Friday Riddle

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nudgie
nudgie Member Posts: 1,478 Member
Remember, NO GOOGLING or SEARCHING the Internet allowed and good luck !!!!

RIDDLE: The case had been closed for almost one hundred years. William Pritchett and his sister Olivia, had died of a strange ailment. Their arms and legs shook violently, they had severe abdominal cramps and fever. On her deathbed Olivia accused Holly, the maid, of poisoning her and her brother. Holly told a different tale; of William and Olivia's descent into madness and her efforts to cure them through herbs and vitamins. Holly was put on trial and convicted. When she died in jail of a similar sickness, it was assumed Holly had poisoned herself through carelessness and the case was closed.
Now, it was opened again as the relatives of those long dead battled in a civil suit. Holly's great nephew, was suing the wealthy Pritchett family, for the pain and humiliation his family had endured. He claimed William had gone mad and poisoned both Olivia and Holly. Forensic Psychologist Stella Mavis had been called in to determine the sanity of people who lived and died before she was born. Finding little information in the ancient file, Dr. Mavis traveled to the Pritchett mansion to look over some old belongings, stored in an attic.
When she pulled up, Detective Davis was already there, talking to Maya Pritchett, daughter of William's cousin.
Maya greeted Dr. Mavis, then showed them to the musty attic. "Most of this is William's." said Maya. "This was his workshop. Some woodworking but he mostly made those." She pointed to a large stack of moldy fur hats on a trunk. "It was his hobby, but he didn't feel it was a proper hobby for a high class gentlemen, so he worked on them up here. Underneath them is a trunk of Olivia's." Maya disappeared down the stairs, eager to get out of the stale air.
Detective Davis began looking through boxes of William's clothes. Dr. Mavis moved the furs away and looked through Olivia's trunk. Wrapped in a scarf on the bottom was a little diary. Dr. Mavis leaned against the pile of hats and read:
January 4th: I have been shopping in town and helping William, it's been so much fun to help make the hats! I don't like Holly. When she serves our tea, I am always helping William in the workshop, and she glares at me. She's just jealous of me.
May 18th: Today I was in the garden and I saw Holly's face change into a spider! Holly hates me, and I think the spider means she is going to hurt me. My tea tastes bitter, and Holly said it was medicine, but I don't believe her. I can see things for what they really are now and I think William can see them too.
September 20th: I am so tired of the medicine in my tea. I always feel sick after I drink it. Holly says I must stay away from William. She has turned on him and says he's dangerous! This must have been what the rainbow I saw yesterday meant when it said she would betray us...
December 12th: I ache and I have no control of my legs. But it's ok! I can fly! So can William, he says the unicorns told him we need to leave this place. I am so excited!
Dr. Mavis couldn't make out any more, but she didn't need to. "Davis," she said, "Let's go. I know what happened."

What happened to Olivia, William and Holly?

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  • Buckwirth
    Buckwirth Member Posts: 1,258 Member
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    Mercury poisoning?
    Mad

    Mercury poisoning?

    Mad hatter's disease.
  • tanstaafl
    tanstaafl Member Posts: 1,313 Member
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    Second it.
    Yeah, sounds mercurial.
  • Marianne313
    Marianne313 Member Posts: 124
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    drugs
    maybe what Holly thought were herbs that she was trying to heal them with were really drugs of some sort? (not sure that would cause cramps, but it would cause shaking and hallucinations)
  • Brenda Bricco
    Brenda Bricco Member Posts: 579 Member
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    drugs
    maybe what Holly thought were herbs that she was trying to heal them with were really drugs of some sort? (not sure that would cause cramps, but it would cause shaking and hallucinations)

    no clue but do we eventually
    no clue but do we eventually get filled in??? This is my first riddle. :)
  • karen40
    karen40 Member Posts: 211 Member
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    RABIES
    William made fur hats. Perhaps,the fur came from animals infected with rabies. I am assuming that he skinned the animals himself which inadvertently exposed him, Olivia and Holly to the rabies virus.(moldy hats) It sounds like classic rabies symptoms. I'm just not sure on the incubation period of rabies.
    Karen
  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
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    Thanks
    Aww thanks for posting again. Good to see your posts. I'm still pondering the question :)

    Kim
  • yoga
    yoga Member Posts: 87
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    Mad Hatter's Disease!
    I would agree with Mad Hatter's Disease - common at the time with hat makers when men wore hats made from beaver pelts. But was it mercury? . . . . . I can't remember the name of the chemical used. I believe there is a character in Alice In Wonderland by the name of Mad Hatter!
    Thanks for the riddle!!
    yoga jo
  • Buckwirth
    Buckwirth Member Posts: 1,258 Member
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    yoga said:

    Mad Hatter's Disease!
    I would agree with Mad Hatter's Disease - common at the time with hat makers when men wore hats made from beaver pelts. But was it mercury? . . . . . I can't remember the name of the chemical used. I believe there is a character in Alice In Wonderland by the name of Mad Hatter!
    Thanks for the riddle!!
    yoga jo

    Beaver felt
    Is still used in hats, in fact, the number of X's indicates the percentage of beaver using an arcane formula that can differ from hat maker to hat maker.

    The hat I am wearing in the photo is a Stetson 4x, and I believe a 100% beaver would be a 20x.
  • marqimark
    marqimark Member Posts: 242 Member
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    Buckwirth said:

    Mercury poisoning?
    Mad

    Mercury poisoning?

    Mad hatter's disease.

    I agree
    I just read about this a few months ago.

    Mark