Listen Full Story:
Read Full Story:
Dr. John Watson, who had been an army doctor in Afghanistan, returned to London after being injured in the war. He was lonely, had little money, and was searching for someone to share a flat with. A friend introduced him to a strange but intelligent man named Sherlock Holmes, who was also looking for someone to share rooms with. They decided to move into a flat together at 221B Baker Street. Watson soon noticed Holmes’s unusual habits and vast knowledge of science, chemistry, and observation, though he could not figure out his profession at first.
One day, Holmes revealed that he was a consulting detective—a person whom other detectives came to for help when they were puzzled by a case. Watson was fascinated, especially when Holmes showed how he could deduce facts about people by simply observing small details. Soon, a murder case arose that caught Holmes’s attention. A man named Enoch Drebber was found dead in an empty house in Brixton Road. The police inspector, Lestrade, invited Holmes to help investigate.
At the scene, Holmes observed strange clues. The word “RACHE” was written in blood on the wall. There was no wound on the dead man’s body, though blood was present. The room showed signs of confusion, and there were two different kinds of footprints on the ground. Holmes studied everything carefully and picked up a small ring from the floor. He quickly concluded that the murderer had been with another man and that “RACHE,” which means “revenge” in German, was only meant to mislead the police.
Watson followed Holmes closely as he examined the clues. The police believed the woman named Rachel might be involved, but Holmes disagreed. He deduced that the murderer had given Drebber a poisonous pill. Later, Holmes placed an advertisement in the newspaper, saying that a lady’s wedding ring had been found, to see if anyone would come to claim it. Soon, an old woman visited Baker Street, claiming the ring belonged to her daughter. Holmes pretended to believe her but secretly followed her after she left. However, she managed to escape in a cab, which made Holmes even more certain that she was connected to the murderer.
A few days later, the police found another man, Joseph Stangerson, dead in a hotel room. He had been Drebber’s secretary. Like before, the word “RACHE” was written on the wall. Holmes was not surprised, for he had already expected this. The police were puzzled, but Holmes continued his private investigation. He then announced that he had solved the case and invited everyone, including the police, to witness the arrest.
Holmes sent for a cab and, when the driver arrived, he suddenly pointed at him and declared that this man was the murderer. The driver was shocked, but Holmes had already seen through his disguise. The man’s name was Jefferson Hope. He was arrested, and later, at Holmes’s flat, Hope told the full story of what had happened.
Many years earlier, Jefferson Hope had lived in America. He was in love with a young woman named Lucy Ferrier, who lived with her father, John Ferrier, in Salt Lake City. The Ferriers were once rescued by a group of Mormons while traveling through the desert, and they settled in the Mormon community. However, the Mormons demanded that Lucy marry one of their own, either Enoch Drebber or Joseph Stangerson, who were powerful members of the community. Lucy and her father refused, as she loved Jefferson Hope.
The Mormons gave Ferrier a time limit to accept the marriage, but when he refused, he and Lucy tried to escape with Jefferson Hope’s help. Hope went to prepare horses and supplies, but when he returned, he found that Ferrier had been killed and Lucy had been taken back to the city. Soon after, she was forced to marry Drebber. A month later, Lucy died of a broken heart, and Hope swore revenge. He followed Drebber and Stangerson for years, waiting for his chance.
Hope eventually tracked them to London. By this time, he had become a cab driver to earn his living while still watching his enemies. When he finally met Drebber, he tricked him into taking a ride in his cab. Once they were alone, Hope revealed his identity. He told Drebber that one of two pills he held was harmless while the other was poisoned, and that Drebber could choose which to take. Drebber, terrified, swallowed the poisoned one and died almost instantly. Hope then placed the word “RACHE” on the wall to confuse investigators.
Later, he tried to find Stangerson to deal with him in the same way, but Stangerson attacked him with a knife. In the struggle, Hope killed him. However, his health was failing because of an aortic aneurysm, and before he could escape from London, he was caught by Holmes’s clever plan.
Holmes had discovered the truth by noticing tiny details others missed—the cab tire marks, the footprints, the ring, and the type of poison. He realized the murderer was a cab driver who could easily come and go without suspicion. By tracing cab companies and analyzing who had been near the murder sites, he narrowed it down to Jefferson Hope.
After his confession, Hope’s illness grew worse. Before he could be tried in court, he died from the rupture of his aneurysm in his cell. The police were proud of catching the killer, but they did not fully understand how Holmes had solved the mystery so quickly. Watson, impressed by Holmes’s intelligence, decided to record the case to show the detective’s brilliance to the world.
Watson admired how Holmes could piece together the smallest clues to build a complete picture of the crime. From a word on the wall, a footprint, and a ring, Holmes had uncovered years of hidden vengeance and heartbreak. The story ended with Watson realizing that he had witnessed the beginning of what would be a remarkable partnership between himself and the world’s greatest detective.
In the days that followed, Holmes and Watson continued to share their rooms at Baker Street. Watson often marveled at Holmes’s calmness and focus. While others guessed and stumbled, Holmes always reasoned. He could tell a man’s trade from the dirt on his boots and a woman’s habits from the folds of her dress. Watson learned that behind Holmes’s cold and logical nature lay a sense of justice that drove him to uncover truth wherever it hid.
Holmes sometimes played his violin for hours, or conducted chemical experiments late into the night, but when a new case came, his energy returned instantly. This first great adventure showed Watson the strange world of deduction, where every tiny clue had meaning and every mystery could be solved through clear thinking. The tragedy of Jefferson Hope and Lucy Ferrier stayed with both men—a story of love, faith, revenge, and justice that began in the deserts of America and ended in the streets of London.
From that moment, Watson knew his quiet life had changed forever. Living with Holmes meant living in the middle of mysteries, surrounded by danger and excitement. Yet he felt proud to stand beside such a brilliant man who could see order where others saw only chaos. Their friendship was born out of one terrible crime, but it would lead them into many more adventures that tested both their courage and their minds.