# Wilson Budd Hotchkiss — The Man in Lower Ten character guide

> Wilson Budd Hotchkiss in The Man in Lower Ten by Mary Roberts Rinehart.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mr. Hotchkiss, Hotchkiss, Little Hotchkiss

**First appearance:** 0002-iii-across-the-aisle

## Snapshot

A bustling little amateur detective with a fresh notebook and a fixed theory, convinced Sullivan is guilty and determined to prove it himself.

## Who they are

Hotchkiss treats the investigation as a sacred calling, sharpening pencils and sketching diagrams on envelopes while dismissing the police as hopeless tanglers. He is not vindictive by nature, but the idea of a murderer framing an innocent man offends him personally. His stubborn certainty and his willingness to follow the narrator to Cresson make him both a useful ally and a comic obstacle to the truth.

## In the story

### [V: The Woman in the Next Car](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/chapters/v-the-woman-in-the-next-car)

The inquisitive passenger who interviews the narrator and takes notes, using inductive methods inspired by Poe and Conan Doyle.

### [The Girl in Blue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/chapters/vi-the-girl-in-blue)

The amateur detective who eagerly attempts to trace bloodstains and discovers the steel dirk hidden in the pillow.

### [XIII: Faded Roses](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/chapters/xiii-faded-roses)

Survivor of the wreck who brings the pillow evidence and a newspaper article about the reopened murder case, and reveals lower seven was reserved from Cresson.

### [At the Farmhouse Again](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/chapters/xvii-at-the-farmhouse-again)

Found at the Carter farmhouse investigating; has reconstructed pieces of a torn telegram from the pajamas.

### [A New World](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/chapters/xviii-a-new-world)

Jots down telegram fragments and deduces the murderer's movements and motive.

### [At the Table Next](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/chapters/xix-at-the-table-next)

Theorizes about left-handedness and the murder; departs for his hotel after the train ride.

### [At the Boardinghouse](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/chapters/xxii-at-the-boardinghouse)

Visits Blakeley at midnight, recounts his surveillance of Bronson and the overheard conversation at the boardinghouse.

### [A Night at the Laurels](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/chapters/xxiii-a-night-at-the-laurels)

Energetic detective who interrogates a priest on the train and leads the investigation at the Curtis estate.

### [XXIV: His Wife’s Father](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/chapters/xxiv-his-wife-s-father)

Assists in the investigation, deduces Sullivan's presence in the house, and leads the pursuit to the tower room.

### [XXV: At the Station](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/chapters/xxv-at-the-station)

Compares notes with the narrator; hopes to find Sullivan in the house off Washington Circle.

### [XXVI: On to Richmond](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/chapters/xxvi-on-to-richmond)

Amateur detective; leads the arrest of Stuart based on circumstantial evidence; crestfallen when the plan fails.

### [In the Dining-Room](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/chapters/xxix-in-the-dining-room)

Assists in planning, examines the revolver and stiletto, and accompanies the narrator and McKnight to the apartment.

### [XXX: Finer Details](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/chapters/xxx-finer-details)

Eagerly questions Sullivan about glasses and reconstructs evidence.

### [And Only One Arm](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/chapters/xxxi-and-only-one-arm)

Breaks the tension by asking about left-handedness, reconstructs the murder, and later debates with Johnson.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/characters/wilson_budd_hotchkiss
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/characters