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sherlock60This week we are reading The Adventure of the Cardboard Box. It carries the themes of meddling and ill timing.
Our story is set on a hot August day and there is little going except for a cardboard box sent to a Miss S. Cushing, in Croyden. Inside was no small amount of salt and two ears. Lestrade was sent to investigate and then contracts Holmes to help out, having found no leads to go anywhere.
Eager to quit the city for the cooler countryside, Watson joins Holmes in the invitation. Susan Cushing is a retired woman who had once rented rooms to students, but had to evict them after being awful renters. Maybe a prank from them? But when Holmes investigates the box and its contents, it proves otherwise. The salt and ears bear no sign of the type used by medical students and universities and the string bears out another road to take. Holmes interviews Susan Cushing, inviting her to let him know the details he needs: two other sisters, Sarah and Mary, and one of them married to a sailor who has a foul temper when drinking. Sarah once lived with Susan, but they found they could not make a peaceful home together and Sarah left two months ago.
Holmes sends off a telegram and then he and Watson are off to see Sarah Cushing. They find however a doctor who recommends no visitors for a week as Sarah has a brain fever. Holmes isn't dismayed however; if anything, he is elated. Holmes and Watson then take their time for lunch before meeting up with Lestrade who gives Holmes a telegram. Holmes is convinced of his conclusion at this point because he gives Lestrade a name and when to arrest the murderer.
In a few days, the matter is easily cleared up. Browner, the sailor whom Mary married, was arrested for the murder of his wife and her, we are led to assume, lover. It happened like this: some many months ago, Sarah lived with the Browners and it seemed peaceful. In time however, Sarah moved into her own home and let out rooms. Mary would join her sister for tea at times and it was there that she met with one of the lodgers with whom she became close. Sarah moved back with the other sister and while Browner continued in his career, Mary would still meet up with the lodger whom she had become close to. Browner came upon them one day, having secured some extra unexpected leave, and when he followed them (drunk we are to assume), he killed them in a fit. He cut off their ears and sent the bodies in the boat they had been in. The ears were posted to Sarah's old address, as that where Browner assumed she was; she was, he said, to blame for Mary's straying.
And so closes the Adventure of the Cardboard Box. We only have two accounts of the case: that of Susan who was mistaken as the recipient for the ears and the man who did the murder who was given to drink. I don't feel doubt that he did it, but I do wonder at how the whole thing came about. While Susan Cushing had nothing bad to say about Mary, she did at least give enough details that matched what Browner did and so we can at least trust that Sarah was a bit mischievous. Having the perspective of modern day, we also can suspect that Browner was an abuser who twisted the story around so that he turned to drink because Mary had done something to violate her marriage vows; from the account of Susan, we know that Browner at least was something of a brute and she didn't like him. But Mary married him nonetheless. We can assume that Susan kept in touch with her younger sister in some way, but chose to keep her distance from her brother-in-law. Sarah we could assume tried to help out and when she saw how ill treated Mary was, tried to at least ease Mary's ill life. And from there...
Or maybe I'm speculating too much. Thoughts?
Our story is set on a hot August day and there is little going except for a cardboard box sent to a Miss S. Cushing, in Croyden. Inside was no small amount of salt and two ears. Lestrade was sent to investigate and then contracts Holmes to help out, having found no leads to go anywhere.
Eager to quit the city for the cooler countryside, Watson joins Holmes in the invitation. Susan Cushing is a retired woman who had once rented rooms to students, but had to evict them after being awful renters. Maybe a prank from them? But when Holmes investigates the box and its contents, it proves otherwise. The salt and ears bear no sign of the type used by medical students and universities and the string bears out another road to take. Holmes interviews Susan Cushing, inviting her to let him know the details he needs: two other sisters, Sarah and Mary, and one of them married to a sailor who has a foul temper when drinking. Sarah once lived with Susan, but they found they could not make a peaceful home together and Sarah left two months ago.
Holmes sends off a telegram and then he and Watson are off to see Sarah Cushing. They find however a doctor who recommends no visitors for a week as Sarah has a brain fever. Holmes isn't dismayed however; if anything, he is elated. Holmes and Watson then take their time for lunch before meeting up with Lestrade who gives Holmes a telegram. Holmes is convinced of his conclusion at this point because he gives Lestrade a name and when to arrest the murderer.
In a few days, the matter is easily cleared up. Browner, the sailor whom Mary married, was arrested for the murder of his wife and her, we are led to assume, lover. It happened like this: some many months ago, Sarah lived with the Browners and it seemed peaceful. In time however, Sarah moved into her own home and let out rooms. Mary would join her sister for tea at times and it was there that she met with one of the lodgers with whom she became close. Sarah moved back with the other sister and while Browner continued in his career, Mary would still meet up with the lodger whom she had become close to. Browner came upon them one day, having secured some extra unexpected leave, and when he followed them (drunk we are to assume), he killed them in a fit. He cut off their ears and sent the bodies in the boat they had been in. The ears were posted to Sarah's old address, as that where Browner assumed she was; she was, he said, to blame for Mary's straying.
And so closes the Adventure of the Cardboard Box. We only have two accounts of the case: that of Susan who was mistaken as the recipient for the ears and the man who did the murder who was given to drink. I don't feel doubt that he did it, but I do wonder at how the whole thing came about. While Susan Cushing had nothing bad to say about Mary, she did at least give enough details that matched what Browner did and so we can at least trust that Sarah was a bit mischievous. Having the perspective of modern day, we also can suspect that Browner was an abuser who twisted the story around so that he turned to drink because Mary had done something to violate her marriage vows; from the account of Susan, we know that Browner at least was something of a brute and she didn't like him. But Mary married him nonetheless. We can assume that Susan kept in touch with her younger sister in some way, but chose to keep her distance from her brother-in-law. Sarah we could assume tried to help out and when she saw how ill treated Mary was, tried to at least ease Mary's ill life. And from there...
Or maybe I'm speculating too much. Thoughts?
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Date: 2017-10-29 03:35 pm (UTC)...from the account of Susan, we know that Browner at least was something of a brute and she didn't like him. But Mary married him nonetheless.
I wouldn't agree entirely with that. I get the impression Susan definitely doesn't like his drinking, but she had nothing against him before that. And though she says the drink turns Browner 'stark, staring mad', she doesn't appear to have any significant fears for her sister's safety. Also, she seems somewhat sympathetic to Browner with regards to Sarah: "...He had caught her meddling, I suspect, and given her a bit of his mind, and that was the start of it."
...we also can suspect that Browner was an abuser who twisted the story around so that he turned to drink because Mary had done something to violate her marriage vows...
This is a definite possibility. But as I said above, I prefer to think he's telling the whole truth as it makes for a more psychologically compelling story. And he's not trying to save his life - he accepts he's guilty and going to be hanged. Which seems to me to make it more likely he's telling the truth in his account.