This Ezekiah Hopkins is supposed to have left a 'bequest' (read: an amount of money in his will) to the 'Red-Headed League,' which has a vacancy for a healthy red-haired guy over 21 years of age, to collect a weekly salary of four pounds for light duties.The ad claims to be on behalf of the 'late Ezekiah Hopkins, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania' (League.29).Wilson then shows the advertisement in the newspaper that 'began it all' (League.27). Everyone thinks what they don't understand is cool what they do know just seems commonplace. He quotes the Latin phrase: ' Omne ignotum pro magnifico,' or 'All things unknown seem grand.' It's like the whole a-good-magician-never-reveals-his-secrets thing.Holmes gets annoyed: once Holmes explains his thinking, everyone thinks what he does is nothing special.Wilson had been all astonishment at Holmes's guesses, but once it's all been explained to him, Wilson laughs and says there was nothing to it after all.

Second, Wilson has a Chinese coin (maybe one from the Qing Dynasty) on his watch chain. First, Wilson has a fish tattooed on his wrist using a pink ink Holmes claims is specific to China. How did he know? Wilson's right cuff is shiny from being rubbed so much, and his left jacket elbow is worn away from being pressed against a desk.

Fact: Wilson has been writing a lot lately (major plot point!).

But as for the Freemasonry: Wilson is wearing an arc-and-compass (a major Masonic symbol) tie pin (even though all Masonic membership is supposed to be secret, so tsk tsk, Mr.

How did he know? Well, Holmes doesn't explain the snuff snorting piece – we guess that Conan Doyle's editors weren't as careful as ours here at Shmoop, and no one bothered to point out to him that he missed something on his list.

How did he know? Holmes points out that Wilson's right hand is larger than his left, a sign of greater muscular development on one side as a result of physical work.

Fact: Wilson started as a ship's carpenter.

Wilson has also traveled to China, has been doing a lot of writing lately, and that's about it.

Holmes observes what Watson is doing and says that, 'beyond the obvious facts' (League.16), Wilson has been a manual laborer, takes snuff (tobacco that you snort not too common these days since no one wants to get nose cancer), and is a Freemason (a still-existing guy-only secret society).

Besides Wilson's bright red hair and expression of discontent, Watson can't see anything special in their visitor's features. Watson takes the opportunity to look carefully at Wilson to see what he can tell about the guy just based on his appearance.Jabez Wilson (the redhead), which, promises Holmes, will prove what he's told Watson before: life is even stranger than fiction. Holmes welcomes Watson to come in and listen to the case of Mr.John Watson, visits his ol' buddy Sherlock Holmes one day, only to find him in conversation with a fat, old red-haired guy.

The red headed league