第二个故事，The Redheaded League, 红发会。也是一个在柯南里提到过的有名的案子。
一个秋天的夜晚，华生去贝克街拜访老友的时候，正赶上一位红发的访客在讲他最近遇到的一件奇事。福尔摩斯说：“你来的正是时候啊，华生。我相信你会发现这位先生讲的故事极为有趣。它正说明了我一直以来对你说的——事实有时比虚构的小说还要奇怪，而且，案子的最微小处有时候是最精彩的。”
“You are just in time, Watson," said Holmes. "I believe you will find this gentleman's tale most interesting. It could prove what I have told you all along -- that truth is stranger than fiction. And that the smallest of crimes are sometimes the most interesting."
这位红头发的访客说，整件事情开始于报纸上的一则招聘广告：
To the Redheaded League:
At the request of the late Ezekiah Hopkins, of Lebanon Pennsylvania, U.S.A., employment is available to a redheaded man who is of sound body and mind, and is above the age of 21. The successful applicant will receive a salary. Please apply in person on Monday, at eleven o'clock, to Duncan Ross, at 7 Pope's Court, Fleet Street.
这个广告说，有工作提供给红头发的、身心健康的21岁以上的成年男子。被录取者将得到薪水。如有意申请，请亲自于周一前往某地。
红头发访客，Wilson先生解释说，他自己开了一个小小的买卖二手物品的店，但赚得钱不多，仅能唯持生计。店里唯一的一位帮工，也是因为他只要求一半的薪水才能雇得起。而且他仔细地介绍了一下这位帮工，Vincent Spaulding, 因为正是这位Spaulding先生给他看了这则招聘广告。这位帮工是位不错的工人，但唯一美中不足的是花太多时间在他的兴趣爱好上——摄影。他拍很多照片，然后花几个小时呆在地下室的暗房里。
"I barely make enough to live on. I wouldn't even be able to pay my helper, except that he is willing to work for half of what I should be paying him, just so he can learn the business.
"His name is Vincent Spaulding, and he's a fine worker. My only complaint is that he spends too much time with his hobby -- photography. He takes pictures, then spends hours in his darkroom in the shop basement.
正是这个人，某天给他看了这则招聘红发男士的广告，然后极力怂恿他去应聘。于是他就去了。结果到了地方一看，整个大街全挤满了红头发的男人。他们都是来应聘这份工作的。他正要打退堂鼓，这个Spaulding先生亲自带着他穿过人群来到办公室门口等待。不久之后，他就轮到了，而且莫名其妙的就被录用了。他被告知他的工作就是从上午10点工作到下午2点。当他解释说自己有个店要运营的时候，那个人说会很高兴地替他照看他的生意。而他只需要在规定的时间段里到这边来抄写《大不列颠百科全书》。这份工作第二天就开始。
“He told me I would need to work from ten in the morning until two in the afternoon. I explained that I had a shop to run. But Spaulding told us he would be happy to look after the business for me.
"I was told that my task would be to copy the Encyclopedia Britannica. I was to start the very next day.
他接受了这份工作，便每日前去抄写百科全书。如此持续了8周，正要把A字母部分全部抄完并有望开始抄字母B部分的时候，所有这一切都忽然终止了。就在这天上午，他如往常一样前去办公室，发现门是锁着的，外面挂了一块牌子, 上面写着红发会将不再继续。他还把牌子带来给福尔摩斯过目了。
“This morning, I went to the office as usual. But the door was locked. A small sign hung on the door. You can read it yourself. " He handed Holmes the sign. It read:
The Redheaded League is no more. October 9, 1890.
福尔摩斯听完他的讲述，问了好几个问题，都与那个愿意只拿一半薪水来上班的帮工。然后，当Wilson离去之后，他坐下来想了大约50分钟，然后突然跳起来，问华生能不能陪他去Wilson开的那家店里去看看。
他们来到那家商店的前面，福尔摩斯沿着街道走过来又走过去，仔细地看了每一个房子，然后才回到商店的前面。他还用他的手杖敲了敲人行道。最后，来去敲了敲店门，来应门的正好是那位帮工，他于是假借问路，那位帮工见了面，并说了几句话。
Before long, Sherlock Holmes and I were standing in front of Wilson's shop. My friend walked up the quiet street, then down, looking? carefully at all the houses. He stopped in front of the shop again. With his walking stick, he tapped loudly on the sidewalk. Finally, he went to the shop door and knocked. A young, clean-shaven man answered.
然后，他们又转去了这个店的后面，发现后面是一条繁忙的大道，车水马龙。有一家烟草店，一家报馆，一家银行，一家餐厅，及一家马车店。
"There is Mortimer's tobacco shop, a newspaper shop, then the City and Suburban Bank, a restaurant, and McFarlane's carriage shop. Most interesting."
然后，福尔摩斯便说没什么可看的了，他约华生医生去附近的音乐厅欣赏了一场音乐会，然后跟他约好晚上10点带着枪来贝克街，两个人就各自回家了。