It was the band! The speckled band!

It was the band! The speckled band!

Take a memorable villain. Then add an unusual method of murder, and a midnight vigil at an isolated old Manor House. Finally combine with Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. These are the ingredients for the classic story, The Adventure of The Speckled Band.

This story was first published in The Strand Magazine in February 1892. It was illustrated by the great Sidney Paget. It later appeared in book form in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Since then The Adventure of The Speckled Band has been included in numerous editions of Sherlock Holmes stories, as well as other anthologies. 

The story begins when Sherlock Holmes is consulted by Helen Stoner. Miss Stoner is due to be married soon. She also believes that her widowed step-father, Dr. Grimesby Roylott, may have evil intentions towards her. Shortly after Helen Stoner’s visit, Dr. Roylott bursts into Sherlock Holmes’ rooms.

Arthur Conan Doyle had a gift for describing his fictional characters. This is certainly true in his depiction of Dr. Grimesby Roylott:

“A large face, seared with a thousand wrinkles, burned yellow with the sun, and marked with every evil passion, was turned from one to the other of us, while his deep-set bile-shot eyes, and his high, thin, fleshless nose, gave him somewhat the resemblance to a fierce old bird of prey.“

Helen Stoner’s sister, Julia, has died in mysterious circumstances before she too was due to be married. Just before her death Julia uttered the words, “Oh, my God! Helen! It was the band! The speckled band!“

Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson gain access to the house of Dr Grimesby Roylott. There in Helen Stoner’s room they begin their lonely vigil in the dark, as Dr. Watson describes:

“ How shall I ever forget that dreadful vigil? I could not hear a sound, not even the drawing of a breath, and yet I knew that my companion sat open-eyed, within a few feet of me, in the same state of nervous tension in which I was myself.“ 

The ‘speckled band‘ turns out to be a snake, which is controlled by Doctor Grimesby Roylott. At the climax of the story, Sherlock Holmes attacks the creature with a cane. It then turns on Doctor Roylott, as Dr. Watson vividly describes:

“Round his brow he had a peculiar yellow band, with brownish speckles, which seemed to be bound tightly round his head. As we entered he made neither sound nor motion.“

Doctor Watson’s next paragraph is truly chilling:

“I took a step forward. In an instant his strange headgear began to move, and there reared itself from among his hair the squat diamond-shaped head and puffed neck of a loathsome serpent.“

The snake is identified by Sherlock Holmes as a swamp adder; “The deadliest snake in India. He had died within ten seconds of being bitten.“

It is revealed that Dr. Grimesby Roylott has murdered Julia Stoner by means of the ‘loathsome serpent‘. He has also attempted to murder her sister, Helen. Roylott feared losing much of the money that was left in the will of his deceased wife. This stipulated that one third of it would go to Julia or Helen if either of them were to be married.

But what of the snake itself? It seems that there is no such species as a ‘swamp adder.‘ The creature was purely a figment of Arthur Conan Doyle’s vivid imagination. However, Sherlockians have suggested a number of possible inspirations for the ‘swamp adder.‘ One is Proatheris supercillaris, a small viper that is found in East Africa rather than India. Two Indian snakes that are possible contenders are the Banded Krait or the Russel’s Viper.

In 1910, Arthur Conan Doyle adapted The Adventure of The Speckled Band into a three act play. This was first performed at the Adelphi Theatre in London. A British film version followed in 1931. It starred Lyn Harding, Raymond Massey, and Angela Baddeley. There have also been a number of radio adaptations. These have also helped to ensure the longevity of this classic Sherlock Holmes story.

                       

                                                                                      END.