A Difficult Problem: 1900

In Short

A grieving young widow seeks help after finding a printed death notice pinned to her cushion before her husband actually dies in a Philadelphia hotel. Although authorities attribute his sudden passing to heart disease, an investigator suspects foul play and links the crime to a jilted former suitor. Through meticulous forensic examination and a relentless campaign of psychological harassment using duplicate murder weapons, the investigator drives the culprit to confess. This early American detective story endures as a masterclass in locked-room deduction, early forensic reasoning, and the dark psychology of obsessively nursed grudges.

The Story

Lucy Holmes seeks professional counsel in New York following the mysterious death of her husband, James, in a Philadelphia hotel room. Five days after James left on business, Lucy discovered an obituary clipping pinned to her bureau cushion announcing his sudden death at the Colonnade. Believing it a cruel trick, she dismissed it—until a telegram arrived hours later confirming James had indeed been found dead that very morning. Official reports attribute his demise to natural heart failure, yet Lucy remains haunted by the inexplicable, premature arrival of the printed notice.

The investigator begins by examining the suspicious paper scrap. He spots subtle printing flaws: non-parallel line alignment and identical typography on both sides, proving it was printed manually on blank galley proof rather than produced by a commercial newspaper press. This discovery prompts Lucy to recall that a stooping beggar with a distinct, choking cough had pressed the slip into her hand the night before. She recognizes the cough as belonging to John Graham, a man she abandoned at the altar six months prior in Kansas to marry for wealth and position in New York. Graham had later confronted her at her wedding, cursing her before vanishing into the city.

Determined to uncover the truth, the investigator secures an order to exhume James’s body. A microscopic examination reveals no trace of ingestible poison, but the investigator detects a single tiny prick on the deceased man's thumb. Searching James’s luggage, he discovers a complex wire puzzle—a toy James enjoyed solving. While attempting to manipulate the rings, the investigator suffers a scratch from a hidden steel prong inside the mechanism. Recognizing the lethal danger, he immediately cauterizes his own wound with a red-hot poker. Though a friendly chemist fails to identify the substance on the metal, the investigator remains convinced the puzzle was engineered as a delivery system for a fatal toxin.

Tracking Graham through New York's downtown streets, the investigator locates him living in squalor, trying unsuccessfully to sell a blank-verse manuscript. To break Graham's composure, the investigator executes a psychological strategy inspired by a story he once read. He repeatedly drops identical wire coils in Graham's path—in doorways, at a Nassau Street saloon bar, and hidden beneath his dinner bill at a restaurant. Driven nearly mad by the recurring apparition of his unique murder weapon, Graham flees through the city, even mistaking a cloud of train smoke for the terrifying spiral shape.

Finally, the investigator corners Graham in his dismal West Tenth Street attic room. Confronted with one last steel coil concealed inside his rejected manuscript, Graham breaks down completely. Furious at being turned away from Lucy's door earlier that day, he proudly confesses to the crime. He reveals he loaded the wire spring with woorali—a lethal, secretive poison—and printed the false obituary on scrap paper obtained while pitching his poetry. Desiring only to confront Lucy in court, Graham surrenders to face his trial.

How It Unfolds

A strange forewarning Lucy Holmes seeks aid after discovering a printed death notice pinned to her bureau cushion hours before receiving a telegram confirming her husband's sudden death in Philadelphia. She insists on an investigation despite official findings of heart disease, disturbed by the miraculous appearance of the obituary.

Flaws in the print The investigator inspects the clipping, noting uneven alignment and matching typefaces on both sides that indicate it was printed on a hand-press using leftover galley proof. Hearing this, Lucy remembers receiving the slip from a coughing beggar, whose distinct rasp matches that of John Graham, the fiancé she jilted months earlier.

The hidden prick Obtaining an exhumation order, the investigator finds no internal poison but discovers a tiny puncture on the dead man's thumb. Examining the husband's luggage, he handles a complex wire puzzle and is pricked by a concealed spring prong, which he promptly cauterizes before seeking chemical analysis.

A campaign of coils Determined to force a confession, the investigator tracks the impoverished Graham through downtown New York and repeatedly leaves identical wire puzzles in his path. The sight of these coils at a saloon, in a restaurant bill, and even in a rising plume of locomotive smoke slowly shatters Graham's composure.

The trap closes The investigator enters Graham's attic apartment and waits for his return from another failed attempt to sell his poetry. Finding a final wire spring inside his returned manuscript, Graham loses his sanity, admits to tipping the mechanism with deadly woorali poison, and surrenders to face trial.

The People

• Lucy Holmes wants to uncover the truth behind her husband's death and relieve her overwhelming guilt without falsely accusing an innocent man. Faced with sudden widowhood and terrifying supernatural coincidences, she demonstrates sharp intuition despite her initial panic. She ultimately comes to terms with the lethal consequences of her past betrayal.
• The Investigator seeks to solve an seemingly impossible crime through scientific observation, forensic deduction, and psychological strategy. Confronted by official indifference and inconclusive chemical tests, he relies on his own perseverance and sharp instincts. He cures his own poisoned wound with quick thinking and carefully orchestrates a campaign to break the killer's resolve.
• John Graham wants vengeance against the woman who abandoned him at the altar, seeking to inflict maximum emotional suffering upon her. Standing in his way are his poverty, his rejected literary ambitions, and his complete isolation. Ultimately transformed into a sinister, vengeful figure, he welcomes his arrest solely for the opportunity to face his former love in court.

In Its Own Voice

“Was I dreaming or under the spell of some frightful hallucination which led me to misread the name on the slip of paper before me?”

Lucy describes her horror upon finding the printed notice of her husband's death, catching the reader up in her terror before the reality of his passing is even confirmed.

“This speck was so small that it escaped every eye but my own.”

The investigator highlights the painstaking nature of early forensic work, where a single detail overlooked by officials changes the trajectory of the case.

“There was such an icy composure in it; the composure of an envenomed nature conscious of its superiority to all surprise.”

The investigator captures John Graham's menacing demeanor during their first encounter, establishing the killer's ruthless confidence before his psychological breakdown.

What It's Really About

The story explores the dangerous consequences of selfish choices and the relentless nature of guilt. Lucy’s decision to abandon her fiancé for money sets off a tragic chain of events, showing how past betrayals can return in destructive ways. The narrative also contrasts cold, mechanical calculation with intense emotional obsession. Graham's elaborate murder device and printed trick show a mind using technical skill to serve a deep, destructive grudge. Above all, the plot illustrates how fear and psychological pressure can break down a criminal's composure. The relentless appearance of the wire puzzle turns Graham's own creation into the tool that brings about his downfall.

Why Read It Today

Fans of traditional detective fiction, locked-room mysteries, and early forensic procedural work will appreciate this classic tale. The story moves at a swift, engaging pace, offering a clear view of late nineteenth-century New York—from elegant Fifty-ninth Street apartments to Nassau Street saloons and dismal West Tenth Street attics. Readers who enjoy classic puzzle-box mysteries will find Graham’s hidden spring mechanism and the investigator’s psychological tactics clever and satisfying.

The narrative presents minor structural hurdles typical of its era. The investigator relies heavily on coincidental insights, such as remembering a child's story to design his trap, and the reliance on exotic poisons like woorali reflects period mystery tropes. However, these elements do not lessen the story's historical interest. Anna Katharine Green writes with precise focus, avoiding unnecessary length or melodrama. The image of the desperate killer haunted by small wire springs remains a vivid, memorable highlight of early American detective literature.