WAS SHERLOCK HOLMES A CRIMINAL ?

Part VII

Let us now critically examine the details of the situation and the narrative. When Holmes met Watson at his residence, the entire story was from Holmes’ words alone and there was, till then, no real evidence either in police records or were produced against Moriarty. Holmes claimed to have all the evidences but did not hand those over to the police. He told Watson that he was in mortal danger. Is it not strange that he did not seek protection from the police, but came to Watson with the bizarre idea of fleeing to the continent? He could hand over all the evidences to the police force and asked for protection. That would have been the most reasonable and normal step taken under the circumstances. He did not also seek help of so powerful and influential a person as Mycroft Holmes, his own brother, for a few days till Moriarty and his gang members were arrested. There is, therefore, every doubt that he had made an extremely exaggerated statement about his brother being the central exchange, the clearing house of all information of all government departments and that he was the person to whom conclusions of every government department were passed to him and that the nation’s policies were decided, many a times, on his advice only. Such an influential and high-ranking person could easily have made arrangements for his protection. Evidently Holmes made a complete misstatement of the entire episode as might be revealed from the facts of the case.

When the special train, which Holmes suggested that Moriarty would take to chase him, passed the Canterburry Railway station, Watson did not see the Professor or any other person in the train. In fact, Dr.Watson, most probably did not even ever met or saw Prof. Moriarty. It was Holmes who suggested that Moriarty was following them in a special train and Watson believed. When Holmes was so certain that Moriarty was following him in the special train, he could immediately alert the police about it so that they could alert all the police stations on the way and the sea ports to make arrangement for his arrest. But that was not in Sherlock Holmes’ scheme of things. He did not at all want Moriarty to be arrested or be in the hands of the police, as we shall see. Now take the letter, the vital clue through which Watson concluded about his death, which Watson found at the spot near Reichenbach Falls. In this letter Holmes told that he could write the letter by the courtesy of Moriarty. He even suggested that both he himself and Prof.Moriarty were going to die. He also gave clue to the details of all materials for the police to convict Moriarty and his gang. But did not Holmes tell Watson in London that Moriarty and his gang would be arrested in three days’ time? On what evidence would the police take the action? On Holmes’ words alone? On his promise to place all the evidences after arrest? The Scotland Yard never acted in such an irresponsible manner. Even if they acted on his words alone, could they not arrange for his safety till Moriarty and his gang was arrested? Would they not ask Holmes to remain in their safe custody with all the papers till the case was started before the court of law and framing of charges were completed? According to Holmes it was evident that Moriarty arrived at the spot with the sole intention of killing Holmes. If that was true, would he have allowed Holmes to write the letter, a statement of a dying person, wherein he gave all the clues to the evidences against Moriarty and particularly the suggestion that Moriarty was his murderer? Moriarty, even if we believe all that Holmes stated about him, definitely did not know that he also was going to die. Even if he knew that he would also die, the contents of the letter would jeopardize his otherwise blameless character and reputation as a mathematical genius and a good citizen, as also the safety and security of the other members of his gang, if he really had any. It must be remembered that till then, there was nothing against the Professor and he was a respectable member of the society. It is, therefore, absurd to accept either that the Professor arrived at the spot with the intention to kill Holmes or to get himself killed. We should take note of that particular sentence in Holmes’ letter where he stated , “I was quite convinced that the letter from Meiringen was a hoax, and I allowed you to depart on that errand under the persuasion that some development of this sort would follow.” There is no proof that the person whom Dr.Watson saw coming towards the spot where he left Sherlock Holmes was really Professor Moriarty or it was a different person altogether. And what happened to the swiss youngman whom Watson left with Holmes as a companion and a guide? He vanished into the thin air. The entire event, therefore, clearly points to the conclusion that it was Sherlock Holmes, who allured Professor Moriarty to meet him at the spot alone. When Holmes left London he definitely did not declare from the rooftop that he was going to the village Meiringen near Reichenbach Falls. How was it possible then for Prof.Moriarty to reach the exact spot almost by the same time as Holmes and Watson in the big continent of Europe when Holmes supposedly played every trick to give the professor a slip? This is further established from the fact that though Holmes claimed to possess all the evidences for the conviction of Moriarty, he did not hand those over to the police. It is evident that he chanced himself to strike a bargain with Moriarty, if possible. Holmes had all along doubted that Professor Moriarty had knowledge about his real or other identity and that was the reason for him to allure the professor to such a remote and quiet spot. His intention was to strike a bargain, if possible or extract all the clues and evidences the professor had against him and then murder him in cold blood.. He wanted to meet the professor alone and that is why he sent away Watson knowing fully well that the letter about the patient at Meiringen was a hoax. It is clear that the inn-keeper at meiringen and the swiss youngman were his accomplices in this design. He asked Dr.Watson to accompany him to the continent as a guard for the safety of his own life but knowingly allowed him to leave him at the very crucial juncture of his life. He made Dr.Watson believe that it was Moriarty who was following them. The special train from London which passed before the eyes of Watson at Canterburry Railway station, could have been arranged by Holmes himself or by any of his accomplices including his brother Mycroft Holmes. Dr.Watson would never know. Holmes was fully aware of the naivety of Dr.Watson and of his love and admiration for him. He therefore, took Dr.Watson along with him to make him see what he wanted him to see, to believe what he wanted him to believe and to narrate later exactly what he wanted him to narrate and thus used Dr.Watson to publicize the story of his death.

( .. to be continued)