Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
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Now it's time for today's episode of the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure
of the Norwood Builder, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Original and Immortal
Stories of Sir Raza. Conan Doyle dramatized Daniel with Sir Ralph Richardson as doctor
Watson and Sir John Gielgood in the role of Sherlock Holmes. Hello, what's
thes what's this Watson? Toman who quite a remarkable scent of education at Holmes?
Whoever it is, He's not even waiting for missus Hudson's good offices.
A man from his step, a young one from his energy, and a
strong one for his tug on the bell pull mister Holmes, I'm the only
man. Sit down, won't you, Mister Holmes, I am the unhappy
John Hector McFarland. Pray have a cigarette, mister McFarland, or you mustn't
blame me. I'm nearly mad at hill. You'll blame you for nothing.
But if you don't sit down and compose yourself, I can't possibly listen to
you well, and I'm sorry, yes, of course, of course.
But if you're in you, when you are fully composed, you must tell
us, very slowly and quietly, who you are and what it is you
want. You mentioned your name as if I should recognize it, but I
assure you wh I know nothing whatever, But you beyond the obvious facts that
you're a bachelor, solicitor at a freemason, mister Holmes. How and oh
you mustn't mind it, mister McFarland. It looks like a conjuring trick,
but it's very quite simple. But he deduced the first fact from the general
untidiness of your tithe I may say so on the second from the sheaf of
legal papers sticking out of your pocket there, and the third from the charm
on your watch chain upon my soul watching you improve. You do indeed well,
thank your Holmes. And I fancy mister McFarland's calm enough to tell us
his story coherently, mister Holmes, and everything you said. And in addition,
I'm the most unfortunate man in London. I'm calm enough now. But
I had to know you'd be working for me, and it's just that I
had to get here before they did. Oh and who are they, mister
McFarland. The police. They're on their way to arrest me. The police.
This is really most gratful, quite interesting. On what charge may I
ask of murdering mister Jonas, old accot of Lord Norwood. Dear me,
look there at mister Holmes, there at that newspaper. Look at that headline.
Yes, yes, yes, Watson, pray look at this the second
page is I recall it runs a mysterious affair at Lower Norwood. Disappearance of
well known builder, murder and arson. Yes, and here you see below
the clue to the criminal, the mysterious mister McFarland. That's the clue there
following Now a man was after me at London Bridge Station? What's that?
Who is it? Mister Holmes? We must wait and see. Of course
you understand, mister McFarland, and I don't necessarily accept your case, mister
Holmes. I still listen at least and if you go on nate to mcfarn
I arrest you for the wilful murder of mister Jonas old Acot of Lower Norwood.
Oh, good morning, inspector. Do come in one shall That's all
very well, doctor Watson. When I've been following this young man, mister
Holmes, and I want him a quarter of an hour more or less can
make no difference to you less trade. This gentleman was about to give us
his account of the affair. Perhaps I might help to clear it up.
I don't think I shall have any difficulty in clearing it up, mister Holmes.
Still it's a warm day, less trade, is it not, and
you've been making such haste. You'll find refreshments on the table over there.
I think I may say I've done you one or two good turns in my
time at the yard, this trade, So just let me have my quarter
of an hour, will Well? It's true enough. It's difficult to refuse
you, mister Holmes. But I am bound to remain with my prisoner,
of course, and I am bound to warn him. But anything he says
may appear in evidence. I don't want anything better, sir. Thank you,
mister Holmes, not at all, thank you. Less trade now,
Watson, Watson, Ah, there's really no need for you to be learning
the entire newspaper by heart while speaking at Holmes. Oh no, this is
rarely quite interesting, Come Watson. The facts, the facts, And so
I summarized the facts. It appeared that the night before, at about twelve
o'clock, there had been a sudden alarm of fire at the house of mister
Jonas old Acre, a wealthy builder of lower Norwood. The fire had started
in a small timber yard behind the house, where some stacks of wood were
stored It was brought under control by the fire brigade without any trouble, but
among the ashes some charred remains were found. Mister Oldacre himself was missing,
and in his room the safe had plainly been burgled, and there were signs
of a struggle with some blood. It was known that the builder had had
a late visitor the night before, none other than young MacFarlane, and among
the litter of papers round the safe, a heavy oaken stick been found,
also smeared with blood, which had been identified as his. It seemed clear
that murder had been done, and the body dragged to the woodstack for disposal.
Why what could be more natural, mister Holmes. I got on this
young man's trail at once and arrived to arrest him in our humble chambers.
Well, well, the case certainly has some points of interest. Wats him?
I swear I didn't do it, mister Holmes. Yes, yes,
quite so, mister McFarland. But let us take the facts first. It's
true I suppose that you did visit mister Oldegger last night. I did.
I won't keep anything back, mister Holmes. You no better, not young
man. You knew him? Well, I'd take it. I didn't know
him at all, or at least I knew of him, but i'd never
met him. He was a friend of my parents long ago, but they
had drifted apart. I only knew the name. And how did you come
to visiting them? He suddenly walked into Marfice in the city yesterday and introduced
himself. I have a place near London Bridge, you know, he said,
he's some business for me to do. Any handed me some sheets of
paper. Here they are, mister Holmes, the draft of a will.
He said. He wanted me to put it all in proper legal shape.
You can imagine my amazement when I saw that he'd left everything to you,
mister McFarland. Just so Watson, look at this. Remarkable. You'd never
met him in your life before, you say never. He was a queer,
little ferret like man. I didn't like him much, but there it
was. He'd left me everything. Did he tell you why? He said
he hadn't any relations, and he'd known my parents in his youth, and
he'd followed my career, and so he felt he'd like to do it for
old time's sake, and because I was a deserving case. Oh quite touching.
We underestimate the power of sentiment. Watson, Well, what then,
mister McFarland. Well, he said there was some title deeds and so forth
at his house Norwood, and that he'd want me to have a look at
them too, And he said his mind wouldn't be easy till it was all
settled, so he asked me to go out there. He insisted that it
should be last night, Yes, after supper. He said he wouldn't hear
of anything else, and I wasn't to mention anything to my parents. It
was to be a surprise to them. Well why didn't you stay the night
at mister Oldacres? He hadn't invited me, only to look at the papers
I put up at a hotel in Nordwood itself. And then the smart one
moment you call on him after supper as arranged, of course, about half
past nine, i'd see who opened the door to you. I suppose it's
his housekeeper. She was a middle aged woman, and I take it she
announced your name. Yes. We went into mister Oldacre's study and he was
all ready for me, with the papers all set out beside the safe.
We worked in them together till about half past eleven complicated papers, mister McFarland.
No, rather simple, i'd say, really, though he seemed to
think they were very important. We did them all up and sealed bundles.
Most interesting. So you left him for the night. Yes, I couldn't
find my stick. I remember the stick beside the safe with the blood stain.
Just my devilish luck. A game. I didn't know anything about it
till id edit in the papers this morning, and the train back to the
city. I came straight on to you from London Bridge, mister Holmes.
I was terrified. I saw just exactly how involved I seemed to be.
A man spotted him there, mister Holmes at the station, and a fellow
waiting. When I heard he was on his way to his office. I
came on here myself to do my duty. Then you plainly must do your
duty. My dearest trade, he's yours, mister. No, no,
no, it's all right, mister MacFarlane. I've decided to accept your case.
Oh thank hep Now just write your home address on this slip of paper
and then you must go quietly along with the inspector. There's nothing else to
be done. I'll do everything I can to help you are. You're wasting
your time, mister Holmes. I never saw a clearer case. However,
it amuses you, it does, it does, though perhaps amusing is hardly
the world. Goodbye, my dear lest trade until we meet again, mister
McFarlane. Heaven bless you, mister Holmes. Well Watson, is he innocent?
Holmes? I know no more than you do. There's an odd factors,
of course. The writing on Old Acre's draft of the will, for
instance, I see nothing hard in that. It's a bit of a scribble,
perhaps, doesn't sol But written in a railway train and express with only
one stop the whole way, but several sets of points on the line.
Yes, But my dear fellows sublicity itself to an expert. Look at the
variations in the handwriting. If I'm not mistaken, this was written in the
very train we are about to catch ourselves, Watson. But traveling, of
course, in the opposite direction. We go from London Bridge through Norwood.
Come along, let us see the home of this respected murdered builder for ourselves.
The house was a modern villa of staring red brick. We found a
group of lustradesmen routing among the ashes of the timber stack, and at the
very moment of our arrival struck treasure trove a few discolored metal disks. There
was no doubt that there were trouser buttons. We looked in the builder's study,
saw the signs of a struggle, the bloodstains, the trail of a
heavy object dragged from the ground floor window to the timber yard. It seemed
only too clear that less Trade had a case. There were no other footprints
but our clowns and the builders. After one quick glance through the papers scattered
from the safe, it was with a furrowed brow that Holmes returned at last
to Baker Street. All the rest of that close thundery day he moped and
pondered. Next day it was hotter still, what's all wrongs wrong? You
mean he may be guilty after all? No, no, no, I'm
certain Macfarland's innocence, and all my instincts are one way, and all all
the facts are the other. MacFarlane had so much to gain, of course,
a poor young solicitor, and a bequest from the blue like that.
He might have hoped that the body would burn completely in the woodstack before the
fire was spotted. Even that the whole house might burn down, And then
he didn't head it at once, and yet he chose the worst night in
the world for it, a night when the housekeeper knew that he was there,
she knew his name, even you heard me ask him if she denounced
him. And then there's the will itself, that odd writing on it,
written in the train by old Ecare you mean you're still a hark back to
that he is on his way to see McFarlane, scribbled almost illegibly in a
swaying railway carriage, And at the last moment extraordinary that a man should draw
up so important a document so casually. It suggests he might not have thought
it very important, It suggests Watson, we'll see who that is, my
dear fellow. Oh this heat, this wretched, wretched heat. It's a
telegram homes thatch out. Here's a ports from this trade, important fresh evidence
to hand advise you abandoned case. A very kind of him. Wait,
there's more. McFarlane's fingerprint in blood found on wall beside headstand less trade.
What's that, Watson, Watson, We're done for homes. He must be
guilty. Fingerprints can't lie. You know that it's the latest sire. Of
course they can't lie, thank Heaven. And this one means one thing,
and one thing only, Watson, McFarlane's guilt, McFarlane's innocence. Get your
hat, Watson. We've another journey before us, my dear Holmes, to
Norward again in this heat, black heat. This time McFarlane's an innocent man.
There's mercy still in heaven. And from that moment he was a different
man. The indolence and dejection fell away from him. Sherlock Holmes was seldom
perhaps jocos, but when he talked blithely of less Strade's little cruel victory in
the telegram, he was as near to chirruping as I ever saw him.
I was to see yet another side of him that day, as we sat
in the parlor of the humble villa in Blackheath, where the young solicitor lived
with his parents. Outside in the hot street, some children were playing,
their voices penetrated into the stuffy little room. Mcfarline's father was away work,
and Holmes listen to the mother with a quiet sympathy. You must save him,
mister Holmes. I've helped so much about John. How you help people.
You must save him. Well, I think I can almost promise that,
ma'am, that are only a few remaining points to be cleared up.
John would never do such a thing. I just knew he wouldn't, and
so do I, and so does doctor Watson. Here. Of course,
I know, missus McFarland, things look black. But as long as your
boys mister Holmes on his side, he's save enough, I know, sir.
I'm so grateful. It was good of you to call. Well.
I wanted some information from you, ma'am, to help me in my work.
I'll tell you anything I can. Mister Holmes, there, I'm better
now. You must forgive me if I was a bit upset when you came
first to talk about. And of course, of course it's this mister Oldacre,
ma'am, the murdered man. Your son told me that you knew him
at some time, though he himself had never met him. Yes, I
knew him, mister Holmes, when we were both young. Well, ma'am
too, well, sir, it was once a suitor of mine, Thank
heaven, I discovered his character in time. Oh then, in what way,
missus McFarland, he's cruelty, sir, he was more like a beast
than a human being. Oh indeed, Oh, I've no sort of Jonas
Oldacres dead, doctor Watson, only that my boys been blamed for it.
Your son knew nothing about this old acquainted ship, nothing that might have made
him well, there's some grudge against mister Oldacre, No, sir, Dad,
and I only told him that Jonas was once an acquaintance of ours,
and you yourself have had no communication with him since those old days. No,
mister Holmes. Oh, if you'd passed me that little poker work box
there on the sideboard, I could show you something. Certainly, I've never
ceased to blas heaven that I married a better man, mister Holmes. Is
this the box, missus McFarlane, Yes, sir, I've look off with
Jonas when I helped how he turned a cat loosen and navy every once,
mister Holmes, just for a joke, he said, And the next post
I got this, jes see what it's your photograph? Now what he left
of it? You see how he cut and slashed it all over A malicious
character, disrespected builder very ready must have forgiven you as the years went on,
Missus McFarlane, Since he left all his property to your son. We
don't want any of it, doctor, not a any of it, even
when John's name's clear, well, maybe little enough to leave in any case,
in spite of the fact that mister Oldacre was supposed to be so wealthy.
What's that Holmes? Well, there's one more question, missus McFarland.
Do you know of anyone, perhaps from back in those early days called Cornelius
Cornelius, No, sir, no one. I looked over Oldacre's bank statements
when we were at his house the other day. There have been several large
checks drawn lately in favor of a mister Cornelius. His fortune has dwindled considerably.
Ah, blackmail home. Possibly possibly You've been very good, ma'am.
We won't intrude upon you any longer. I'm so grateful, mister Holmes.
Oh it's nothing, ma'am. If only I can clear your son's name,
it'll be quite time enough then to thank me. Come Watson back to Norwood.
Ah really, Holmes, Norwood again. Oh, one thing more,
ma'am before we go, I wonder if you would oblige me. That's something
that I see in your work basket there that measuring tape. Might I bother
it? I'm measuring tape? Why certainly, mister Holmes. I'm dear Holmes.
What on earth? For? Who knows? Watson? Perhaps to hang
the real murderer of Jonas Old Decca. Thank you, ma'am. I'm much
obliged to you. Come Watson now, Watson, will you please take the
other end? Yes, right into the corner. What do you make it?
Seven foot six and alf excellent, mister Holmes. Mister Holmes, I've
got you this time, I think? Have you lest trade? Seven foot
six and a half Watson, mister Holmes, this is important, good doctor.
Will you look on the white watch there by the hatstand the thumb printing
bradd as McFarland took his hat that night. Yes, yes, it's very
clear. I'm afraid you can fiddle that tape measure of yours as much as
you like, mister Holmes, but you'll know as well as I do,
that no true thumb marks are alike. What? Oh? Yes, yes,
I've certainly heard something of the kind. Then when your please compare that
print? Well, This wax impression of young mcfarlan's right thumb taken by my
orders in his cell this morning. I really don't need to, lest trade,
I take your word. But what a providential thing that this young man
should press his right thumb against the wall when he was taking his hat from
the pig. Is it a very natural action when you come to think of
it, when he might have slipped or stumbled home? Yes? Of course.
And who discovered this significant markless trade, missus Lexington the house this morning?
Oh? Not the police? Why didn't any of your notice it yesterday?
Wow? No particular reason to examine the hole any carefully? Quite so,
I must even missed it myself. However, if you will forgive us
less trade, Watson and I must go on with our measuring. You beat
me, mister Holmes. You really do here. You are measuring a lot
of carters when the case is water tight, and all I have to do
is write my report. Oh I wouldn't write it yet, you not not
quite yet? Less trade. By the way, how many constables have you
here on duty three? I wonder if one of them would perhaps kindly fetch
me in some straw from the artist straw saw some there? Yes? And
perhaps you would ask another to bring a couple of buckets of water. Then
all of you meet me on the top landing, say in five minutes,
I've just won final measurement to make on the floor. There come another conjuring
trick, mister Holmes, so to produce a rabbit. But not out of
my dear stalker. You would be surprised to hear you do it less trade.
Well, if you insist, I never can resist you, mister Holmes.
Five minutes, he said, five minutes on the upstairs landing. Exactly,
it's straw and buckets of water. Well, well, oh, my
dear Holmes, poor less trade, I enjoying herself, aren't show? Am
I? Watson? Well, at least he's quite right that fingerprints never lie.
That's why I knew the case was virtually solved when I heard of the
appearance of this one. Solved Holmes, how because I know it wasn't there
yesterday, and John Hector Macfarland's been in the jail all night. You know
my methods. What'son by execute every inch of the place. Come on upstairs,
Lendy. It's splendid less trade. Yes, that's right, Constable.
You'd just lay the straw there and put down the buckets beside it. Now,
Watson, will you kindly open the window so as to drive a draft
along down to the end of the corridors. Holmes, you'll really go too
far. Sure you. I have an excellent reason for everything I'm doing.
Lest trade. Thank you Watson so much. You have a match. Yeah,
yes, having solf. Well then said light to the store, will
you Wat's this said? Light to it? More smoke than fire less trade.
Now, gentlemen, if you will all join me in a shout of
fire when I give the word fire, are you already? Ah? Thank
you so much, But once again, if you fire, Holmes the wall
at the end of the corridor. Look it's opening. Yes, it's a
door, Watson, a cunningly concealed door. Help. Look there's your man
less trade and my rabbits. Gentlemen. Mister Jonas old Acre, I'm joking.
I can't see what is it? What are you doing here? What
do you want to be? Want you, mister Oldaca, I haven't done
nothing wrong. You God touch me when you've done your best to get an
innocent man hanged out. It was all a joke, only a cuke.
I'm joking, jucid queer one. Mister Jonas hold Aker, Well, I've
seen a lot of villain in my time as to own. But this beats
a Bandit does take him last, destmates. Come on, Joe, I
hate to come out your cards. Well, I must say, Holmes,
I congratulate, Thank you, my dear fellow. Oh it's really too hot
a day for a fire. Pay empty those buckets of water over the straw,
Williams. That's better. It's all went bitterest. That is factually I
think. Well you've done it again, mister Holmes. Look the left and
plasta petitions that he built here to make a little hiding hold for himself at
the blind end of the corridor. Yes, Watson, now you'll see the
advantages of being a builder. He concealed it very neatly. If I hadn't
noticed that discrepancy in the length of the corridors from floor to floor, he
might have stayed there till doomsday, and till MacFarlane had been hanged. The
housekeeper was in the plot, of course, as of course, to take
him food and drink, and to put that thumb mark onto the wall.
And how well Oldacre evidently wanted the evidence to be cast iron. And I
dare say that when they were looking over the papers. That night he got
Macfarlan to steal a package of them by using his thumb. Then it was
the simplest thing in the world for him to get a wax impression from the
seal, prick himself with a pin to get enough blood, and then put
the mark on the wall during last night. Just to make sure you know
it was for revenge, I suppose on the young fellow's mother. Yes,
besides, business hadn't been very good for him lately. He'd been speculating and
there were a host of creditors. I saw that from his papers, and
so he'd been paying these large checks to mister Cornelius himself at another bank.
Exactly. He intended to start life of pressure with that money under the other
name, to defraud his creditors and at the same time take his revenge on
his old sweetheart by getting her only son hanged for his murder. He's something
of a monster, friend Dance, there's this trade. Well, we'll get
him on conspiracy. At least he'll be inside for long and after the pent
of his villain name. But what about the remains in the woodpie? Mister
Holmes an old suit for the trouser buttons, and for the blood stains on
the stick he'd stole him from the boy, and the charred flesh some animal,
a dead dog perhaps, or a rabbit. Make it rabbit, will
you, Watson when you tell the tale? Someday rabbits and shall be Holmes.
But poor young Macfarther, no wonder, he was nearly mad. Well,
we did our best for him, Watson, our humble best. Oh
it feels cooler at last. I do believe the weather's going to break.
Come along, Watson, come along. And so we return to Baker Street,
and that evening, as we were discussing the case over Hock and Seltzer,
once again the door burst open dramatically. Mister Holmes, you save my
life. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Don't bother to thank
me, my dear fellow. Good evening to you. Oh pray be sure
to give my compliments and this tape measure to your mother, a most charming
lady. She'll be the happiest woman in all the world. Yes. Yes.
The Case of the Lawwood build up rather curious in its cunning simplicity.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, based on the original stories of Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle had been dramatized at You, with original music composed by Sydney Torch.
Sir Ralph Richardson played the part of Doctor Watson and Sir John Gilgood that of
Sherlock Holmes. The program was produced by Harry Allen Towers. Welcome Back with
the Sign of Four and the Redheaded League. This is probably right up there
as one of my absolute favorite home stories, just the way the solution turns
out. If you saw the television adaptation, of course, you'll notice a
big, big difference, and that is that on television they actually had the
builder kill kill a tramp in order to get the flesh needed for the evidence,
but here they stuck with the book. I also thought it was an
interesting touch having this Scottish dialect. They have not heard that in any of
the other adaptations, but given the name, definitely makes sense as a possibility.
All right, Well we do turn to listener or comments and feedback,
and we have this from from Michael, who writes brilliant website which I've just
found. I've previously downloaded episodes of the Sherlock Holmes series. I will be
visiting more frequently. Well, thanks so much, Michael, and appreciate you
listening to the program we and Michael's listening to us from Australian speaking of Australian.
Tomorrow we'll have a third part in Call for a Columnist, and also
as we wrap up, Alvin Sommers matter on yours truly, Johnny Dowler.
You want to be sure and listen. Then in the meanwhile, I send
your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net. Please be sure and
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Idaho. This is your host, Adam Grahamson and off