Un dia de fuertes vientos, Holmes estaba sentado en su sillon cuando tocan el timbre. Era un joven llamado John Openshaw que queria consejos y ayuda sobre un caso en su familia; empieza a contar el caso. El padre de John (Joseph) habia patentado unos neumaticos irrompibles que lo hicieron rico, tanto que vendio la empresa y se retiro aun mas rico. El tio de John (Elias), en cambio, emigro a USA, donde consiguio el cargo de coronel en el ejercito, y compro una plantacion en Florida. En 1869, Elias volvio a Inglaterra, donde adquirio una finca. Era un hombre violento, irascible y con repugnancia hacia la etnia negra; fumaba mucho y tomaba brandy en abundancia. En 1878, Joseph le pidio a Elias que John se quedara en su casa. Elias acepto amablemente. El 10 de marzo del 1883, en el correo aparecio una carta Que venia desde Pondicherry, India. Cuando el tio la abrio, salieron 5 semillas de naranja y un papel que decia ''K.K.K''. Elias se desmayo y nunca mas estuvo igual. A young Sussex gentleman named John Openshaw has a strange story: in 1869 his uncle Elias Openshaw had suddenly come back to England to settle on an estate at Horsham, West Sussex after living for years in the United States as a planter in Florida and serving as a Colonel in the Confederate Army. Not being married, Elias had allowed his nephew to stay at his estate. Strange incidents have occurred; one is that although John could go anywhere in the house he could never enter a locked room containing his uncle's trunks. Another peculiarity was that in March 1883 a letter postmarked Pondicherry, in India, arrived for the Colonel inscribed only "K.K.K." with five orange pips enclosed. More strange things happened: Papers from the locked room were burnt and a will was drawn up leaving the estate to John Openshaw. The Colonel's behaviour became bizarre. He would either lock himself in his room and drink or he would go shouting forth in a drunken sally with a pistol in his hand. On 2 May 1883 he was found dead in a garden pool."