The Adventure of the Devil's Foot - Sherlock Holmes

The Adventure of the Devil’s Foot is a short Sherlock Holmes detective story written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was published in 1910 and set in 1897 taking place in Cornwall where Sherlock Holmes is taking a holiday because he has been pushing himself too hard. But as with any great detective murder follows him through the countryside, and there is naturally a murder that he is the only one but him can solve. (non illustrated)

The story begins with Watson and Holmes relaxing in Cornwall when they are approached by the local Vicar and the man living with him asking for help. Watson is not happy about the intrusion because he believes that his friend needs to rest but Holmes is immediately excited by the chance to use his brain and the truth is that they really do need Holmes help.

The mystery is the brother and sister of the man living with the vicar have had a strange tragedy. He had spent the night with his brothers and sister visiting and playing whist. The next morning he discovers a strange scene. Something clearly has happened just moments after he had left. His sister is still sitting at the table, but is dead, and both of his brothers have seemingly had some type of nervous break down as they are laughing and singing. The explanation everyone else has given is that this is the work of the Devil.

Holmes and Watson as skeptical that this is a case of demonic attack but they at first have no other real explanation. Holmes questions everyone and discovers that the maid who found them not only fainted when she came in but became sick. 

Shortly afterward the Vicar arrives in a near panic. It seems that the third brother, who had left just before the events has died, apparently of the same thing. This is odd to Holmes because he has already deduced that it was he who had thrown something into the fire to poison his brothers and sister. This leaves a second mystery which is who killed the murderer.

The answer turns out to be a man who had loved the sister for years. He was unable to marry her because he was unable to divorce a wife who had left him years before. He had told the murdering brother of a strange poison he had found in Africa and the brother had stolen it certain that the man would leave before hearing of the three and he could take all of the inheritance for himself.