Holmes’ Untold Cases

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Within the 60 stories of the Sherlock Holmes Canon, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle described more than one hundred other cases in which Sherlock Holmes was involved. These are known as the “untold, unchronicled, unpublished, or unwritten cases” and are only known by brief references. Mentioned by Dr. Watson in the original stories and often referencing a “tin dispatch-box” filled with notes, these cases provide tantalizing titles like “The Giant Rat of Sumatra” or “The Darlington Substitution Scandal” that have inspired extensive pastiches.

# Untold Case Source Quote Source Story
1 Abbas Parva Tragedy “Have you no recollection of the Abbas Parva tragedy?” VEIL
2 Abergavenny Murder “I am retained in this case of the Ferrers Documents, and the Abergavenny murder is coming up for trial.” PRIO
3 Addleton Tragedy and the Singular Contents of the Ancient British Barrow Here also I find an account of the Addleton tragedy and the singular contents of the ancient British barrow. GOLD
4 Adventure of the Amateur Mendicant Society Among my headings under this one twelve months, I find an account of the adventure of the Paradol Chamber, of the Amateur Mendicant Society, who held a luxurious club in the lower vault of a furniture warehouse, of the facts connected with the loss of the British barque Sophy Anderson, of the singular adventures of the Grice Patersons in the island of Uffa, and finally of the Camberwell poisoning case. FIVE
5 Adventure of the Old Russian Woman Here’s the record of the Tarleton murders and the case of Vamberry, the wine merchant, and the adventure of the old Russian woman, and the singular affair of the aluminium crutch, as well as a full account of Ricoletti of the club foot and his abominable wife. MUSG
6 Adventure of the Paradol Chamber Among my headings under this one twelve months, I find an account of the adventure of the Paradol Chamber, of the Amateur Mendicant Society, who held a luxurious club in the lower vault of a furniture warehouse, of the facts connected with the loss of the British barque Sophy Anderson, of the singular adventures of the Grice Patersons in the island of Uffa, and finally of the Camberwell poisoning case. FIVE
7 Adventure of the Tired Captain I find them recorded in my notes under the headings of ‘The Adventure of the Tired Captain’. NAVA
8 Adventures of the Grice Patersons in the Island of Uffa Among my headings under this one twelve months, I find an account of the adventure of the Paradol Chamber, of the Amateur Mendicant Society, who held a luxurious club in the lower vault of a furniture warehouse, of the facts connected with the loss of the British barque Sophy Anderson, of the singular adventures of the Grice Patersons in the island of Uffa, and finally of the Camberwell poisoning case. FIVE
9 Affair of the Aluminium Crutch “Here’s the record of the Tarleton murders and the case of Vamberry, the wine merchant, and the adventure of the old Russian woman, and the singular affair of the aluminium crutch, as well as a full account of Ricoletti of the club foot and his abominable wife.” MUSG
10 Arnsworth Castle Business “In the case of the Darlington Substitution Scandal it was of use to me, and also in the Arnsworth business.” SCAN
11 Arrest of Huret, the Boulevard Assassin The famous Smith-Mortimer succession case comes also within this period, and so does the tracking and arrest of Huret, the Boulevard assassin – an exploit which won for Holmes an autograph letter of thanks from the French President and the Order of the Legion of Honour. GOLD
12 Arrest of Wilson, the Notorious Canary-Trainer In this memorable year ’95 a curious and incongruous succession of cases had engaged his attention, ranging from his famous investigation of the sudden death of Cardinal Tosca – an inquiry which was carried out by him at the express desire of his Holiness the Pope – down to his arrest of Wilson, the notorious canary-trainer, which removed a plague-spot from the East End of London. BLAC
13 Bishopgate Jewel Case I’ll never forget how you lectured us all on causes and inferences and effects in the Bishopgate jewel case. SIGN
14 Blackmailing of One of the Most Revered Names in England “At the present instant one of the most revered names in England is being besmirched by a blackmailer, and only I can stop a disastrous scandal.” HOUN
15 Bogus Laundry Affair He is a big, powerful chap, clean-shaven, and very swarthy — something like Aldridge, who helped us in the bogus laundry affair. CARD
16 Brooks Case “Suppose that I were Brooks or Woodhouse, or any of the fifty men who have good reason for taking my life, how long could I survive against my own pursuit?” BRUC
17 Camberwell Poisoning Case Among my headings under this one twelve months, I find an account of the adventure of the Paradol Chamber, of the Amateur Mendicant Society, who held a luxurious club in the lower vault of a furniture warehouse, of the facts connected with the loss of the British barque Sophy Anderson, of the singular adventures of the Grice Patersons in the island of Uffa, and finally of the Camberwell poisoning case. FIVE
18 Case for which Sherlock Holmes Refused a Knighthood I remember the date very well, for it was in the same month that Holmes refused a knighthood for services which may perhaps some day be described. 3GAR
19 Case of Archie Stamford, the Forger “You remember, Watson, that it was near there that we took Archie Stamford, the forger.” SOLI
20 Case of Bert Stevens, the terrible murderer “You remember that terrible murderer, Bert Stevens, who wanted us to get him off in ’87?” NORW
21 Case of Colonel Carruthers “My dear Watson, you know how bored I have been since we locked up Colonel Carruthers.” WIST
22 Case of Colonel Warburton’s Madness Of all the problems which have been submitted to my friend Mr Sherlock Holmes for solution during the years of our intimacy, there were only two which I was the means of introducing to his notice, that of Mr Hatherley’s thumb and that of Colonel Warburton’s madness. ENGR
23 Case of Count Von und Zu Grafenstein “It was I also who saved from murder, by the Nihilist Klopman, Count Von und Zu Grafenstein, who was your mother’s elder brother.” LAST
24 Case of Henry Staunton “There is Arthur H. Staunton, the rising young forger, and there was Henry Staunton, whom I helped to hang, but Godfrey Staunton is a new name to me.” MISS
25 Case of Isadora Persano and the Worm Unknown to Science A third case worthy of note is that of Isadora Persano, the well-known journalist and duellist, who was found stark staring mad with a matchbox in front of him which contained a remarkable worm, said to be unknown to science. THOR
26 Case of Mathews “Moriarty himself is enough to make any letter illustrious, and here is Morgan the poisoner, and Merridew of abominable memory, and Mathews, who knocked out my left canine in the waiting-room at Charing Cross, and, finally, here is our friend of to-night.” EMPT
27 Case of Matilda Briggs and the Giant Rat of Sumatra “Matilda Briggs was not the name of a young woman, Watson. It was a ship which is associated with the giant rat of Sumatra, a story for which the world is not yet prepared.” SUSS
28 Case of Merridew of Abominable Memory “Moriarty himself is enough to make any letter illustrious, and here is Morgan the poisoner, and Merridew of abominable memory, and Mathews, who knocked out my left canine in the waiting-room at Charing Cross, and, finally, here is our friend of to-night.” EMPT
29 Case of Miss Minnie Warrender “And the complete life history of Miss Minnie Warrender.” MAZA
30 Case of Morgan the Poisoner “Moriarty himself is enough to make any letter illustrious, and here is Morgan the poisoner, and Merridew of abominable memory, and Mathews, who knocked out my left canine in the waiting-room at Charing Cross, and, finally, here is our friend of to-night.” EMPT
31 Case of Mrs Farintosh and the Opal Tiara “Farintosh, ah, yes, I recall the case; it was concerned with an opal tiara. I think it was before your time, Watson.” SPEC
32 Case of Mrs. Etherege’s Husband “I came to you, sir because I heard of you from Mrs Etherege, whose husband you found so easy when the police and everyone had given him up for dead.” IDEN
33 Case of Old Baron Dowson “Old Baron Dowson said the night before he was hanged that in my case what the law had gained the stage had lost.” MAZA
34 Case of Ricoletti of the Club-Foot and his Abominable Wife “Here’s the record of the Tarleton murders and the case of Vamberry, the wine merchant, and the adventure of the old Russian woman, and the singular affair of the aluminium crutch, as well as a full account of Ricoletti of the club foot and his abominable wife.” MUSG
35 Case of Sir James Saunders “I was able once to do him a professional service, and he is ready to advise as a friend rather than as a specialist. His name is Sir James Saunders.” BLAN
36 Case of Supreme Importance for the French Government During the winter of that year and the early spring of 1891, I saw in the papers that he had been engaged by the French Government upon a matter of supreme importance, and I received two notes from Holmes, dated from Narbonne and from Nîmes, from which I gathered that his stay in France was likely to be a long one. FINA
37 Case of the Cutter Alicia No less remarkable is that of the cutter Alicia which sailed one spring morning into a small patch of mist from where she never again emerged, nor was anything further ever heard of herself and her crew. THOR
38 Case of the Darlington Substitution Scandal “In the case of the Darlington Substitution Scandal it was of use to me, and also in the Arnsworth Castle business.” SCAN
39 Case of the Fashionably Dressed Young Girl One morning a young girl called, fashionably dressed, and stayed for half an hour or more. STUD
40 Case of the Ferrers Documents “I am retained in this case of the Ferrers Documents, and the Abergavenny murder is coming up for trial.” PRIO
41 Case of the Fish-Monger “Your morning’s letters, if I remember right, were from a fishmonger and a tide-waiter.” NOBL
42 Case of the Grey-Headed, Seedy Visitor, Looking Like a Jew Pedlar The same afternoon brought a grey-headed, seedy visitor, looking like a Jew pedlar, who appeared to me to be much excited, and who was closely followed by a slip-shod elderly woman. STUD
43 Case of the King of Scandinavia, The “My last client of the sort was a king. The King of Scandinavia.” NOBL
44 Case of the Netherland-Sumatra Company and of the Colossal Schemes of Baron Maupertuis The whole question of the Netherland-Sumatra Company and of the colossal schemes of Baron Maupertuis is too recent in the minds of the public, and too intimately concerned with politics and finance, to be a fitting subject for this series of sketches. REIG
45 Case of the Old White-Haired Gentleman, The On another occasion an old white-haired gentleman had an interview with my companion; and on another, a railway porter in his velveteen uniform. STUD
46 Case of the Papers of Ex-President Murillo Our months of partnership had not been so uneventful as he had stated, for I find, on looking over my notes, that this period includes the case of the papers of ex-President Murillo, and also the shocking affair of the Dutch steamship Friesland, which so nearly cost us both our lives. NORW
47 Case of the Peculiar Persecution of John Vincent Harden Her visit was, I remember, extremely unwelcome to Holmes, for he was immersed at the moment in a very abstruse and complicated problem concerning the peculiar persecution to which John Vincent Harden the well-known tobacco millionaire, had been subjected. SOLI
48 Case of the Politician, the Lighthouse, and the Trained Cormorant The source of these outrages is known, and if they are repeated I have Mr Holmes’s authority for saying that the whole story concerning the politician, the lighthouse, and the trained cormorant will be given to the public. VEIL
49 Case of the Railway Porter in his Velveteen Uniform On another occasion an old white-haired gentleman had an interview with my companion; and on another, a railway porter in his velveteen uniform. STUD
50 Case of the Slip-Shod Elderly Woman, The The same afternoon brought a grey-headed, seedy visitor, looking like a Jew pedlar, who appeared to me to be much excited, and who was closely followed by a slip-shod elderly woman. STUD
51 Case of the Tide-Waiter, The “Your morning’s letters, if I remember right, were from a fishmonger and a tide-waiter.” NOBL
52 Case of the Trepoff Murder From time to time I heard some vague account of his doings: of his summons to Odessa in the case of the Trepoff murder, of his clearing up of the singular tragedy of the Atkinson brothers at Trincomalee, and finally of the Mission which he had accomplished so delicately and successfully for the reigning family of Holland. SCAN
53 Case of the Two Coptic Patriarchs You know that I am preoccupied with this case of the two Coptic Patriarchs, which should come to a head to-day. RETI
54 Case of the Venomous Lizard or Gila “Venomous lizard or gila. Remarkable case, that!” SUSS
55 Case of the Woman at Margate with no Powder on her Nose “You remember the woman at Margate whom I suspected for the same reason. No powder on her nose – that proved to be the correct solution.” SECO
56 Case of Vamberry the Wine Merchant “Here’s the record of the Tarleton murders and the case of Vamberry, the wine merchant, and the adventure of the old Russian woman, and the singular affair of the aluminium crutch, as well as a full account of Ricoletti of the club foot and his abominable wife.” MUSG
57 Case of Vanderbilt and the Yeggman “Vanderbilt and the Yeggman. Vipers. Vigor, the Hammersmith wonder.” SUSS
58 Case of Victor Lynch the Forger Victor Lynch, forger. Venomous lizard or gila. Remarkable case, that! SUSS
59 Case of Vigor the Hammersmith Wonder “Vigor, the Hammersmith wonder. Hullo! Hullo! Good old index. You can’t beat it.” SUSS
60 Case of Vittoria the Circus Belle “Remarkable case, that! Vittoria, the circus belle.” SUSS
61 Case of Wilson the District Messenger “Ah, Wilson, I see you have not forgotten the little case in which I had the good fortune to help you?” HOUN
62 Coiner’s Cuff “Since I ran down that coiner by the zinc and copper filings in the seam of his cuff they have begun to realize the importance of the microscope.” SHOS
63 Commission from the Sultan of Turkey “I had also a commission from the Sultan of Turkey which called for immediate action, as political consequences of the gravest kind might arise from its neglect.” BLAN
64 Conk-Singleton Forgery Case “Put the pearl in the safe, Watson, and get out the papers of the Conk-Singleton forgery case.” SIXN
65 Death of Mrs. Stewart of Lauder “You may have some recollection of the death of Mrs. Stewart, of Lauder, in 1887.” EMPT
66 Death of Old Mrs Harold “The real facts as to the death of old Mrs Harold, who left you the Blymer estate, which you so rapidly gambled away.” MAZA
67 Disappearance of Mr. James Phillimore Among these unfinished tales is that of Mr James Phillimore, who, stepping back into his own house to get his umbrella, was never more seen in this world. THOR
68 Domestic Complication of Mrs. Cecil Forrester “I have come to you, Mr. Holmes, because you once enabled my employer, Mrs. Cecil Forrester, to unravel a little domestic complication.” SIGN
69 Dramatic Introduction of Dr. Moore Agar In March of that year Dr Moore Agar, of Harley Street, whose dramatic introduction to Holmes I may some day recount, gave positive injunctions that the famous private agent would lay aside all his cases and surrender himself to complete rest if he wished to avert an absolute breakdown. DEVI
70 Dreadful Business of the Abernetty Family “You will remember, Watson, how the dreadful business of the Abernetty family was first brought to my notice by the depth which the parsley had sunk into the butter upon a hot day.” SIXN
71 Dundas Separation Case “This is the Dundas separation case, and, as it happens, I was engaged in clearing up some small points in connection with it.” IDEN
72 English Charters We were residing at the time in furnished lodgings close to a library where Sherlock Holmes was pursuing some laborious researches in early English charters — researches which led to results so striking that they may be the subject of one of my future narratives. 3STU
73 Famous Card Scandal of the Nonpareil Club Since the tragic upshot of our visit to Devonshire he had been engaged in two affairs of the utmost importance, in the first of which he had exposed the atrocious conduct of Colonel Upwood in connection with the famous card scandal of the Nonpareil Club, while in the second he had defended the unfortunate Mme Montpensier from the charge of murder, which hung over her in connection with the death of her step-daughter, Mlle Carère, the young lady who, as it will be remembered, was found six months later alive and married in New York. HOUN
74 Forged Cheque on the Credit Lyonnais “Here is the robbery in the train-de-luxe to the Riviera on February 13, 1892. Here is the forged cheque in the same year on the Credit Lyonnais.” MAZA
75 François Le Villard’s Case Concerning a Will “I was consulted last week by François Le Villard, who, as you probably know, has come rather to the front lately in the French detective service.” SIGN
76 Intricate Matter from Marseilles In these cases, save for one rather intricate matter which has been referred to me from Marseilles, there is nothing which presents any features of interest. IDEN
77 Killing of Young Perkins “’But it was the killing of young Perkins outside the Holborn Bar — What! you’re not going?” 3GAB
78 Little Affair of the Vatican Cameos “I had observed some newspaper comment at the time, but I was exceedingly preoccupied by that little affair of the Vatican cameos, and in my anxiety to oblige the Pope I lost touch with several interesting English cases.” HOUN
79 Little Problem of the Grosvenor Square Furniture Van “Oh, you mean the little problem of the Grosvenor Square furniture van. That is quite cleared up now — though, indeed, it was obvious from the first.” NOBL
80 Little Turns with John Clay “I’ve had one or two little turns also with Mr. John Clay, and I agree with you that he is at the head of his profession.” REDH
81 Loss of the British Barque Sophy Anderson Among my headings under this one twelve months, I find an account of the adventure of the Paradol Chamber, of the Amateur Mendicant Society, who held a luxurious club in the lower vault of a furniture warehouse, of the facts connected with the loss of the British barque Sophy Anderson, of the singular adventures of the Grice Patersons in the island of Uffa, and finally of the Camberwell poisoning case. FIVE
82 Manor House Case “By the way, Sherlock, I expected to see you round last week to consult me over that Manor House case. I thought you might be a little out of your depth.” GREE
83 Mission for the Reigning Family of Holland Sherlock Holmes had successfully accomplished a mission for the reigning family of Holland. SCAN
84 Mortal Terror of old Abrahams “You know that I cannot possibly leave London while old Abrahams is in such mortal terror of his life.” LADY
85 Most Repellent Man The most repellent man of my acquaintance is a philanthropist who has spent nearly a quarter of a million upon the London poor. SIGN
86 Most Winning Woman I assure you that the most winning woman I ever knew was hanged for poisoning three little children for their insurance-money SIGN
87 Murder of Victor Savage “You knew too much of the fate of Victor Savage, so I have sent you to share it. You are very near your end, Holmes.” DYIN
88 Robbery in the train-de-luxe to the Riviera “Plenty more here, Count. Here is the robbery in the train-de-luxe to the Riviera on February 13, 1892.” MAZA
89 Second Stain and Monsieur Dubuque I still retain an almost verbatim report of the interview in which he demonstrated the true facts of the case to Monsieur Dubuque, of the Paris Police, and Fritz von Waldbaum, the well-known specialist of Dantzig, both of whom had wasted their energies upon what proved to be side-issues. NAVA
90 Service for Lord Backwater Lord Backwater tells me that I may place implicit reliance upon your judgment and discretion. NOBL
91 Shocking Affair of the Dutch Steamship Friesland Our months of partnership had not been so uneventful as he had stated, for I find, on looking over my notes, that this period includes the case of the papers of ex-President Murillo, and also the shocking affair of the Dutch steamship Friesland, which so nearly cost us both our lives. NORW
92 Simple Matter of Fairdale Hobbs “You arranged an affair for a lodger of mine last year, Mr Fairdale Hobbs.” “Ah, yes — a simple matter.” REDC
93 Smith-Mortimer Succession Case The famous Smith-Mortimer succession case comes also within this period, and so does the tracking and arrest of Huret, the Boulevard assassin – an exploit which won for Holmes an autograph letter of thanks from the French President and the Order of the Legion of Honour. GOLD
94 St. Pancras Case “In the St Pancras case you may remember that a cap was found beside the dead policeman.” SHOS
95 Story of the Red Leech and the Death of Crosby the Banker As I turn over the pages I see my notes upon the repulsive story of the red leech and the terrible death of Crosby the banker. GOLD
96 Sudden Death of Cardinal Tosca In this memorable year ’95 a curious and incongruous succession of cases had engaged his attention, ranging from his famous investigation of the sudden death of Cardinal Tosca – an inquiry which was carried out by him at the express desire of his Holiness the Pope — down to his arrest of Wilson, the notorious canary-trainer, which removed a plague-spot from the East End of London. BLAC
97 Tankerville Club Scandal “I have heard of you. I heard from Major Prendergast how you saved him in the Tankerville Club Scandal.” FIVE
98 Tarleton Murders “Here’s the record of the Tarleton murders and the case of Vamberry, the wine merchant, and the adventure of the old Russian woman, and the singular affair of the aluminium crutch, as well as a full account of Ricoletti of the club foot and his abominable wife.” MUSG
99 Tragedy of the Atkinson Brothers From time to time I heard some vague account of his doings: of his summons to Odessa in the case of the Trepoff murder, of his clearing up of the singular tragedy of the Atkinson brothers at Trincomalee, and finally of the mission which he had accomplished so delicately and successfully for the reigning family of Holland. SCAN
100 Tragedy of Woodman’s Lee Close on the heels of these two famous cases came the tragedy of Woodman’s Lee, and the very obscure circumstances which surrounded the death of Captain Peter Carey. BLAC
101 Trifling Matter of Mortimer Maberley “I believe that my late husband, Mortimer Maberley, was one of your early clients.” “I remember your husband well, though it is some years since he used my services in some trifling matter.” 3GAB
102 Two Successful Cases of Alec McDonald Twice already in his career had Holmes helped him to attain success, his own sole reward being the intellectual joy of the problem. VALL
103 Very Commonplace Little Murder “A very commonplace little murder. You’ve got something better, I fancy. You are the stormy petrel of crime, Watson. What is it?” NAVA
104 Woodhouse Case “Suppose that I were Brooks or Woodhouse, or any of the fifty men who have good reason for taking my life, how long could I survive against my own pursuit?” BRUC