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The valley of fear

summary
November 7, 2013

Summary of the whole play script: THE VALLEY OF

FEAR

ACT NO.01:
Scene # 01:
Setting: railway compartment, Vermissa valley
1875.
McMurdo has arrived to Vermissa valley. He is
travelling in a train compartment. He seats down,
takes out a paper have a look at it, takes out a revolver
check if it is loaded and puts it back. Scanlan and
Cormac see this. They ask him if he is armed and his
whereabouts. McMurdo explains that he is from
Chicago and one of the ancient orders of freemen.
Scanlan says the sign, dark nights are unpleasant,
and McMurdo shakes his hand and completes the
countersign for strangers to travel. They introduce
themselves to each other. Scanlan and Cormac ask him
to visit McGinty who is the body master and everything

happens in Vermissa valley based upon his order.

Scanlan and Cormac get off at their destined stop.
Police officers approach McMurdo; he doesnt talk to
them positively. Police officers warn him to be careful
while choosing friends in Vermissa valley.

Scene # 02:
Setting: Shafters lodging 1875.
Baldwin who is a scorer trying to convince Ettie to
go out. Ettie is giving excuses but promises to meet on
Friday as she is threatened because Baldwin is a
scowrer. Shafter arrives and witnesses Baldwin.
Shafter does like Baldwin presence around his
daughter and in his lodge. McMurdo arrives and he is
supposed to stay at Shafters. He finds Ettie adorable.

Scene # 3
Setting: Baker Street 1895.
Holmes is an investigator. He is reading a ciphered
message stating 534...C213. He is suspecting
Professor Moriarty and stating that he is controlling
power of underworld. He is the schemer of all the time
and a mind behind devilry. Watson calls him as
Napoleon of Crime. He is such a clever mind that he
never leaves any proof against him. He is the
controlling man of a chain of people including fighting
men, pickpockets, blackmailers and criminals. They
tend to decode the ciphered message. Fred Porlock is
Professor Moriarty and Watson is dreading as he
suspects him and asks Holmes to burn the

message.They tend to guess the book. Their first guess

is Bible but the idea gets rejected as bibles each
edition has different pages. Second guess is Bradshaw
which is a railway timetable. This idea also gets
rejected as the vocabulary is limited so a general
message cannot be sent via it. Finally Almanac is
chosen. They are able to decipher the message there
is danger may come to Douglas at birlstone house
birlstone pressing. At the same time, MacDonald
approaches and tells them that Mr. Douglas has been
murdered.

Scene # 4
Setting: union house salon 1875 the bar.
McGinty and his fellow scowrers are reading news
written by James Stranger. This news unfolds the truth
about the existence of criminal organization. McGinty
wants to teach a hard lesson to James for unveiling the
truth of scowrers existence. Meanwhile Scanlan
approaches and informs McGinty about his meeting
with McMurdo.

Scene # 5
Setting: Birlstone Manor 1895 the study.
A body is lying on the floor with its head behind the
chair. A sawn off gun lying as well. On the table, hand
lamp is placed with a partially burnt candle. A single
dumb bell is lying beneath the table. Hammer is lying;
window and curtain are partially opened. Doctor Wood
and Sergeant Wilson are inspecting the body and
collecting the findings. They are waiting for McMurdo
and Holmes to arrive. Barker is Mr. Douglas close

friend and he informs the police first. When Mason

comes in he sees that gun is wired. They also get to
see tattoo on his arm with a triangle inside a circle.
Barker arrives and offices interrogate him. Barker
explains that the murder has been committed around
half past eleven last night. According to him, He was in
the bedroom when he heard the gun shot. He reaches
within 30 seconds and finds Mr. Douglas lying. Mrs.
Douglas also comes down but he prevents her from
seeing the sight.

Scene # 6
Setting: A railway Compartment 1895.
Holmes, Watson and McDonald are sitting down and
are discussing the clues. Holmes and McDonald are
talking about the moat, while Watson is trying to find
out how the murderer escaped. Holmes tells about
Porlock's message, and they start suspecting professor
Moriarty. McDonald also suspects Barker as Mason tells
them that Mr. Douglas disliked Mrs. Douglas' and
Barker's friendship. Holmes has a feeling that there is
a chain between Mrs. Douglas and Professor Moriarty
and he wants to follow that chain.

Scene # 7
Setting: Shafter's Lodging. 1875. The kitchen.
McMurdo is being asked to leave Shafter's Lodging. By
Mr. Shafter because he gets to know that McMurdo is
one of the ancient orders of freemen. He tells him that
he is innocent but he doesnt believe him. Ettie comes
and tells that he is too late, Baldwin comes and they
both get introduced to each other. McMurdo and

Baldwin start to fight on to get Ettie. They both

challenge each-other.

Scene # 8
Setting: Birlstone Manor 1895. The study.
Sergeant Wilson, Mason, Barker and Ames are
investigating, they find more clues like boot marks, a
card written V.V...341 and a hammer. Ames also tells
that the drawbridge was raised at 6O Clock last night
and she wound it herself. So, the murderer came inside
from the moat at 6O clock and killed Mr. Douglas at
11:00 night when he was watching whether the
windows are closed or not.

Scene # 9
Setting: Union house saloon. The bar. 1875.
McMurdo meets McGinty as he was advised. He tells
his past to the councilor that he killed Jonas Pinto
because he was shoving counterfeit money into
circulation for him and he was scared that he would
split on him. Baldwin enters and fights again because
of Ettie. The councilor decides that Ettie is free to
choose for herself. Marvin comes to inspect them and
warn them and asks him to help in uphold of law and
order but he says that he has his own police. All exit.

Scene # 10
Setting: Birlstone Manor 1895. The study.
Holmes investigates the arm of, that had the mark, and
it had made pain. Murder wasnt so unexpected, no
stains on hammer, then they take the body. The gun

company was Pennsylvania Small Arms Company. The

killer was of an American owner. They suspect Mrs.
Douglas as she had lived in America, as the committee
of the murder.

Scene # 11
Setting: Union house saloon. 1875. The bar.
All the scowrers are discussing about murders.
McMurdo is being tested as a scowrer and he was been
welcomed in the lodge by the Councilor McGinty. Then
all of them discuss about a job that was to be done, to
kill Andrew Rae. They also make plan to kill Josiah
Dunn and also to kill Journalist James Stanger. Morris
offends but gets scolded by McGinty and then is
ordered to obey him and he apologizes, then for the
job the Willaby brothers, Scanlan, Baldwin, and
McMurdo are selected to go and beat James Stanger,
and kill Andrew and Josiah Dunn.

Scene # 12
Setting: Outside the offices of Vermissa Herald.
1875.
McMurdo, Scanlan, Art and Frank Willaby, and Baldwin
come in. Baldwin starts to beat James Stanger until his
face got bloodied. McMurdo tells Baldwin to stop
beating him or else he would die, but he dont stops.
After some while everyone exits, including James
Stanger.

Scene # 13

Setting: A Street. 1875.

Ettie and McMurdo haves a little conversation and then
Ettie leaves. Then, Morris Approaches McMurdo and he
want to tell something to him, he asked him not to
reveal it to anyone. He told his emotional story to
McMurdo and tells that he doesnt wants to be the part
of the lodge.

Scene # 14
Setting: Birlstone Manor. 1895. The study.
Ames, Barker, Mrs. Allen, and Mrs. Douglas tell about
everything that happened before Douglass murder. So
there was a lot of information gathered with Holmes
and Inspector McDonald like; Barker was a good friend
of Douglas, McGinty had some kind of fear with the
valley of fear and McGinty, and Mrs. Allen heard the
door slamming at around half an hour before the
murder took place. She could not hear the gunshot
because she had some problem in hearing. Ames told
that before the murder, Mr. Douglas went to shopping
to tunbridge wells. Barker also added that he didnt
know Mrs. Douglas before their marriage. Douglas was
jealous of his and Mrs. Douglas friendship.

ACT NO.02:
Scene # 1
Setting: Widow Namaras parlor. 1875.
McGinty and McMurdo are having a serious
conversation, McGinty asks McMurdo that what was

brother Morris speaking to you about? McMurdo said

that he asked him for a clerkship in his store. McGinty
said that Morris is a disloyal brother. Then, they make
a plan to kill Chester Wilcox, as they finish off their
conversation Inspector Marvin comes and arrests
them.

Scene # 2
Setting: The courtroom. 1895.
The magistrate denied the proof of the moustaches as
it was of low-level. He was convinced that the accused
are innocent and he discharged them and also
apologized if this caused them any inconvenience. Mrs.
Larbey gets agitated that the scowrers were let off.
Magistrate asks one of his officers to escort him from
the curt.

Scene # 3
Setting: Birlstone Manor. 1895. The Garden.
Dr. Watson witnesses Mrs. Douglas and Cecil Barker
sitting under a tree on a bench, laughing and giggling
like nothing worse has happened to them.

Scene # 4
Setting: Birlstone Manor. 1895.
The Study.Holmes and Watson are discussing about
some clues. They also find/ discover some new clues,
like: Barkers slipper stained with blood; he also stated
that barker marked the window himself and all he
stated was a lie. The ring was taken after the murder
was committed. Holmes and Watson discuss the

possibility of Mrs. Douglas and barker being the

murderer. The bicycle belongs to an American +
Holmes said that the murder was committed half an
hour before they were informed. Mrs. Douglas and
Barker arrived at Birlstone house before the murderer
escaped and helped him to go out.

Scene # 5
Setting: Widow Namaras. The parlor. 1875.
McMurdo is writing a secret letter, Ettie comes and
asks whom is he writing that letter to. But he doesnt
replies, and then Ettie asks him to leave the valley of
fear. She also told that Chester Wilcoxs house was
burnt into ash but he fled away before he would also
be burnt. Andrew and Lawler were given a job to be
done, that visit Widow Namaras parlor.

Scene # 6
Setting: Crow Hill mine. 1875.
Lawler and Andrew approaches Josiah Dunn and kills
him. Soon Menzies also gets killed. McMurdo and
Scanlan clearly witness the whole scene.

Scene # 7
Setting: The Westville arms. 1895. The dining
room.
All are having breakfast, McDonald and Watson joins.
Holmes says that this case is wastage of time. And he
also says to abandon it. McDonald asks that what he
found last night in birlstone house. He tells that he
found the history of birlstone manor. He tells that
there is a secret cellar for concealment. King Charles 2
concealed there. Then he asks Watson to write a letter

to barker asking him to drain the moat. Watson thinks

that its impossible but its Holmes plan!!

Scene # 8
Setting: Union house saloon. 1875. The bar.
Morris tells McMurdo about a Pinkertons man working
in Vermissa Valley, Birdy Edwards. He tells that he
doesnt want him to be killed by the scowrers, but
McMurdo says they will but asks him not to worry.
Morris also shows him the telegram he got from his
friend who is working in the telegram office, who
deciphered this message. McMurdo tells this to
McGinty and they make a plan to teach him a hard
lesson.

Scene # 9
Birlstone Manor. 1895. The study.
Holmes showed Barker, Mason, Watson and Mrs.
Douglas the boots, American styled clothes, knife,
pants and an overcoat he found from the moat. They
get an idea who the murderer could be.

Scene # 10
Setting: Widow Namaras. 1875. The bar.
McMurdo, McGinty and other scowrers are ready to
attack on Birdy Edwards, but, then, McMurdo reveals
that he is Birdy Edwards. He asks captain Marvin
comes and McMurdo asks him to keep them in jail.
Everyone exits but Baldwin and McGinty warns him
that the game isnt over yet.

Scene # 11

Setting: birlstone manor. 1895. The study.

Mr. Douglas is alive; Holmes knew about it, he told that
Baldwin was murdered by Mr. Douglas. Douglas tells
that he was writing notes and a recount about the last
20 years. He tells that, he knew that Ted Baldwin
would kill him, so he killed him instead for his selfdefense. And as, he had killed a bad man, he wasnt
arrested; instead, he was advised to leave the valley of
fear.

Epilogue
Setting: 221b Baker Street. 1895. Sitting room.
Holmes and Watson are discussing about the notes Mr.
John Douglas had made. Watson states that the
mystery is over. But Holmes says that the mystery is
not over yet, referring to a note of john Douglas
saying, Dear me! Mr. Holmes, Dear me! Barker come
and tells that Douglas lost his life. Holmes states its a
murder not a co-incidence. The murderer is not from
America but from London. Theres big hand behind his
murder. They suspect professor Moriarty. Watson asks
if Moriarty is never to be taken down. Sherlock Holmes
asks for some time.
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Comments
It was frustrating. Sherlock Holmes had received a
code message from a person who was highly-placed in
the criminal organization of Professor James Moriarty.
He knew that this person, Fred Porlock, only wrote to
him when something major was about to happen. But
Porlock had been surprised by Moriarty in the act of
sending the key to the code in a separate message,
and so Holmes was left with a cryptic message and
seemingly no way to decipher it.
Using his well-known deductive methods,
Holmes managed to "crack" the code and learned that
danger was impending for someone named "Douglas"
who lived at Birlstone Manor, not too far from
Tunbridge Wells. Sure enough, just as he had finished
decoding the message, Inspector Alex MacDonald of
Scotland Yard arrived with some disturbing news: Mr.
Jack Douglas of Birlstone Manor had been horribly
murdered during the preceding night.
In a few minutes, the Mitre de Chasse will
sound the call that will loose the Hounds upon a scent
which has its origins a dozen years or more before the
murder of Jack Douglas. The trail leads from the coal
and iron mines of Pennsylvania through the gold fields
of California and ultimately to a moated manor house
located just southeast of London, and a man who

wielded a sawed-off shotgun. It is an intricate trail, full

of false scents such as an apparent intrigue between
the dead man's wife and his best friend, but the real
key to the mystery lies underwater. The Mitre hopes
that his Hounds know how to swim, or at least are
willing to wade.
Well, novels seem to be the order of the day. As
with HOUN, I am allowing only one week for VALL. I am
particularly fond of this Adventure because, among
other reasons, the repartee between Holmes and
Watson at the beginning of the story represents, to my
mind, the best "Gotcha!" Watson ever perpetrated
upon Holmes. Another reason is that, like STUD, this
Adventure has roots in American history: The
"Scowrers" are the literary counterparts of the "Molly
Maguires" who terrorized the Pennsylvania coal fields
in the 1870s; and "Birdy Edwards" had a real-life origin
in the form of one James McParlan, a Pinkerton
operative who infiltrated the Molly Maguires and
brought many of their leaders before the bar of
justice.
As with STUD, this story is divided by a long
flashback narrative which explains the background
leading up to Ted Baldwin's attempt on "Jack
Douglas's" life in the moated manor of Birlstone. I do
not propose to raise questions about the flashback
portion since it does not contain any appearance by
Holmes. But I do have a couple of questions about the
opening segment:

Fred Porlock decided not to send Holmes the key to

his cipher message after being surprised by Moriarty.
Yet he sent an explanatory note to Holmes anyway.
Why didn't he simply enclose the cipher key with it,
since his risk in sending the note was equal to that of
sending the key?
Speaking of the cipher message, wouldn't it be
evident to Holmes that given the cipher's provenance,
something bad was in store for a "Douglas" in or near
"Birlstone?" Did Holmes necessarily need to go to the
trouble of reasoning out the key to the cipher? And
how did Holmes manage to count the words in column
two of page 534 of Whitaker's Almanac with such
celerity? For that matter, how long must it have taken
Porlock to locate a single column of print which
contained the desired words? Could this means of
sending cipher messages have been prearranged
between Holmes and Porlock, with Holmes's logical
tour de force being a pretense for Watson's benefit, as
a way of poking more fun at Watson for the wisecrack
about "unknown to the public?" ("One more
coruscation, Watson!")
I wonder who, what, or where was Portalis?
Cecil Barker said that Douglas was never without
his revolver but had left it in his bedroom the night of
the attack upon him. Wouldn't "making the rounds" of
Birlstone have been a time when he was most likely to
have his gun close at hand, particularly since (as we
learn later) he had recently seen his nemesis in the

neighborhood?
As a part of his scheme to induce Barker to reveal
his complicity, Holmes dictated a note to Barker
indicating an intent to drain the moat. Why would
Holmes address the note to Barker, who had no sway
over Birlstone, and not to Ivy Douglas, who did? Might
not Barker have rightly become suspicious that
something was afoot when the note was addressed to
him?
Lastly, wasn't it unusual for Ivy Douglas, an
Englishwoman bred and born, to address Barker as
"Cecil?"

The Valley of Fear Summary

by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Valley of Fear

Summary

These notes were contributed by members of the

GradeSaver community. We are thankful of their
contributions and encourage you to make your own.
Written by kyle keenan
The Valley of Fear begins with Sherlock Holmes,
the famous detective, and Dr. Watson, his fellow lodger
of 221 b Baker Street, in mid-conversation. Holmes is
puzzling over an encrypted message, which he has
received from Porlock, an associate of Holmes
nemesis Professor Moriarty. A second message from
Porlock, which was supposed to contain the key to the
coded message, soon arrives, stating that he (Porlock)
is afraid of Moriartys wrath and will not reveal the
purpose of his correspondence. Holmes soon deciphers
the message regardless, and discovers that it warns of
imminent danger for one Douglas of Birlstone. The two
are soon visited by MacDonald, a policeman friend of
Holmes, who informs them that this same Douglas has
been murdered.
Upon inspection of the dead man, it is revealed
that he has been killed with a sawed off shotgun, an
American weapon. Beside the disfigured body lies a
card inscribed V.V. 341 Other clues in the room
include a bloody footprint on the windowsill, a missing
dumb-bell, and the fact that the mans wedding ring is
missing. Another clue, discovered soon after, is a
bicycle, concealed just outside the house grounds.
Interrogation of the house servants reveals little, and

after Mrs. Douglas, wife of the murdered man, and

Cecil Barker, a friend of the family, are questioned,
Holmes reveals to Watson that he believes they are in
a conspiracy together.
Although the other detectives on the scene share
their own theories, Holmes informs Watson that he
believes the case hangs entirely on the missing dumbbell, the one piece of evidence deemed as trivial to the
police force. Holmes announces that he is going to
spend the night alone in the room in which Douglas
was murdered, taking nothing with him but Watsons
umbrella. The day after Holmes vigil, he reveals to
the police force investigating Douglas murder that he
has solved the case, and asks them to join him in a
stakeout that night.
During the stakeout, which takes place in the
bushes outside of the room in which the crime was
committed, Holmes, Watson, and the other detectives
witness a man lean out the window and fish something
out of the moat which surrounds the house. When the
group confronts the figure, they discover him to be
Cecil Barker, and that the object he has taken from the
moat is a bag, weighted down with the missing dumbbell. Within the bag is a suit of clothing, boots, and a
knife. During his stay in the room, Holmes had
discovered this same bag, using the crook of Watsons
umbrella. To the astonishment of the others, Holmes
reveals that Douglas is still alive. Upon saying this, a

hidden compartment in the room opens, and Douglas

himself steps out.
Douglas proceeds to explain that he had been
hunted for some time by a man named Baldwin who
later attempted to kill him. The two had struggled, and
Baldwin had been killed when the shotgun went off in
his face. With the assistance of his wife and Barker,
Douglas concocted a plan to fake his own death, taking
advantage of the fact that Baldwins disfigured face
would prevent an accurate identification. Douglas
explains that there are others who would seek his life,
and his apparent death would enable him to shake
them off forever. Douglas gives Watson a manuscript,
which he says details his past life, and tells of the men
who wish him dead. After this, the novel merges into
Part II, which deals with Douglas life in America.
Part II begins with a man named Jack McMurdo,
(whom we later discover is Douglas). McMurdo
journeys to Vermissa Valley, a coal mining district in
the western United States. McMurdo expresses an
extreme hatred of policemen, which attracts the
attention of a man named Scanlon, who reveals himself
to be a member of the order of the Freemen, a society
to which McMurdo also belongs. McMurdo soon joins
the local lodge of Freemen, headed up by a cruel,
violent man named Boss McGinty. It is revealed that
the Freemen of this district go by another name: the
Scowrers, a Mafia-like society that oppress the people
of Vermissa Valley. McMurdo proves to be just as

violent as the rest, and he soon becomes a prominent

member of the Scowrers.
The gang continues their reign of terror for some
time without being challenged, until they learn that
Birdy Edwards, a Pinkerton detective, is on their trail.
McMurdo informs the lodge that he knows who Birdy
Edwards is, and he lays a plan to capture him.
McMurdo lures Edwards to his apartment, where Boss
McGinty and several of the other prominent members
of the gang are concealed. McMurdo suddenly turns
the tables on the Scowrers by revealing that he himself
is Birdy Edwards, and that he joined the lodge only to
gain information against them. McGinty and several of
the others are hung based on McMurdos testimony,
and the others are sent to prison. Edwards, knowing
the vindictive nature of the gang, disappears,
eventually ending up in England, where events play
out as detailed in Part I.
After Douglas remarkable story, Holmes warns the
man to remain on his guard, as Moriarty, whom
Baldwin had contacted to locate Douglas
whereabouts, will no doubt attempt to kill Douglas
himself. Douglas agrees and goes back into hiding.
Sometime after Douglas flees England, Holmes
receives a cryptic message which reads only Dear me,
Mr. Holmes, dear me! From this, Holmes deduces that
Moriarty, the sender of the note, has succeeded in
killing Douglas. Watson and McDonald speculate

whether or not Moriarty will ever be brought to justice.

Holmes assures them that he himself will capture the
Professor, but they must give him time.

The Valley of Fear Questions and

Answers
The Question and Answer section for The of Fear is a
great resource to ask questions, find answers, and
discuss the novel.
Why McGinty having a fear with the valley of fear???
I don't believe he feared the valley. McGinty is the
undisputed lord of Vermissa Valley, which is referred to
by many as the Valley of Fear. The Bodymaster (the
title of the head of the Scowrers) rules over the valley
with an iron fist, crushing...

Asked by Khizar M #480529

Answered by Aslan 4 days ago 11/18/2015 4:22
AM VIEW ALL ANSWERS
who's ames
Ames is the butler.

"An easy-going, free-handed gentleman," said Ames,

the butler.

Asked by malaika j #466204

Answered by jill d #170087 4 days ago 11/17/2015 9:11
PM VIEW ALL ANSWERS
what does the following phrase mean "dark nights are
unpleasant for strangers to travel"
This would mean that dark nights are full of ominous
mystery to a traveler that is not familiar with the place
he is travelling in

Sherlock Holmes
Arguably the most famous fictional character in
history, Sherlock Holmes is synonymous with great
detective. His place as the most brilliant detective in
all of literature is challenged only possibly by Agatha
Christies Poirot. Sherlock Holmes is described as tall,
thin, and reserved, with an aquiline nose and
penetrating eyes. He is incredibly brilliant, moderately
vain, and often impatient with those who are unable to
keep up with his rapid deductions. This particular
novel, ironically enough, probably contains less of
Holmes than any of the others, the great sleuth being
contained largely to Part I. In The Valley of Fear, we
do not see as much of the bloodhound Holmes,
rather, he seems to penetrate the mystery rather

quickly, and the true heart of the story lies in the

second part. Still, he remains without a doubt, the
intellectual superior, even when surrounded by other
successful detectives.

Dr. John Watson

Perhaps just as famous as his brilliant partner, Dr.
John Watson is the loyal sidekick of Sherlock Holmes,
appearing in almost every Sherlock Holmes story ever
written by Doyle. Through almost the entire canon, we
see everything through Watsons eyes, and the story is
presented as if written firsthand by the good doctor
himself. Such is the case in much of The Valley of
Fear, though Doyle departs from this perspective for
much of Part II. Watson, fairly intelligent in his own
right, seems to remain in a constant state of stupor
over Holmes brilliance, and often voices the readers
own confusions concerning the detectives rapid
deductions. Watsons presence is fairly insignificant in
this particular novel, appearing in only a few scenes in
which Holmes was not present as well. Watson is often
described as stout and somewhat withdrawn, as well
as being very easy-going in nature.

Professor James Moriarty

Every great fictional hero has an equally great

nemesis. Sherlock Holmes is no exception. Professor
James Moriarty is described by Holmes as the
Napoleon of crime. One of the most infamous
characters in literature, he ironically appears in only
two Sherlock Holmes stories. Indeed, in The Valley of

Fear, he is does not even appear, he is only referred

to, and at the end of the book, Holmes receives a short
note from the professor. Nonetheless, Moriarty
remains one of the central characters of this novel, and
he is revealed to be the mastermind behind Douglas
demise.

John Douglas/Jack McMurdo/Birdy

Edwards
This crucial and multi-dimensional character
(whom we will refer to as Douglas for the sake of
clarity) could really be considered three different
characters contained in one man. Introduced at the
beginning of the story as John Douglas, this man
appears to be a faceless victim, simply the object of
Holmes investigation. Towards the end of part I
however, Douglas is revealed to be very much alive,
and he commences to share his history, which
comprises nearly the entirety of part II. During this
story within a story, we learn that Douglas once bore
the name Jack McMurdo, and that he was part of a
notorious gang in the United States, which was not
unlike the Mafia. At the end of part II however, we
learn that McMurdo is really a Pinkerton detective
named Birdy Edwards. Throughout all three of his
identities, Douglas is described as fearless,
intelligent, and good humored. Douglas is an example
of Doyles skill as a writer, in that the reader is able to
accept with little difficulty the composition of the
three-in-one character.

Boss (Bodymaster) McGinty

Mentioned in Part I, but not fully introduced until

Part II, Boss McGinty is one of the major villains of this
novel. The cruel and brutal leader of the Scowrers, a
murderous society not unlike the Mafia, McGinty is a
fearsome leader, described as looking almost like a
lion, with fierce eyes and a mane-like beard. McGinty is
the undisputed lord of Vermissa Valley, which is
referred to by many as the Valley of Fear. The
Bodymaster (the title of the head of
the Scowrers) rules over the valley with an iron fist,
crushing anyone who gets in his way through the
agents beneath him. McGinty could be thought of as an
American Moriarty, though not as intelligent nor as
powerful.
.