The Speckled Band An Adventure of Sherlock Holmes

By Thomas Robison, Keelan Smith, and Kendall Murkison

Dunn, Benn. "Sherlock Holmes Speckled Band" DeviantArt. 2010. http://dogsupreme.deviantart.com/art/Sherlock-Holmes-Speckled-Band-153668294

The Characters

Sherlock Holmes: Detective asked to solve the case.

Dr. Watson: Partner to the detective Holmes

Helen Stoner: In need of help to find out what happened to her sister.

Dr. Grimesby Roylott: Rough and corrupt father of Helen Stoner.

“It is not cold which makes me shiver,” said the woman in a low voice, changing her seat as requested. “It is fear, Mr. Holmes. It is terror.”

The Mystery

Ms. Helen Stoner believes that her life is in danger of suffering the same death that he sister suffered 2 years before. The cause of death, however, is unsure.

"...for he is a man of immense strength, and absolutely uncontrollable in his anger."

The strange events that lead up to her sister death she suffering from now. Her sister died not long before she was to be married..

“I could not sleep that night. A vague feeling of impending misfortune impressed me."

Her sister started hearing noises. She had an ominous feeling within her, as if she knew of her impending fate.

"Oh, my God! Helen! It was the band! The speckled band!"

Helen heard of the low whistle her sister discussed. Then she heard a loud metal clang. She enters her sister's room with her lying on the floor. Just before her sister's death, she spoke of "the speckled band."

"Don’t you dare to meddle with my affairs." says Dr. Roylott

Dr. Grimesby Roylott appears at Sherlock's door, asking of him to not "dabble in [his] affairs." then threatening him to do so.

"...so if you are ready, we shall call a cab and drive to Waterloo."

Sherlock and Watson hitch a ride to Waterloo, where Helen Stoner and Dr. Roylott resided.

“I have been waiting so eagerly for you,” she cried, shaking hands with us warmly.

They then meet Helen at her residence to discuss the issue that she has.

“What’s in here?” he asked, tapping the safe.

Sherlock examines nearly everything in their home. When in the deceased sister's room, He notices a fake bell pull and the vents strangely being connected with the other rooms. Then he asked of the safe in the Doctor's room. With no one knowing of what contents were inside the safe, nor of the reason why there's a saucer of milk on top Holmes becomes skeptical.

“Then, for pity’s sake, tell me what was the cause of my sister’s death.”

Helen continues to question Holmes. He then lays out his plan to her. He needs to stay the night in Helen's sister's room to see what it was exactly that killed her.

“It is a nice household,” he murmured. “That is the baboon.”

Sherlock and Watson are in the room at the time of night. Both being sure to stay awake to see the threat of the house.

Holmes sprang from the bed, struck a match, and lashed furiously with his cane at the bell-pull.

When Holmes heard of the sound that Helen described, he sprung from the bed, lit a match, and whipped at the bell pull, yelling and asking Watson if he noticed what he saw, which was the snake.

“The band! the speckled band!” whispered Holmes.

The Outcome

The snake then escapes the room through the connected ventilation system into Dr. Roylott's room. Both Holmes and Watson enter the next room to see the speckled band around the doctor's neck. The put together that the safe was used to cage this serpent, and the saucer was used to feed it. The connected ventilation system was also designed in it's way to let the snake travel to and from rooms.

All in text images:

Camden House. David Soucek. 1998. http://ignisart.com/camdenhouse/canon/spec

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