# Mr. Harwell — The Leavenworth Case character guide > Mr. Harwell in The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katharine Green. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** James Trueman Harwell, James Harwell, Harwell, Trueman Harwell, Trueman **First appearance:** 0003-iii-facts-and-deductions ## Snapshot The Leavenworths' secretary: stiff, reliable, and so unnervingly self-contained that his very composure reads as a confession. ## Who they are Trueman Harwell works in the library with the mechanical precision of a man who has trained himself to feel nothing, yet his employer's narrator finds him impossible to read and impossible to dismiss. His refusal to speak of the family's troubles, his unvarying diligence, and the faint suggestion that his silence is a choice rather than a temperament keep suspicion circling him without ever landing. He is the quiet center of the household's unease — a man whose restraint may be discipline, or may be the lid on something far more volatile. ## Relationships ### [Eleanore Leavenworth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/characters/eleanore_leavenworth) _professional_ Eleanore and Mr. Harwell have a formal employer-secretary relationship, with Harwell showing nervous devotion to her. ### [Eleanore Leavenworth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/characters/eleanore_leavenworth) _professional_ Eleanore and Mr. Harwell have a formal employer-secretary relationship, with Harwell showing nervous devotion to her. ### [Eleanore Leavenworth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/characters/eleanore_leavenworth) _professional_ Eleanore and Mr. Harwell have a formal employer-secretary relationship, with Harwell showing nervous devotion to her. ## In the story ### [A Great Case](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/i-a-great-case) The private secretary of the late Mr. Leavenworth, who accompanies the narrator and provides initial information. ### [III: Facts and Deductions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/iii-facts-and-deductions) Exhibits distress and evasiveness during questioning; admits a shadow between Mr. Leavenworth and Eleanore; lies about the correspondence; shows emotion when Eleanore is mentioned. ### [Expert Testimony](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/v-expert-testimony) Testifies about knowing of Mr. Leavenworth's pistol and seeing Miss Eleanore with it three weeks ago, when she asked him to explain its use. ### [The Summons](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/xi-the-summons) Informs the narrator of the inquest verdict; appears relieved. ### [XIII: The Problem](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/xiii-the-problem) Mentioned in the context of the night's events, specifically his going upstairs before the library door closed. ### [XIV: Mr. Gryce at Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/xiv-mr-gryce-at-home) Considered by the narrator as a possible suspect due to Eleanore's behavior and possible affection for him. ### [Ways Opening](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/xv-ways-opening) Speaks cryptically about the newspaper insinuation possibly driving the guilty to confess; later refuses to discuss the murder when the narrator tries to question him. ### [XVI: The Will of a Millionaire](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/xvi-the-will-of-a-millionaire) Works with the narrator on Mr. Leavenworth's manuscript. ### [The Beginning of Great Surprises](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/xvii-the-beginning-of-great-surprises) Described as an excellent amanuensis, stiff, unbending, sombre, reliable; never speaks of Eleanore or the family trouble. ### [XVIII: On the Stairs](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/xviii-on-the-stairs) Reading Leavenworth's manuscript; reacts with terror upon seeing Clavering and accuses him of the murder. ### [XIX: In My Office](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/xix-in-my-office) Harwell is mentioned as having an appointment with Raymond later that evening, but does not appear in the chapter. ### [XX: “Trueman! Trueman! Trueman!”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/xx-trueman-trueman-trueman) Visits to apologize for his outburst, but eventually reveals that his accusation was based on a dream in which he saw the murderer's face—the face of Henry Clavering. ### [XXI: A Prejudice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/xxi-a-prejudice) Reveals his prophetic dream of the murder, admits to opening a letter from Henry Clavering, and describes Leavenworth's hatred of the English. ### [Book IV: The Problem Solved](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/book-iv-the-problem-solved) Confesses to the murder, revealing the truth behind the crime. ### [Gathered Threads](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/xxxvi-gathered-threads) Rushes in and confesses to the murder of Mr. Leavenworth, claiming Mary is innocent. ### [Culmination](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/xxxvii-culmination) Confesses to the murder of Mr. Leavenworth, driven by love for Mary and a desire to secure her fortune. ### [XXXIX: The Outcome of a Great Crime](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/xxxix-the-outcome-of-a-great-crime) Revealed as the actual murderer; his confession clears Mary and Eleanore. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/characters/mr_harwell - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/characters