The Man in Lower Ten · Chapter
I Go to Pittsburg explained
The narrator, Lawrence Blakeley, reluctantly travels to Pittsburg on business for his law firm, carrying forged notes in the Bronson case.
What happens
The narrator, Lawrence Blakeley, reluctantly travels to Pittsburg on business for his law firm, carrying forged notes in the Bronson case. He reflects on his aversion to circumstantial evidence after a previous case, and his friendship with McKnight. During the journey, he plays bridge, sleeps fitfully, and arrives in Pittsburg. He visits the elderly millionaire John Gilmore, the chief witness in the Bronson case, and notices a photograph of Gilmore's granddaughter, Alison West, which foreshadows her later importance.
Themes in this chapter
The Unreliability of Circumstantial Evidence
Blakeley opens by expressing his loss of faith in circumstantial evidence after a case where clues incriminated three different people, only one of whom could be guilty.
The Role of Chance and Coincidence
Blakeley reflects on the 'queer freak of the demons of chance' that led him into a crime and love affair, and his journey is set in motion by McKnight's excuse and the Bronson case.
Class, Wealth, and Social Standing
The contrast between the wealthy John Gilmore, a millionaire industrialist, and the gritty industrial landscape of Pittsburg highlights themes of class and prosperity.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Blakeley
The narrator and protagonist; a lawyer traveling to Pittsburg on business, carrying forged notes in the Bronson case.
- Richey McKnight
Blakeley's law partner; he begs off the trip, citing car sickness, and later brings the forged notes to Blakeley's home.
- Mrs. Klopton
Blakeley's housekeeper, nicknamed 'the Pirate' by McKnight; she prepares his raincoat and umbrella.
- Alison West
John Gilmore's granddaughter; her photograph is seen on Gilmore's bedside table, and she is mentioned as the recipient of a letter possibly forged by Bronson.
- Andy Bronson
The defendant in the forgery case; the forged notes Blakeley carries are central to the case against him.
Key passages
“Given a case like that, where you can build up a network of clues that absolutely incriminate three entirely different people, only one of whom can be guilty, and your faith in circumstantial evidence dies of overcrowding.”
Blakeley explains that a previous case, where evidence pointed to three innocent people, destroyed his trust in circumstantial evidence.
This sets up the novel's central theme of unreliable evidence.
“So it was a queer freak of the demons of chance to perch on my unsusceptible thirty-year-old chest, tie me up with a crime, ticket me with a love affair, and start me on that sensational and not always respectable journey that ended so surprisingly less than three weeks later in the firm’s private office.”
Blakeley reflects on how fate unexpectedly involved him in a crime and a romance, leading to a remarkable three-week adventure.
Foreshadows the intertwined mystery and romance to come.
“I keep it there to remind myself that I am an old man. That is my granddaughter, Alison West.”
John Gilmore shows Blakeley a photograph of his granddaughter, Alison West, and explains its significance.
Introduces Alison West, a key character, through her photograph.