The Adventure Of The Missing Bloodstains

0:03 This rebroadcast is especially for the American Armed Forces and their allies. Now let's join Dr.

0:09 Campbell as he enters Dr. Watson's study.

0:12 Dr.

0:13 Watson's Study Well, here we are once again in Dr. Watson's study.

0:42 Come in, Mr.

0:42 Campbell, come in.

0:44 Here, sit down and relax. You look a bit wilted, old fella. Oh, yes, it's such a beautiful spring evening, I thought I'd walk over. In fact, it's so beautiful I dawdled most of the way, drinking in the warm air and the smell of things growing until suddenly I realized I was blamelessly going to be late if I didn't hurry. So I ran the last three blocks. Yes, I know how it is. This lovely spring weather is certainly conducive to indolence. My household claim that when I go out to do the spring planting, I spend most of my time leaning on the spade, sniffing, and listening to the birds. What an unpleasant way to pass the time.

1:25 is almost as relaxing as a Turkish bath, which reminds me of a curious and gory experience that Holmes and I had in just such an establishment some years ago. It sounds suspiciously like the gentleman who said bang.

1:38 Oh, speaking of explosions.

1:40 Now, Mr. Campbell, you must never complain about the way that the storyteller begins his yarn. Anything is better than an abrupt beginning. Now, put me all out. Where was I? In a Turkish bath, if I'm not mistaken. Oh, yes, a Turkish bath. Well, now, to begin at the beginning, it was in the hectic hair-raising, and I might even say the glorious day, of the great battle of wits between Sherlock Holmes and the notorious Professor Mariachi. What you might call a real battle of the titans, eh, Doctor?

2:11 Indeed it was, Mr. Campbell. Things had been unusually hectic for Holmes for several months. Mariachi had been particularly active, and Holmes had had many sleepless nights. Finally, things had calmed down a bit, and I tried to persuade him to take a badly needed holiday. The net result being that he finally did agree to have an afternoon off and accompany me to a Turkish bath. As a matter of fact, both Holmes and I had a weakness for the Turkish bath. Over the smoke in the present latitude of the drying room, I've often found him less reticent and more human than at any other time. The heat melded his cast-iron reserve, eh, Dr.

2:53 Watson?

2:53 Only slightly, Mr. Campbell, only slightly. Well, as I was saying, on the upper floor of a certain Fumberland Avenue establishment, there is an isolated corner where two couches lie side by side. And it was on these that we were lying. Holmes had just shot his long, sinewy arm out of the towels which enveloped him and was fishing about in the inside pocket of his coat, which hung beside.

3:20 Him.

3:21 I put it.

3:22 Where on earth did I put it, oh, confounder thing? Watson, I forgot to bring my tobacco.

3:28 Oh, relax, Holmes. Just relax. Forget about tobacco. Forget mariachi and relax. What did we come in here for? Burble, burble, burble, burble.

3:41 I am relaxed, my dear fellow.

3:43 I want a smoke. You mind about the burble, burble? Nothing like the peace and seclusion of a Turkish bar. Mr.

3:49 Holmes.

3:50 Mr.

3:50 Sherlock Holmes. Hello? Gus, the steam room attendant seems to be paging you. Oh, my goodness. Now what?

3:57 Has anyone seen Mr.

3:59 Sherlock Holmes? See you in here, please.

4:04 Here I am, Gus.

4:05 Here I am.

4:06 What do you want?

4:07 Come on.

4:07 Oh, Mr.

4:08 Holmes, it's good I find you.

4:10 There has been an accident, Mr.

4:11 Holmes.

4:11 A bad accident. It's Lord Canterbury.

4:14 He's in his dressing room, covered in blood. Oh. In that case, I fancy you want Dr.

4:19 Watson, don't you?

4:20 Not me.

4:20 I'll be with you in a minute, Gus. Oh, no. Not Dr.

4:22 Watson.

4:23 It's too late for you.

4:25 He's dead.

4:26 Dead? Stabbed in six places. Come and look at him, Mr.

4:30 Holmes.

4:30 Please.

4:30 Dead? Yeah, me.

4:32 All right, I'll come at once.

4:34 Good gracious me, what's all the commotion? Why can't we have a little peace and quiet?

4:39 What's the meaning of this, Gus?

4:45 Why are these two persons talking at the top of their voices? My dear Mr... Mr.

4:50 Well, whoever you are, I was never under the impression that the Olympia Baths were a church. Furthermore, my dear Mr.

4:58 Oh, well, never mind the name.

4:59 Tunbridge. Frederick Hubert Tunbridge, a liberal leader in the present Parliament, which everyone knows will keep suppressed at the time.

5:06 My dear Mr.

5:06 Tunbridge, I do not concern myself with trivialities. Furthermore, as I was saying before being so rudely interrupted, you may be interested to know that your hated rival, Lord Canterbury, the conservative leader with whom you are known to have publicly locked horns on several occasions.

5:20 Oh, oh, what have I have? What's he done now, the old fool? If you mean Lord Canterbury, he's done absolutely.

5:27 Yes, he hasn't done anything and probably never will again.

5:30 Oh, what are you blithering about?

5:32 Well, it seems that Guts has just discovered your, shall we say, political vis-a-vis dead in his dressing room.

5:39 Oh, you mean he's had a heart attack?

5:42 No, I don't mean anything of the kind.

5:43 He's been stabbed.

5:45 In how many places, did you say, Gus? In six places, Mr.

5:48 Holmes. But that's impossible. I, uh, we.

5:51 Uh, that is, I, uh, talked to him not half an hour ago. We had a little, uh, conference. Subro, do you understand? While he was waiting for Gus to come in and give him his fat ass. Oh, he was quite all right, but I left him. Oh, really?

6:03 Are you sure?

6:05 What do you mean? Of course I'm sure. Cantlebury was alive and cursing like a trooper when I left him. I passed Gus in the corridor. I came out of Cantlebury's dressing room. He'll tell you the old boy was alive and kicking.

6:18 Oh, will he? How about it, Gus?

6:19 It is true I hear swearing, but from which dressing room it comes I could not be sure.

6:23 The walls are so thin.

6:24 You understand. Yes, yes, indeed. It's quite true.

6:27 The dressing room walls are thin.

6:29 Gus, who is this person, and why is he asking all these stupid questions? But, Mr. Turnbridge, this gentleman is Mr. Sherlock Holmes, the famous detective. Hmm, I've never heard of him. Not even really there, Holmes. Well, so for Scotland Yard, this is a matter.

6:44 Of national importance.

6:45 Quite, yes.

6:46 I think you're quite right.

6:47 You may as well turn for Inspector Lestrade, Gus. Scotland Yard will have to be informed in any case.

6:52 In the meantime, however, well, I.

6:54 I think I'll take a look. Well, in the meantime, Mr. Whoever-You-Are, I insist that everything be left strictly alone. Very well.

7:01 Then, Mr.

7:03 Thingamabob, if you insist, but you'll be losing valuable time. I most emphatically do insist. Well, I'm getting out of here. Beat you up. Life's on the point.

7:12 You can do without me.

7:13 Just a moment, gentlemen.

7:15 Just a moment, if you please. I think it's only fair to point out to you all But suspicion is bound to fall on anyone who leaves before the authorities have had a chance to search and question him.

7:25 Watch me.

7:26 You mean I have to be searched?

7:29 We seem to.

7:30 Have stirred up quite a hornet's nest, eh, Watson? Yes, and I brought you in here for a rest. Well, Lestrade? Nasty mess, eh, Mr. Holmes? Knife from the back.

7:51 Yes, not once, but six times. Deep, ferocious thrusts.

7:55 Quite unnecessarily brutal. And, if I may say so, bloody.

7:59 Yes. Place looks like a chalice.

8:02 Yes, whoever did the deed must have been drenched in blood. Might tell your men to search for blood-stained towels or garments, will you, Lestrade?

8:10 Yes. Well, I'll pick up anything that's got blood on it. Never use it. Everything on the premises. Yes, that's not going to be very popular with Mr. Tunbridge, eh, Holmes?

8:24 I wouldn't care if he was the Archbishop of Canterbury. When Scotland Yard says search everybody, we search everybody. Besides, everybody knows he and the corpse here are bitter enemies.

8:34 They fought like cat and dog.

8:37 How long would you say he'd been dead, Mr.

8:39 Adams?

8:40 Oh, I don't know.

8:41 About, let me say, an hour and a half. Took 30, 40 minutes to get you here, Lestrade. And Canterbury had been dead, let me see, over half an hour when Gus found him.

8:51 Yes, Gus.

8:52 Did the doorman notice who left the establishment during the half hour before the body was found?

8:58 Yes, sir. Only old Mr.

9:00 Welford. And he's too feeble and excited to do a crime like this.

9:05 Was the door to Lord Canterbury's dressing room locked?

9:09 No, sir.

9:10 Oh?

9:11 And how does it happen that he lay here for over half an hour before.

9:13 Anyone found him? Particularly as he was down on the books for a massage half an hour before he was found. Well, you see, I thought he was asleep.

9:21 Lord Canterbury sometimes seemed like a little nap after he was in the steam room, and he didn't want I should disturb him.

9:27 Oh, that's very interesting.

9:29 Then you did.

9:30 Come in this room once before you realized Lord Canterbury was dead.

9:34 Yes, Mr.

9:34 Holmes.

9:35 But he was lying there so peaceful.

9:37 So peaceful, yes. On his back?

9:39 Yes, sir.

9:40 Just like we found him.

9:41 It wasn't until the second time I come in I see he has his eyes open.

9:44 Mm-hmm.

9:45 And the place is, shall we say, all spattered with blood?

9:48 It was so dark, the shades were drawn. It was not easy to see anything if you don't look close.

9:54 Even then, some people are unable to observe the most obvious facts. And what might you mean by that? Oh, just an observation, Lestrade. Just a gratuitous observation. Come in. Well, Willis, what's up? The site's the place from top to bottom, just like you said, Inspector. And there's no bloodstains nowhere, except on this. And what's that? A pocket knife, sir.

10:17 Large size.

10:17 Oh.

10:17 The handle's been wiped off, but there's still some bloodstains on the glide. We found it in the locker of a bloke named Thunbridge. Uh-huh. Just a minute, Lestrade. I'll go off the deep end. Willis.

10:28 Yes, sir?

10:29 You say there were no bloodstains anywhere except on this knife. Not a sign of a bloodstain nowhere. You searched the dirty linen hampers, the towels and lockers, the customers of their clothes?

10:39 Oh, yes, sir.

10:39 We searched everything.

10:41 There's not a sign of blood anywhere but on that there weapon. Amazing, sir.

10:45 That's enough for me. This here is the murder weapon. Bring him in here, Willis, and we'll have him on the carpet.

10:54 Yes, sir.

10:54 Right away.

10:55 I knew he was a murderer from the beginning. Who has the motive for killing Canterbury? This chap, Tunbridge. Who has the opportunity? This chap, Tunbridge.

11:05 He admits himself he had a talk with the deceased, and they had words. Where is this here bloodstained knife found?

11:11 Nowhere, but in the assist, Mr. Tunbridge's locker. Hmm, stupid place.

11:15 For a murderer to hide the fatal weapon in his own locker. Tunbridge isn't as stupid as that, Lestrade.

11:20 Oh, no? No. Then why was it there? Look here, this is an outrage, keeping me here like this. Don't you realize I have influence? You might at least let me put on my clothes instead of whoring them about. I'll complain to the authorities. I'll have you dismissed, all of you.

11:36 Maybe you will, sir.

11:37 And then again, maybe you won't. First of all, you'll answer some questions. Have you ever seen this knife before? Knife? A knife? Yes, of course. It's mine.

11:48 I've had it all my life.

11:49 I used to take it fishing when I was a boy. Oh, indeed.

11:52 I have to explain its size, then.

11:54 Well, now I use it to open my letters.

11:56 Oh, you do?

11:57 Are you sure that's all you use it for? Yes, of course. Then why are these here bloodstains on it? Bloodstains?

12:04 Yeah.

12:04 Where? Here and here and here. No, don't you touch it. We don't want to destroy any possible fingerprints. But if it's mine, my fingerprints are already on it.

12:14 Yes, he's right there, Lestrade.

12:16 Furthermore, that stain doesn't look like blood to me. It's not red enough. It looks like rust.

12:22 As a matter of fact.

12:23 If a stain is a nice blood red, it's fairly certain it's not blood.

12:28 Now, this particular stain.

12:29 You need this particular stain to Scotland Yard, mister.

12:32 Yes.

12:33 Don't forget, my dear Lestrade, I invented the first infallible test for blood stains.

12:36 That's quite true, Lestrade. You did? Yes, indeed. My test is infallible. It works on blood that is new or on blood that is old. I discovered the first reagent.

12:46 which is precipitated by hemoglobin.

12:49 Sorry.

12:49 Mister, I'm sorry, but Scotland Yard hasn't any time for lectures.

12:52 We believe in action. Now, Mr. Tunbridge.

12:56 It's my duty to take you into custody, but it's also my duty to warn you that anything that you may say may be used in evidence against you.

13:05 Anything I say?

13:06 If you realize whom you're arresting, I'm a leading figure in British politics.

13:10 So was this fellow, Lysias Tad, with your knife, which has.

13:14 Still got bloodstains on it. Lysias, if you'll pardon me for saying so, in this case, it's not the bloodstains that are in evidence, but the bloodstains that are not in evidence.

13:24 Which is the significant factor.

13:26 What do you mean by that?

13:28 Simply that it would have been rather difficult for Mr. Tunbridge to have committed a murder as gory as this one without having bloodstains on the towel he's wearing or on the clothes which are still in his locker.

13:40 What was to prevent him from dropping his towel outside Lord Canterbury's letting room? Going in and knifing him in the back, then sneaking down to the shower rooms not more than 20 feet down the.

13:50 Corridor and washing away the evidence. Me going round about in the nude? Certainly not.

13:56 Most certainly not, sir.

13:58 Remember, my dear Lestrade, as you dragged one of Britain's leaders away to jail? That it might have been possible for him to stab his enemy in a fit of temper, but he would never have.

14:06 Dreamed of running up and down the corridor in.

14:08 His birthday suit.

14:09 Oh, let me see.

14:11 I'm afraid I shall have to look for another explanation of the missing bloodstains.

14:24 Holmes, it's very late. Everyone else has left the Turkish bar.

14:29 Everyone but the faithful Gus. Oh, I don't mind.

14:33 Tonight we have by my house sauerkraut.

14:36 I don't like sauerkraut.

14:38 Besides, I've got to stay in lock-up. Then you'll have to wait till we find the bloodstains.

14:42 They're here somewhere.

14:43 That's why I sent home for my famous benzodiazepine peroxide mixture. Somewhere on the premises there is a towel or linen or something that has bloodstains.

14:52 Oh, but we've been through the towels and the linen a dozen times, Holmes. No sign of blood. Furthermore, according to the establishment's checklist... There are no towels or any linen missing. Even Gus, his linen, which he washes himself, is hung here on the line. You don't wash any linen but your own, do you, Gus?

15:11 No, Mr.

15:12 Holmes. Everything go out to the laundry. I wash my own because I'd like to be fresh and clean. Twice a day I wash, noon and evening.

15:20 Yes.

15:20 The evening's job hasn't been done yet, eh?

15:22 No.

15:23 This one I wash this noon. It's my towel from this morning.

15:26 Oh, yes, yes.

15:28 This morning's towel washed this noon.

15:30 Yes. But was it?

15:33 Canterbury was murdered in the middle of the afternoon about 3.30.

15:35 Now it's... Now after 7 o'clock. Don't you see, Watson? This towel.

15:41 Don't you see?

15:43 No, Holmes. I don't. It makes me a bastard think. The towel's as clean as a whistle.

15:48 But not dry.

15:50 If it had been washed at noon, washed at noon, it would be dry now.

15:54 But it's still damp.

15:55 Yes, it was washed after Canterbury's death.

15:58 Of course. To remove the bloodstains.

15:59 Gus, Mr. Holmes, that's why you.

16:01 Didn't report the death until half an hour after Canterbury had died.

16:04 Oh, no.

16:05 Then I'd have time to remove the bloodstains. That's not true. Besides, you can't prove anything. The towel is clean now. There are no masks, no stains. The very fact that there were no stains on it, Gus, first made me suspect you. Lord Canterbury was.

16:17 Found lying on his back. And yet, when you informed us.

16:21 That he had been stabbed, you were quite definite about the number of times that he'd been stabbed.

16:25 In the back?

16:25 Yes. Yes.

16:26 How did you know that, Gus?

16:27 Well, I lift him up and I look.

16:30 Of course, I see what you're getting at, Holmes.

16:32 He couldn't have done that.

16:34 No one could examine the corpse without getting blood all over himself.

16:37 And yet, when Gus appeared to tell us of Canterbury's death, there wasn't a spot of blood on him. But if I can prove that this towel that you so carefully washed once had bloodstains and that you were very careful to remove those stains.

16:48 That you will never prove. I have scrubbed.

16:50 I have used soap.

16:51 I have even boiled that towel.

16:53 There is not even a.

16:54 Suspicion of a bloodstain left. That is where you're wrong, my friend.

16:57 Watson, run the water into this tub, will you?

16:59 No matter how thoroughly you try to remove a bloodstain, it will never.

17:02 Out. Damn this pot. Yes, we only need enough to moisten the cloth.

17:11 Now I'll drop a few drops of my famous solution onto the cloth.

17:15 There we are.

17:16 Well, all I can see is a lot of pale blue streaks.

17:21 Yes, it's undoubtedly blood.

17:23 Blood? Yes, the serious blue streaks prove.

17:25 Infallibly that there was blood on the towel. And now, Gus, are you going to explain why you were so anxious to remove these blood stains?

17:32 No, no, no, I did not do it. It was Mr. Turnbridge.

17:37 He did it.

17:38 The knife was his knife.

17:39 There was blood on it.

17:41 Let me out of here.

17:42 It's not my fault. I don't want to hurt him. Holmes, Holmes, he's running away.

17:45 Watson, we can't let him escape.

17:47 Well, there he goes down the corridor.

17:48 He's gone into the steamboat.

17:49 Don't worry. I'll get him. The steam's thick in here. I can hardly see my hand before my face. Must be in here.

18:00 Look under the benches, Watson.

18:01 Watson, leave the door open.

18:04 Let some of this blasted team out.

18:05 Of here, will you?

18:06 I didn't shut the door.

18:08 Holmes, you hear that? The door.

18:11 Someone's locked the door.

18:12 Hey, somebody let us out.

18:14 Let us out, you hear?

18:15 We're locked in. We've been locked in by mistake. No, you're wrong.

18:20 It was no mistake, my friend.

18:22 Holmes, worry hardly. We here must keep them with us.

18:26 No, that's just the voice through the ventilator.

18:29 So you were behind this murder too, Professor.

18:31 Of course.

18:32 Perhaps you would like to know why I had to kill Lord Canterbury.

18:35 Yes, indeed.

18:35 That would be very interesting. Good.

18:38 I found it necessary to start a feud between the two great political parties because they're in danger of forming a coalition to pass certain housing reforms that would have proved very expensive to me. Well, what better way to break up an incipient collaboration than by killing one leader, having the other hanged.

18:56 Very ingenious, Moriarty.

18:57 I pity you should have chosen such a clumsy tool as Gus.

19:00 Clumsy?

19:01 Perhaps.

19:02 But he fooled Scotland Yard, Mr. Holmes.

19:05 It was just my ill luck that you should be on the premises when the accident occurred.

19:10 Thank you for the compliment. Not at all.

19:12 However, it's a mistake which I'm sure Gus will be able to rectify.

19:15 Gus, how?

19:16 Very simple. I have sent him to.

19:18 Put more coals on the fire. Any moment now, there should be more steam. Yes, gentlemen, much more steam. I'm afraid when you finish with this steam bath, you will never need another.

19:29 No.

19:29 You will be foiled alive. It's right there. There comes the steam pouring out of the opening over our head.

19:39 If only we could reach that opening, we could stuff some of these towels into the pipeline and cut off the flow.

19:44 It's getting very hot in here. Wait. I have it.

19:49 One of the long benches. I'll stand on the end. You have to balance it while I climb on the top. Talk lots and make a noise. Anything to cover up the moving of the bench.

19:55 Very well.

19:56 Oh, it's getting hot. My auntie.

19:59 This has gone far enough. We can't stand much more of this. Ready, Holmes.

20:04 I'll hand me up a towel, quick.

20:05 My auntie.

20:07 Turn the steam off. You hear, Moriarty? Can't you hear? The heat, it's becoming unbearable. Just more towels, Holmes.

20:14 Is it getting hot enough in there, gentlemen, for you?

20:17 I'm sure it is.

20:20 Boiled nice and pink, boiled in steam, live steam.

20:25 Goodbye, Mr. Sherlock Holmes. Now what happened?

20:32 You can't stand up there all night, Holmes. I won't have to. The pressure's terrific.

20:37 Huh?

20:38 Then it likely will soon become so great that it may burst the boiler. That's dangerous. Buildings will be known to collapse because of bursting boilers.

20:44 Nevertheless, it's our one chance.

20:46 Only the confounded boiler bursts before my arm is snapped in two. But Holmes, your arm isn't as strong as the boiler plate. Pressure. Pressure, my dear Watson. Measured per square foot of air surface. Quite a bit of surface to a boiler. The opening of this pipe is fairly small. All the same, I'm afraid I... I can't hold out much longer, Watson.

21:11 Hold on, Holmes.

21:12 Hold on.

21:13 It must burst soon. It must. The pressure.

21:16 My hand.

21:17 My hand.

21:18 Look out. Look out. Look out.

21:32 And you came through the explosion all right, Dr.

21:34 Watson?

21:34 Well, I had a nasty crack where Holmes and the bench fell on me, and Holmes had the wind knocked out of him, but we were in fairly good shape by the time the fire brigade pulled us out from the wreckage. Moriarty wasn't by any chance trapped or killed or something?

21:47 Unfortunately, no.

21:48 But they found Gus, however, quite dead. I suppose the exploding boiler did for him. No, there was a bullet wound in the back of his head. I'd rather imagine that Moriarty wanted to make sure that he would never appear in court. Doctor, if I had to go through what you went through in that Turkish bath episode, I think I'd never want to work on another case with Holmes again. Oh, come now, Mr. Gamble. I certainly did feel like that for a couple of hours.

22:13 But by the.

22:13 Time we got back to Baker Street and sat down to one of Mrs. Hudson's good meals, well, I was ready for anything that Holmes had in mind.

22:21 You know, there's nothing like a good dinner to make you feel a new man.

22:32 You have been listening to An Adventure in Crime with Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr.

22:41 Watson.

22:54 Lads watching the football like the lords of all creation.

22:58 Ah, that's never a yellow.

22:59 Game's gone.

23:00 But who knows what the fates have in store for the 5.30 kick-off. That's why Novi better stepping in with an almighty offer that's...