The Valley of Fear Characters

Sherlock Holmes
Arguably the most famous fictional character in history, Sherlock
Holmes is synonymous with “great detective.” His place as the
most brilliant detective in all of literature is challenged only
possibly by Agatha Christie’s Poirot. Sherlock Holmes is described
as tall, thin, and reserved, with an aquiline nose and penetrating
eyes. He is incredibly brilliant, moderately vain, and often
impatient with those who are unable to keep up with his rapid
deductions. This particular novel, ironically enough, probably
contains less of Holmes than any of the others, with the great
sleuth being contained largely to Part I. In The Valley of Fear, we
do not see as much of the “bloodhound” Holmes; rather, he seems
to penetrate the mystery rather quickly, and the true heart of the
story instead lies in the second part. Still, he remains intellectually
superior without a doubt, even when surrounded by other
successful detectives.

Dr. John Watson

Perhaps just as famous as his brilliant partner, Dr. John Watson is
the loyal sidekick of Sherlock Holmes, appearing in almost every
Sherlock Holmes story ever written by Conan Doyle. Through
almost the entire canon, we see everything through Watson’s
eyes: the story is presented as if written firsthand by the good
doctor himself. Such is the case in much of The Valley of Fear,
though Conan Doyle departs from this perspective for much of
Part II. Watson, fairly intelligent in his own right, seems to remain
in a constant state of stupor over Holmes’ brilliance, and often
voices the reader’s own confusions concerning the detective’s
rapid deductions. Watson’s presence is fairly insignificant in this
particular novel, appearing in only a few scenes in which Holmes
was not present as well. Watson is often described as stout and
somewhat withdrawn, as well as being very easy-going in nature.

Professor James Moriarty

Every great fictional hero has an equally great nemesis. Sherlock
Holmes is no exception. One of the most infamous characters in
literature, Moriarty ironically appears in only two Sherlock Holmes
stories. Indeed, he does not ever actually appear in The Valley of
Fear: he is only referenced, and, at the end of the book, Holmes
receives a short note from him. Nonetheless, Moriarty remains one
of the central characters of this novel, and he is revealed to be the
mastermind behind Douglas’ demise.

John Douglas/Jack McMurdo/Birdy Edwards

This crucial and multi-dimensional character (to whom we will
refer as Douglas for the sake of clarity) could really be considered
three different characters contained in one man. Introduced at the
beginning of the story as John Douglas, this man appears to be a
faceless victim, simply the object of Holmes’ investigation.
Towards the end of Part I, however, Douglas is revealed to be very
much alive, and he commences to share his history, which
comprises nearly the entirety of Part II. During this “story within a
story," we learn that Douglas once bore the name “Jack McMurdo,"
and that he was part of a notorious gang in the United States,
which was not unlike the Mafia. At the end of Part II, however, we
learn that “McMurdo” is really a Pinkerton detective named “Birdy
Edwards." Throughout all three of his “identities," Douglas is
described as fearless, intelligent, and good-humored. Douglas is
an example of Conan Doyle’s skill as a writer, in that the reader is
able to accept with little difficulty the composition of the “three-in-
one” character.

Boss (Bodymaster) McGinty

Mentioned in Part I, but not fully introduced until Part II, Boss
McGinty is one of the major villains of this novel. The cruel and
brutal leader of “the Scowrers," a murderous society not unlike the
Mafia, McGinty is a fearsome leader, described as looking almost
like a lion, with fierce eyes and a mane-like beard. McGinty is the
undisputed lord of Vermissa Valley, which many call the “Valley of
Fear.” The Bodymaster (the title of the head of the Scowrers) rules
over the valley with an iron fist, crushing anyone who gets in his
way through the agents beneath him. McGinty could be seen as an
American Moriarty, though neither as intelligent nor as powerful.
Inspector MacDonald
Scotland Yard's main law enforcement official on the Douglas case,
and a friend of Holmes's. MacDonald is smart, efficient, young,
dour, and stoic.

White Mason
The local law enforcement man on the Douglas case. Friendly and
helpful, he nonetheless feels like he is in over his head.

Mrs. Douglas
John Douglas's second wife, Mrs. Douglas (Ivy) is young and
beautiful. She suspects something is wrong with her husband
regarding his past, but he keeps her ignorant. She and Cecil
decide to fabricate the crime scene, but then they confess to
Holmes and the others.
Cecil Barker
The wealthy and handsome American friend of the Douglasses
who helps orchestrate the crime scene to protect Douglas. He is
initially arrogant and standoffish, but ultimately he comes around
to letting the detectives help.

Ames
The elderly and loyal butler at Manor House.

Mrs. Allen
The elderly and deaf housekeeper at Manor House.
Scanlan
He is the Scowrer whom McMurdo meets on the train into coal
country. Scanlan is amiable, helpful, and a loyal member of the
E.O.F., but he does not like violence as much as some of the
others do.

Ettie Shafter
The lovely daughter of Jacob Shafter, the man with whom
McMurdo boards. She and McMurdo fall in love, but their
relationship is strained by Baldwin's claim on her, along with the
dangerous situations McMurdo faces due to his status as a brother.
When McMurdo reveals himself as Birdy Edwards, she flees the
valley with him. She later dies in California.

Jacob Shafter
Ettie's father and a stout foe of the E.O.F.

Teddy Baldwin
The young and hotheaded brother who wants to marry Ettie and
resents McMurdo getting in his way. He continually butts heads
with McMurdo; however, he grudgingly accepts him, until his true
identity is revealed. He tracks McMurdo to England and tries to kill
him; instead, McMurdo/Douglas kills Baldwin in self-defense.

Morris
An elderly brother who disapproves of the Scowrers' violent tactics
and warns that they must be careful in their targets. He seeks out
McMurdo as an ally and later provides the information about the
Pinkerton spy to McMurdo, thereby unwittingly providing it to the
spy himself.

Evans Pott

The formidable County Delegate and E.O.F. leader, of whom even

McGinty is wary.

Lawler and Andrews

The assassins sent by Evans Pott to carry out the murders at the
mine.

Chester Wilcox
A local mine owner targeted by the Scowrers.

James Stanger
The newspaper editor critical of the Scowrers; McGinty orders him
to be beaten.

Captain Marvin
The new member of the Iron and Coal Police who initially seems to
be an enemy of McMurdo; later, however, he is revealed to be in
on McMurdo's true identity as a Pinkerton

Act I
Scene 1
Setting: railway compartment, vermissa valley 1875
McMurdo has arrived to vermissa valley. He is travelling in a train compartment. He seats
down, takes out a paper have a look at it, takes out a revolver check if it is loaded and puts it
back. Scanlan and Cormac see this. They ask him if he is armed and his whereabouts.
Mcmurdo explains that he is from Chicago and one of the ancient orders of freemen. Scanlan
says the sign, “dark nights are unpleasant”, and Mcmurdo shakes his hand and completes
the countersign “for strangers to travel”. They introduce themselves to each other. Scanlan
and Cormac ask him to visit McGinty who is the body master and everything happens in
vermissa valley based upon his order. Scanlan and Cormac get off at their destined stop.
Police officers approach McMurdo; he doesn’t talk to them positively. Police officers warn
him to be careful while choosing friends in vermissa valley.

Scene 2
Setting: Shafter’s lodging 1875.
Baldwin who is a scowrer trying to convince Ettie to go out. Ettie is giving excuses but
promises to meet on Friday as she is threatened because Baldwin is a scowrer. Shafter
arrives and witnesses Baldwin. Shafter does like Baldwin presence around his daughter and
in his lodge. McMurdo arrives and he is supposed to stay at Shafter’s. He finds Ettie
adorable.

Scene 3
Setting: Baker Street 1895.
Holmes is an investigator. He is reading a ciphered message stating 534..C2…13. He is
suspecting Professor Moriarty and stating that he is controlling power of underworld. He is
the schemer of all the time and a mind behind devilry. Watson calls him as Napoleon of
Crime. He is such a clever mind that he never leaves any proof against him. He is the
controlling man of a chain of people including fighting men, pickpockets, blackmailers and
criminals. They tend to decode the ciphered message. Fred Porlock is Professor Moriarty and
Watson is dreading as he suspects him and asks Holmes to burn the message.
They tend to guess the book. Their first guess is “Bible” but the idea gets rejected as bible’s
each edition has different pages. Second guess is Bradshaw which is a railway timetable. This
idea also gets rejected as the vocabulary is limited so a general message cannot be sent via
it. Finally Almanac is chosen. They are able to decipher the message “there is danger may
come to Douglas at birlstone house birlstone pressing”. at the same time , MacDonald
approaches and tells them that Mr. Douglas has been murdered.

Scene 4
Setting: union house salon 1875 the bar.
McGinty and his fellow scowrers are reading news written by James Stranger. This news
unfolds the truth about the existence of criminal organization. McGinty wants to teach a
hard lesson to James for unveiling the truth of scowrers existence. Meanwhile Scanlan
approaches and informs McGinty about his meeting with McMurdo.

Scene 5
Setting: Birlstone Manor 1895 the study.
A body is lying on the floor with its head behind the chair. A sawn off gun lying as well. On
the table, hand lamp is placed with a partially burnt candle. A single dumb bell is lying
beneath the table. Hammer is lying; window and curtain are partially opened. Doctor Wood
and Sergeant Wilson are inspecting the body and collecting the findings. They are waiting for
McMurdo and Holmes to arrive. Barker is Mr Douglas close friend and he informs the police
first. When Mason comes in he sees that gun is wired. They also get to see tattoo on his arm
with a triangle inside a circle. Barker arrives and offices interrogate him. Barker explains that
the murder has been committed around half past eleven last night. According to him, He
was in the bedroom when he heard the gun shot. He reaches within 30 seconds and finds
Mr. Douglas lying. Mrs. Douglas also comes down but he prevent her from seeing the sight

Scene # 6
Setting: A railway Compartment 1895.
Holmes, Watson and McDonald are sitting down and are discussing the clues. Holmes and
McDonald are
talking about the moat, while Watson is trying to find out how the murderer escaped.
Holmes tells about
Porlock's message, and they start suspecting professor Moriarty. McDonald also suspects
Barker as Mason tells
them that Mr. Douglas disliked Mrs. Douglas' and Barker's friendship. Holmes has a feeling
that there is
a chain between Mrs. Douglas and Professor Moriarty and he wants to follow that chain.

Scene # 7
Setting: Shafter's Lodging. 1875. The kitchen.
McMurdo is being asked to leave Shafter's Lodging. By Mr. Shafter because he gets to know
that McMurdo is
one of the ancient orders of freemen. He tells him that he is innocent but he doesn’t believe
him. Ettie comes
and tells that he is too late, Baldwin comes and they both get introduced to each other.
McMurdo and
Baldwin start to fight on to get Ettie. They both challenge each-other.
What is Vermissa Valley?
the Valley of Fear
In an interview with Watson, Douglas explains that his real name was Birdy Edwards and he
had been a Pinkerton detective in Chicago. Edwards had infiltrated a murderous gang,
known by locals as the Scowrers, in Vermissa Valley (a.k.a. the Valley of Fear) and brought
them to justice.

Who is birdy edwards?

Douglas' real name is Birdy Edwards and he was at one time a detective with the Chicago
detective agency Pinkerton's. Edwards had infiltrated a dangerous gang in Vermissa Valley,
which had become known as the Valley of Fear, and brought them to justice.

Who is McGinty in Valley of Fear?

McGinty is the undisputed lord of Vermissa Valley, which many call the “Valley of Fear.” The
Bodymaster (the title of the head of the Scowrers) rules over the valley with an iron fist,
crushing anyone who gets in his way through the agents beneath him

What is the theme of Valley of Fear?

One of the most important themes of the novel is observation, which is what readers are
encouraged to practice along with Holmes. Doyle sets out the particulars of the case without
sparing any details in order to prompt his readers to think about what they see and try to
form connections

What is Sherlock Holmes goal?

At the start of a case, Holmes defines his goal by carefully identifying the question he's
trying to answer, or the hypothesis he wants to test. This establishes a filter for the
questions he'll ask of the victim or witnesses, “to take in certain inputs and to not allow
other inputs in,” as Konnikova puts it.

What is the main theme of fear of valley?

One of the most important themes of the novel is observation, which is what readers are
encouraged to practice along with Holmes. Doyle sets out the particulars of the case without
sparing any details in order to prompt his readers to think about what they see and try to
form connections.

Who was Mr Douglas in Valley of Fear?

Douglas' real name is Birdy Edwards and he was at one time a detective with the Chicago
detective agency Pinkerton's. Edwards had infiltrated a dangerous gang in Vermissa Valley,
which had become known as the Valley of Fear, and brought them to justice.
Why is it called Valley of Fear?
He hands Watson a written account called "The Valley of Fear", which explains why he
feared for his life. Douglas explains that he had spotted an enemy of his, Ted Baldwin, in the
area and expected an attack.

Who are the Scowrers in the Valley of Fear?

In an interview with Watson, Douglas explains that his real name was Birdy Edwards and he
had been a Pinkerton detective in Chicago. Edwards had infiltrated a murderous gang,
known by locals as the Scowrers, in Vermissa Valley (a.k.a. the Valley of Fear) and brought
them to justice.

What is the meaning of valley of fear?

Struggle Against the Unseen (Allegory)

Douglas' struggle in “The Valley of Fear” can be seen as an allegory of struggle against the unseen.
Fear itself is unseen and faceless, and in many ways, so are the Scowrers.

What did McMurdo mean when he said that he had the means of making friends, and that
there was no town without a lodge and that's where he would find his friends?
In this scene, McMurdo is alluding to his lodge membership, and the fact that membership
affords "friendship" and connections in whatever part of the world one travels. To be a
member of the Freemen is considered a great honor, and these men respect and support
each other wherever they might be.