Drugged condition

The drugged condition of Samuel Edward Ratchett is the single most important factor that made his murder possible. Without it, the elaborate conspiracy of twelve passengers could never have succeeded. The evidence shows that Ratchett was deliberately rendered unconscious, transforming him from a wary, armed man into a completely helpless victim.

Administration and Routine

Ratchett's valet, Edward Henry Masterman, testified that his employer always took a sleeping draught when travelling by train. Masterman stated that he poured the draught into a glass and placed it on the toilet table for Ratchett each night, though he did not actually see him drink it. This established a predictable routine that the conspirators could exploit. The bottle containing the draught bore no name, only the instruction "The Sleeping Draught to be taken at bedtime." Dr. Constantine later confirmed the presence of the drug by examining an empty glass in Ratchett's compartment, which he sniffed and identified as the explanation for the victim's inertia.

Contradiction with Ratchett's Intentions

The drugged condition directly contradicts Ratchett's own preparations for the night. He had told Hercule Poirot that his life was threatened and had shown him a small automatic pistol, which he kept in his pocket. When Poirot later examined the body, he found the pistol fully loaded under Ratchett's pillow. A man who intended to be on guard against an assassin would not voluntarily take a powerful sedative. This contradiction proves that the sleeping draught was administered without Ratchett's knowledge or consent, most likely by either his secretary Hector MacQueen or his valet Masterman, both of whom were part of the conspiracy.

Consequences for the Crime

The drugged state had direct consequences for the murder itself. Because Ratchett was unconscious, he could not cry out, struggle, or defend himself. This explains the complete absence of any signs of a struggle in the compartment. Dr. Constantine noted that the victim's inertia was total, which allowed each of the twelve conspirators to enter the darkened compartment in turn and stab him without resistance. The drugged condition also explains why the watch in Ratchett's pyjama pocket was found dented and stopped at 1:15—a deliberate fake, since a man in a drugged sleep could not have been stabbed at that time. The real time of death was likely closer to 2:00 AM, the latest hour the doctor considered possible.

Narrative Significance

The drugged condition serves as the linchpin of the entire plot. It transforms what would have been an impossible crime—a locked-room murder with twelve separate attackers—into a feasible, if grotesque, act of collective justice. The fact that Ratchett was rendered helpless before being killed underscores the calculated, almost judicial nature of the conspiracy. The conspirators did not want a fair fight; they wanted an execution. The drugged state, therefore, is not merely a plot device but a moral statement: the victim was stripped of his agency and his chance to resist, just as he had stripped the Armstrong family of theirs.