The Red-Headed League Summary & Analysis

John Watson arrives at Sherlock Holmes’ apartment to find him talking to an elderly man with “fiery red hair.” Holmes seems very excited, and invites Watson inside to meet the man, Jabez Wilson, and to hear his story. Holmes encourages Watson to listen by reminding him that he shares his love of “all that is bizarre.” Holmes explains to Watson that the red-headed man has come to him with one of the most unusual cases he has heard in a long time.

Watson attempts to figure out some aspects of Wilson’s character by observing his appearance, as Holmes usually does. However, Watson does not manage to deduce very much. The only “remarkable” aspect of Wilson’s appearance, Watson claims, is the man’s “blazing red head.” He overlooks the smaller details of Wilson’s appearance, such as a small “bit of metal dangling down as an ornament” on his waistcoat.

Holmes notices what Watson is doing and smiles at him, before revealing his own conclusions about Wilson. Wilson, Holmes claims, has practiced manual labor (one hand is more muscular than the other), is a Freemason (he wears a Freemason logo pin), and has spent time in China (he has a particular Chinese fish tattoo on his wrist, and a Chinese coin on his waistcoat). Wilson is amazed when Holmes reveals his deductions, and questions how he knew all of this. Holmes explains his powers of simple observation.

Wilson thinks Holmes is impressive, but also notes how simple Holmes’ technique seems once it has been explained. He thought Holmes was being clever, but now sees that “there was nothing in it, after all.”

Wilson begins telling his story by producing a newspaper advertisement. The advert is a job listing for the Red-Headed League, and it calls for a red-headed man to apply for an unspecified role paying four pounds a week. Watson is amazed. With a laugh, Holmes remarks that it is a “little off the beaten track.”

Wilson then explains a bit about himself: he is a pawnbroker, owns a business in Coburg Square, and has an assistant who is luckily willing to work for half wages. Holmes asks him further questions about the assistant, and Wilson explains that his name is Vincent Spaulding. Wilson can’t tell how old Spaulding is, but he knows that Spaulding is extremely bright, and spends a lot of time on his photography, developing his photos for hours down in Wilson’s cellar.

Wilson then explains that it was in fact Spaulding who showed him the advertisement for the Red-Headed League in the newspaper, and who encouraged him to apply for the job. Spaulding explained that a red-headed American millionaire founded the league as a way to help other red-headed men by providing them with easy jobs that pay well. Spaulding claimed that Wilson was bound to get the job due to his “real bright, blazing, fiery red” hair, which would certainly set him apart from the other red-headed applicants.

When Wilson and Spaulding arrived for the job interview on Fleet Street, the whole neighborhood was packed with red-headed men: “Every shade of colour they were—straw, lemon, orange, brick, Irish-setter, liver, clay; but, as Spaulding said, there were not many who had the real vivid flame-coloured tint.” Although there were hundreds of men applying for the job, Spaulding took Wilson straight to the front and into the office, because he claimed that Wilson had a unique shade of red hair.

Once inside the office, the employer, a man named Duncan Ross, hired Wilson for the job almost immediately. First, though, he pulled Wilson’s hair to make sure that it was real, explaining that “we have twice been deceived by wigs and once by paint.”

Duncan Ross explains that the job is simply to copy out the encyclopedia for four hours every day, at four pounds a week. Wilson is never to leave the office during these hours, or he will be immediately fired. Wilson is happy to take the job.

Wilson began his job, and at first, Duncan Ross came into the office several times each morning. This gradually decreased, until soon, Ross wasn’t coming by at all. Then, this morning, after eight weeks of work, Wilson arrived only to find a note on the door claiming that the Red-Headed League had been disbanded.

Wilson went around the neighboring offices, hoping to find some explanation, but found that no one had heard of Duncan Ross or the Red-Headed League. The landlord didn’t know a Duncan Ross but said a solicitor named William Morris was using the office space temporarily until his own office was ready. Wilson attempted to track him down using the forwarding address that Morris provided to the landlord, but the address was for an artificial knee-cap factory, where no one had heard of Duncan Ross or William Morris.

Holmes promises Wilson that he will solve his case, but first asks a few further questions about the assistant, Vincent Spaulding. When he hears that Spaulding has a “splash of acid upon his forehead,” Holmes sits up in excitement and claims that he had assumed as much. Holmes then sends Wilson away.

Holmes asks Watson what he thinks of the case, but Watson is completely dumbfounded by the whole story. Holmes says that there is probably a simply explanation, as “the more bizarre a thing is the less mysterious it proves to be.”

Holmes wants to go out for the afternoon to think, and asks Watson to come with him. They are going to a concert, but first, they visit Saxe-Coburg Square, the address of Jabez Wilson. Holmes inspects the property carefully, even hitting the surrounding pavement with his walking stick several times.

Finally, Holmes knocks on the door, and a “bright-looking, clean-shaven young fellow” answers. Holmes asks for directions to the Strand and then leaves. As they walk away, Holmes tells Watson that the man who answered the door was Wilson’s assistant, Spaulding. Holmes remarks that Spaulding is the “fourth smartest man in London.” Holmes explains to Watson that he had wished to observe the “knees of [Spaulding’s] trousers,” which Watson finds confusing. He is also confused as to why Holmes “beat the pavement” with his stick.

Holmes then walks around the property and observes the neighboring buildings. He explains to Watson that he wishes to remember their exact order, and notices, amongst other buildings, the City and Suburban Bank. Holmes is content, and he and Watson leave for the concert.

Holmes asks Watson to meet him at ten that night at Holmes’ apartment on Baker Street, and to bring his revolver. Watson still has no idea what is going on but trusts Holmes completely, for Holmes “saw clearly not only what had happened but what was about to happen.”

Later that night, Holmes and Watson reconvene. They are joined by Detective Jones, the policeman assigned to the case, and Mr. Merryweather, the manager of the City and Suburban Bank. As the men make their way to the bank, Holmes explains that Mr. Merryweather could save 30,000 pounds this evening, and that Jones could catch a master criminal, John Clay. He explains that Clay is the grandson of a royal duke, and has attended both Eton and Oxford. Holmes declares that Clay’s “brain is as cunning as his fingers.”

Merryweather leads the party to the cellar of the bank, which is filled with crates of French gold, yet to be unpacked. Holmes tells everyone to be quiet and still, especially Merryweather, who is currently tapping the floor and making too much noise. Holmes tells him that: “You have already imperiled the whole success of our expedition. Might I beg that you would have the goodness to sit down upon one of those boxes, and not to interfere?”

As Mr. Merryweather taps on the floor of the bank cellar to demonstrate to Holmes how thick the floor is, he notices how hollow it suddenly sounds. Holmes bends down and starts meticulously examining each stone in the floor with his magnifying glass.

Holmes at last extinguishes his lamp, telling everyone to wait silently in the dark cellar for the criminals to emerge. Watson claims that he has never experienced such “absolute darkness.”

A brief flash illuminates the dark cellar, and a hand emerges from the floor, pushing a large stone aside. Through this “gaping hole” appears a “clean-cut, boyish face.” The boy, later revealed as John Clay, hoists himself up through the hole and calls down to his accomplice, Archie, to see if he has “the chisel and the bags.”

Suddenly, Holmes springs from his hiding place and grabs the boy. The boy’s accomplice, Archie, plunges back down the hole, as Detective Jones fails to catch hold of him. Holmes addresses the captured boy as John Clay, and tells him that he has “no chance at all.” Clay answers “with the utmost coolness,” saying that at least his accomplice got away successfully. Holmes says this isn’t the case—there are three police officers waiting on the other side of the escape route. Clay appears impressed and “compliment[s]” Holmes for being so careful and thorough. Holmes offers his compliments as well, declaring that Clay’s “red-headed idea was very new and effective.”

Jones pulls out a pair of handcuffs, and Clay balks at the idea of Jones touching him with his “filthy hands.” Haughtily, Clay declares that he has “royal blood in [his] veins.” He also tells the men that they must address him as “sir,” and remember to say “please.” With a laugh, Jones asks the “sir” to “please” accompany him to the police station. Clay looks satisfied, and, after a “sweeping bow,” follows Jones.

Holmes ends the story by explaining to Watson how he managed to solve the crime. Firstly, Holmes realized that the Red-Headed League must simply be a ruse intended to keep Wilson out of the shop for several hours a day. He was suspicious of Wilson’s assistant, Spaulding, because he was happy to be paid half wages, and so correctly assumed that he must be the culprit. Wilson mentioned that the assistant spent many hours in the cellar, so Holmes realized that this must be the scene of the crime, and that Spaulding was likely digging a tunnel. Holmes then identified Spaulding as the notorious criminal John Clay by the acid splash on his forehead, as Holmes had known of Clay beforehand.

When he went to visit Wilson’s property, Holmes carefully observed the nearby buildings and realized that there was a bank only meters away from the property, which was likely the target. Holmes then wished to observe Clay’s knees, so he knocked on the door to take a look at Clay. The knees of Clay’s trousers were, as Holmes suspected, thoroughly worn down, signifying that he had been doing a lot of digging recently. Since Wilson’s job had just ended, meaning that he was no longer required to be out of the house, Holmes realized the tunnel must be finished, and that the robbery was likely to take place that very night.

Watson praises Holmes for his remarkable work, declaring that Holmes “reasoned it out beautifully.” Holmes brushes off Watson’s lavish praise, claiming that he just solved a “little problem” that may be “of some little use.” In French, Holmes quotes Gustave Flaubert, stating, “The man is nothing, the work—all.”