The Letters and Invitations

The deceptive correspondence that lured each victim to the island, demonstrating the cunning of U.N. Owen.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Personalized Bait

The Crafted Lies Each Letter Unique Lawrence John Wargrave wrote each letter to exploit the victim's desires. Lawrence John Wargrave himself received a letter from his old friend Constance Culmington. Vera Elizabeth Claythorne got a secretarial offer. Philip Lombard was offered a hundred guineas. Emily Caroline Brent was invited by a woman she thought she knew. John Gordon Macarthur heard from old cronies. Edward George Armstrong was called for a consultation. Anthony James Marston got a wire from a friend. William Henry Blore was hired as a detective. The Rogers were engaged through an agency. Each letter was perfect. The Signature The letters were signed with variations of U.N. Owen, a transparent alias. The initials stood for "Unknown." The guests did not notice the deception until it was too late. The letters were the first step in the trap.

The Revelation of the Letters

The Unmasking The Judge's Inquiry After the gramophone accusation, Lawrence John Wargrave asked each guest to produce their invitation. They did. The letters were all from the same source. The judge noted the initials U.N. Owen and deduced that they were all victims of a madman. The letters were the evidence of the conspiracy. The Trap Revealed The guests realized they had been tricked. They were not guests; they were prisoners. The letters had been a fiction. The host was a phantom. The truth was that they were all on a death list. The letters were the first step in a plan that would end in their deaths.

before August 8th

August 8th, after the accusation