How Holmes Busted Beddoes in "The Benign Banker"
Dearest detectives,
Thank you for taking the time to join us for this year’s inaugural mystery, “The Benign Banker.” As always, we were blown away by the sheer number of thoughtful submissions . Our network of committed investigators makes it difficult to choose just one Featured Detective, but rest assured, the decision is soon to be announced! Until then… Holmes has provided us with a thorough explanation of one Mr. Robert Beddoes’ elaborate “gold mining” scheme.
All the best, and good luck with the latest mystery,
The Dear Holmes Team
——
25 July, 1901
Dear Mr. Fallon:
While I should like to thank you for presenting me with a pretty little problem, I must also apologise for unceremoniously dashing your hopes of an imminent fortune.
Much of what you told me aroused my suspicions. Mr. Beddoes' unceasing efforts to ingratiate himself with the residents of Lavenham were out of step with the level of secrecy he demanded from his investors. Meanwhile, his "symbolic" savings account with you seemed like a blatant attempt to establish ties and ease the suspicions of local notables such as yourself. It was clear that some sort of confidence scheme was afoot, but it took until a few days ago for me to fully unravel how Mr. Beddoes planned to bilk the people of Lavenham.
The first details to provide clarity involved your concerns with the sales announcement, or lack thereof, for the Dowling property in the Lavenham Ledger. As you suggested, it was odd that such a remarkable tract of land would be sold without any mention in the local papers. I was easily able to confirm that no such sale had been announced in the London Dailies either, which made Beddoes' claims even more doubtful.
Fortunately, my colleague Dr. Watson belongs to a club of which one of the Dowling scions also happens to be a member. He was able to inquire about the estate on my behalf. Dr. Watson was told that the family remains at odds over the estate's disposition, and that it had not been sold. It had, however, been leased to a "writer" who approached them on the pretense of needing a secluded place in which to finish his book. Watson was able to confirm that the name of the "writer" was Robert Beddoes, and that they had agreed to lease the land to the charming author for a period of six months, thereby generating a small stream of income while they resolved their affairs.
The fact that somebody would lie about owning land which he had only leased, had me suspicious of Mr. Beddoes immediately. Considering he'd declared his intent to relocate to Lavenham, I also wondered what he might intend to do after the lease expired. I considered the possibility that the lease was a ploy on his part to get the Dowlings comfortable with parting with the land, clearing the way for an eventual sale. But even if he had no intention of buying the land, lying in and of itself is no crime, so I was forced to play a waiting game to determine the more odious elements of his scheme.
When your second letter confirmed that the man now claimed to be a geologist, my suspicions were only further heightened. The man could certainly be authoring a book on geology, but even then, it was peculiar that a working scientist would fail to show any interest in Rontgen, or the Nobel Prize.
Knowing he had only leased the property for six months, the construction you witnessed on site was also rather suspicious. If he were renovating the manor on behalf of the Dowlings, this surely would have been noted during Watson's inquiry. One would also imagine that a researcher (especially one overseeing so much ongoing construction) might have less time to spend gallivanting about town and socialising with the locals. It seemed that either Beddoes was spending an unusual amount of time away from his "work" for a man in his position, or that his actual work was of a different nature altogether. I also found it odd that there seemed to be few outward indicators of Beddoes using the vast investment capital he'd raised from your depositors.
More questions were raised when you described Messrs. Dryden and Pope. By your account, they sounded surprised to be referred to in gentlemanly terms, and their calloused hands and dirt-covered clothing were more reflective of common labourers than engineers of any sort. So why the ruse?
When you mentioned Mr. Beddoes' "associates" and his fairly large purchase of shotgun shells, I instantly recalled your mention of fireworks one letter earlier. The notion of a geologist and his associates gathering explosive tools led me to theorise that some sort of excavation might be taking place, which I was finally able to verify when Beddoes revealed to you his "mine". After your visit to the site, it became clear that Dryden and Pope were simply labourers hired by Beddoes to begin digging the supposed mine shaft. Using the fireworks to help excavate when necessary, they only had to dig about 20 or 30 feet to sell the illusion of a grander plan for a much deeper mine shaft.
But how, you ask, did Mr. Beddoes create such a remarkably convincing gold mine? Based on the shotgun shells you spotted, the smell of powder you noted, and the real gold you collected from the shaft, I believe Mr. Beddoes relied on a trick from the American frontier called "salting". Mr. Beddoes loaded shotgun shells with gold flecks and shot them at the walls of the mine, coating them in a thin, glimmering layer of gold. Enough gold shavings to coat the mine shaft described could surely be purchased for around £50 from a London jeweller or goldsmith. Perhaps he even got a deal on the shavings, purchasing them alongside the unique watch chain of which he was so proud.
By now, we've uncovered Mr. Beddoes' ruse, but yet more evidence of his false geological background can be gleaned from your mine visit. On two different occasions, you made reference to your local soil. From my limited knowledge of geology, I can say with certainty that gems and other precious stones and metals are seldom found in soil of such composition. When you explained how Beddoes conveniently assured you that gold, like the one on his chain, was occasionally found in sandy soil, I became most confident that the man was deliberately misleading you. Any respectable geologist would know that gold is found only in distinctly black sand. To the best of my knowledge there are no black sands in any part of Suffolk.
In this context, his frequent visits to The Bottomless Barrel made sense as well. The local pub, with its intoxicated patrons, was the ideal hunting ground for eager and unsuspecting investors. He knew that Lavenham's men might be averse to their wives' talk of a strange dashing fellow, and so he made it his duty to disarm any doubtful parties with his charisma, and perhaps another pint of ale. The oft-mentioned watch chain was the perfectly discreet tool for persuading potential investors, without drawing attention from the more skeptical members of the local citizenry.
We are very fortunate that you alerted us to Beddoes' activity at such an early stage in his scheme. Any later, and he may have fled into the darkness, flush with investor money and properly funded to start a new "venture" elsewhere. As I am certain you have learned by now, Mr. Robert Beddoes, who is also known among his criminal compatriots as Reginald Brown, was intercepted early yesterday morning as he disembarked at the Liverpool Street Station. Acting on my instructions, your local constable, John Withers, had wired Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard to advise him of Beddoes' quiet departure from Lavenham. Earlier, I had provided Lestrade with a description of Beddoes based on your letter. Lestrade assures me that the funds found on Beddoes' person at the time will be promptly returned to his "investors", who, I presume, will happily redeposit them in your bank after learning of your role in securing their funds.
In your earlier letters, you expressed a wariness of Beddoes, Mr. Fallon, which was subsequently allayed by his gentlemanly bearing and his willingness to allow even strangers to invest with him. I can only say that your first instincts were true, and that you were right to follow them to the end. To quote Shakespeare, who opines in his Hamlet, "One may smile, and smile, and be a villain."
Thankfully though, little was lost in this case, and a dangerous villain who preyed upon our common weaknesses has been apprehended, and will likely face a long prison term. While Dryden and Pope seem to have gone into hiding, Inspector Lestrade has alerted local authorities to keep watch for them. He has also gone on the hunt for further victims of Mr. Beddoes' schemes.
I expect you might also be curious about what will result of Beddoes' supposed land. I am pleased to inform you that the Dowlings have been made aware of his venture, and of your part in bringing it to a halt. If your interest remains, Mr. Fallon, I would say that now is the time to try and finalise your transaction with the family. Though still I urge you to remember that, as the Bard cautions, "all that glisters is not gold."
Sincerely,
