| Title: | The Adventure of the "Gloria Scott" | Collection: | The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year published: | 1893 (April) | Year set in: | |
| Mystery: | What is the meaning behind the odd message that struck a man dead? | ||
| Apparent crime: | Blackmail | Actual crime: | Shown below (possible spoiler) |
| Summary: | A healthy man receives a seemingly meaningless note which causes him to die of shock. | ||
- Introduction
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While at college, Holmes is invited to the home of his friend, Victor Trevor, where he sees Hudson, an old colleague of Trevor's father, arrive.
Later, Trevor's father receives a seemingly meaningless note that causes him to have a stroke and soon die. It seems that Hudson had some hold over him.
- Actual crime
- Blackmail
- Explanation (spoiler alert)
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In an earlier life, Trevor's father had been transported to Australia as a convict. On the voyage, the prisoners took over the ship and killed many of the crew. Hudson had been one of the crew who survived the massacre.
The note was in code and explained that Hudson had revealed the story to the police.
- Quotations in this story (0)
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Quote There are no quotes for this story
- Characters in this story (3)
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Surname First name Title Holmes Sherlock Trevor Victor Watson John Doctor
- Locations in this story (1)
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Location Town/City County Donnithorpe Near Langmere Norfolk
- Other notes
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This is the case that got Holmes into detection. It is related to Watson by Holmes many years later. This has similarities with "The Five Orange Pips" where a man receives a note relating to past crimes and "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" with past crimes and blackmail by a survivor.
- Keywords
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Victor Trevor Hudson Beddoes James Armitage Jack Prendergast Evans Donnithorpe Norfolk Edward Holly Australia Fordingbridge Fordham bark Gloria Scott transportation