THE SOCIETY OF RES-HEADED MEN

Conam Doyle



PART I



I called upon my friend Mr. Sherlock Holmes, the famous detective, one day last autumn and found him in conversation with a fat, middle-aged gentlemam with bright red hair.

“Pardon me, Holmes,” I said, “I didn’t know-

“Come in, Watson,” said Holmes, pulling up a chair for me. “You could not have come at a better time.”

“But perhaphs you are busy.”

“It doesn’t matter,” said Holmes. Then turning to the fat gentleman, he added, “Mr. Wilson, this man has been my companion and assistant in many of my most successful cases, and I have no doubt that he can help me in your case also.”

The fat man rose from his chair and looked me over carefully.

“Do you mind starting your story again from the very beginning, Mr. Wilson,” Holmes said, “I want Mr. Watson to hear all of the details, because it seems to me quite a singular case, unlike any other case in my experience. At present I cannot say whether there is nay clear evidence of crime or not.”

The fat gentleman pulled an old newspaper from his pocket and while he looked carefully down a column of advertisements, I took the opportunity to observe the man. I did not learn much from my inspection, however, because he looked like any other normal, middle-class Englishman. The only thing unsual about him was his bright red hair. Holmes, on the other hand, with his great powers of observation, was no doubt already able to give the whole history and background of the man just from looking at his clothes, his manners, and the numerous details of his general appeance.

“Here is the advertisement,” said Mr. Wilson at lat. “The whole thing began with this advertisement. You can read it by yourself, sir,”

I took the paper from him and read as follows: to the society of red-headed men: There is now and another position open in the society of red-headed men. The society was founded some years ago with money left by Mr. E .Hopkins of Pennsylvania, U. S. A. the salary is four pounds a week for very little work. Any red-headed man over twenty-one may apply for the position. Ask for Duncan Ross at the offices of the society of red-headed men, 7 Fleet Street, Monday morning at eleven o’clock.

“What does it mean?” I said after had read it twice, trying to figure it out.

Holmes smiled and seemed to be in good spirits as was his custom when beginning a new and interesting case. “It is quite unsual, isn’t it?” he said. “And now, Mr. Wilsin, tell us something about your personal life and about the effect which this advertisement had upon your fortunes. You will note the date of the newspaper, Watson. This advertisement appeared exactly two months ago.”



PART II





“Well, as I was telling you before,” Mr. Wilson said, “I have a small business in which I lend money to people on jewels, clothing, and other personal things. My shop is located on Coburg Square, and I myself live in a few rooms in the same house-behind my shop. Recently, business has not been very good, and it had been difficult for me even to make my living. I used to have two clerks, but now I have only one, and he fortunately works for about half-pay. If I had to pay him more, I would not be abole to keep him.”

“What is the name of this young man who so kindly works for half pay?” asked Holmes.

“His name is Vincent Spaulding, and he is not so very young. I don’t really know his age. But he is very capable and works very well. I often wonder why he doesn’t leave me for a better position somewhere else.”

“Yes, it is unsual,” said Holmes. “Perhaphs it is as unsual as your advertisement.”

“Oh, he has his faults,” said Wilson. “For example, he is very much interested in photography and spends very much time taking photographs. Then he always has to run down to the cellar and to spend much time there developing his pictures.”

“He is still with you, I suppose,” said Holmes.

“Oh, yes,” said Wilson. “And incidently, it was he who first broght this advertisement to my attention. He came to the store one day with this very paper in his hand, saying:

“I certainly wich, Mr. Wilson, that I were a red-headed man.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because here’s another opening in the society of red-headed men. It’s worth quite a lot of money to any man who can get it. They say that the salary is very good and that there is very little work conneted with it. I surely wish that my hair would change color.”

“What kind of work is it?” I asked. “You see, Mr. Holmes, I don’t know much about what goes in in the world. I don’t read the newspapers much and I usually stay at home every night.”

“Haven’t you ever heard of that society of red-headed men?” Sapaulding asked with his eyes open.

“Never.”

“That’s strange because you yourself are red headed and perhaphs could obtain one of the positions.”

“And what they are worth? “ I asked.

“Oh, only a couple of hundred pounds a year, but the work is light and a person can often do it and continue with his regular work at the same time.”

“Tell me all about it,” I said because naturally I was interested in the possibility of getting that extra money.”

“Well,” said he, “you can see for yourself. That society has a position open now, and there is the address with all the information. As I understand it, the society was founded by an American millionaire, Mr. E. Hopkins, who was very strange in his manners. He himself was red headed, and he had a great sympathy for all red headed men. When he died he left an anormous fortune with instructions to form the society and give opportunities to red headed men. It is walways easy work and very good pay.”



PART III





“But,” said I, “there are millions of red headed men who could fill the position.”

“Not so many as you think. First, it is limited to londoners and to adult men. This American was born in London and wiched to do something for his home town. Then, also, I have heard that it is useless to ask for the position if your hair is light red or dark red, or anything except bright red like yours. I am sure, Mr. Wilson, that you could get the position easily if you were intereseted.”

“Now, it is a fact, gentlemen, that my hair is very bright red, and so o thought perhaphs I might be able to earn this easy extra money. Vincent Spaulding seemed to know a lot about the entire matter, so I asked him to go with me the next day at eleven o’clock to the address given in the advertisement. Well, Mr. Holmes, I never hope to see such a sight again. It seemed that every man in London who had just a little red in his hair had come to Fleet Street to get a job. The street was crowed and there was a line a block long waiting to get in. When I saw how many men were there, I wanted to give up the whole idea and to return home, but Vincent Spaulding insisted that I wait and he also pointed out that although there were few who had really bright red hair like mine. Finally, he pulled and pushed me through the crowd until we arrived at the steps to the office. There was a double line of men, some going in with hing hopes and some leaving in despair.”

“Very, very interesting,” said Holmes, “Please continue.”

“There was nothing in the office except a few chairs and a table, behind which sat a small man with red hair even brighter than mine. He said a few words to each man as he came in but he always found some fault with each one. Getting the position did not seem to be an easy matter after all. However, when my turn came, the man seemed very much interested, and he closed the door behind me so that he could speak to me privatelt.”

“This is Mr. Wilson,” said Vincent Spaulding, and he would like to fill the position which is open in the society of red headed men.”

“Well. He seems to have the right color of hair,’ the other answered. “I don’t know when I have seen anything so fine.’ He then took a step backward, looked at me carefully for a minute, and then took my hand and shook it warmly.”

“You will excuse me,’ he wner on, ‘if I do something a little unsual.’ And then suddenly he took hold of my hair with both his hands and pulled and pulled until I cried with pain. ‘There is water in your eyes,’ he said when he finished. ‘That is fine. But, you see, we have to be very careful, for we havetwice been fooled by artificial hair and once by paint.’ He then went to the window and shouted to the crowd below that the position had been filled. There was a cry of disapproval, but soon one by one everyone disappeared until there was not a redhead in sight anywhere except the office manager and me.”



PART IV



“‘My name is Duncan Ross,’ he said, ‘and I myself am a member of the society of red headed man.’”

“He then asked me whether I was a married man and, when I said that I was not, he said that the sociery really preferred married men who might later have children also with red hair, but perhaphs they could accept me anyway. I then explained that I also was in business and was already busy during part of the day, but Vincent Spaulding then interrupted and said that he would be glad to take my place in the shop.”

“What would be the hours?” I asked.

“Every day from ten until two.”

“Now my business is mainly done in the evening anyway, and I knew that Vincent Spaulding could easily do the work during the day, so this seemed quite satisfactory.”

“That would suit me very well,” I said. “And what is the pay?”

“Four punds a week.”

“And the work?”

“’The work,’ he said, ‘is very simple. You have to be in this office everyday from ten to two, and if you leave at any time during these hours you immediately lose the position. During this time, each day, you simply have to copy pages from the encyclopedia. You start with the first volume, and you must brigh your own pen, paper and ink. Will you ready to begin tomorrow?”

“Certainly,” I said.

“’Then, goodbye, Mr. Wilson, and let me say that I think you are very fortunate to have obtained such an excellent position.’ We then shook hands, and I went homw with my assistant in very fine spirits because of my good luck.”

“By evening, however, when I began to think about the entire affair, I was less happy. It seemed to me rather ridiculous that someone was prepared to pay me all that money that money simply to sit four hours each day in a small office and copy words and sentences from the encyclopedia. I thought that somebody must be playing a joke in me. But Vincent Spaulding insisted that he was sure everything wasall right, so the next day I decided to try it anyway. I bought paper, ink, and a pen and started out.”

“Well, to my great surprise, everything turned out to be very satisfactory. The table was ready for me, and Mr. Duncan Ross was there waiting for me. He started me copying with the letter A and, from time to time, he would come in to see how I was dong. At two o’clock he wished me goodbye and said that he was very much pleased with my work.”

“This went on day after day and on Saturday Mr. Ross came in and paid me my salary of four pounds. I was very happy. As time wnet on Mr. Ross visited me less and less oftern until finally he sldom came at all except to pay me on Saturday. Of course, I could not leave the office at any time for fear of losing such a good position.”



PART V



“Eight weeks passed away like this. I had copied almost everything under the letter A and was ready to begin with the letter B when suddenly the whole business came to an end.”

“To an en?”

“Yes, sir! One morning I went to work at ten o’clock as usual, but the doo was closed and clocked, and there was a sign on the door. Here, you can read it yourslf.” He held up a piece of white paper, on which was written the following”

The society of red headed men has been discontinued. October 9

Sherlock Holmes and I read the paper carefully, looked at each other for a moment, and then both of us suddenly bagan to laugh.

“I do not see anything very funny in it,” said Mr. Wilson a little angrily. “If you can do nothing except laugh at me, I can go somewhere else.”

“No, no,” said Holmes. “I am really very much interested in your case. It is most unusal. But it also has its humorous sides as well. But, tell me, what steps did you take next?”

“At first I did not know what to do. I went to some of the other officed in the same building, but no one knew anything about it. Then I went to the owner of the building. He said that he had never heard of the society of red headed men. Then I asked him who Duncan Ross was. He said that the name was new to him.”

“Well, the gentleman in Room Number 4,” I explained.

“The red headed man?”

“Yes.”

“Oh,” said he. “His name was William Morris. He was a lawyer and was using office on ta temporary basis until hos own office was ready.”

“Where I can find him?”

“On, at his new office. He did tell me the address. Yes, 17 King Street.”

“I started off, but when I arrived at 17 King street it was a large factory, and no one there had ever heard of either Mr. William Morris or Mr. Duncan Ross.”

“And what did you o then?” asked Holmes.

“I simply went home and talked over the whole matter with my assistant, Mr. Vincent Spaulding. He said that he was sure that I would receive some communication by mail from the society and that I should wait. But in the meantime I did not wish to lose such a good position, and, since I had heard that you, Mr. Holmes, sometimes help poor people with their problems, I decided to come and consult with you.”

“You are very wise,” said Holmes. “I am sure I can help you. Your case is an extremely unsual one and I think that perhaphs it is a more serious matter than you realize.”

“It is serious,” said Wilson. “I have lost a position which paid me very well.”

“Quiter true,” said Holmes. “And now tell me something about that assistanr of your, Vincent Spaulding. He interests me greatly. How long had he been working for you when he brought you that advertisement?”

“About a month.”

“In answer to an advertisement.”

“Was he the only person who answered the advertisement?”

“No, there were about doxen.”

“Why did you choose him?”

“Because he seemd capable and because he offered to work at about half the usual salary.”

“What is he like, this Vincent Spaulding?”

“Small in stature, very quick in his manners, very little hair on his face although he must be about thirty years old. He also has a mark on his forehead.”

Holmes sat up in his chaie in great excitement. “I think I know him,” he said. “Does he also have small holes in his ears in order to wear earrings?”

“Yesy, he does.”

“Well,” said Holmes. “And he is still with you?”

“Yes, and he is still doing his work well.”

“That will do, Mr. Wilson,” Holmes said. “I shall be happy to give you an oponion wthin a day or two- probebly by Monday.”



PART VI





“Well, Watson,” Holmes said after our visitor had left. “What do you think about it all?”

“I cannot understand it,” I said. “It is certainly a mysterious business.”

“As a rule,” said Hilmes, “the mysterious cases are unsually the easy ones. The cases that look simple are often the most difficult.”

“What are you going to do then?”

“I am going to smoke for about an hour and think about it.” He sat comfortably in his chair, lit his pipe, and thus I left him alone for some time. Then suddenly, he jumped up and said:

“Come with me, Watson. There is a great violinist in town who is playing this afternoon. I am sure you can leave your patients for a few hours.”

“I have little to do today,” I said.

“Then put on your hat and coat and come with me. First, I am going by way of Coberg Square, where our friend Mr. Wilson has his shop. I want to take a look at the general neighborhood.”

Thus we went first by subway as far as Aldergate and from there we walked to Coburg Square, where we soon saw Wilson’s shop. It was one of several two story houses, all rather dirty, and pporly kept. Sherlock Holmes stopped in font of the shop and looked it over carefylly. Then he walked slowly up the street to the corner, examining all of the houses. Finally, he came back tro Wilson’s shop and pounded on the sidewalk with his cane. Then he went suddenly up yo the door and knocked. A bright-looking clean young man opened the door and asked him to step in.

“Thank you,” said Holmes. “I only wished to ask how to reach the Strand Theatre from here.”

“Three blocks right and four left.” The young man answered, closing the door.

“A very clever fellow,” said Holmes as we walked away. “He is in my opinion one of the most clever men in London –and he is also extremely brave. I have known something of him before.”

“Apparently, Mr. Vincent Spaulding plays an important in this mystery of the society of red headed men.” I said. “I suppose that you knocked at the door in order that you might see him.”

“Not him.”

“What then?”

“The knees of his trousers.”

“And what did you see?”

“What I expected to see.”

“Why did you pound upon the sidewalk?”

“My dear doctor, this is a time for observation, not for talk. We are in enemy territory and must be careful. Let us look around a little more.”

We turned the corner and found ourselves on a very busy street, quite the opposite from the one on which we were located. There was much trafic and a constant stream of people hurrying along.

“Let me see,” said Holmes, standing at the corner and looking down the street. “I should like to remember the exact order of the buildings here. There is first a tobaco shop, then a newspaper office, then the City bank, next a restaurant, etc. And now I believe we have done our work and I have seen excatly what I expected to see. So it is time we had a sandwich and some coffee and than went to hear that violinist.”



PART VII



Sherlock Holmes was a great lover of music, and he himself played the violin well and hed even composed some music. All afternoon he sat listening to the music and was perfectly happy. Now he did not reseble at all the sharp, clever and brilliant detective that he was. He was quiet and dreamly now. But soon he would change, and, after such a period of rest and inactivity, he would be even more ready for the work at hand.

“You want to go home now, no doubt, doctor,” he said as we were leaving the theatre.

“Yes, I should like to,” I said.

“And I have some business to do which willt ake some hours. This business at Coburg Aquare is serious.”

“Why serious?”

“Someone is planning an important crime. I believe that we shall be in time to stop it. But today is Saturday, and that rather complicates matters. I shall want your help tonight.”

“At what time?”

“Ten will be early enough.”

“I shall be ay your appartment at ten.”

“Very well. And, Doctor, there may be a little danger so put your revolver in your pocket.” Then he smiled, turned away, and was soon lost in the crowd.

Now I do not think that I am more stupid than the next person, but whenever I was working with Sherlock Holmes I felt very much inferior. Here I had heard what he had heard; I had seen what he had seen, and yet from his words it was evident that he now clearly knew not only what had happened but what was going to happen. Yet to me the entire business was still very much confused. As I drove home to my house I thought it all over from the beginning of Mr. Wilson’s story of the advertisement to the end but I could not fingure it out. Where were we going that night and why did I have to carry a revolver?

It was a quarter part nine when I started from home, passed through the Park, and finally arrived at Holmes appartment. As I entered the hall, I heard voices, and upon entering Holmes’ room. I found him in conversation with two men, one of whom I recognized as Peter Jones, the official police inspector. The other was a long, thin-faced man who carried a black hat and wore a long frock coat.

“Well, now our party is complete,” said Holmes, putting on his hat and coat. “Walson, I think you know Mr. Jones of the government police. Let me introduce you to Mr. Merryweather, who is going to be our companies in tonight’s adventure.

“I hope our adventure does not prove to be a foolish one,” said Mr. Merryweather a little saadly.

“You can have great evidence in Mr. Holmes, sir,” said Jones, the police officer, to Mr. Merryweather. “He has his own special; methods which are, if he doesn’t mind my saying so, a little too fantastic and theoretical at times, but he is a pretty good detective anyway.”

“Oh, if you say so, Mr. Jones it is all right,” said Mr. Merryweather, “but it is Saturda night, and it is the first Saturdy night in twenty-seven years that I have missed playing my usual game if cards.”



PART VIII

“I think you will find,” said Sherlock Holmes, “that you will play a much more interesting game than cards tonight. You, Mr. Merryweather, will win a great sum of money; and you, Jones, will catch the man you have been looking for so long.”

“Jone Clay, the thirf and murderer, said Jones. “He’s a young man, Mr. Merryweather, but he is the most clever man in business, a very exceptional man! His grandfather was a royal duke, and he himself was educated in the University of Oxford. His brain is a clever as his fingers, and though we find signs of him in many crimes we have never been able to catch him.”

“I hope I may have the pleasure of introducing you to him tonight,” said Holmes. “Now, however, it is past ten o’clock, and it is time we started. If you two will take the first cab, Watson and I will folow in the second.”

During the long drive Holmes did not talk much but did explain that Mr. Merryweather was a director of the City Bank and therefore very much interested in the night’s adventure. He also said that he had invited Jones because he thoght it was best to have a police officer with them.

Finally we reached the same busy street that we had visited that morning and we got out of out cabs directly in front of the City Bank. We went to a side door of the bank, which Mr. Merryweather opened for us with his keys and we then entered the bank.

We passed down a long hall which ended in a strong iron door. This door Mr. Merryweather also opened for us. Then we went down some stone steps and through another strong iron door which Merryweather opened. We are now in a deep stone cellar, where there were many boxes one on top of another.

“You are certainly safe from any robbery above,” said Holmes.

“And also safe from robbery below,” said Merryweather, striking the stone floor with his cane. “Good Heavens, it sounds as if it were empty below.”

“I must really ask you to be a little more quiet,” said Holmes severely. “You have almost placed our entire plan in danger. I must ask you to sit down on one of these boxes and wait patiently.”

Mr. Mreeyweather took a place on one of the boxes and Holmes, meanwithle, kneeled down and began to examine carefully the stones of the floor with his magnifying glass. Soon he rose to his feet again and put his glass in his pocket.

“We have at least an hour to wait,” he said, “for they will probably not try to do anything until after Mr. Wilson has gone to bed. Then they will not lose a minute, fot it they do thei work quickly, they will have more time to excape. You know, of course, Dr. Watson, that we are in the cellar of the City Bank, and Mr. Merryweather can tell you why London theives are very much interested in entering the place at present.”

“It is our French gold,” said Merryweather. “And two months ago we borrowed about 30000 pounds from the Bank of France. It is located in these very boxes on which were are sitting.”

“And now it is true that were prepare our plans,” said Holmes. “I expect that within an hour we may expect some action. We must put out the light and remain in the dark behind these boxes. When they come, I will turn my light on them, and we will jump on them.”



PART IX



I place my gun on top of the box and stood quietly waiting. It was now completely dark and there was a feeling of tensences and anxiety among us.

“There is only one way for them to escape from here,” said Holmes. “That is black through Wilson’s place. I hope that you have done what I asked you, Jones.”

“I have an inspector and two officers waiting at the front door.”

“Then we have stopped all the holes. And now we must be silent and wait.”

It seemed that we waited a veery long time. Actually, it was only about an hour, but it seemed to me that the night must has gone and that morning would arrive soon. My legs were tired, for I was afraid to change my position or to make any noise. Then suddenly I saw a light along the floor. At first it was very small but soon it grew longer. It came from the side of one of the stones which formed the floor. There was next a long pause and then suddenly there was aloud noise as one of the stones was turned over. A strong light now came from the place where the stone had lain. Soon the head of the young man appeared. The man then put his hand on the side of the hole and pulled himself up. He now stood on the side of the hole. He then reached down and helped a second man to climb up out of the hole. This second man had bright red hair similar to Mr. Wilson’s.

“All clear!” the first man said. “Have you the bags and the tools? Heavens! Jump Archie! Run!

Sherlock Holmes had jumped out and thrown himself upon the first man. The second man jumped down into the hole as Jones tried to catch him. The first man had a evolver in his hand but Holmes knocked it out of his hand with his walking stick.

“It’s no use, John Clay,” said Holmes. “You have no chance at all.”

“So I see,” the other answered coolly. “But my companion has escaped.”

“There are three men waiting for him at the door of Wilson’s shop,” said Holmes.

“You have done everything very completely.”

“You also did everything very completely,” said Holmes. “Your idea of the re headed society was very clever.”

Jones then came forward and placed handcuffs on Clay. There was an angry exchange of words between them but Jones finally led him away as we followed them from the cellar.

“Really, Mr. Holmes,” said Mr. Merryweather, “I do not know how the bank can thank you or reply you. There is no doubt that you have defeated two very dangerous criminals, and also saved the bank a great deal of trouble and expense.”

“It gives me personal pleasure to have been able to capture Jones Clay,” said Holmes. “This is sufficient satisfation for me. I have had a few small expenses in the matter and the bank can repay me for those.”



PART X



An hour later Holmes and I were sitting in his apartment in Baker Street, drinking a glass of vine.

“You see Dr. Watson,” said Holmes. “It was clear from the beginning that the only purpose of the fantastic society of red headed men was to get poor Mr. Wilson away from his shop for several hours each day. It was a strange way of arranging it, bit it would be difficult toimagine a better one. I suppose the method was suggested to Clay’s clever mind by the fat that Mr. Wilson and his companion both had bright red hai. They had to pay Wilson four pounds a week to copy from the cncyclopedia but, after all, they were playing for a much greater sum of money. The first thing that made me suspious was the fact that Mr. Wilson’s assistant offered to work for half pay. Thus he must have had a very strong motion for wanting the position.”

“But how did you fingure out what the motive was?”

“Well, Mr. Wilson’s business was a small one. Therefore, there was nothing in the house which they wanted. It must be something outside the house. What could it be? The assistant was very much interested in photography and spent much time in the cellar. The cellar? What was he doing in the cellar? I could think of nothing else except that they were making a tunnel to someplace.

“I, of course, surprised you when we first visited Wilson’s shop by pounding on the sidewalk with my stick. But I wanted to find out whether the tunnel ran behind or in front of the shop. Further, when I rang the bell and the assiatant answered the door, I saw from his trousers that he had been working on his knees because his trousers were worn and dirty at that point. The only problem was to find out that direction of the tunnel. When we walked around the corner and saw the City Bank, I knew immediately that their plan was probable to run a tunnel to the cellar of this bank.”

“But how could you tell that they would try to enter the bank tonight?”

“When they closed the iffices of the society of red headed men I knew that their work must be almost finished because they were no longer interested in Mr. Wilson’s absence from the shop. But it was necessary that they act soon because the gold might possibly be moved somewhere else. Saturday would be better than any other day because the bak is closed on Sunday, and it would give them two days in which to excape.”

“You fingured it all out beautifully,” I said.

“Oh, such little problems always interest me,” said Holmes. “They are really very simple, and they help me to pass the time.”