Just scroll down to "The Five Orange Pips".
221bakerstreet.org/
4dk, who is now in the midst of re-reading some of these wonderful stories. Thank you Dr. Watson for the interesting question.
range;font-size:small;">Folks, please answer this trivia for a virtual basket of FLORIDA SWEET oranges </span>