FIONA LEI KRIZEL I.

ADIARTE
GRADE 8- LINNAEUS

The Case of the Stuttering Bishop by Erle Stanley Gardner

INTRODUCTION

Lawyer Perry Mason’s latest client is a stuttering bishop who wants him to take the case
of a woman who evaded a manslaughter case twenty-two years ago filed against her by
her father-in-law.

BODY

Stuttering Australian Bishop William Mallory visits Perry Mason and recounts events of
twenty-two years ago when Oscar Brownley, son of wealthy man Renwold Brownley,
impetuously married an ordinary girl, Julia Brenner, against his wishes. In their early
married life, Jane figured in a vehicular accident in which another person was killed and
his father-in-law framed her for manslaughter. The two young folks escaped to
Australia. Later, Oscar was persuaded to return to California alone so he did not know
that he had a baby girl born. It was put up for adoption by Julia with the help of then
pastor William Mallory.

Oscar eventually died and the wealthy man wants to find his lost granddaughter. He
pays Jaxon Eaves a lot of money to find her. His search was in vain so he substitutes
an impostor to live in the old man's mansion, together with Philip Brownley, a grandson
from a deceased younger son.

On the steamship Monterey on a vacation to the US, Bishop Mallory encountered

Janice Brownley and is convinced that the granddaughter of Renwold Brownley is an
impostor and he wants to right this wrong. He stays at Regal Hotel and puts an ads to
locate Janice Seaton to inform her of the death of her adoptive father, Charles Seaton
and to divulge her true identity. He also was able to connect with Julia Brenner whom
he wants to be represented by Perry Mason, not realizing that his stuttering made
Mason suspicious of his character.

Paul Drake was summoned to tail the bishop at his hotel and his man also tailed a girl
who visited him because of possible involvement in the assault that left the bishop
hospitalized. The girl is revealed to be Janice Seaton who eventually disappears from
her apartment.
Soon Julia shows up and becomes Mason's client. The bishop mysteriously disappears
also. Julia sends a message asking old man Brownley to meet her at the harbor to
return the precious watch of her husband and to show him his granddaughter who is a
carbon-copy of her father. But Renwold Browney is murdered at the harbor by
gunshots from a woman wearing a white raincoat similar to what Julia wears when she
first meets the old man. Yachtsman Gordon Bixler testifies he sees the man shot in his
car by the lady,but after leaving the crime scene to call for help, the car could not be
found.

As usual, Mason skates around the edge of the law. He visits Julia at her rented
apartment with friend Stella Kenwood. He sets up a trap involving his secretary, Della
Street disguising as Janice Seaton to try to flush out two people who are watching the
latter’s apartment. Delia almost gets strangled by the man named Peter Sacks before
he gets beaten by Mason.

Hamilton Burger takes a personal interest in the case. He wants to get Mason for
assault and theft against Peter Sacks and is ready for a warrant of arrest. Mason tries to
get valuable information to no avail from uncooperative client Julia who is now jailed for
the murder of Renwold Brownley after recovery of her gun and her fingerprints on the
deceased’s car which was fished out of the waters in the harbor.

Mason manages to fit his theories one by one. He fools Stella into confession that she
was the one who shot Renwold Brownley using the gun he stole from Julia’s bag. She
did this because she got worried when Bishop Mallory arrives in the US and plans to tell
Renwold that his granddaughter is fake and when Julia also plans to meet with the old
man to introduce the real granddaughter. She made a sacrifice for the sake of her
daughter, the fake Janice Brownley who is about to receive inheritance from Renwold.

Mason and Paul Drake examines the yellow car that figures in the court hearing. It has
fresh dents and the backseat has bloodstains. Mason surmises that the bishop is in a
hospital unconscious from body injuries and later he reveals that Peter Sacks, an ally of
Stella Kenwood, bumps the bishop with the car on that day when Julia is about to meet
Renwold in the harbor. Sacks put the bishop in the backseat and threw his body in
another place.

As for the true granddaughter of Renwold Brownley, Janice Seaton is found hiding in
the Attina, a yacht owned by Mallory’s friend, Edgar Cassidy, to avoid being killed by
Peter Sacks.
CONCLUSION

Julia Brenner is released from jail and is reunited with long-lost daughter Janice Seaton
who will later on inherit part of the estate of her deceased grandfather Renwold
Brownley. Stella Kenwood, Peter Sacks and Victor Stockton are convicted for murder of
Renwold Brownley due to their conspiracy to substitute an impostor granddaughter.

CHARACTERS

1. Perry Mason- a fighting lawyer who uses unconventional methods to solve his cases.
2. Della Street- his faithful secretary.
3. Paul Drake- detective who always teams up with Perry Mason.
4. Hamilton Burger- district attorney.
5. Bishop William Mallory- from Sydney, Australia who was instrumental in giving up
Janice Seaton for adoption and who knows Renwold Brownley’s real granddaughter.
6. Jim Pauley- house detective at Regal Hotel.
7. Renwold Brownley- millionaire father of Oscar Brownley.
8. Oscar Brownley- eldest son of Renwold Brownley.
9. Julia Brenner- married Oscar Brownley and hated by Renwold.
10. Janice Seaton- daughter of Julia and Oscar who was given up for adoption.
11. Philip Brownley- grandson of Renwold Brownley from a deceased younger son.
12. Stella Kenwood- Julia Brenner’s friend and confidante when they were in Salt Lake
City and at present shares an apartment with her in California.
13. Gordon Bixler- yachtsman owner of “Resolute” who witnessed the shooting of
Renwold Brownley.
14. Jaxon Eaves- detective tasked to locate Renwold Brownley’s granddaughter for
25,000 dollars.
15. Peter Sacks- a detective who works with Stella Kenwood in introducing a fake
granddaughter of Renwold Brownley.
16. Edgar Cassidy- owner of the yacht Attina that became the hiding place of Bishop
Mallory and Janice Seaton.
17. Victor Stockton- an evil detective who works in cahoots with Peter Sacks.
18. George Shoemaker- trial deputy in the district attorney’s office who hates Mason.