The Adventure of the Three Garridebs Summary and Analysis: 2022

The Sherlock Holmes short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Three Gerridebs, is a mystery. Sherlock Holmes gets a letter from Nathan Garrideb, who lives at 156 Ryder Street, asking for assistance in a strange quest. He is looking for someone with an uncommon last name, for it will help him get Five million worth of inheritance. He is also approached by John Garrideb of Kansas, who wishes to find someone with the same surname.

The Adventure of the Three Garridebs Summary

The American Garrideb visits Holmes and Watson at Baker street and is unhappy about Nathan involving a detective. Garrideb claimed to be a lawyer and created a story where he met Alexander Hamilton Garrideb, a millionaire land tycoon in Kansas. Hamilton would transfer his fifteen million dollar estate to John, given that he can find two more Garridebs to share it with. John failed to find people with the same name in America and came to England for his quest. He had only managed to find Nathan.

In the course of the interview, Holmes can observe several discrepancies in the story told by John Garrideb but decides against confrontation. This interests Holmes further, and he contacts Nathan for further investigation. When Holmes arrives at Ryder Street, he observes Nathan’s nameplate, which had clearly been there for a long time. This made him conclude that Garrideb was indeed his last name.

Nathan Garrideb is a serious collector who collects everything from old coins to bones. He, however, does not have anything precious in his collection. Holmes figures out that John had never asked for money and did not plan out any action. Nathan saw no reason for suspicions against John, and this startled Holmes.

During one of Holmes and Watson’s visits, John Garrideb is extremely happy because he successfully found a third Garrideb. The proof for the same was a newspaper advertisement placed by Howard Garrideb. Holmes instantly sees through it and understands that John places the advertisement himself because of several Americanisms in spelling and wording.

Nathan is one to not go out much and barely travel. Despite that and Nathan’s objections, John insisted that Nathan go to Birmingham and meet  Howard Garrideb. It becomes apparent that John has created a rigmarole of lies to get Nathan out of his rooms for some time. 

Holmes gets new information the next day and meets with the unimaginative Inspector Lestrade at Scotland Yard and sees a bunch of photographs. One of them is unequivocally John Garrideb. His true identity is revealed as being James Winter, alias Morecroft, alias Killer Evans, who was sent to prison for shooting a man but could avoid the noose because of mitigating circumstances. The man he supposedly killed was Rodger Prescott, a forger from Chicago, who is description is the same as the former occupant of Nathan’s home.

Holmes and Watson get armed with revolvers and go to Gerrideb’s hone, which is not long before Winter comes. Holmes and Watson hide and watch Winter use a jemmy to open a trapdoor and reveal a small cellar. They get hold of Winter before he could shoot twice and have struck Watson in the leg. Holmes is distraught for a while because of Watson’s injury and strikers Evans on the head with the gun’s butt. It was hard enough and drew blood, and Holmes vowed that Evans could not leave the room alive if he managed to kill Watson. Watson’s wounds are superficial. In the cellar, they find a printing press and counterfeit banknotes that were hidden by Prescott, who Evans killed. Winter is then sent to prison and Nathan to a nursing home. 

The Adventure of the Three Garridebs Analysis

The story begins when Nathan Garriben writes to Sherlock Holmes, the private detective, and asks for help finding another man with the last name Garrideb. Nathan Garrideb was approached by John Garrideb, an American. John Garrideb believes that the two men are supposed to inherit a third of the land in Kansas with an approximate worth of fifteen million dollars. However, the two can only inherit this property unless they find another individual with the same last name, who is supposed to inherit the other third. When John and Holmes meet, the detective figures out that the story about property in Kansas is not true.

The Adventure of the Three Garridebs Theme 

The story is based on mysteries. First was the mystery of who John Garrideb was and of the land he was trying to inherit. Then were his lies and their connection to Nathan. Then the mystery and suspense shift when John is identified as Killer Evans. The story keeps the readers thrilled and on their toes.

The Adventure of the Three Garridebs Key Points

The story, The Adventure of the Three Garridebs, is a classic story by Sir Arthur Canon Doyle and involves detective Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, and mystery. Readers first believe that there is a hunt for another Garrideb to inherit an estate in Kansas worth fifteen million dollars. However, with Holmes’s know-hows, the story takes an unexpected turn to find a murderer and a whole stack of counterfeit notes.