A year after Beddington and his brother were safely back in prison, John Clay found himself facing a curious dilemma. He had insinuated himself into the Wilson household with the aim of tunneling from the latter's cellar into that of an adjoining bank. Although he had made some progress by digging when he was sup­posed to be pursuing his hobby of photography, the work was pro­ceeding much too slowly to insure that the coveted French gold would still be there when he finished. His employer never went out. He could not extend his excavating hours without arousing suspicion. It was in this moment of frustration that the fourth smartest man in London suddenly remembered something he had read in the newspapers a year before-the account of the abortive at­tempt on Mawson and Williams. Here was the way out of his quandary! Noting the similarity in hair color between his employer and his accomplice, he adapted the Beddington Plot to his own situation, and the League of Red-Headed Men was born.

            Twelve years later, Killer Evans was faced with the problem of inducing the agoraphobic Nathan Garrideb just once to venture from his rooms, whereunder was secreted some counterfeiting equipment of the highest quality. In order to know what to do, the resourceful American did not have to be the fourth smartest man in London, and indeed he wasn't. He was, however, familiar enough with the annals of crime to know by heart both of the previous manifestations of the Beddington Plot, and he was cap­able enough to extract those features from each which best suited his own needs. He was also painfully aware of the role played by Sherlock Holmes in the Pycroft and Wilson matters--particularly in the latter-and was therefore understandably dismayed to learn that the great detective had been drawn into his own affair.

            What is there to learn of the dupes – of Hall Pycroft, Jabez Wilson, and Nathan Garrideb? Each of these men reacted to the Beddington Plot in a manner consistent with the estimate Dr. Watson has presented of him. Wilson was a rather slow-witted individual who apparently did not read the newspapers, since the League advertisement had to be pointed out to him. Nathan Garri­deb took little notice of anything which lay outside the narrow range of his own interests. It is entirely predictable that nei­ther of these gentlemen would be able to see through the scheme into which they were being led. If Pycroft had been the second or third dupe he might not have been taken in, since he was reasonably alert and did read the newspapers. However, he was the first dupe and there was nothing from the past to guide him.

            What is there to learn of the detective – of Sherlock Holmes? It is eminently obvious that Holmes himself learned a good bit. He handled the cases differently, and he handled the later ones much more effectively than the first. In his initial encounter with the Beddington Plot, Holmes showed little more vision than had Pycroft. He caught the first train for Birmingham. While the crime was being attempted, Holmes was miles from the scene, and found out what had happened only by reading of it in the newspapers. His participation in the case was of value to no one except Beddington, whose life he saved.

            When, however, Holmes heard the recitation of Jabez Wilson and the Red-Headed League, he had not forgotten the unfortunate experience of the earlier Pycroft matter. This time he made no mistakes. He ignored any impulse to visit the League headquarters, but quite correctly focused his attention instead on the pawnshop from which. had been uprooted by his remarkable assignment. Thus was it possible to avert the crime which had been scheduled for that night. Of course, by the time of the Garrideb case, the way to proceed was abundantly clear. Holmes never considered traveling to Birmingham alongside the would-be Hans Sloane of his age. All he needed to do was sit and wait for the criminal to make his appearance. These three adventures thus provide a unique opportunity to witness the growth of Sherlock Holmes as a detective.

            Holmes was so taken with the Beddington Plot that on at least two occasions he made use of it himself. When in 1898 he had reason to break into the home of Josiah Amberley, he trans­planted that retired colourman from the premises by sending him off on a wild-goose chase to Little Purlington. To make sure that Amberley got there and stayed there, he sent Watson with him. Three years later, in order to burglarize the study of Baron Adeibert Gruner (ILLU), Holmes successfully lured that despicable cad to another part of the house by having Watson visit him, pos­ing as an expert on far Eastern ceramics with some Ming china to sell. The Beddington Plot thus figured in no less than five of the adventures.