Abe Slaney is the primary antagonist of 'The Adventure of the Dancing Men'. He is an American criminal who was engaged to Elsie Patrick, the daughter of the Chicago crime boss for whom Slaney worked. When Elsie fled to England and married country squire Hilton Cubitt, Slaney became determined to get her back. He stalks Elsie at her husband's Norfolk estate Ridling Thorpe Manor, leaving messages written in the dancing men cipher for her. He arranges a meeting to talk with Elsie personally via cipher messages written on the walls. When they meet during the night, Hilton Cubitt himself rushes into the room. In fear for his life, Slaney fatally shoots Cubitt and flees, causing Elsie to unsuccessfully attempt suicide by gunshot. When Holmes arrives back in Norfolk, he uses the dancing men cipher, which he had recently decoded, to ask Slaney (whom Holmes believes to be living nearby due to his frequent back-and-forth) to meet him at the manor. Believing the message to be from Elsie and that she wishes to marry him, he unsuspectingly travels to Ridling Thorpe. There, he is met by several police-constables as well as Holmes and Watson. He is shocked that Holmes had been able to decipher the dancing men. He is then informed that Cubitt is dead and that Elsie had attempted suicide due to Slaney's actions, for which he expresses regret. Slaney is arrested and is at first sentenced to be hanged, but his sentence is commuted to a prison term when it is proven that Cubitt had fired first and that Slaney had killed him in self-defence.