Dr Watson’s Notebook

Case No. 2136

‘The Red Headed League’

Date: October 1890

The Red headed League
As I came across Sherlock, I had accidently bumped into him while he was just beginning on a case. There, on an armchair, was an elderly gentleman, with vivid flaming hair. He and Sherlock were in a conversation, but I had accidentally bumped into them and interrupted them.
Sherlock was showing his talents to Mr Wilson, observing how he can tell that Mr Wilson used to work in hard labour, finding out that he did indeed, working as a youngster.
So, after I had helped take notes of Jabez Wilson, we finally looked at what Mr Wilson had to tell. He handed over a news article, which was a jobs advertisement. It was called the red headed league, advertising a vacancy for the job. It was a very good pay, £4 a week. But, there were requirements before you could apply. You had to be red-headed

Mr Jabez Wilson.
Jabez Wilson is a very large, elderly man. He had fiery red hair and rather red in the face too. He had small, fat encircled eyes.
He wore baggy grey shepherds’ check trousers. A faded black frock coat which was unbuttoned in the front and also wore a drab waistcoat with a heavy brassy Albert chain and a square pierced bit of metal dangling down as an ornament.
He also wore a frayed top hat and fading brown overcoat with a wrinkled velvet collar lay upon a chair beside him.
To me, he looked like a very average British tradesman and rather slow obese man. But, Sherlock could see much more than I did.

Sherlock’s Deductions of Mr Wilson.
Sherlock’s keen eye could deduct many things in a very small amount of time. Sherlock could see that Mr Wilson had once done hard labour, which he observed from his right hand because it was much larger than the left. Mr Wilson said that he indeed had done labour, he was a ship’s carpenter.
Sherlock also saw that he took a drug and that he was a Freemason. He did not want to offend Mr Wilson by knowing that he took snuff, so did not say how he knew. Sherlock said that he knew that he is a free mason from Wilson’s arc and compass breastpin which is a symbol to show that he is a Freemason.
Not only that, but Holmes had observed yet more deductions of Mr Wilson. He knew that he had done a lot of writing recently, from his right cuff where it is very shiny for five inches, and the left one with a smooth patch near his elbow he had rested upon the desk.
He had deducted that Mr Wilson has been to China from a tattoo on his right wrist of a fish which was only done in China. But he also spotted a Chinese coin hanging from his watch chain which made it even more obvious.

The Advertisement
When Mr Wilson showed me the article, I was somewhat amused but puzzled all at the same time. This is what caused Mr Wilson to come to Sherlock Holmes in the first place.
It was only a small advertisement, only including the important information needed. It started off with mentioning a man called Ezekiah Hopkins, from Lebanon, Penn, U.S.A. which was the founder of the Red Headed League.
Then, it followed on with the information to tell what to do to get the vacancy. It said this:
You will get a salary of four pounds a week for purely nominal services. All red headed men who are sound in body and mind, and above the age of twenty-one years of age, are eligible. Apply in person on Monday. At eleven o’clock, to Duncan Ross, at the offices of the League, 7 Pope’s Court, Fleet Street.
It was very peculiar. Only red headed men are able to apply, and four pounds a week for only easy work. Something is not right, and we are going to find out what this madness is all about.

The Strange Events
This case is overall quite odd. But, some things just do not match up. How come Vincent Spaulding already knows so much about the League, and why did they just happen to pick Jabez Wilson? There would have been many red headed men who wanted to apply but yet, Mr Wilson was lucky enough to be spotted and to get the job.
It is also very strange how they were so flexible about Mr Wilson’s pawnbrokers business which he had beforehand. Most people would drop their staff if they are not able to be there when they needed them to be. They also give a lot of money considering Mr Wilson only had to copy out Encyclopaedia Britannica everyday for four hours.
He worked for the League for eight weeks, but when Mr Wilson came to work one day, there was a note on the door saying “The Red Headed League Is Dissolved”. How come they did not give notice to Mr Wilson? How did they suddenly be deserted after a rather small period of time? Perhaps they could not afford to keep Mr Wilson anymore, because they give good money.
It is very strange, and hopefully we will discover the mysteries of this case.

Description of Vincent Spaulding
Mr Jabez Wilson started to describe his assistant to us; he said that Vincent Spaulding was a short, stout built man. He has no hair on his face and has a white splash of acid upon his forehead. Vincent Spaulding according to Mr Wilson is very quick witted, but yet he chooses to stay and work for half the original wages as a pawnbroker’s assistant. He spends most of his time down in the cellar, developing photos.
Mr Holmes sat up with much excitement, and asked if Spaulding had his ears pierced. Mr Wilson answered with a yes, that he had got it done by gipsy when he was a young man. Mr Wilson struggled to say his age, but guessed that he was nit short of thirty years of age.