From Suspicion to Proof

The Hound of the Baskervilles

This conflict thread follows Holmes’s insistence that a convincing theory is not enough until the hidden mechanism and murderer can be demonstrated.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Competing Explanations Competing Explanations from "The Hound of the Baskervilles". Competing Explanations Natural and supernatural claims Mortimer brings evidence of footprints and local reports of a spectral hound.

Competing Explanations from "The Hound of the Baskervilles". Competing Explanations Natural and supernatural claims Mortimer brings evidence of footprints and local reports of a spectral hound.

Competing Explanations Natural and supernatural claims Mortimer brings evidence of footprints and local reports of a spectral hound. Holmes holds the line Holmes treats material clues as investigable and refuses to abandon ordinary causes. The case begins as a contest between belief and method.

The Case Without Tracks The Case Without Tracks from "The Hound of the Baskervilles". The Case Without Tracks A vanished crime scene Rain and time have erased the gravel evidence Holmes wishes he could inspect.

The Case Without Tracks from "The Hound of the Baskervilles". The Case Without Tracks A vanished crime scene Rain and time have erased the gravel evidence Holmes wishes he could inspect.

The Case Without Tracks A vanished crime scene Rain and time have erased the gravel evidence Holmes wishes he could inspect. Suspicion outruns proof Charles’s death appears deliberate, but no clear physical sign connects a human suspect to it. The investigator’s certainty remains legally fragile.

Selden’s Death Adds Little Selden’s Death Adds Little from "The Hound of the Baskervilles". Selden’s Death Adds Little A mistaken victim The hound kills Selden in Henry’s clothes, confirming that a scent-tracking animal is involved.

Selden’s Death Adds Little from "The Hound of the Baskervilles". Selden’s Death Adds Little A mistaken victim The hound kills Selden in Henry’s clothes, confirming that a scent-tracking animal is involved.

Selden’s Death Adds Little A mistaken victim The hound kills Selden in Henry’s clothes, confirming that a scent-tracking animal is involved. A gap remains Holmes still lacks direct proof that Stapleton owns or controls the dog. A shocking event does not automatically make a prosecutable case.

A Trap Designed for Witnesses

A Trap Designed for Witnesses Evidence sought Holmes insists that knowledge must be converted into facts a jury can assess. An exposed target He arranges for Henry to leave Merripit alone while Lestrade and Watson wait nearby. The plan risks Henry to make the crime observable.

The Hound in the Light The Hound in the Light from "The Hound of the Baskervilles". The Hound in the Light Physical proof The hound attacks Henry in sight of Holmes, Watson, and Lestrade; their shots kill it.

The Hound in the Light from "The Hound of the Baskervilles". The Hound in the Light Physical proof The hound attacks Henry in sight of Holmes, Watson, and Lestrade; their shots kill it.

The Hound in the Light Physical proof The hound attacks Henry in sight of Holmes, Watson, and Lestrade; their shots kill it. The supernatural dissolves Phosphorus explains its glowing appearance, while its body proves it was mortal. The trap yields the evidence that rumor could not provide.

During the first Baker Street consultation

After Watson and Holmes review Charles’s death

After Holmes appears on Dartmoor

The day Holmes returns to Merripit

The climax in the fog