Mr. Mac's Murder on the Orient Express Blog

12/16/2009

Given all of the information you know (Section 1 and 2), who do you think is the murder(s). Give 3 direct quotes from the novel to support your answer.

42 Comments

Andrew

12/18/2009 10:39:48 am

From the information already given to me in the text, I think the murderer is Mary Debenham.The first reason is because when she was afraid of missing her connection to the Orient Express, she seemed very anxious and could not afford a delay. The quote "The hand that held the window bar was not quite steady;her lips, too, were trembling" supports that fact. Secondly, when the murder was taking place and the investigation was going on, she wasn't very involved in the story. One of the only things she asks during this time is "What is this country anyway?" to M. Poirot. Finally, she doesn't seemed to be bothered that there was a murder on the train she is on. She tells M. Poirot, "No, I cannot say that I am at all distressed." I think Mary Debenham is the murderer because she seems way too calm in a tough situation to not have anything to do with it.

Olivia M.

12/20/2009 06:52:28 am

After reading Parts 1 and 2 sofar from the novel "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie, I belive that Mrs.Hubbard murdered M.Ratchett. I belive that Mrs.hubbard murdered M.Ratchett because of the many clues that I have noticed through out Parts 1 and 2. The first clue that I noticed was on page 73. The first clue was : "It was a small square of cambric, very dainty. In the corner was an embroidered initial-H." I belive that the handkerchief belonged to Mrs.Hubbard because embroidered on it was the initial H and Mrs.Hubbard's last initial is the letter H. Therefore making it a possibility that the handkerchief belonged to Mrs.Hubbard. The second clue that I noticed was on page 204. The second clue was: "It's too horrible!" she cried. "It's just too horrible. In my sponge-bag. My sponge-bag. A great knife-all over blood." This was when Mrs.Hubbard found the murder weapon covered with blood in her sponge-bag. I belive that Mrs.Hubbard finding a knife in her sponge-bag was all just a scene. I belive so because I think that she decided to make it seem that someone had planted the knife on her but really she just forgot to hide it. Therefore I belive that Mrs.Hubbard just forgot to hide the knife. The last clue that I found was on page 234. The last clue was: "Neatly folded on the top of the case was a thin scarlet silk kimono embroidered with dragons." I belive that this clue was linked with the second clue about Mrs.Hubbard finding the knife in her sponge-bag. I think so because while Poirot and Bouc were interviewing and searching the other passengers, I think that Mrs.Hubbard was trying to plant the kimono in Poirot's suit case. Therefore while she was hiding the kimono she must have forgot about hiding the knife, so I guess that when she noticed the knife when she opened her sponge bag she had to improvise. Those clues support why I belive that Mrs.Hubbard murdered M.Ratchett.

Maire

12/22/2009 05:13:06 am

After reading parts 1 and 2 I think Mrs.Hubbard murdered M.Ratchett.
The first clue I found is on page 120. M.Poirot says, "He has not escaped. He is dead. He dies last night."
"You don't mean-?" Mrs.Hubbard half rose from her chair in excitement.
"But yes I do. Ratchett was the man." I believe by the happiness and excitement Mrs.Hubbard got when she discovered Mr.Ratchett died, Mrs. Hubbard was the one who murdered him. Secondly, on page 113-114 is the second quote. "What I've got to tell you is this. There was a murder on the train last night and and the murderer was in my compartment! I'd gotten to bed and gone to sleep and suddenly- everything was dark- and I just knew the man was in my compartment!" I think that because everything was dark there was no way Mrs. Hubbard could have known a man was standing in her compartment. Finally, the last quote on page 204. " Its just too horrible. In my sponge-bag. My sponge-bag! A great knife all over blood." I suspect that Mrs. Hubbard committted the crime using that knife and then she made herself look inoccent by pretendng that she ha no idea the murder weapon was in her sponge-bag. These are the reasons why I think Mrs.Hubbard murdered M.Ratchett.

Sarah

12/29/2009 07:30:20 am

In my opinion both Ms. Debenham and Colonel Arbuthnot both murdered Mr. Ratchett together. One of my reasons is that while they were on the Taurus Express with M. Poirot, Ms. Debenham and the Colonel had a conversation where Colonel Arbuthnot says to Ms. Debenham: I wish to heaven you were out of all this. I think that he could be talking about murder. Another clue that is also from the Taurus express is when Colonel Arbuthnot says to Ms.Debenham that a train can be as dangerous as a sea voyage. At that point in the book he would not have met the other passengers on the Orient Express so how would he know that it would be dangerous unless he was planning on murdering someone himself? Finally, I find it weird that on the Taurus express when something catches fire under the dining car, delaying the train for a few minutes, and Ms. Debenham is really worried that she is going to miss the train, but when the Orient Express got stuck in the snow she didn't care at all.

Daniella

12/31/2009 02:46:44 am

In my opinion from the information given in sections 1 and 2 i belive the murderur is Mary Debenham. I think this because at the start of the book she couldn't afford to miss the connection between the two trains to see her family when a fire had occured but now that they are stuck in a snow drift she could care less. A quote from the book that i thought was very weird was when she was asked if she was distressed about the murder and she replied "I have not really thought about it from that point of view. No, I cannot say that i am at all distressed." She is way too calm in a situation such as this. Secondly in section 1 we hear her conversation with the Colonal and the quote from him "I wish to heaven you were out of all this", and from her "Not now. Not now. When it's all over. When it's behind us-then-" This supports my idea of her being involved because it seems as though they are talking about the murder. Thats why she couldnt afford to miss the conection and is very discreet. This is why I think she is the murderur.

Kendra

1/2/2010 02:07:01 am

From all the information given, I believe Mary Debenham is the murderer. The first reason why I suspect Miss Debenham is because she will not explain the meaning of the words "When it's behind us". When M. Poirot questioned her about that sentence, she replied coldly and said, "I have nothing more to say." I also suspect her because there was a delay to the train on the day they were to reach Stamboul. Before the delay had occurred, Mary was very calm and so self-controlled, but when she heard there was a delay, she lost that calm. She said that she had friends awaiting her arrival and she could not miss the connection. Except, the Orient Express leaves every day, so it would only be a 24 hour delay. There was no need to become worried and impatient because of it. Now, there is a more serious delay, and she is very calm again and she does not mind too much. Except, she should still have friends awaiting her arrival, but she does not seem to mind anymore. She does not seem to care about the more serious delay, but she cared about the little delay going to Stamboul. A quote that supports all of that is when M. Poirot questions her about her change of attitude; the book says, "Mary Debenham flushed and bit her lip. She no longer felt inclined to smile." As well, I believe Miss Debenham is the murderer because the description of the murderer is a small, dark man with a little moustache and a weak woman's voice. All three of the real conductor's are big, so anyone else would look small compared to them. Mary Debenham would look small compared to the real ones, and she has a dark head like the description of the murderer. She could be the person dressed up as the Wagon Lit conductor. A quote that supports this is, "These are all tall, big men. The one I saw was small and dark. He had a little moustache. His voice when he said 'Pardon' was weak, like a woman's." Also, Mary Debenham's name is Mary Hermione Debenham. In the room of the dead man, they found a handkerchief with an initial H on it. The H could stand for Miss Debenham`s middle name, Hermoine. A quote from the book that supports this is, "It was a small square of cambric, very dainty. In the corner was an embroidered initial -H." As well, M. Poirot believes it is not a Latin Crime, but an Anglo-Saxon brain. Mary is very Anglo-Saxon and she does not show much emotion. A quote that supports this is, "You are very Anglo-Saxon, Mademoiselle. Vous n'éprouvez pas d'émotion." That sentence in French means that you do not show emotion, and that is what Mary Debenham does. That is why I believe Mary Debenham is the murderer in the book, "Murder on the Orient Express".

Ally Tierney

1/2/2010 06:02:44 am

From reading parts 1 and 2 I have come to the conclusion that Colonel Arbuthnot murdered M. Ratchett. Three quotes that lead me to believe he is the murderer are "The train, it is as dangerous as a sea voyage," (page 11), "A pipe for me. MacQueen smoked cigarettes," (page 156) and, "Then in my opinion the swine deserved what he got" (page 158). Colonel Arbuthnot was talking to Mary Debenham when he said the first quote. He was speaking privately and didn't notice M. Poirot was there and what Poirot heard I believe foreshadows Colonel Arbuthnot knowing something bad will happen during the train ride. I find that a suspicious because unless he was the one to kill Ratchett how else would he know the train will be dangerous? For one, sea voyages can be quite dangerous, one mistake and people can die, like a large wave. Hence, what Colonel Arbuthnot said on page 11 was a fragment of examples leading me to think he was the murderer.
When Colonel Arbuthnot admitted to smoking a pipe it rose my suspicion because the pipe cleaner was found in M. Ratchett’s compartment. Colonel Arbuthnot was the only passenger who admitted to smoking a pipe. There is no good reason as to why anyone else would need a pipe cleaner if they don’t smoke a pipe.
From reading, “Then in my opinion the swine deserved what he got,” It lead me to believe Colonel Arbuthnot didn’t care about M. Ratchett’s death and he didn’t care someone had murdered him. In addition, since M. Ratchett was the murderer of Toby Armstrong’s daughter, Arbuthnot could have wanted to make it right for his friend, Colonel Armstrong. Even though he didn’t admit to being close with Armstrong he could have lied to push thoughts of him murdering Ratchett to get back at him away.
In summary, from reading parts 1 and 2 of “The Orient Express” I think Colonel Arbuthnot was M. Ratchett’s assassin.

Ally Tierney commenting on Sarah's accusation

1/2/2010 06:23:03 am

I agree with Sarah's statement of the possibility of the murder being two people. At the start of the novel both Mary Debenham and Colonel Arbuthnot seemed suspicious to me. The way they were constantly together on the Taurus Express and going to one or the others compartment, and then barely talking to one or the other on the Orient Express made me suspect them as the murderers. I concur with Sarah's thought, "on the Taurus express when something catches fire under the dining car, delaying the train for a few minutes, and Ms. Debenham is really worried that she is going to miss the train, but when the Orient Express got stuck in the snow she didn't care at all," it seems as though all Mary Debenham had to do was catch the Orient Express. Perhaps she only had to make the train becusae she knew M. Ratchett would be on that train. So then the delay on the Orient Express didn't bother her because her mission was already accomplished. Therefore, I agree with Sarah thinking Mary Debenham and Colonel Arbuthnot were M. Ratchett's killers becuase the reasons she stated made perfect sense and had support to back up the reasoning.

Erin Sauve :)

1/2/2010 12:21:17 pm

From all of the information that our class has read and learned. I personally think that the murderer's were the lady in the kimono because she was the last human seen in the hallway , and she went down one way ( towards Mr. Ratchetts room ) and never came back. My other guess is Mary Debenham because she always seemed suspicious from the start of the book , She always had something important to talk about , or she just had to be a very important connection. Therefore , my guess's are , The lady in the kimono , and Mary Debenham

Patrick

1/3/2010 01:22:41 am

Given all of the information from sections 1 and 2 I think that the murderer is mrs hubbard beacause she is a very proud woman who has a lot of money and i think she owns the nice scarlet kimono.The quote that she is rich is in section 2 page 211 "No, beacause of the sponge-bag. Oh! my, i shall have to get a new sponge-bag. It makes me feel sick at my stomach to look at this one". That prooves that she has enough money buy something new even though she has one just beacause she doesn't like it any more. Anonther reason is beacause the murder weapon was found in her sponge-bag. The quote is in section 2 page 204 "Mrs. hubbard burst in. "It's too horrible!" she cried. "It's just too horrible. in my sponge-bag. My sponge-bag! Agreat knife-all over blood!" And suddenly toppling forward, she fainted heavily on M.Bouc's shoulder". Another reason is beacause when Mr. Poirot told Mrs. Hubbard that Mr. Ratchett was murdered she rose of exitment. The quote is in section 2 page 120 ""You don't mean-?" Mrs. Hubbard half rose from her chair in exitement".

Mathew link

1/3/2010 03:58:49 am

After reading part 1 and 2 of murder on the orient express I think Mrs Hubbard killed Mr Ratchet.I think so first of all because in his room there was a handkerchief that had the initial h on it and her last name starts with the letter h. Also when Poirot was questioning her she said she heard nothing next door then later on in the chapter she said she heard a woman in his compartment so its as if she was making thing up to confuse them. Secondly she also knew he was dead the night before without being told so and she knew about the Armstrong kidnapping case. She also said "My, I'd have liked to get my hands on him". the third reason why I believe Mrs Hubbard killed ratchet is because when Poirot told her it was Mr Ratchet who was responsible for the Armstrong kidnapping case and that hes dead she half rose from her chair in excitement. Those are the reasons why i think Mrs Hubbard killed Ratchet.

Lisa Robertson

1/3/2010 04:57:12 am

Throughout the mystery book ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ by Agatha Christie I have always suspected The Colonel and Mary Debenham. While Mary was busy keeping the passengers and staff distracted. The Colonel was the actual murderer. So in conclusion a team effort altogether. Although detective Hercule Poirot and Dr. Constantine believe it was a woman. The two them together could probably plan a clever crime like this. I find that they would both have the capability. Also, Poirot observes this crime “WAS DEFINITELY PLANNED PRECISELY.” That is why I think it was both passengers.

Mary Debenham had always been very calm and composed. She was together, just like the other passengers. Yet, when the conductor informed her there was a minor delay, she went crazy! She mentioned she could NOT miss her connection. Because she had friends and family awaiting her arrival. Something that I noticed was that the Orient Express leaves each day. So Mary wouldn’t be delayed too long, only a day... At least this wasn’t a business trip, so she had no need to worry! After this, there was a more serious delay. Mary Debenham is relaxed again and doesn’t care very much about this one! It just strikes me as odd that she cared about the minor DELAY more that this greater DELAY. What supports this from the book is when Poirot observes this change too. “THE HAND THAT HELD THE WINDOW WAS NOT QUITE STEADY; MARY FLUSHED A BIT HER LIP. SHE NO LONGER FELT INCLINED TO SMILE.”

In the second section of the book Poirot questioned Mary Debenham the meaning of why the Colonel told her: When it’s behind us-then-when it’s all over. But Mary refused to tell Poirot what it really meant. Which could possibly mean murder. Maybe they do not want to get blamed for this awful crime. So together they are going to try to get out of this mess as quickly as possible. She simply replied “I HAVE NOTHI9NG MORE TO SAY” I have always been thinking why Mary Debenham is so secretive?

Olivia M. commenting on Lisa Robertson's accusation

1/3/2010 05:59:00 am

After reading Lisa's accusation, I fully agree with her about the possibility of two passengers murdering M.Ratchett. I agree with her because of her comment of the murder being a 'team effort'. While Mary Debenham was keeping the staff and passengers destracted, The Colonel went in for the kill. I also agree when she commented that they were together alot. When they were together they could have been planning the murder and how it was going to go down. Therefore those are the reasons why I agree with Lisa's reasoning of there being two murderers.

Tyler

1/3/2010 06:09:47 am

From the information from sections one and two i think the murderer is Mrs.Hubbard. I think it is Mrs.Hubbard because she is extremely proud about her family, there was a handcherchief embroided with the letter H and her last name begins with the letter H, but she seems to be very anxious to get off the train. She keeps saying "I'm so late for my boat" "what if it sails without me" and keeps talking about how she needs to get off the train. Also when M.Poirot told her Ratchett was dead she was very excited as when Poirot told her she said" You don't mean-?" half rising from her chair in excitement. She was also found with the murder wepon in her spongebag hanging on her door. My final reason for suspecting it is Mrs.Hubbard is that she said herself "I'd like to get my hands on him" This is the evidence and the reasons of why i suspect Mrs.Hubard

Jenn.

1/3/2010 06:36:18 am

Reading the novel " Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie. I have brought to my attention, a killer, the killers, him or her. Mr. Ratchette was killed by someone and something. In the book, it gives hints and clue's to who was the killer. I don't really have a killer in minde. Everyone that has been questioned has something sespicious going on about them . I think everyone has put something into this murder. But, i think they will end up finding someone who was in charge of everything, and if I'd had to guess of someone to be in charge of everything it would be the lady in the kimono , because the book mentions she left the night of the murder and close to when it happend towards the washroom, but never returned for anyone to see.
Therefor I think that there are many murdere's but the lady in the kimono would have to be one of the head killers.

Maire commenting on Kendra's Accusation

1/3/2010 08:00:26 am

I mostly agree with Kendra's accusation of Mary Debenham. I also found it rather odd that Mary Debenham seemed so upset after missing the train and their only being a 24 hour delay. The rare time that Mary Debenham lost her calmness was in that situation making it very questionable. Another reason is when a piece of evidence discovered at the crime scene was a hankerchief with the intial "H" on it. I agree that it could easily could have been Mary's since only three woman on the train have the letter "H" somewhere in their full name. Especially, since Mrs.Hubbard and Mrs. Hildegarde Schimdt claimed the hankerchief did not belong to them. The only point in which I diagree is when Kendra states Mary Debenham does show emotion but in the text is says she rarely does. These are the reasons why I mostly agree with Kendra's accusation.

Jenn commenting Erin sauve's accusation :)

1/3/2010 08:37:59 am

Thinking about what Erin communicated throughout her accusation. I agree with the lady in the kimono being a killer towards the death of mr.Ratchette. Because.. as i mentioned before in my own . I found it rather strange reading that she went to the washroom , the night of the death, and close to the time of the death.. and never returned. I automaticly thought to myself.. this lady has to have done something towards the death of Mr. Ratchette.

Dan McGruer

1/3/2010 09:00:13 am

After reding the first two parts of the novel, I believe the murderer was mostly Mrs. Hubbard, but I think everyone on the train, besides Poirot, Bouc, Constantine and Michel, had something to do with it because of the number of clues that were left in Mr. Ratchett's compartment. The reason I believe so is because Mrs. Hubbard always complained about Mr. Ratchett and she said she was "dead scared of that man" and she disliked him a lot. I also think that everybody else on the train, besides those mentioned before, cooperated with each other to murder Ratchett because of the number of clues that lead to different people. The pipe cleaner, for example, probably came from Colonel Arbuthnot because he is the only one that carries a pipe cleaner. Also because the handkerchief marked with the letter "H" on it probably means "Hubbard". Even though she denied it, she is probably lying because all murderers lie to get out of trouble. She also said she "wanted to get her hands on him". And when she heard about his death, "she half rose out of her chair in excitement". That is why I think Mrs. Hubbard is the murderer and everyone partook in it.

Brent^Colby

1/3/2010 10:05:34 am

I think it was Mrs. Hubbard who murderd Mr. Rattachet because she was stalling Mr. Poirot from searching her luggage by showing them photo's of her children. One of the quotations that led me to this accusation is " It's too horrible" Mrs. Hubbard brust in " In my sponge bag, in my sponge bag! A great knife-all over blood!" It seems as-though Mrs. Hubbard is very excited to get off the train. My second direct quoation is when she said "You don't mean!?" in excitement as Mr. Poirot told her Mr. Rattachet had been murdered.I aslo have my suspicions as why there was a hankercheif with the iniial "H" as in Hubbard in Mr. Rattachet's room. My final quotation is " The man in my compartment was the murderer, Im sure of it, who else could he of been?"

Andrew Commenting on Sarah's Accusation

1/3/2010 10:07:10 am

After reading what Sarah thought of who murdered Mr. Ratchett, I am now beginning to understand the possibility of there being two murderers. If that is the case, then I would choose Mary Debenham and Mrs. Hubbard. My first thought was that Mary Debenham was the murderer because she was involved a lot in the beginning of the storybut when the murder subject came up, she practically vanished and did not have a big part in the stroy at that time. I think the reason for that could be that she murdered Mr. Ratchett and wanted to keep a low profile so that she wouldnt be suspected. I have a problem with this move by Mary Debenham. I think that if she was highly involved in the beginning of the story, then she can't just disappear when a crime is comitted. To me, this is very suspicious and this could be a big mistake by Ms. Debenham. After reading Sarah's answer, I remembered that there is a greater possibility of there being two murderers instead of one. In this case, I believe the second murderer is Mrs. Hubbard. She has a different approach to the murder than Ms. Debenham. Mrs. Hubbard is not very involved at the beginning of the story but then around the time of the murder, she becomes more and more involved. After the crime is comitted, Mrs. Hubbard is highly involved and there seems to be a lot of clues that Mrs. Hubbard discovers. For example, when she finds the bloody knife in her sponge bag. I believe that this could just be a set up to make her seem as innocent as possible. I think that she or Mary Debenham could have slipped it in there and then made a big deal out of finding it. It seems to easy for Mrs. Hubbard to find important clues for her to have nothing to do with the crime. Therefore, I agree with Sarah's conclusion that there may be two murderers.

jaocb collins

1/3/2010 10:17:35 am

After reading sections 1 and 2 i think that mrs.Hubbard who murdered mr.Rachette. I belive this because it saud that there was a heinkercheif with the letter -H- on it. the direct quotation was,"It was a small of camdric, very daintly. In the corner was an embroidered initial H." Also that the chef de train suspected it was a woman because of how messy the killing was and how many stabs there were. Mrs.Hubbard compartement is right next to Mr.Ratchett's. It showed on the map of the wagon. She was also very worried about getting of the train to catch her boat. She kept on saying,"i'm so late for my boat, what if it sails without me."
In conlusion i think that mrs.hubbard murdered mr.ratchett because of all these reasons.

Nick Ieradi

1/4/2010 04:15:47 am

After reading section 1 and 2 i think the murderers are Mrs Hubbard and Miss Dbenham because in Mr. Ratchett's room there was found a hankerchief with the letter "H" embroided on to the tag which i think means "Hubbard" therefore i think Mrs. Hubbard was one of the possible murderers. I think Miss Debenham was one of the murderers because Miss Debenham is a very proud women and is always bragging talking about her daughter about how much she loves her. I think this is a sign of Miss Debenham being one of the possible two murderers because i think that if she killed Mr Ratchett then she might never get to see her daughter ever again so she is trying to get into Mr poirot's head so she doenst ahve to go to jail or worse because Mr Poirot might feel some sympathy for Miss Debenham and her daughter. Therefore i think Miss Debenham is one of the murderers because she loves her daughter so much and always tells Mr Poirot about so I think she is giving sins about killing him.
In conclusion, I think that Miss Debenham and Mrs Hubbard are two of the possible murderers because of the hankerchief that has the letter "H" embroided on it and Miss Debenham always talking about heer daughter so if Poirot does find find out it was her he might not send her to jail because she loves her dauighter so much and that she might get a life sentence of murder and never see her daughter again.

Nick commenting on Andrew's accusation

1/4/2010 04:25:51 am

I think Andrew is right after reading his summary of who he thinks is the murderer because it is true Miss Debenham was way to calm for having the situation of there being a murderer on the same train as here also she was always saying she could not afford a delay which also leads up to a possibility of her being the murderer. That also leads up to my summary because i thought she was one of the murderer's. Miss Debenham was also not very involved like Andrew said which gives a clue of her being a murderer because if they said to much about her it would give away the story without even reading section 3.

☺Sarah commenting on Dan's answer ☻

1/4/2010 04:37:36 am

☻☺☻I disagree with Dan because of many reasons. One is that everyone on the train was involved in the murder. I think this is a ridiculous assumption because the conductor would've noticed everyone going in and out of Mr. Ratchetts compartment. I also disagree when he said that "Mrs.Hubbard rose out of her chair with excitement" counts as a clue. There are many reasons Mrs.Hubbard may have done this, for example she might've done this out of excitment that there was a murder on the train. Or, she could've just been excited to have something to write to her daughter about. Finally, I disagree when he said that the handkercheif belonged to Mrs.Hubbard. It might belong to Mrs.Hubbard, but there are also two other women on the train whose names begin with the letter H (Hildegarde Schmidt and Mary HERMOINE Debenham.) These are the reasons I disagree with Dan's answers. ☺☻☺

Alex link

1/4/2010 04:37:44 am

As we said today Mr.Ratchett speaks english and when he was killed a wagon lit conductor came to his cabin and said something (I cant really remember) i belive it was are you ok...but anyway the voice answered "ce nest rien monsieu, je me suis trompe" so the killer is french or speaks french.

as we read today on mr.poirot's list...im looking at the type of subects they are to see if some people could be french...to "guess" the killer...who is french...

Pierre Micheal-Frenchie

Princess Dragomiroff-naturalised frenchie

it could be one of the two which is my guess's

Alex commenting Nick commenting on Andrew's accusation

1/4/2010 04:40:27 am

i agree at everything nick just said

Emilina

1/4/2010 05:33:06 am

From what we have read in The Murder on the Orient Express I still do not have someone that I can say I truly believe murdered Mr.Ratchet. Except I do have someone in mind for who I think possibly could have murdered him. I think that Mary Debenham is the possible murderer. The evidence that makes me believe that she possibly murdered Mr.Ratchett is:
The handkerchief that was embroided with an ‘H’. Her first and last name both do not start with an H, but her middle name does. There are very few people on the train who have the letter H as the beginning of their name, and if they do it is a man. Personally I do not think that any man would carry around an embroided handkerchief. I also know that it does not belong to Mrs. Hubbard because when Hercule Poirot questioned her about this handkerchief, she said “Well , now, that’s funny, but it’s certainly not mine. Mine are marked C.M.H., and they’re sensible things-- not Paris fal-lals….” So it was not Mrs.Hubbard. That leaves Mary Debenham.
Another reason why I think that it is Mary Debenham is because when Poirot was interviewing her, he mentioned Mr.Ratchet’s death and she took it as nothing, as if she didn’t care that a murder had occurred on the train. She says in the book “I am afraid I cannot have hysterics to prove my sensibility. After all, people die every day” I think that it is very suspicious that she would say something like that, how could a person not react or have something to say about the fact that someone was killed on the train.
Although I think that Mary Debenham murdered Mr.Ratchett, I still believe that other people were involved as well, because there are so many more clues that don’t just lead up to just Mary Debenham.

Dan McGruer commenting on Alex's accusation

1/4/2010 06:44:45 am

I do not think it is possible that Pierre Michel was the murderer because the murderer was in Mr. Ratchett's compartment and Michel was outside of the compartment. So Pierre Michel could not have been the murderer. However, Princess Dragomiroff might be involved.

Kendra commenting on Andrew's accusation

1/4/2010 07:20:52 am

I agree with Andrew's accusation of Mary Debenaham being the murderer because it is very strange how she showed great worry when there was a small delay back on the Taurus Express. She lost all her calm and self-control at that time. Her excuse was that she had friends awaiting her arrival, but now she is very calm and very self-controlled. Except, there is an even bigger delay and she should still have friends awaiting her arrival. That is very strange to me. Andrew also said that Mary Debenham wasn't really involved in the situation and that she only asked, "What time is it anyway?" That is very true because she doesn't seem to mind a lot about the crime, and doesn't give many details about what she did during that night. She would not explain anything during the times M. Poirot questioned her and she only answered yes or no most of the time. Mary Debenham is not at all distressed about the crime, and she just says that people die everyday. This also supports Andrew's belief of why she is not very involved in the situation and that she was way to calm in such a situation. She also becomes very agitated when M. Poirot asks her about what she thought about Ratchett's face. She believes all of M. Poirot's questioning the passenger's and checking their luggage is a waste of time. She seems to be going against the situation and not helping Poirot at all. Now, she doesn't talk very often unlike on the Taurus Express when she talked constantly with Colonel Arbuthnot. She doesn't even speak about the murder that occurred and she doesn't seem to be bothered about the whole situation. Mary isn't even disturbed about all of it anyway, she just continues her days and her journey as planned. On the Orient Express, she usually just sits and only speaks when asked. This supports Andrew's belief on how Mary Debenham is not very involved, does not seem to be disturbed and way to calm in this situation. That is why I agree with Andrew of how Mary Debenham is the murder on the Orient Express.

Mathew commenting on Maire's accusation

1/4/2010 07:25:44 am

I agree with Maire for several reasons. Firstly it is entirely true that Mrs Hubbard could be faking being innocent but actually killed him and then hid the weapon in her sponge bag. Also it was probably impossible for her to tell if there was someone in her room with her eyes closed tightly shut. Even if she was able to tell if there was someone there how would she know its a man? That is why I agree with Maire's accusations

jacob commenting on nicks omment

1/4/2010 09:17:42 am

After reading nicks comment i agreed with him on that one of the murderers is mrs.hubbard because of the fact that they found the hankercheif with the letter H on it. i also agree that mrs.debenham was also a murderer cause of the fact that she is so proud of her daughter and how great she is. But mrs.debenham would refuse to answer any of the questions that mr.poirot ask her about what happened that night and all the other things to know about her and her life.
In conclusion i agree with nick of how mrs.hubbard and mrs.debenham are the murderers of this crime on mr.ratchett. Good comment Nick!!!

Patrick commentingon Brents accusation

1/4/2010 11:16:39 am

After reading Brent's comment I agreed with him that Mrs Hubbard killed
Mr. Ratchett. However, I dont think he is right when he said that she was stalling Mr. Poirot because the searching of the luggage occured after the murder so there would be no reason to stall and it would only draw suspicion to herself. I do agree that it is rather suspicious that she rose in excitement when she heard of the murder of Mr. Ratchett.

Erin Sauve commeneting on Jenn's

1/4/2010 08:04:30 pm

After reading jen's response. I think that jen's response some what making sense , he defiantly got killed by someone , because they gave us information that he got stabbed by a right handed and a left handed person. I do not a agree about he got killed by something , because it was deffinalty a person.

Tyler commenting on Brents accusation

1/5/2010 08:24:05 am

I agree with Brent's accusation that Mrs.Hubbard is the murderer. I think that she seemed like she would have the connections to get the job done and done right. I think the she dropped the handcherchief when she was exiting Mr.Rattchet's room along with her accompliss.

Lisa Robertson

1/6/2010 09:37:32 am

I am beginning to agree with Emilina. I am starting to become confused on who is really the real murderer! To me everybody seems to be quite suspicious... nobody who was interviewed was really straight forward with Poirot, everybody seemed to be a little nervous, especially Mrs. Hubbard. If I must say another murderer I would nominate Mrs. Hubbard. Not only because the hanker chift (Like Emilina mentioned.), with the embroidered H on it. But also because she seems to be getting a lot of attention during this investigation. With the murder weapon being in her sponge bag, a scary man entering her compartment. So, in my opinion, Mrs. Hubbard is next to blame.
But like Emilina, I am beginning to become undecided.

Lisa Robertson

1/6/2010 09:54:30 am

I also forgot to mention in my last comment that Mrs.Hubbard always told Poirot that she disliked Ratchett. She said:"I am dead scared of that man!" Mrs.Hubbard expresses her emotions without even thinking. For example when she goes on and on about her 'amazing' daughter. So I am not surprised that she said this aswell!

Brent

1/7/2010 09:43:05 am

I agree with tyler, that Mrs. Hubbard killed Mr. Rattachet. The thing that made me belive this the most is when she was stalling the Mr. Poirot from searching her luggage by showing photos of her daughter.

Brent commenting on Pat'

1/7/2010 09:45:48 am

Brent commenting on Pat's comment

1/7/2010 09:47:15 am

She stalled mabey because she didn't want them to find something inn her suitcase, and they didn't find it......

Emma

1/10/2010 09:52:00 am

I suspect that Mary Debenham comited the crime because I find that she sounds very suspitious in a mater that she is trying to hide it. So to help out prove my point in the novel she states, and i quote, “I am afraid I connot have hysterics to prove my sensibility. After all, people die every day.” In explaining my first acusation I find that if , lets say you have not comited this crime chances are you wouldn’t be careless to that a humain being has just passed away on this exact train that you are on and you wouldn’t be worried. Also from my perspective if I was on that train I would be worried that this person or people would strik again.
My second thought on why she would be the murderer is because she was saying how she didn’t notice him or something. Okay she said “I hardly notice him”. Except as i would think he is a Boss or well a buisness owner of some type so I would suppose that he dresses very expensive. So I can hardlyunderstand how she said that she didn’t notice him.
My last thought on why Mary Debenham killed Mr.Ratchett is because they have been trying to figure out who wore the scarlet dressing gown and when Poirot asked if it was hers the book makes it sound like she responded right away, “No, thats not mine.” So if I weree asked that question and I wasn’t the murderer I would probably say, “Actually my dressing gown is pink”, or something like that.
There fore I think that it was Mary Debenham who comited the crime of killing Mr.Ratchett.

Emma commenting on Emilina's accusation

1/10/2010 10:04:33 am

I compleatly agree with emilina on her accusation except i do think that there is alot of information to try and find out who commited the crime. Although there is very many posibilities of murderers i compleatly agree with her choice of Mary Debenham. Also her point on how the handkeirchef with the letter "H" on it does make very much sence to why she would of had the handkeirchef becase her middle name starts with "H". There fore it makes sence that there still were clues that the novel gave us that didn't lead up to Mary Debenham comiting the crime.

Ally

1/28/2010 09:31:45 am

Mr. Mac, what are we going to do with this website if you're not our teacher? :O

Mr. Mac's Murder on the Orient Express Blog

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