Arthur Conan Doyle’s Silver Blaze: The Use Of Ratiocination

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connection to the case (Doyle, p. 10). Significantly, no one other than Holmes is able to realize that these facts have any connection with the case at all. Instead, all their attention gets focused on acquiring conclusive evidence to convict Fitzroy Simpson.

True, the evidence against Simpson is very strong, but it is apparent that faulty reasoning is used in order to force fit the facts to the case rather than allow the facts to speak for themselves. For instance, Gregory explains away Simpson's action of removing the horse from the stables by erroneously linking the act to the traces he finds of a gypsy camp: "Now, presuming that there was some understanding between Simpson and these gypsies, might he not have been leading the horse to them...and may they not have him now?" (Doyle, p. 13)

In sharp contrast, Holmes uses the method of deductive reasoning to conclude that the gypsies could not be involved: "They could not hope to sell such a horse. They would run a great ...

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