‘Those suspicions were later confirmed by the Dutch authorities who, in the strictest confidence, consulted my brother Mycroft who, as you know, has connections with our own government.9 They had reason to believe that an international organisation was behind the murder and that it was carried out by two of its Dutch agents whose identities were then unknown.
‘It was revealed that Van den Vondel was a plain-clothes inspector of police who was investigating this organisation which, with the aid of forged documents, was engaged in smuggling known criminals from the Continent to this country. They included such notorious villains as Larsson, the Swedish forger, and the Nihilist, Boris Orlov, wanted by the Russian authorities for the bombing of a post office in St Petersburg. Most of these criminals were later rounded up by Inspector Patterson and his colleagues at the Yard.
‘This traffic in human cargo was centred on the port of Rotterdam and was apparently carried out with the assistance of certain dock officials who had been bribed to cover up the truth, although the Dutch authorities had no proof either of this or of the identities of those who had organised the illicit trade.
‘However, in the light of last night’s events aboard the SS Friesland, I think we may safely assume that Van Wyk and Bakker were part of the conspiracy and it was they who had murdered the unfortunate Van den Vondel on Professor Moriarty’s orders. I suggest therefore, Inspector Patterson, that you make a thorough search of the captain’s cabin, for you may well find sufficient evidence among his papers to prove his and Bakker’s guilt as well as the names of those port officials who were bribed to keep silent.
‘It was because of these international connections that I thought it wiser to make no mention of Professor Moriarty until I had discussed the whole affair with Mycroft, which I did earlier this afternoon. Rather than bring Van Wyk and Bakker to trial in this country, Her Majesty’s Government has decided to hand them over to the Dutch authorities, who will no doubt wish to question them closely about the murder as well as the allegations of conspiracy.
‘In addition, Inspector Patterson and his men are still hunting for Luigi Bertorelli, an important member of the Sicilian Mafia, and, until he is arrested, not a word of this must be made public.
‘For these reasons, Watson, you will not be permitted to publish an account of our adventure on board the SS Friesland. I very much regret this, my dear fellow, but Mycroft’s decision is final.’
However, I could not allow the case to pass totally into oblivion, for it illustrates not only the ingenuity and deductive skills of my old friend Sherlock Holmes but also his great personal courage in the face of mortal danger. In addition, it allowed me my sole contact, albeit posthumously, with that arch-villain, Professor Moriarty, whom Holmes once referred to as the Napoleon of crime10 and whose genius for evil has never to my knowledge been surpassed in this century.
But it is not only for this reason that I have decided to write this confidential account of the outrageous events that took place on board the SS Friesland, which I shall deposit among my private papers.11
It is also intended as a tribute to the courage of my old friend, Sherlock Holmes, and as a form of apology to him for my doubting, however briefly, his lion-hearted valour.
1 The fateful encounter between Mr Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty took place on 4th May 1891 on a ledge overlooking the Reichenbach Falls, near the village of Meiringen in Switzerland, after Dr John H. Watson had been lured away by a false message. On his return, he found Mr Sherlock Holmes had disappeared, leaving a farewell message. Assuming both men had plunged to their death, Dr Watson, much saddened, returned to London. However, Mr Sherlock Holmes had survived and three years later, in the spring of 1894, reappeared in London to Dr Watson’s great joy and relief. Vide: ‘The Adventure of the Final Problem’ and ‘The Adventure of the Empty House’. Dr John F. Watson.
2 The Free Trade Wharf is situated on the north bank of the Thames, a mile and a half downstream from the Tower of London. Known originally as the East India Wharf, it was renamed the Free Trade Wharf in 1858 after tariff reform had lifted former trading restrictions. Dr John F. Watson.
3 Mr Sherlock Holmes, who had practised boxing while at university, used his skill at the sport on several occasions, notably against Woodley whom he defeated with a straight left. Vide: ‘The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist’. In ‘The Adventure of the Yellow Face’, Dr John H. Watson refers to him as ‘one of the finest boxers of his weight’ that he had ever seen. Mr Sherlock Holmes had also fought three rounds with a professional prize-fighter, McMurdo, at the latter’s benefit night and was considered by him expert enough to have turned professional. Vide: The Sign of Four. Dr John F. Watson.
4 For a full account of Mr Sherlock Holmes’ interview with Professor Moriarty, readers are referred to ‘The Adventure of the Final Problem’. Dr John F. Watson.
5 In his farewell letter left at the Reichenbach Falls, Mr Sherlock Holmes instructs Dr John H. Watson to inform Inspector Patterson that all the papers he needed to convict Professor Moriarty and his criminal associates were in a blue envelope, marked Moriarty, in the M pigeonhole of his desk. The Moriarty gang was later brought to trial but two of them, including Colonel Moran, escaped justice. The other presumably was Captain Van Wyk. Vide: ‘The Adventure of the Final Problem’ and ‘The Adventure of the Empty House.’ Dr John F. Watson.
6 Over three years had elapsed between Mr Sherlock Holmes’ encounter with Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls in May 1891 and the attempt made on Mr Sherlock Holmes’ life on board the SS Friesland in November 1894. Dr John F. Watson.
7 The quotation is from Cicero’s De Amicitia and translates as: Man’s best support is a very dear friend. Dr John F. Watson.
8 Baritsu, or Bartitsu, was a form of self-defence, the name of which was derived from bujitsu, the Japanese word for martial arts. Mr Sherlock Holmes used his skill at the sport to escape from Professor Moriarty’s grasp and send him plunging to his death at the Reichenbach Falls. Vide: ‘The Adventure of the Empty House’. Dr John F. Watson.
9 Mr Mycroft Holmes, Mr Sherlock Holmes’ elder brother, acted as a confidential adviser to various government departments while ostensibly employed by them as an auditor. Vide: ‘The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans’. Dr John F. Watson.
10 Vide: ‘The Adventure of the Final Problem’. Dr John F. Watson.
11 The only reference which Dr John H. Watson makes to the case is in ‘The Adventure of the Norwood Builder’, in which he states that ‘the shocking affair of the Dutch steamship, Friesland, which so nearly cost’ both him and Mr Sherlock Holmes their lives, occurred in the months following Mr Holmes’ return to London in 1894. Dr John F. Watson.
THE CASE OF THE SMITH-MORTIMER SUCCESSION
I
Another singular inquiry which took up much of Sherlock Holmes’ time and energy in the year 1894 was the case of the Smith-Mortimer succession although, like the Addleton tragedy, it will not be possible to publish an account of the affair while its participants are still alive. I have particularly in mind Mrs Eugene Mortimer and her small son who have at last, I trust, found happiness after the terrible events which overtook them.
At least, that is my fervent hope.
Holmes and I first made her acquaintance one morning in September of that year when she was shown into our Baker Street sitting-room in the company of her solicitor, Mr Ralph Berkinshaw.
She was a dainty, dark-haired young lady endowed with the most exquisite beauty but who bore on her delicate features an expression of great distress. I recall that, as she was introduced to me and I took her small, black-gloved hand in mine, I felt a sudden surge of protective compassion towards her.
It was an attitude clearly shared by her lawyer. Mr Berkinshaw, who was in his middle thirties, was a tall, self-assured man with pale, rather heavy features, and was distinguished mainly by the elegance of his attire and his Nordic colouring. This was particularly evident in his flaxen hair and mousta
che, both of which were stylishly trimmed. I observed that he treated his client with great solicitude, personally conducting her to a chair and, throughout the early part of the interview, casting anxious glances in her direction to assure himself that what he was saying was not causing her too much pain.
He began by apologising for having called without an appointment.
‘However, the matter is of such urgency,’ he continued, ‘that there was no time to write an explanatory letter. My client’s husband, Mr Eugene Mortimer, disappeared yesterday under unusual circumstances and has not been seen since. Mrs Mortimer, who is naturally most concerned about her husband’s whereabouts, wishes you to undertake enquiries on her behalf.’
‘Have the police been informed?’ Holmes asked.
‘Yes, indeed they have. Mrs Mortimer called at my office in the Strand earlier this morning and, as soon as she told me that her husband had not returned home last night, I accompanied her to Scotland Yard where I informed Inspector Lestrade of the situation. I understand a colleague of his, Inspector Gregson,1 will make enquiries at the London end while Inspector Lestrade intends leaving for Essex this morning to find out if Mr Eugene Mortimer arrived there by train as he should have done yesterday afternoon.’
‘Essex? Why Essex?’
‘I had an appointment to meet him at Woodside Grange, which is close to the small village of Boxstead, in order to discuss with him the estate of his late uncle. He had agreed to travel down on the 2.10 train from Liverpool Street station. When he failed to appear, I assumed he had been taken ill. However, I understand from Mrs Mortimer that her husband left his house in Hampstead yesterday afternoon, fully intending to catch that train. That is so, is it not, my dear lady?’
‘Yes, it is,’ the lady replied in a low voice. ‘Eugene set off in good time for the station. He told me he would return by the 6.25 when he expected his business with Mr Berkinshaw would be completed. When he had not arrived home by eight o’clock, I assumed he had been delayed. At ten, when he had still not returned, I became seriously concerned about his welfare, assuming in my turn he had been taken ill or had met with an accident. However, there was nothing I could do. It was too late to send a telegram or to travel down to Essex myself to make enquiries. As I did not know Mr Berkinshaw’s home address, I was forced to wait until this morning when I could call at his office to find out if he knew where my husband was or what had happened to him.’
At the memory of that long and lonely vigil, her courage faltered and, with a little sob, she pressed her handkerchief to her lips and turned away her lovely face.
Mr Berkinshaw rose immediately to his feet and held out his hand to her.
‘I beg you, Mrs Mortimer, to return home to your little boy. The cab is waiting downstairs to drive you back to Hampstead. It will only cause you further distress to remain here.’
‘But will you accept the case, Mr Holmes?’ the lady asked, turning to my companion, the tears welling up in her eyes.
‘Indeed I shall,’ Holmes assured her.
This promise seemed to offer her some consolation, for I heard her murmur, ‘Thank God!’ under her breath as Mr Berkinshaw, holding her tenderly by the elbow, escorted her from the room.
Holmes and I waited for his return, I still deeply touched by Mrs Mortimer’s plight, as well as curious to learn from her solicitor the full story behind her husband’s disappearance. Holmes, however, seemed more concerned with the latter consideration for, as soon as the door had closed behind them, he went straight across to the bookcase to refer to his copy of Bradshaw.2
‘I see,’ he murmured half to himself, ‘that the 2.10 from Liverpool Street station is a slow train and was due to arrive at Boxstead Halt at 3.55, where I assume Mr Mortimer should have alighted.’
He broke off as Mr Berkinshaw returned. ‘A very brave little lady,’ the solicitor remarked, resuming his seat. ‘Despite her great distress, she insisted on accompanying me here, Mr Holmes. May I also say how much comfort it has given her to know you will enquire into the affair?
‘Now, sir,’ he continued more briskly, taking out his pocket watch and consulting its dial, ‘time is pressing and as we are both busy professional men, I shall give you as concise an account as possible of the circumstances surrounding Mr Mortimer’s disappearance and why I had asked him to travel down to Essex in the first place.
‘As I said, it concerned the estate of his late uncle, Mr Franklin Mortimer, an exceedingly wealthy bachelor who, on his retirement, bought Woodside Grange where he lived until his death in May. In his will, he left his considerable fortune to be divided equally between his two nephews, Mr Eugene Mortimer, his brother’s son, and Mr Johnathen Smith, the son of his sister who had married a Mr Bartholomew Smith, a farmer in Shropshire. I should also explain that, since the death of my own father three years ago, I have assumed legal responsibility for the late Mr Mortimer’s affairs.
‘As both nephews were already settled in their own homes, Mr Smith on the family farm in Shropshire and Mr Eugene Mortimer in his house in Hampstead, it was decided that Woodside Grange together with its contents should be sold at auction and the proceeds added to the Mortimer estate. According to the terms of the will, an inventory has been drawn up and a valuation placed on each separate item by an expert from Christie and Manson’s3 prior to the sale, which is due to take place in two days’ time. These documents had to be jointly signed by the two heirs in one another’s presence. It was for this reason that I had asked them to travel down to Woodside Grange yesterday afternoon in order for them to look over the inventory and the valuations and, once they had agreed to them, to add their signatures.
‘As I was busy with other clients in the morning, I could not arrange to meet them at any other time.
‘I myself travelled down to Woodside Grange a little earlier to complete work on the documents and to make final arrangements for the forthcoming sale with the late Mr Franklin Mortimer’s housekeeper and gardener, Mr and Mrs Deakin, who are still living at the house and acting as caretakers.
‘Mr Eugene Mortimer was, as I said, due to catch the 2.10 train from London.’
‘Which, according to Bradshaw, would have arrived at Boxstead Halt at 3.55,’ Holmes interjected.
‘Exactly so, Mr Holmes. It is the nearest station, being a mere quarter of an hour’s walk from the Grange. As it is infrequently used, there is no conveyance available for passengers. Mr Eugene Mortimer, who was aware of this, was prepared to make his way to the house on foot. I expected him at about ten past four.
‘As Shropshire is too far away to make consultation easy, Mr Johnathen Smith is staying at a hotel in London until his late uncle’s affairs are settled. For reasons which I shall shortly explain, he preferred not to travel down to Essex with his cousin, but caught a different train, the one which left Liverpool Street station at twenty past two. As it is a fast train, it does not stop at Boxstead Halt but continues on to the town of Fordham, three miles away by road. I myself had arrived at Fordham earlier in the afternoon and had driven over to the Grange in a hired dog-cart. I had offered to return to Fordham and meet Mr Smith off his train but he declined, preferring to take the short cut across the fields, the weather being so fine and dry. It is a pleasant walk and would take, I suppose, about half an hour. However, he accepted my invitation to accompany me in the dog-cart back to Fordham after our business was completed. We had agreed to journey back to London together on the 6.12 train.
‘I come now to the reason why the two cousins preferred to travel separately. There was a long-standing quarrel between them caused by rivalry over the same young lady whom you have just met.’
‘You are referring to Mrs Eugene Mortimer?’ Holmes enquired.
‘Indeed I am,’ Mr Berkinshaw replied, inclining his flaxen head. ‘Before her marriage, she was Miss Constance Hunt, the only daughter of a close friend of the late Mr Franklin Mortimer. On Mr Hunt’s death several years ago, Mr Franklin Mortimer took a paternal interest in her welfar
e, in the course of which he introduced her to his nephews.
‘As you and Dr Watson have seen for yourselves, she is a charming young lady and it was perhaps inevitable that both the cousins should fall in love with her. However, her choice fell on Mr Eugene Mortimer and she subsequently accepted his proposal of marriage. I understand that Mr Johnathen Smith was exceedingly jealous to the extent that on the evening the engagement was announced, he struck his cousin Eugene and knocked him to the ground. They have not met since and, whenever they called on their late uncle, always made sure their visits never coincided. Indeed, so strong was their mutual antipathy that I was forced to arrange separate appointments with them in my office.
‘It is possible you may make Mr Smith’s acquaintance during the course of your enquiries, Mr Holmes, and while I do not wish to prejudice you against him in any way, I think you will agree with me that he is an impulsive and hot-headed young man, quite capable of violent action.
‘I come now to the events of yesterday afternoon. As I have already explained, I expected Mr Eugene Mortimer to arrive at the Grange at ten past four and Mr Johnathen Smith about five minutes later.
‘To be frank, Mr Holmes, I was not looking forward to the occasion. It was the first time the cousins had met face to face since their quarrel six years earlier and, had it not been necessary for them both to be present when the inventory and valuations were inspected and signed, I should have preferred to see them separately.
‘As subsequent events were to prove, the meeting had to be abandoned for, although Mr Smith duly arrived, his cousin failed to keep the appointment. We waited for over an hour, expecting him on a later train but at length, with Mr Smith’s agreement, I cancelled the meeting and we left together for Fordham to catch the next train back to town.
The Secret Journals of Sherlock Holmes (A&B Crime) Page 16