TBVM Chapter 1-6

THE BOSCOMBE VALLEY MYSTERY.
CHAPTER 1 : A TELEGRAM FOR DR WATSON.

Dr Watson was in his house when he received a telegram from Sherlock Holmes. It
read:
Watson, I have to go to the West of England for a few days. Theres been a murder at
Boscombe Valley. Are you free to come with me? I will leave Paddington by train at
11.15am. Holmes.
Watson was not sure if he could go because he had a lot of patients to see. Mrs
Watson suggested that Dr Anstruther could do his work and since he liked working with
Holmes, Watson should go to Boscombe Valley. It was already 10.15am, so Watson
had just 30 minutes to get ready and rush to Paddington Station. When Watson arrived
at Paddington Station, Holmes rushed off to buy their tickets. In the train, Holmes told
Watson about the murder of Charles McCarthy. He said that James, the son of the
murdered man, was in prison as he was the main suspect. But Holmes did not think he
was guilty as he felt that what seems to be a simple case, can sometimes be quiet
complex.
Holmes said that the McCarthy family lived on the estate of Mr John Turner, a rich
gentleman, at Boscombe Valley, near Ross-On-Wye. Watson wanted to know where
Turner had got his money from. Holmes said that no one knew anything much about
Turner as he was from Australia and he had come to live in England about twenty years
earlier.
Holmes thought that since McCarthy had also been in Australia for many years, he
and Turner might have known each other. Turner had an eighteen-year-old daughter,
Alice. Both McCarthys wife and Turners wife were dead. Turner was quite introverted
and did not have many friends. McCarthy, on the other hand, enjoyed horse racing and
there were rumours that he also gambled a lot.

Telegram Message sent by telegraph
Murder Crime of killing someone
Patients People who are receiving medical care
Suspect Person who is thought to have committed
a crime
Estate Large area of land in the country owned
by someone
Introverted Shy;reserved
Rumours Gossips
Gamble Bet

CHAPTER 2: TWO WITNESSES.
Holmes had read about the murder in The Times. He told Watson that Charles
McCarthy had left his house on Monday at 3pm, and walked to Boscombe Pool to meet
someone. Holmes then gave the newspaper to Watson, who continued reading.
According to the newspapers, Charless son, James, had arrived from Bristol that
morning and had gone straight to his room. When Charles arrived, he told the servant
that he was late for an appointment and left immediately. James did not see his father
go out. Soon afterwards, James took his gun and went to shoot rabbits at Boscombe
Pool.
There were two witnesses who saw James at the murder scene. A gamekeeper, Mr
Moran, said he say Charles walking towards Boscombe Pool. A few minutes later, he
met James, who was going hunting. James was carrying his gun.
The second witnesses was the gamekeepers fourteen-year-old daughter, Patience
Moran. She saw Charles and his son, James, having an argument at the pool. She said
James raised his hand as if to hit his father. She got frightened and ran home to tell her
mother. James was arrested for murder the next day.
Appointment pre-arranged plan
Witnesses People who saw something happen
Gamekeeper Person who looks after the animals in a
large estate
Arrested Caught by police

CHAPTER 3: A SUSPECT.
Watson asked Holmes some questions about James. Holmes told him that James
said he did not know anything about the murder. He had taken his gun because he was
going hunting. James also said that he did not want to talk about the argument because
it was private.
Holmes continued his story saying that Patience ran home to tell her mother about
the argument. James arrived a few minutes later asking for help, because he had found
his father seriously hurt at the pool. Mrs Moran told Patience to get the doctor and her
father. She was surprised to see blood on James arm. A while later, Mr Moran and a
policeman found Charless body. Charless head had been hit violently several times
with something hard. So, they decided to search for the murder weapon.
Argument Quarrel
Private Personal;not to be shared
Violently Forcefully and cruelly
Weapon An object used to harm someone during a
fight

CHAPTER 4: INNOCENT OR GUILTY?
Mr Moran found a gun which belonged to James and showed it to the policeman who
suspected it was the murder weapon. The police then arrested James for the murder of
his father.
The people in Ross-on-Wye talked about the murder. Some were shocked and
wondered how anyone could kill his own father. Others did not think that James was
guilty because he was a kind person. Watson thought it was clear that James was guilty
because of what the two witnesses had seen and because of the murder weapon, which
was a gun that belonged to James.
Holmes, however, told Watson that the case was not clear. He showed Watson a
telegram that Alice had sent him asking for his help because she thought James was
innocent.
Wondered Questioned in their minds
Guilty Responsible for a wrongdoing or a crime
Innocent Blameless;not having done anything
wrong

CHAPTER 5: JAMES MC CARTHYS STORY
Holmes and Watson were in Boscombe Valley because Alice needed their help.
While the police thought James was guilty and had arrested him, Alice thought he was
innocent. Watson, too, thought that the evidence seemed to show James was guilty but
Holmes told him to think again.
James was not arrested immediately after the murder. If he were guilty, he would
have had enough time to run away, but he did not. Also, Holmes remembered James
strange words at his arrest.
At his trial, James told the court what had happened on that fateful day. He had just
returned home and asked the maid where his father was. She said he had gone out for
an important appointment and would see James later. Then, James took his gun and
went hunting. On the way to Boscombe Pool, he met the gamekeeper, Moran. They
greeted each other and James told Moran that he was going to shoot rabbits.
Evidence Proof
Trial Court case
Fateful Unfortunate;disastrous

CHAPTER 6: AN ARGUMENT AT BOSCOMBE POOL.
At Boscombe Pool, James heard a familiar sound, Cooee, so he responded using
the same word. Then, his father suddenly appeared and was surprised to see James.
James wondered why he was surprised as Cooee was their usual call.
Charles spoke to his son and an argument soon followed. James knew what his
father wanted him to do but he said he could not do it. Charles argued that James had
to do as his father wanted, but James said that it was definitely impossible.
As James was walking away, he heard a loud cry and rushed to see what it was. He
found his father seriously hurt, lying on the ground. All his father said was, Aaat..
Raat.
In the court room, James refused to talk about the argument, saying it was a private
matter. When the judge asked whether he could remember anything else about the
place, James mentioned seeing grey coat on the ground.
Familiar Well-known to someone
Responded Replied
Seriously Badly

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THE BOSCOMBE VALLEY MYSTERY.

CHAPTER 1 : A TELEGRAM FOR DR WATSON.

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