#alexander hamilton garrideb

[no-side-us]

Letters From Watson Liveblog - Nov. 7

The Three Garridebs, Part 1 of 2

This feels like such a different way to start off a story than usual. I don't think Watson has ever written a beginning that's so "storybook" for lack of a better term.

Holmes doing something knighthood-worthy isn't surprising, neither is the fact he refused it. My only question is whether Watson was involved. Did he also get offered a knighthood? Or was it something Holmes did alone?

Ah yes, another scam à la The Red-Headed League. Even has the dead American billionaire. I feel like criminals in these stories should come up with better plots than to use the first common feature they share with whoever they're tricking. It's a bit obvious.

It's funny that Holmes can immediately tell everything he was just told is a lie. Like usually he'll wait a bit or let Watson take a crack but no, it's just all lies. Everything was quite untrue.

Watson's description of N. Garrideb here is funny cause he describes him like "gaunt, looks like a corpse, dead skin, doesn't exercise," and then ends it with:

But altogether he seemed pretty nice.

This whole thing is obviously a scam, even if Holmes doesn't know what the score is yet. I do wonder though if anybody has written a version of these types of stories where Holmes gets involved and it turns out to all be true, and it's a genuine eccentric billionaire with a weird will.

Good of Holmes to play along. I forget if this third Garrideb is also part of the scam or another victim of it, but I guess I'll find out.

Part 1 - Part 2

[mariana-oconnor]

The Three Garridebs

This is the one, right? Where Holmes says the thing? Y'know, the thing.

This is definitely the one.

It may have been a comedy, or it may have been a tragedy. It cost one man his reason, it cost me a blood-letting, and it cost yet another man the penalties of the law. Yet there was certainly an element of comedy. Well, you shall judge for yourselves.

Sounds hilarious to me.

Mr. John Garrideb, Counsellor at Law, was a short, powerful man with the round, fresh, clean-shaven face characteristic of so many American men of affairs. The general effect was chubby and rather childlike, so that one received the impression of quite a young man with a broad set smile upon his face. His eyes, however, were arresting. Seldom in any human head have I seen a pair which bespoke a more intense inward life, so bright were they, so alert, so responsive to every change of thought. His accent was American, but was not accompanied by any eccentricity of speech.

The undercurrent of 'lol Americans' in this is subtle but definitely there. Also, 'in any human head', is that an implied animal description?

"My friend here knows nothing of the details." Mr. Garrideb surveyed me with not too friendly a gaze. "Need he know?" he asked.

Clearly Mr J Garrideb (John. May I call you John? Gonna call you Johnny boy). Clearly Johnny boy knows nothing about anything or he'd know that Watson has to know everything that Holmes knows. Otherwise Holmes just plain won't take the case.

Honestly, imagine not wanting to tell Watson! Imagine wanting privacy! What insanity!

"If you came from Kansas I would not need to explain to you who Alexander Hamilton Garrideb was."

I've never seen Hamilton, but this feels like it works here...

"'Find me another!' said he. I told him I was a busy man and could not spend my life hiking round the world in search of Garridebs. 'None the less,' said he, 'that is just what you will do if things pan out as I planned them.'"

Okay, so he was a bit of a dick then? Got it.

"It's five million dollars for each if it is a cent, but we can't lay a finger on it until we all three stand in a row."

This already feels like a con. It's like the Red-Headed League. Mysterious American bequeaths fortune to strangers based on an arbitrary trait they share.

"But he is a lone man, like myself, with some women relations, but no men. It says three adult men in the will."

Okay, so he was a sexist dickhead. Great.

According to research married women in Kansas at the time had the right to separate economy, no clue what the laws for unmarried women were. Or widowed women, as I assume that for a married woman the surname would be considered her husband's and therefore he'd get his 5mill first, but a widow with the name Garrideb? Doesn't matter anyway because Alexander Hamilton Garrideb didn't want women to get money, so who cares.

The fact that he didn't want to tell Watson is the most suspicious part of all this. Of all the stories we've had, this is the one that privacy makes the least sense for. Little sus. Alexander Hamilton Garrideb is clearly a real actual person and in no way fictional.

Inflation calculated says that $15mill in 1902 would be equivalent to $536,841,279.07 today. Which is the equivalent of £439,301,981.09. So basically Alex was a billionaire by the standards of the time.

"By the way, it is curious that you should have come from Topeka. I used to have a correspondent—he is dead now—old Dr. Lysander Starr, who was Mayor in 1890."

Blatant test to see whether Johnny boy is telling the truth is blatant.

Mr. Nathan Garrideb proved to be a very tall, loose-jointed, round-backed person, gaunt and bald, some sixty-odd years of age. He had a cadaverous face, with the dull dead skin of a man to whom exercise was unknown. Large round spectacles and a small projecting goat's beard combined with his stooping attitude to give him an expression of peering curiosity. The general effect, however, was amiable, though eccentric.

Not a fan of this new habit of comparing people to corpses, Watson. And there's no need to make him sound so old when he's only in his sixties. The quavering voice? The cadaverous face? You're making him sound like he's approaching a hundred. Or older.

So, what does Johnny boy want from Nate over here? Clearly he needs him to do something or he wouldn't be trying to con him. Given that he's a collector, I assume it's something to do with one of his collections. Maybe the ancient coins?

"But do you tell me that you never go out?" he said.

OK. So Johnny boy just wants to get him out of the house. Presumably so he can burgle it. It's Red Headed League pt 2: Revenge of the Fake Garrideb.

"Have you any articles of great value in your collection?" "No, sir. I am not a rich man. It is a good collection, but not a very valuable one."

So, he might not be aware of having an item of value. Or maybe it's like the Red Headed League again and they want access to the house for some other reason.

"I have written to this man and told him that you will see him in his office to-morrow afternoon at four o'clock." "You want me to see him?"

Yes, because he wants you out of the house. Sorry, Nate.

"I would go with you if you wished, but I have a very busy day to-morrow..."

Yep, he's going to be super busy burgling your house.

"It is nothing, Mr. Garrideb. I have figured out your connections. You leave at twelve and should be there soon after two. Then you can be back the same night."

You organised his train journey? Way too eager. You need to calm down a bit. You might as well say 'I am trying to get rid of you' to his face. Could you make it more obvious?

“Unfortunately, I have not. But these specimens are so well labelled and classified that they hardly need your personal explanation. If I should be able to look in to-morrow, I presume that there would be no objection to my glancing over them?”

Nate is just the most trusting corpse that ever lived. Just going to let people into his home to look at his most prized possessions when he met them less than an hour ago. Nate, Nate, Nate, you sweet cinnamon roll.

“I saw that the word ‘plough’ was misspelt.” “Oh, you did notice that, did you? Come, Watson, you improve all the time. Yes, it was bad English but good American."

I blame the fact that I didn't notice that on the fact that I spend hours changing both from UK to US and US to UK at work and my brain registers both as correct now half the time unless I'm actively trying to find them.

“It is fair to tell you so, though I know it will only be an additional reason to you for running your head into danger. I should know my Watson by now. But there is danger, and you should know it.”

And thus we enter shipping defcon 1.

"He is none other than ‘Killer’ Evans, of sinister and murderous reputation.”

That's certainly a nickname. I wonder how he got it.

"I have been down to see friend Lestrade at the Yard."

Oh hai, Lestrade!

"Dead man was identified as Rodger Prescott, famous as forger and coiner in Chicago."

Aha, a coin connection.

"I think we may take it that Prescott, the American criminal, used to live in the very room which our innocent friend now devotes to his museum."

OK, so there's fake money under the floorboards. That explains why I remember a trapdoor in this one. Literally the only scene I remember is the famous one, though, so I didn't remember how they got there.

He took a revolver from the drawer and handed it to me.

You never managed to get Watson's revolver back from the river you threw it in, did you?

In an instant he had whisked out a revolver from his breast and had fired two shots. I felt a sudden hot sear as if a red-hot iron had been pressed to my thigh.

NO! WATSON! He's already been shot in the leg, Johnny boy. Or maybe it was the arm... but he really didn't need another one. (Yeah, I totally remember this scene.)

It was worth a wound—it was worth many wounds—to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask. The clear, hard eyes were dimmed for a moment, and the firm lips were shaking. For the one and only time I caught a glimpse of a great heart as well as of a great brain.

Look, look, look, excellent scene, well written, super shiptastic etc. But I'm sure Watson has said half a dozen times that it was the only time he'd caught a glimpse of Holmes's heart. Not to step on the moment at all, but...

“By the Lord, it is as well for you. If you had killed Watson, you would not have got out of this room alive."

Ah yes, the infamous line.

We heard later that our poor old friend never got over the shock of his dissipated dreams. When his castle in the air fell down, it buried him beneath the ruins. He was last heard of at a nursing-home in Brixton.

Nate, you poor, wonderful, naive corpse man. I'm so sorry. You deserved better, my friend.

And there it was, the most infamous of the short stories. The story that validated a thousand shippers, and the rest.

[waitedforgarridebs]

The Adventure of the Three Garridebs (1924)

It may have been a comedy, or it may have been a tragedy … 

“The Adventure of the Three Garridebs” was originally published on October 25, 1924. It is the 53rd Sherlock Holmes story, and is part of the 12 stories collected in “The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes”.

The story’s main plot is in its core quite similar to those of “The Redheaded League”, “The Stockbroker's Clerk”, as well as any modern email scam: setting up a pretext – an offer that is too good to be true – in order to lure away and/or deceive the unsuspecting victim.

The only, and quite crucial difference to these other two Sherlock Holmes stories is, however, that when pursuing the culprit, Watson ends up getting shot.

And, more importantly: Holmes completely loses his chill.

The case starts innocently enough, with an American lawyer called John Garrideb following up an inquiry made by an Englishman, Nathan Garrideb, who had asked Holmes to help them find a third man with the same surname – as this was the requirement of the late Alexander Hamilton Garrideb’s will: Three men sharing his own “queer” name together could claim an inheritance worth 15 million dollars.

Holmes immediately discovers that John Garrideb is not happy about a detective's involvement, and also that he's lying to Holmes' face, but does not know yet how or why this is going to be important for this rather “whimsical” case.

After investigating a little further, however, Holmes quickly revises this initial judgement:

“This is a more serious matter than I had expected, Watson,” said he. “It is fair to tell you so, though I know it will be only an additional reason to you for running your head into danger. I should know my Watson by now. But there is danger, and you should know it.” “Well, it is not the first we have shared, Holmes. I hope it may not be the last. What is the particular danger this time?”

^that’s Foreshadowing 101, right there – as this is exactly what (almost) happens later:

'Well, well!' said he, coolly, as he scrambled to the surface. 'I guess you have been one too many for me, Mr Holmes. Saw through my game, I suppose, and played me for a sucker from the first. Well, sir, I hand it to you, you have me beat and–'  In an instant he had whisked out a revolver from his breast and had fired two shots. I felt a sudden hot sear as if a red-hot iron had been pressed to my thigh. There was a crash as Holmes's pistol came down on the man's head. I had a vision of him sprawling upon the floor with blood running down his face while Holmes rummaged him for weapons. Then my friend's wiry arms were round me, and he was leading me to a chair. "You're not hurt, Watson? For God's sake, say that you are not hurt!" [...] "It's nothing, Holmes. It's a mere scratch." He had ripped up my trousers with his pocket-knife. "You are right," he cried with an immense sigh of relief. "It is quite superficial." His face set like flint as he glared at our prisoner, who was sitting up with a dazed face. "By the Lord, it is as well for you. If you had killed Watson, you would not have got out of this room alive. Now, sir, what have you to say for yourself?"

The shooter – the man who had introduced himself as the American lawyer John Garrideb – turns out to be a criminal known as "Killer Evans" alias "James Winter" alias "Morecroft".

His actual goal was to break into the flat of the eccentric collector Nathan Garrideb in order to recover the forged money hidden in the basement by the previous tenant, Rodger Prescott, whom Evans had killed five years ago. Therefore Evans decided to lure the gullible hermit Nathan out of his flat by convincing him that finding a third man called Garrideb could make them a fortune, and that he had now found such a man in Birmingham.

And, of course, Nathan should be the one to go and see the (invented) third Garrideb in person to tell him about the happy news.

Despite already being known as “Killer”, Evans did decide not to resort to more drastic measures regarding poor old Nathan, but instead came up with this little scam. He does think of himself as “a softhearted guy”, after all – claiming that he should be awarded “a medal the size of a soup plate” for killing the great counterfeiter Prescott, and also that he never would have fired the shots if Holmes and Watson hadn't pointed a gun at him first.

As already pointed out, the plot of 3GAR isn't all that unique – Holmes' reaction to the prospect of losing his Watson is the main feature of interest in this story.

Looking at how in The Devil's Foot Holmes had proclaimed that, 

"I have never loved, Watson, but if I did and if the woman I loved had met such an end, I might act even as our lawless lion-hunter has done."

meaning, he would be willing to kill if anything happened to the person he loved (if he ever were to feel those emotions), as well as Doyle's choice of words to repeat the phrase cried out by Abe Slaney in The Dancing Men when he learns that his beloved Elsie was gravely wounded, 

"Take it back--you! Say that she is not hurt!"

there should really be no doubt about how to correctly interpret Watson's "moment of revelation":

It is the closest to an outspoken love confession the canon has ever gotten.

Therefore, we can only continue to wait for the BBC adaptation to finally feature Sherlock uttering the line, "If you had killed Watson, you would not have got out of this room alive."

(Because he can't angrily defenestrate rude Americans forever.)

And maybe the canon story finally being in worldwide public domain brings us one step closer to that.

[goldeagleprice]

Bowers on collecting: “The Adventure of the Three Garridebs”

By Q. David Bowers

Ever since I was a kid I have enjoyed Sherlock Holmes stories. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote 56 short stories and four novels about the detective hero. One of them, “The Adventure of the Three Garridebs,” has a numismatic context. Set in London in 1902, the story is as follows, as summarized by Wikipedia:

Holmes receives a letter from a Nathan Garrideb of 136 Little Ryder Street, asking for help in a most peculiar quest. He is looking for another man with his unusual surname, for it will mean a $5 million inheritance for him. He has been approached by another man, John Garrideb of Kansas, who says that he needs to find others with the same last name.

The American Garrideb comes to see Holmes and Watson at 221B Baker Street, and is apparently not very pleased that Nathan Garrideb has involved a detective. Garrideb, who claims to be a lawyer, spins a ridiculous story about Alexander Hamilton Garrideb, a millionaire land tycoon he met in Kansas. Hamilton Garrideb bequeathed his $15 million estate to John Garrideb on the provision that he find two more Garridebs to share it with equally. He came to England to seek out people with the name, having failed in his own country. So far, he has found only Nathan.

During the interview, Holmes detects many discrepancies in John Garrideb’s story, ranging from the time he has spent in London being obviously longer than he claims and his knowledge of a completely fictitious mayor of the town where Garrideb claims to have lived in before coming to England, but decides not to confront him. This piques Holmes’ interest, and he decides to contact Nathan Garrideb to investigate further. Upon arrival at Little Ryder Street, Holmes observes Nathan Garrideb’s nameplate outside the house. It has obviously been there for years; so Holmes concludes that Garrideb is at least his true surname.

It turns out that Nathan Garrideb is an elderly eccentric who collects everything from ancient coins to old bones. Garrideb’s rooms look like a small museum. He is obviously a serious collector, but has nothing of great value in his collection. Holmes finds out that John Garrideb has never asked for any money, nor has he suggested any course of action. Nathan Garrideb has no reason, it seems, to be suspicious of John Garrideb. This puzzles Holmes.

During Holmes’s and Watson’s visit, John Garrideb arrives in a most jolly mood. He has apparently found a third Garrideb, as proof of which he shows a newspaper advertisement purportedly placed by a Howard Garrideb in the course of his everyday business. Holmes sees instantly that John Garrideb has placed the advertisement himself from various Americanisms in the spelling and wording.

Despite Nathan Garrideb’s objections — for he is a man who very seldom goes out, much less travels — John Garrideb insists that Nathan go to Birmingham and meet this Howard Garrideb. It has now become clear to Holmes what the “rigmarole of lies” is all about. John Garrideb wants Nathan Garrideb to be out of his rooms for a while.

The next day brings fresh information. Holmes goes to see Inspector Lestrade at Scotland Yard and identifies John Garrideb as James Winter alias Morecroft alias “Killer” Evans, escaped prison after shooting three men in the States. In London, he killed Rodger Prescott, a Chicago forger whose description matches the former occupant of Nathan Garrideb’s room.

Holmes and Watson go to Garrideb’s home armed with revolvers. They do not have to wait long before Winter shows up. From their hiding place, Holmes and Watson see the criminal use a “jemmy“ to open a trapdoor revealing a little cellar. They capture Winter, but not before he manages to shoot twice, striking Watson in the leg. For once, Holmes shows his human side; he is distraught over Watson’s injury, and strikes Winter on the head with the butt of a gun hard enough to draw blood, vowing that the villain would have never left the rooms alive if he had killed Watson. Fortunately, Watson’s wound is superficial. The little cellar contains a printing press and stacks of counterfeit banknotes, hidden there by Prescott, the man that Winter killed.

Winter is sent back to prison. Nathan Garrideb ends up in a nursing home, so great is his disappointment, but many CID men are pleased that Prescott’s equipment has at last been found. Watson seems the happiest at the adventure’s outcome despite being hurt, declaring, “It was worth a wound, it was worth many wounds, to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask”, from the sight of Holmes’s panic and rage over his friend’s shooting.

❑

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

         Comments

DataDave I separate the P pucks from the boxes (like I do with ... by MarkInFlorida

Someone supposedly bought a banana duct taped to an art museum ... by MarkInFlorida

Here's an interesting tidbit on the FCR – P puck……Just ... by Teach

@Buzz Killington says,”I can practically guarantee that if ... by cagcrisp

I can practically guarantee that if this 2019 ERP Dollar was an ... by Buzz Killington

Plus 5 more...

[finalproblem]

I feel like there’s more to Alex and Gabriel of A.G.R.A. and have inklings of thoughts about them, but I’m probably not going to get very far with that until I stop feeling queasy when trying to watch the bang-bang-flash-flash embassy attack scene.

So in the meantime, here are some Alexes from canon!

Alexander Holder, a client in The Beryl Coronet

Alexis, Anna’s husband in The Golden Pince-Nez

Alexander Hamilton Garrideb, a made-up person in The Three Garridebs

Alex could also be a Greek name. (She says because she’s waiting for The Greek Interpreter to fit in somewhere.)

The only canon Gabriel is a reference to the angel in The Veiled Lodger: “I know now the poor spirit that was hidden in that splendid body, but compared to my husband he seemed like the angel Gabriel.”

[bitspieces]

Howard, Nathan and 'John' Garrideb

In canon we have Nathan Garrideb (the only real Garrideb), Howard Garrideb (made up by Killer Evans to deceit Nathan) and John Garrideb, the culprit (the fake name by which the assassin, Evans, goes by). We also have a mentioned Alexander Hamilton Garrideb (the supposed deceased millionaire who leaves his estate to three people that go by his surname). In TFP they switched John with Alex’s name. Sherlock deduces that Alex (John) is the killer and so condemns him, in reality Alex isn’t killed (yet) because Eurus chooses to spare him. In ASIP Sherlock deduced that the shooter was John, but decided to ‘spare’ him. Then Eurus presses the button and kills Alex anyway. This is John, who’s dying anyway, even if Sherlock spared him in ASIP, because Eurus pulled the trigger in TLD. Credit to @pollaidh for their amazing meta on John’s dying brain, that made me realize that Alex Garrideb is John Garrideb in the canon (I know, I’m this stupid. It’s been awhile since I read Tale Of The Three Garridebs, ok?).

[goldeagleprice]

Bowers on collecting: “The Adventure of the Three Garridebs”

By Q. David Bowers

Ever since I was a kid I have enjoyed Sherlock Holmes stories. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote 56 short stories and four novels about the detective hero. One of them, “The Adventure of the Three Garridebs,” has a numismatic context. Set in London in 1902, the story is as follows, as summarized by Wikipedia:

Holmes receives a letter from a Nathan Garrideb of 136 Little Ryder Street, asking for help in a most peculiar quest. He is looking for another man with his unusual surname, for it will mean a $5 million inheritance for him. He has been approached by another man, John Garrideb of Kansas, who says that he needs to find others with the same last name.

The American Garrideb comes to see Holmes and Watson at 221B Baker Street, and is apparently not very pleased that Nathan Garrideb has involved a detective. Garrideb, who claims to be a lawyer, spins a ridiculous story about Alexander Hamilton Garrideb, a millionaire land tycoon he met in Kansas. Hamilton Garrideb bequeathed his $15 million estate to John Garrideb on the provision that he find two more Garridebs to share it with equally. He came to England to seek out people with the name, having failed in his own country. So far, he has found only Nathan.

During the interview, Holmes detects many discrepancies in John Garrideb’s story, ranging from the time he has spent in London being obviously longer than he claims and his knowledge of a completely fictitious mayor of the town where Garrideb claims to have lived in before coming to England, but decides not to confront him. This piques Holmes’ interest, and he decides to contact Nathan Garrideb to investigate further. Upon arrival at Little Ryder Street, Holmes observes Nathan Garrideb’s nameplate outside the house. It has obviously been there for years; so Holmes concludes that Garrideb is at least his true surname.

It turns out that Nathan Garrideb is an elderly eccentric who collects everything from ancient coins to old bones. Garrideb’s rooms look like a small museum. He is obviously a serious collector, but has nothing of great value in his collection. Holmes finds out that John Garrideb has never asked for any money, nor has he suggested any course of action. Nathan Garrideb has no reason, it seems, to be suspicious of John Garrideb. This puzzles Holmes.

During Holmes’s and Watson’s visit, John Garrideb arrives in a most jolly mood. He has apparently found a third Garrideb, as proof of which he shows a newspaper advertisement purportedly placed by a Howard Garrideb in the course of his everyday business. Holmes sees instantly that John Garrideb has placed the advertisement himself from various Americanisms in the spelling and wording.

Despite Nathan Garrideb’s objections — for he is a man who very seldom goes out, much less travels — John Garrideb insists that Nathan go to Birmingham and meet this Howard Garrideb. It has now become clear to Holmes what the “rigmarole of lies” is all about. John Garrideb wants Nathan Garrideb to be out of his rooms for a while.

The next day brings fresh information. Holmes goes to see Inspector Lestrade at Scotland Yard and identifies John Garrideb as James Winter alias Morecroft alias “Killer” Evans, escaped prison after shooting three men in the States. In London, he killed Rodger Prescott, a Chicago forger whose description matches the former occupant of Nathan Garrideb’s room.

Holmes and Watson go to Garrideb’s home armed with revolvers. They do not have to wait long before Winter shows up. From their hiding place, Holmes and Watson see the criminal use a “jemmy“ to open a trapdoor revealing a little cellar. They capture Winter, but not before he manages to shoot twice, striking Watson in the leg. For once, Holmes shows his human side; he is distraught over Watson’s injury, and strikes Winter on the head with the butt of a gun hard enough to draw blood, vowing that the villain would have never left the rooms alive if he had killed Watson. Fortunately, Watson’s wound is superficial. The little cellar contains a printing press and stacks of counterfeit banknotes, hidden there by Prescott, the man that Winter killed.

Winter is sent back to prison. Nathan Garrideb ends up in a nursing home, so great is his disappointment, but many CID men are pleased that Prescott’s equipment has at last been found. Watson seems the happiest at the adventure’s outcome despite being hurt, declaring, “It was worth a wound, it was worth many wounds, to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask”, from the sight of Holmes’s panic and rage over his friend’s shooting.

❑

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

         Comments

Don't know about those three but did get three of the River of ... by KEITHSTER