# Sir James Watson — The Wrong Letter character guide

> Sir James Watson in The Wrong Letter by Walter S. Masterman.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Sir James, Sir James Watson, poor Sir James, James Watson, young Watson, Watson

**First appearance:** 0001-the-wrong-letter

## Snapshot

The cold, reserved Home Secretary whose lonely life revolved around his daughter and whose violent death sets every engine of the plot running.

## Who they are

Sir James kept his home life simple and his friendships few, a haughty widower who could never quite believe his only daughter had grown up. He had already banished one child — a son sent down from Oxford and shipped off to Monte Video — and now watched Mabel's suitors with silent, possessive anxiety. His murder at his own house, phoned in to Scotland Yard by the killer himself, transforms a private, guarded man into the still centre of a public scandal.

## In the story

### [I: The Crime](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wrong_letter_se/chapters/i-the-crime)

The Home Secretary who is found murdered in his study, shot through the head.

### [II: Speculations](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wrong_letter_se/chapters/ii-speculations)

The victim; his murder is the subject of the discussion.

### [At the Vale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wrong_letter_se/chapters/iii-at-the-vale)

Deceased; described as a cold, reserved man devoted to his daughter and his garden; his murder is the central event.

### [IV: The Missing Letter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wrong_letter_se/chapters/iv-the-missing-letter)

Author of the letter found by Sinclair, written before his murder, warning of danger and giving instructions about his son and hidden will.

### [A Mysterious Visit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wrong_letter_se/chapters/v-a-mysterious-visit)

The victim of the murder, whose miniature portrait is examined by Collins and Sinclair.

### [VI: At Leveson Square](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wrong_letter_se/chapters/vi-at-leveson-square)

The deceased; his body remains in the house; the bullet extracted from his brain is examined.

### [VII: Valuable Information](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wrong_letter_se/chapters/vii-valuable-information)

The murdered Cabinet Minister; the inquest and investigation center on his death.

### [VIII: Enter Mr. Allery](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wrong_letter_se/chapters/viii-enter-mr-allery)

Deceased; his body is being taken to Devonshire for burial; his will is discussed.

### [X: The Portrait](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wrong_letter_se/chapters/x-the-portrait)

His portrait is a focal point of the chapter, described as having a hard mouth and sympathetic eyes.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wrong_letter_se/characters/james_watson
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wrong_letter_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wrong_letter_se/characters