Sherlock Holmes (Eille Norwood) and Doctor Watson (Hubert Willis)
actually came to the country for some rest and relaxation, but then they
stumble upon a murder case - three siblings, sitting around a table as if
playing cards ... and yet dead, killed by some undeterminable source.
Everybody is baffled, but Holmes is quick to determine the culprit:
Mortimer Tregennis (Harvey Braban), the brother of the three deceased who
has fallen out with them long ago but has paid them a visit at the night
of the murder, later left their place in a hurry. But before Holmes
manages to have Tregennis arrested, Tregennis dies to, just the same way
as his siblings ... Exotic gravel at the scene of the crime leads Holmes
to Dr Sterndale (Hugh Buckler), a lionhunter who has returned to his
hometown to trade in all sorts exotic goods. Holmes is quick to make him
confess to the murder of Tregennis, but not the other three, who according
to Sterndale were indeed killed by Tregennis, as Holmes had suspected. And
Sterndale even has Tregennis' signed confession to prove this ... The
actual story unfolded as follows: A few days ago, Tregennis bought some
exotic poison from Sterndale, and Sterndale thought little of it - until
he learned that Tregennis's three siblings were killed - and judging from
the circumstances of their deaths, the killer must have used Sterndale's
poison, which pretty much made Tregennis the only logical suspect. Thing
is, Sterndale was in love with Tregennis' sister, and even though she
never loved him back, he felt the need to avenge her and kill Tregennis
just the way he killed his siblings - but not before getting a signed
confession out of him. Holmes cannot actually condone this act of self
justice but sees that Sterndale is no killer, so he lets him off the hook
and tells the police that Tregennis committed suicide - and his signed
confession ties up the case quite nicely. An silent Sherlock
Holmes-feature that's a bit on the boring side - there is little
in terms of action or suspense to carry the film, it's little more than a
series of deductions, which isn't really all that entertaining. At least
Eille Norwood is a pretty good Sherlock Holmes though.
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