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Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Reigate Squires (Hobbs & Shelley)
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- [01:14]
Sherlock Holmes
Capital. My dear Watson, let us return to our humble abode. 221B Baker street, please. From London we present the Reigate Squires, A play for radio by Michael Hardwick, based on the short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Reigate Squires I see from my notes that it was on 14th April 1887 that I received a telegram from Lyons telling me that Sherlock Holmes was lying ill there. Within 24 hours I was in his sick room. His iron constitution had broken down under the strain of a two month investigation. And when I got him back to 221B Vegas street three days later, it became obvious to me that for all his love of London, he would be better off for a change in the country. Well, Holmes, how are we feeling today, eh? I don't mind admitting it's left me feeling a bit knocked up. A bit knocked up? You've been working, what, 15 hours a day average? True, Watson, true. And now you're paying the penalty. Exhausted. Still, I suppose all this is some compensation. What's that? All these telegrams. Congratulations still coming in by the bucketful. Oh, those. Oh, now really, Holmes, you succeed where the police of three continents of failed. You outmaneuver the most accomplished swindler in Europe at every point and all you can say is, oh, let the politicians and the financiers do the rejoicing. The Netherlands Sumatra Company and its affairs are things of the past for me. Now all I want, Watson, is a good rest Well I matter of fact, Holmes, that's just what I wanted to have a word with you about. Colonel Hater, old friend, came under my care in Afghanistan. Well, he's taken the house down near Ragged. He keeps asking us to go down for a bit of a break anytime we like. He's just renewed the invitation and I thought a week or so of springtime in the country might be just the same. What about it, eh? I'm sure your friend means very well, Watson. Springtime in Surrey, delightful. But can you see me lounging about on sofas being fussed to death by well meaning? But it's a bachelor establishment, Holmes. Oh, well then, here to the final soldier. Seen the world, talk all night if you want him to. Oh my. But knows when to keep out of the way and leave a man in peace if that's what he prefers. Now what do you say, Holmes? You suppose his breakfast's come up to my standards? Oh, Holmes, Holmes. Well, you'll come then, huh? Good pleasure, Watson. Just as soon as you can arrange to transport these weary old bones of mine between Baker street and Reigate. Ah, what about this derringer, Watson? Little beauty, eh? 1. I see. What a magnificent thing. Heavy, isn't it? I do. I say Hedda, you've gathered quite an armory about your heavy homes. Yes, the most impressive collection. I think so, eh? Well, never know when it might come in handy in these parts. What do you mean? Oh, we've been having quite a scare lately, Watson. Old Acton, one of our local squires, had his house broken into last Monday. No great damage you know, but the fellows are still at large. Oh, no clues, Colonel? No, not so far. Ransacked his library, turned the whole place upside down. Didn't get much for their pains though. What devil. Well, if I can remember, it'll make you laugh. Yes, two plated candlesticks, an ivory letter weight small ope barometer, a ball of twine and so is a volume of Pope's Homer. Well, the county police ought to be able to make something of that. What? Well surely it's obvious. No, no, no, Holmes, you're here for a rest, remember? Oh dear me, Watson. Well, I suppose I've got to do what you tell me for a change. Yes, that's right. Herms had this treatment from him in the frontier, you know, regular martinet. Ms. Watson, you got to be well time these breakfast things are shifted. Then I'll see you left in peace. It's going to be a lovely. Ah, yes, Charles. A big pardon, sir. Ah, I was just Gonna ring for you. Why, what's the matter, man? Have you heard the news, sir? At the Cunninghams. Not another burglary? Murder, sir. What? By Jove. Who, JP or his son? Neither, sir. It was William the coachman shot to the arse. Who shot him? Oh, it was a burglar, sir. Got cleaned away. He just forced the pantry window. They say when William disturbed him, shot him dead and made off. When was this, Charles? Well, last night, Sir. Somewhere about 12 dead. Business all right, Charles, leave these things for now. I'll ring for you later. Very good, sir. Poor old Cunningham, our leading squire about here. Decent fellow. He'd be cut off about this, you know. The man had been in his service for years. Might be one of the same chaps who broke into the other place. Yes, I fancied some local chap myself. Hector's and Cunningham's are just the places he would go for. Largest in his parts, you know, and the richest. Well they ought to be. They've had a lot of the blood sucked out of them in recent years. Oh, how's that? Well, they've had a lawsuit dragging on for no end of time. Old Acton has some claim on half of Cunningham's estate. The lawyers have been at it with both hands. Well, if it's a local man, there shouldn't be much difficulty in running him down. Inspector Forrester, sir. Oh, come in, Inspector. Good morning, Colonel Hayter. Good morning. I hope I don't intrude, sir, but we hear Mr. Holmes of Baker street is here. There he is, Inspector. And this is Dr. Watson. How do you do? Please to meet you gentlemen. We wondered if we could ask you to step across, Mr. Holmes. You've heard the news, I expect. Now look here, Inspector. As a medical man I must tell you that, my friend is. The fates are against you, Watson. We were chatting about the matter when you came in, Inspector. Perhaps you'd care to let us have a few details. Won't you take a seat, Inspector? Oh, thank you, sir. Well, Mr. Holmes, we had no clue in the Acton affair that we've plenty to go on this time. Oh, the man was seen, ah, when the alarm broke out. Mr. Cunningham had just got into bed and Mr. Alec Cunningham, that's his son, was smoking a pipe in his dressing room. They both heard William the coachman call for help and Mr. Alec ran down in his dressing gown. The back door was open and as he got to the foot of the stairs he saw the two men wrestling together outside. One of them fired a shot, the other dropped to the ground. And the murderer was off across the garden over the hedge. Mr. Cunningham saw him too from his bedroom window as he reached the road. Couldn't young Alec catch him? No, he. He'd stopped to do what he could for William, so the fellow got clean away. A middle sized man dressed in some dark stuff. That's the description we've got. Did William say anything before he died? No, not a word. I suppose he walked up from the lodge to make sure everything was all secure. Faithful fellow, you know, sir. Yes, yes. This Acton business certainly had us all on our guard, did he? Caught the chap red handed? Seems like it, Doctor. But one thing we did get was this, Inspector. May I see? Certainly, Mr. Holmes. It seems to be a fragment of paper torn from a larger sheet. It was between the dead man's finger and thumb. So either the other chap tore the rest of the paper out of William's hand or William tore this bit from a sheet he was holding. Can't see what either of them was doing waving sheets of paper about. All right. If you look at the words though, it reads as if it's been some sort of appointment. Look, sir, at quarter to 12. Then down here it says, learn what? This writing is of extraordinary interest. These are much deeper waters than I thought. How's that, Mr. Holmes? Do you reckon there was some sort of understanding between William and the burglar? William was to let him in but they had a quarrel instead. It's not entirely impossible. But this writing. No, there's something about it that fascinates me. Colonel, if you permit me, I'll leave Watson and you and step round to the Inspector to put one or two little fences of mine to the test. No, you'll do nothing of the sort. I shall let you. Never fear, Watson. I'll deliver myself up to you in half an hour precisely. Not a minute longer. Come along, Inspector, let's be getting along. Well in about time, Inspector. Half an hour, Mr. Holmes said. That was exactly an hour and a half ago. Where is it? I have a few words to say to him. Well, Dr. Watson? As a matter of fact he's not come back with you. Is anything going, sir? Mr. Holmes sent me back here to ask you gentlemen to join him in the field outside. He was walking up and down there when I left him. He wants us all to go up to Mr. Cunningham's house together. What on earth for? Well, I have no idea, colonel. Between ourselves, Dr. Button, I think you're right to be concerned about Mr. Holmes. He seems to be well all excited. I don't like it. Is that all? I've seen him behave in some pretty odd ways at times, and there's generally been some method behind his madness. Come on, hater, let's go to humor this lunatic of ours.
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- [12:13]
Sherlock Holmes
Watson, my dear fellow, I've had a charming morning. This country trip idea of yours was a capital suggestion. Yeah. You've been up to the scene of the crime, I understand. Yes, indeed, Colonel. The inspector here and I made quite a little reconnaissance together. Yes, we did, Ms. Holmes. Any luck, my dear fellow? Well, we saw some very interesting things. I'll tell you what we did as we walked. Come along. Oh, well, don't walk too fast. First of all, we saw the body of the unfortunate William. There's no doubt that he died from a revolver wound. I didn't know there was any question about that. Oh, it's as well to test everything, Colonel. Our inspection wasn't wasted. Well, then we had an interview with Mr. Cunningham and his son. They were able to point out the exact spot where the murderer broke through the garden hedge in his flight. That was of great interest. So what do your investigations add up to, then? The conviction that the crime is a very peculiar one. Perhaps our visit now may do something to make it less obscure. Well, let's hope so, Inspector. I think we're both agreed that the fragment of paper in the dead man's hand is of extreme importance. Well, Mr. Holmes, it has got the very hour of death written on it. Precisely. Whoever wrote that note was the man who brought William out of his bed at that hour. But where's the rest of that sheet of paper? I examined every inch of the ground nearby for it. It was torn out of the dead man's hand. Why was someone so anxious to get possession of it? Because it incriminated him. Just so, Watson. And what would he do with it? Thrust it into his pocket, most likely. Never noticing That a corner had been left in the grip of the corpse. Yes. Then again, the man who wrote it wouldn't have written it if he could have delivered the message by word of mouth. So who brought it? Or did it come through the post? Now that I can tell you, sir. We found out that William did get a letter by the afternoon post. Seems to have thrown the envelope away though. Capital Inspector. It's a pleasure to work with you. Well, thank you, Mr. Holmes. Ah, and here's the house. Ah, here are the Cunninghams. Hello there, Cunningham. Nasty business. Nasty disease. Good day, hater. Ah, Dr. Watson, I presume. This is my son, Alec. How do you do, sir? How do you do? So you're still at it, Mr. Holmes? Best me. Thought you Londoners were quick as a flat. Oh, you must give us a little time, you know. Well, Mr. Cunningham, we have found one thing there was. Yes. Catch him, Colonel. He's fainted right away. You feeling all right now, old Jap? I can't apologize enough, Mr. Cunningham. I'm afraid it's another of these confounded nervous attacks. Yes, Dr. Watson's been telling us how ill you've been. Want me to call my trap for you? Well, perhaps in a little while you better be getting back. Holmes, since I am here, there's one little point I'd like to be sure about we can easily verified. Oh, very well. Then. I should like to ask Mr. Alec Cunningham where he was sitting when he heard William call for help. I was smoking in my dressing room. The lamps were lit then. Yes, then. Doesn't it strike you as extraordinary that a burglar should break into a house at a time when he could see from the lights that the family was still afoot? A bit of a cool customer, perhaps? Possibly. Well, we'll leave that speculation for the moment. There's something I'd like you to do, Mr. Cunningham. Anything at all, Mr. Holmes. I should like you to offer a reward. I've jotted down the wording here, if you wouldn't mind reading it and signing £50 would be quite enough, I think. Certainly. Let me see it. Thank you. I tell you, Mr. Holmes, I'd willingly make it 500. Oh, that won't be necessary. Oh, this is fine, but there's one little mistake. Oh? I scribbled it in a hurry. You begin. Whereas at about quarter to one on Tuesday morning, an attempt was made, etc. Etc. Well, as a matter of fact, it was a quarter to 12. Dear me. Of course you're right. I don't allow myself to make elementary mistakes like that. Mr. Cunningham, do forgive me. Oh, quite all right, I'll correct it. No, no, no, no, I have a pencil here. Thank you. Holmes, I must insist. No, my dear Watson, I still have a few reserves left. Now I suggest we all go over the house together. Really home. No, I feel much better. Oh, Mr. Cunningham, I just have that note from my pocketbook. Yes, of course. Thank you. And now let us take a good look round. Well now, Mr. Holmes, this is my bedroom here. I see. My son's is next door with the dressing room in between. Ah, yes. I should like to glance into the dressing room, if you please. Of course, if you like. I should just like to see where the windows place. Now, with your permission. Very well. Yes. Ah, yes, I see. Thank you. Now, I think that is all. Yes, we can go down now. Oh, no, after you, my dear sir. Thank you. Oh, Watson, really, my clumsy friend. Here. I'm afraid, Watson, you must have swept that decant off with your jet. No, no, quick man, before the carpet. Stay. Oh, well, really, I. Here, use my hand. No, no, no, I'll use mine. I can't think how it happened. I'm sorry. I'll help you. Never mind, never mind. I'll ring for one of the servants to mop it up. What's up? I say, where's home Mr. To be? Yes, I have a question. What's going on in here? This is going too far. They are fighting in there. Don't the devil's got into no gentleman. Gentlemen. Inspector, arrest these men. Arrest them, sir? On what charge? For the murder of their coachman. What's that? I say, Holmes, aren't you getting too. No, Colonel Hater, it's they who've gone too far. This piece of paper will assure you of that. Yes, the missing piece, where did you find it? It was where I was certain it must be. Look out, he's got a gun. Drop that. Oh, yes, you will act better. Well, Mr. Holmes, looks as if there's something in what you say. Yes, I'll be able to make the whole matter clear to you in a little while. Colonel. I suggest you and Watson go home now. Certainly. The Inspector and I need a few words with our prisoners. Then I'll rejoin you. If it's quite convenient, you may expect me back for lunch. Oh, Holmes, there's a glass of sherry waiting for you. Oh, thank you. Why, hello, Acton. I didn't notice you. Good day, Hayter. I hope you don't mind. Holmes asked me to come. I wanted Mr. Acton to be present. While I demonstrated this small matter to you, he has some cause to be interested in the details. I must say we're all eager for this demonstration. Holmes. Watson and I were just agreeing we hadn't some vestige of a clue between us. No, indeed. To begin with, I must remind you that it is of the highest importance in the art of detection to be able to recognize which facts are incidental and which are vital. It is quite vital. Now, I haven't the slightest doubt that the key of this whole matter must be looked for in that scrap of paper from dead man's hand. I have it here. Now have another look at it, gentlemen. Don't you observe something very revealing about it? I can't say that I can. It's a pretty regular sort of hand. Exactly, Watson. Of course, he's better out in my methods than using. No, there cannot be the least doubt in the world that the note was written by two persons doing alternate words. Now look at the torn portion of the note bearing the words at quarter to twelve. Observe the strong T's of at and to compare them with those in quarter and twelve. By Jove, I. I see what you mean. But why should two men write a letter like this? Obviously one of them distrusted the other. The idea was that each of them should have an equal hand in the business. Ah, of the two, I'd say the one who wrote acts and was the ringleader. However, can you say that we might deduce it from the mere character of the one hand as compared with the other? We had more assured reasons than that. Now, if you examine this scrap with attention, you will come to the conclusion that the man with a stronger hand wrote all his words first and left blanks for the other to fill up. I see. The blanks weren't always big enough. Look, look here. The second man had a squeeze, do you see? To get the word quarter in between the at and the tool. So we conclude that the man who wrote his words first planned the whole affair. Bravo. Magnificent bit of deduction. Oh, but very superficial. We come now to a point which is of real importance. You may be aware that the deduction of a man's age from his writing is one which has been brought to considerable accuracy by experts. No, Indeed. Oh, yes, Mr. Acton. In normal cases one can place a man in his true decade with tolerable confidence. Remarkable. I say normal cases because ill health and physical weakness reproduce the signs of old age even when the invalid is young. In this case, looking at the bold, strong hand of the one and the Rather broken backed appearance of the other. We can say that the one was a young man and the other was advanced in years without being positively decrepit. Well I never heard anything to touch this. Did you read anything else in the handwriting? Oh yes. There were at least 23 other deductions, but they'd be of more interest to experts than to you, Colonel. Except perhaps that some of them reveal quite clearly that the two writers were blood relatives. Oh, I've no doubt at all that a family mannerism can be traced in these two specimens of writing. It may be obvious to you in the Greek ease, but to me there are many small points which indicate the same thing. Did you connect it with the Cunninghams in? They naturally came pretty quickly to my mind, Watson. Well then I went up to the house for the inspector and saw all that was to be seen. To start with, there was the bullet wound and the dead man. What about this? It had been caused by a shot from at least four yards away. There was no powder blackening on the clothes. Alec Cunningham had lied when he said the two men had been struggling when the shot was fired. Aha. And then both father and son agreed about the place where the man had escaped into the road. There's a broadish ditch at that point, moist at the bottom, but there were no signs of boot marks anywhere. I was not only sure that both the Cunninghams had lied, but there'd be no unknown man on the scene at all. Then you mean to say that one of them shot William? Why in heaven's name would they want to do that? That was what I asked myself. I began to think about the original burglary at your house, Mr. Agnes. And I remember the Colonel here telling us about a long standing lawsuit between you and the Cunninghams. Yeah, yeah, that's right enough. I have the clearest possible claim upon half their present estate. And by breaking into your library the Cunninghams perhaps hoped to find something, some document which would be of importance in the case. Could that be so? It most certainly could. If they could have found one certain paper, they'd have crippled my case. Fortunately it was in the strongbox at my solicitor's. There you are. It was a dangerous, reckless attempt. Having found nothing, they tried to divert suspicion by making it look like an ordinary burglary. They swept a few things into a bag, no doubt and made up. Ah, so that explains the curious collection of missing things. Yes, all that seems quite clear to me. But what I had to get above all was a missing part of that note. I was certain that Alec had torn it out of the dead man's hand. He was wearing his dressing gown at the time. We'd been told 10 to 1 he'd have thrust it into his pocket. It was worth an effort to find whether it was still there. But as bad luck would have it, the inspector started to tell the Cunninghams about it. Had he done so, they'd have destroyed it at once. However, by the luckiest chance in the world, I tumbled down in some sort of fate and changed the conversation. Adored her. Do you mean to say you were bluffing? Well, I did, Holmes. In all my years of practice I've seen plenty of fellows collapse at my feet. But I don't mind saying you took me in completely astounding. Oh, it's an art I often find useful. Well, when I'd recovered I managed by some little ingenuity to get old Cunningham to Change the word 1 to 12 on that reward notice in his own hand. I wanted to compare his writing of 12 with the 12 on our fragment of the other note. Oh Lord, what a blind ass I've been. I do apologize, my dear Watson. I was sorry to cause you such pain at the thought of my wandering mind. Well, to be brief, when we got upstairs I contrived by upsetting a decanter. Ah, I knew it. I knew I had knocked the message thing over. I contrived to divert attention while I slipped into the dressing room to search the pockets of the dressing gown which I'd spotted hanging there. I just found what I wanted when the Cunninghams chased in after me. Well, Mr. Holmes, this is the most remarkable thing I've ever heard in my life. Astounding. By the way, though, what was in the rest of that note? Oh, here it is complete. It says, if you will only come round at quarter to 12 to the east gate, you will learn what will very much surprise you and may be of the greatest service to you and also to Annie Morrison. But say nothing to anyone upon the matter. Annie Morrison? She's a girl in the village, isn't she? Oh, Arthur Morrison's girl. What's she got to do with it? Oh, what the relations may have been between poor William Kirwan and Annie Morrison needn't concern us. Alec Cunningham knew. No doubt it shows how skillfully the trap was baited. They decoyed William up there and shot him. But what on earth for that much I learned from the older Cunningham after he'd been arrested and Neil Watson had gone home. It seems that William knew all about his Two Masters raid on Mr. Acton's house. He threatened to expose them. The rest you know. Oh, dear me. What's the matter? Huh? Suddenly, Watson, I'm rather tired. Very tired, I think. If you gentlemen will excuse me, I shall take myself off to bed. I think our quiet rest in the country has done me a great deal of good. A distinct success, Watson, thanks to you. Oh, yes, I shall certainly return, much invigorated, to Baker street tomorrow. That was the Reigate Squires by Michael Hardwick, based on the short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes was played by Carlton Hobbs and Dr. Watson by Norman Shelley. Production for the BBC was by Robin Midgley.