Canon Curiosities!

        Summarizing the Murder Cases of Sherlock Holmes

                by Phil Angelo - January 2024

Cases where the murder victims deserved to be killed anyway

Study in Scarlet (Drebber and Stangerson)

Victor Trevor or James Armitage in The Gloria Scott, a mutineer

Butler Brunton, a would-be thief.

Charles Augustus Milverton, the blackmailer

Wife-beater Sir Eustace Brackenstall in Abbey Grange.

Mortimer Tregennis, a killer himself, in The Devil’s Foot

Wife beater Ronder in The Veiled Lodger

Cases where the murderer or murderers, victims or attempted murderers die an alternative death (rather than on the gallows)

Study in Scarlet (Jefferson Hope)

Boscombe Valley (John Turner)

Five Orange Pips, when the Lone Star sinks

Murder cases where Holmes’ client gets killed

The Five Orange Pips

The Dancing Men

They met their end in drownings, or learn how to swim

The elder Neligan in Black Peter

The criminals in The Resident Patient (Norah Creina) and The Five Orange Pips (The Lone Star)

Stapleton in the bog in The Hound.

Jack Douglas in The Valley of Fear off the Palmyra.

Cases where Holmes lets the murderer go

Boscombe Valley (John Turner)

The woman who killed Milverton.

Jack Croker in the Abbey Grange

Leon Sterndale in The Devils Foot

Eugenia Ronder in The Veiled Lodger

Cases where Holmes clears a man accused of murder. 

Boscombe Valley (James McCarthy)

The Norwood Builder (John Hector McFarlane)

John Hopley Neligan, Black Peter

Scott Eccles, Wisteria Lodge

Grace Dunbar, Thor Bridge

Ian Murdoch in The Lion’s Mane

Gun control would not have solved much in the canon, ponder these murder weapons.

Blowdarts, Sign of Four

Rock, Boscombe Valley

Snake, Speckled Band

John Straker, horseshoe, Silver Blaze

An oar, by Jim Browner, in The Cardboard Box 

The rope, used to hang Blessington in The Resident Patient.

An airgun is a gun, although an unusual one. Col. Moran uses it in The Empty House.

Harpoon, Peter Carey in Black Peter.

Beppo slays Pietro Venucci with a knife in The Six Napoleons

Gennaro Luccas kills Black Gorgiano with a knife in Red Circle.

Willoughby Smith, killed with a small sealing wax knife in The Golden Pince Nez.

A poker in The Abbey Grange. Jack Croker wielded it. Sir Eustace Brackenstall was the victim.

Cadogan West was done in by a life-preserver in The Bruce Partington Plans.

A poisoned little box is used by Culverton Smith to do away with his nephew Victor Savage.

The Devil’s Foot used by Mortimer Tregennis and Leon Sterndale.

Ctanea Capillata jellyfish in the Lion’s Mane. 

Sahara King is the fatal weapon in The Veiled Lodger 

Gas by Josiah Amberley in The Retired Colourman 

A murderer who got away with it

Rachel Howells

Fatal Shootings in the canon

William the coachman in The Reigate Squires

Ronald Adair in The Empty House

Hilton Cubitt in The Dancing Men

Charles Augustus Milverton in the case named after him.

Killer Evans shoots counterfeiter Rodger Prescott in the backstory of the Three Garridebs.

People who die of heart attacks or some stroke

The husband of the killer of Milverton

Jefferson Hope

Col. Barclay

Victor Trevor – actually Victor’s father

Sir Charles Baskerville

Douglas Maberley in The Three Gables. 

They die on the gallows

Blessington in The Resident Patient – actually in his bedroom

Black Jack McGinty and eight other Scowrers.

The attempted murder of Sherlock Holmes

The Dying Detective 

The Illustrious Client 

The Empty House, air gun

Suicides or threat of suicides

Anna in The Golden Pince Nez. 

Maria Gibson in Thor Bridge 

Suicide is contemplated by Eugenia Ronder in The Veiled Lodger

Josiah Amberley tries to commit suicide as he is caught by Holmes in The Retired Colourman.