Chopper (axe)
The chopper (axe) is the weapon used to murder Thomas Rogers, the butler, on the morning of August 10th, and it also serves as a symbolic instrument in Lawrence Wargrave's childhood fascination with killing and his adult execution of justice. It is a heavy chopper, stained a dull brown with blood, found leaning against the door of the wash-house where Rogers was killed. The weapon corresponds to the deep wound in the back of Rogers' head, inflicted as he was bending over chopping sticks for the kitchen fire. The murder follows the nursery rhyme's fifth verse: "Five little Indian boys going in for law; one got in Chancery and then there were four"—but the actual killing of Rogers, the butler, is the fourth death, aligning with the rhyme's fourth verse: "Four little Indian boys going out to sea; a red herring swallowed one and then there were three." The chopper is thus both a literal tool of death and a component of the killer's pattern, linking the domestic act of chopping wood to the larger scheme of execution.
The Murder of Rogers
Rogers was killed in the small wash-house across the yard from the main house. He had been chopping sticks in preparation for lighting the kitchen fire when the murderer crept up behind him and swung the heavy chopper down on his head. The blow was delivered with sufficient force to cause a deep wound, and the handle was later wiped clean of fingerprints. The body was discovered by the other guests after Rogers failed to appear with breakfast, and the small chopper he had been using was still in his hand. The larger chopper, stained with blood, was leaning against the door. The murder occurred early on the morning of August 10th, and the killer, Lawrence Wargrave, later confessed that Rogers did not hear him approach. The death of Rogers, the fourth victim, reduced the number of china Indian figures on the dining table to six, and the rhyme's next verse—"Six little Indian boys playing with a hive; a bumblebee stung one and then there were five"—would soon be fulfilled with the death of Emily Brent.
Symbolic and Psychological Significance
In his confession, Wargrave reveals that from his earliest youth he experienced a "definite sadistic delight in seeing or causing death" and conducted experiments with wasps and garden pests. The chopper, as a tool for chopping wood, is a mundane domestic object, but in Wargrave's hands it becomes an instrument of execution, transforming a routine chore into a scene of violence. The weapon's association with chopping sticks directly mirrors the nursery rhyme's verse, reinforcing the killer's adherence to the pattern. Wargrave's choice of the chopper reflects his methodical approach: he selected victims whose crimes the law could not touch, and he used whatever means were at hand to carry out their sentences. The chopper, like the marble bear clock used to kill Blore, is a weapon of opportunity, but its use is carefully planned to fit the rhyme. The weapon's blunt force and the absence of fingerprints underscore the killer's calculation and his desire to leave no trace, while the bloodstain on the handle serves as a grim testament to the act. The chopper thus embodies the intersection of Wargrave's childhood lust for killing and his adult ambition to commit a "fantastical crime" that would be both theatrical and impossible to solve.
