A case of Identity Homework

 

Deductions in – A Case of Identity

Characters:

Sherlock Holmes – Detective

Dr. Watson – Holmes Partner

Miss Mary Sutherland’s – The potential Wife

Mr.  Hosmer Angel – The disappeared potential Husband

Mr. Windibank - Mary Sutherland’s Step Father

 

1.       The first deduction that Holmes was able to make was that Miss Sutherlands was a typewritist. He was able to deduct this, from observing the sleaves of the woman. He realised that she had a double line above her wrist. Which is also where a typewritist pressed against the table.

“As you observe, this woman had plush upon her sleeves, which is a most useful material for showing traces. The double line a little above the wrist, where the typewritist presses against the table, was beautifully defined.” Said Holmes.

2.       The second deduction that Holmes found was that Miss Sutherlands had come in a hurry. He was able to find this out easily by looking at her boots. He had realised that she only had 2 buttons out of the 5 on one boot, and 3 buttons on the other. He also says that “This is no great deduction”.

“One was buttoned only in the two lower buttons out of five, and the other at the first, third, and fifth.”

3.       He also finds more clues of her being more in a rush. By observing her gloves, he finds stained violet ink on them. Which may indicate that she was in a rush, and dipped her ink pen too deep in the ink.

“But you did not apparently see that both glove and finger were stained with violet ink. She had written in a hurry and dipped her pen too deep” He also said that this is elementary deductions.

4.       Sherlock Holmes realises that Hosmer Angel is really secretive. He finds about this by realizing that the nots that Hosmer had written down, by a type writer. He also finds about that the signature on the paper had been typewritten as well.

““As to the letters,” he (Holmes) continued, glancing over them, “they are very common placed.”

“They are typewritten,” I remarked (Watson)

“Not only that, but the signature is typewritten. Look at the neat little ‘Hosmer Angel’ at the bottom.”

 

I don’t think there is another deduction that he made in the story that I can find. But I want to make my own deduction. I think that the Hosmer Angel person is a very hidden person. Because in the story, Miss Sutherlands describes him as a person who is very shy. He seems that he only visits her when her step father is away. Her step father also seems very unconcerned about the situation of the vanishing of her potential husband on the day of the marriage. While her mother is very mad. The only one benefiting from the story is the step father as well. As he gets more income if she doesn’t get a partner. Either Hosmer Angel is a person who is really hidden. He could be a person that the step father had hired. But I don’t know, that’s my theory