2018 Treasure Hunt Six Results

‘The ideal reasoner,’ he remarked, ‘would, when he has once been shown a single fact in all its bearings, deduce from it not only all the chain of events which led up to it, but also all the results which would follow from it.’

Hello Watsonians—

The month of August is, as always, Treasure Hunt month for the John H Watson Society. Knowing the many hours required to finish the Treasure Hunt, we are always gratified to see the number of entries submitted. After many hours of scoring today with the help of Sheila Holtgrieve (JHWS ‘Daisy’), I am happy to announce the results of TH6: Every Link Rings True.

Individual Competition 

For the third consecutive year, High Honors in the difficult Individual Category goes to Michael Ellis with 70 points of the 74 available. Denny Dobry earns Honors in this category with 66 points.

Two competitors new to the individual category earned our O.V.E. (Order of the Valiant Effort) Award: Brad Keefauver with 52 points, and Carmen Savino with 50 points.  Honorable Mention to first time participant Paul Thomas Miller and returning competitor Gerry Turnbull who each earned 35 points before their time ran short.

Team Competition

Returning team ‘Experience of Canon’ earns High Honors in the team category with 66 points; team members are Beth Gallego, Paul Hartnett, and Ron Lies.  Honors go to the ‘Uno Studio in Holmes’ team with 65 points; team members include Stefano Guerra, Michele Lopez, Vera Mazzotta, Gianluca Salvatori, and Enrico Solito.

O.V.E. awards in this category go to ‘The Retired Beekeepers of Sussex’ with 60 points, and the ‘Sound of the Baskervilles’ with 58 points.  The Beekeepers team members are Elinor Gray, Rowan MacBean, and Cheryl LeBlanc-Weldon.  Cameron Brandon, Lauren Messenger, Sunny Even, and Francis Bond represented the SOBs.

We send a Shout-Out to our Treasure Hunt friend Anne Nelson who managed 16 points while traveling across South Korea; she said she plans to finish it just for the fun of it after she returns home.  “Just for the fun of it” is music to the Treasure Hunt master’s ears.

Thank you all for joining in the fun.  I send many thanks to Sheila Holtgrieve for her proof-reading and scoring research assistance; as always, her good humor and phenomenal Canon knowledge made the work enjoyable. I will be contacting all the participants concerning addresses for the delivery of the small mementos.  You will find the answers attached.

I have enjoyed serving as Treasure Hunt Master this year. I appreciate your participation, patience and good humor.

Margie Deck

JHWS/ ‘Mopsy’

2018 TH6 Answers

48 Hours and those unfinished Treasure Hunts

Things have taken a turn which I could not have anticipated. In some ways they have within the last forty-eight hours become much clearer and in some ways they have become more complicated. But I will tell you all and you shall judge for yourself.

Hello Treasure Hunters–

We are now just shy of 48 hours (Hawaii Standard Time) from the end of the 2018 Treasure Hunt.  If you find yourself a few answers short near the deadline, I hope you will submit the work you have.  Many participants do not finish, and that is okay.  We want to acknowledge your effort, finished or unfinished.

If you can not bring yourself to submit an incomplete document, please do send me a brief email telling me about your experience.  It is always helpful and encouraging to hear from anyone who gave it a try.

Results will be posted as quickly as possible.  Like our good doctor wrote to Holmes concerning the  mission at Baskerville Hall: ‘I will tell you all.’

Margie/ JHWS ‘Mopsy’

treasurehunt@johnhwatsonsociety.com

 

 

Ten day countdown to the end of Treasure Hunt 6

‘It was a prosaic way of forming a friendship, but it was effective. I was laid by the heels for ten days, and Trevor used to come in to inquire after me.’

Hello Treasure Hunters–

We are now ten days out from the end of TH6:EveryLinkRingsTrue.  The forum has been strangely quiet; I am unsure if that silence is good news or a bad omen.  Hopefully it means hunters are having success and do not need any clarifications from me.

Finished hunts are accepted at treasurehunt@johnhwatsonsociety.com until it is no longer August in any (earthly) time zone.  If you haven’t started yet, there is still time to play.  [The first submissions for this year were received in the first ten days or so of the month!]

In the meanwhile, I shall be here, laid by the heels, awaiting your responses.

Margie/ JHWS ‘Mopsy’

 

The 2018 Treasure Hunt is on!

Hello Treasure Hunters!

It is now August 1, 2018, in India; in honor of our returning competitors from The Sherlock Holmes Society of India, I am posting the 2018 Treasure Hunt now although it is not quite August 1 for many of us.

As always, a forum has been opened on the Quiz page for questions, clarifications, complaints, etc.  I will respond to any postings as quickly as possible. It is possible you will find an error despite many hours of proofing/checking.  If you do not, thank Sheila Holtgrieve (JHWS Daisy) for her excellent proof-reading. If you do find errors, I am at fault as I continued to make small changes to the document after she finished proofing.  Any needed corrections will be posted to the forum.  Please check it from time to time.

Please don’t forget the hunt is scored on a point system.  Therefore, if you know part of a question (Who?), but not the other part (What?), please add the part you do know to your document.  You will receive credit for each individual part of the question that is answered correctly. Point values are clearly marked on the document.

I have uploaded the Treasure Hunt in Microsoft Word (.docx) and in .pdf. Please see the rules page for instructions for submitting your finished hunt.  Answers will be accepted until it is no longer August 31 anywhere in the world.

Ok, on you go…Happy Hunting!

Margie/ JHWS ‘Mopsy’

2018 TH6 Questions

2018 TH6 Questions

 

“If the cycle of nine days holds good” [CREE]

Prepare your thinking cap and get out your favorite Sherlockian reference books. Nine days from today, we will begin the Sixth Annual John H Watson Society Treasure Hunt.

Our “Mopsy” has designed this year’s Hunt as a special edition of 50 questions, the answers to all of which form a chain from one to the next.

Several teams have already let our Treasure Hunt Master know they’ll be competing, but individuals and teams around the world are welcome to jump in any time during the month of August!

‘It is so long a chain, and yet every link rings true.’

TH6: Every Link Rings True warm up game results

Hello Watsonians–

As Friday the 13th is upon us, the time for submitting responses to the TH6: Every Link Rings True warm-up game has passed.  Correct answers for this quiz — brilliantly re-named by Paul Hartnett as ‘The Singular Warm Up of the Three Canonical Percys’– were submitted by two individuals, and one team practicing for the real thing.

Congratulations to:

Paul Hartnett/ JHWS ‘Scout’

Michele Lopez/ JHWS ‘Reggie’

Sound of the Baskervilles 2018 Treasure Hunt Team– Lauren Messenger, David Haugen, Sondra Even

The answers are found below.

Many thanks for your time and attention,

Margie/ JHWS ‘Mopsy’

1–Find the exciting professional expert who generated considerable interest in his work. Who?

Answer: Percy Trevelyan

After I had graduated I continued to devote myself to research, occupying a minor position in King’s College Hospital, and I was fortunate enough to excite considerable interest by my research into the pathology of catalepsy, and finally to win the Bruce Pinkerton prize and medal by the monograph on nervous lesions to which your friend has just alluded… ‘You are the same Percy Trevelyan who has had so distinguished a career and won a great prize lately?’ said he.  (RESI)

2–With Holmes’s questioning description of [ the answer to number one] in mind, find the ahead-of-Watson smart boy who went to college. Who?

Answer: Percy Phelps

During my school-days I had been intimately associated with a lad named Percy Phelps, who was of much the same age as myself, though he was two classes ahead of me. He was a very brilliant boy, and carried away every prize which the school had to offer, finishing his exploits by winning a scholarship, which sent him on to continue his triumphant career at Cambridge.  He was, I remember, extremely well connected and even when we were all little boys together, we knew that his mother’s brother was Lord Holdhurst, the great Conservative politician.  This gaudy relationship did him little good at school; on the contrary, it seemed rather a piquant thing to us to chevy him about the playground and hit him over the shins with a wicket.  (NAVA)

3–Consider [the answers to numbers one and two], and then find the friend who fails to make eye contact, and, therefore, fails his fiancee. Who?

Answer: Percy Armitage

The very horror of my situation lies in the fact that my fears are so vague, and my suspicions depend so entirely upon small points, which might seem trivial to another, that even he to whom of all others I have a right to look for help and advice looks upon all that I tell him about it as the fancies of a nervous woman.  He does not say so, but I can read it from his soothing answers and averted eyes… A month ago, however, a dear friend, whom I have known for many years, has done me the honour to ask my hand in marriage. His name is Armitage – Percy Armitage – the second son of Mr. Armitage, of Crane Water, near Reading.  My stepfather has offered no opposition to the match, and we are to be married in the course of the spring. (SPEC)

A little extra help for the TH6 warmup game

Hi Watsonians–

I’ve received a couple of good responses to the warmup game.  Our players are getting a little tripped up with question three–which makes perfect sense as question three is a bit tricky, and this quiz style is different than our norm.

When working on the actual hunt, you would have a question number 4 that would link back to number 3–giving you more information to help you with number 3 should you need it.  Here is a sample of a possible ‘Question 4’ for this game:

4. The fiancee of [the answer to number three] lives with a man who is crushed by a huge debt. Who is the man?

The game is open through the 13th.

Good luck!

Margie/ JHWS ‘Mopsy’

 

Kindly whisper “Norbury” in my ear…and the first TH6 warm up game

Hi Watsonians–

I recently posted the first warm up game for the upcoming Treasure Hunt; however, today I realized I posted my first draft rather than the finished one.  Egad!

If you are interested in playing the first game, please find the finished questions below.  Please send answers to treasurehunt@johnhwatsonsociety.com by July 13–I am extending the date due to my error.

Your blushing Treasure Hunt Less-than-Master,

Margie/ JHWS ‘Mopsy’

1. Find the exciting professional expert who generated considerable interest in his work. Who?

2. With Holmes’s questioning description of [ the answer to number one] in mind, find the ahead-of-Watson smart boy who went to college. Who?

3. Consider [the answers to numbers one and two], and then find the friend who fails to make eye contact, and, therefore, fails his fiancee. Who?

 

TH6: Every Link Rings True countdown, warm up one

Hi Watsonians,

We are now exactly four weeks away from the beginning of the 2018 Treasure Hunt.  After four months of work, the document is finished.  Many thanks to our ‘Daisy’, Sheila Holtgrieve, for serving as reader this year, spending considerable time reading and solving the finished hunt; her feedback was very helpful to me.  Her response is favorable, so I think we might be set.

To better acquaint you with the style/structure of this year’s 50-question hunt, I will post a few sample links for you to practice with.  You will find the first warm-up link below.

Drop me a note to treasurehunt@johnhwatsonsociety.com if you wish to play along; answers will be posted next Tuesday, July 10.

Thanks,

Margie/ JHWS ‘Mopsy’

“It is so long a chain, and yet every link rings true.”

1.  Find the exciting worker who generated considerable interest in his work. Who?

2.  With Holmes’s questioning description of [ the answer to number one] in mind, find the smart boy who went to college.  Who?

3.  Consider [the answers to numbers one and two], and then find the friend who fails to make eye contact, and, therefore, fails the lady. Who?

 

 

TH6: Every Link Rings True 1-Question Pop Quiz Results & Answers

Hi Watsonians,

The 17th deadline for submissions for the 1-question pop quiz has passed, and the result feels a bit like the scene from “Casablanca”: Time to round up the usual suspects.  As before, Ron ‘Chips’ Lies and Sheila ‘Daisy’ Holtgrieve submitted perfect answers.

I hope a few more of you had some fun thinking about the possibilities.  Work continues on TH6: Every Link Rings True, and the final draft will be finished in a few weeks.  Having taken to heart the good response to the second TH warm up game, I am writing the hunt to closely match the style of the second game.

Time to get your teams ready!

Margie/ JHWS ‘Mopsy’

‘It is so long a chain, and yet every link rings true.’

TH6: Every Link Rings True 4th Warm Up Quiz: 1 Big Question

Holmes and Watson once had very similar solo experiences—many years apart. Their descriptions of their individual experiences were marked by eerily similar loneliness, mystery, shadows, sundown, and fauna.  Where was Watson? What year was Watson there? Where was Holmes? What year was Holmes there? What fauna?

Answer—

Holmes: Bathing Pool, beach at Sussex Downs/1907/Sea-birds

Watson: Moor/1889/Gull or Curlew

Holmes

Date: ‘ It occurred after my withdrawal to my little Sussex home …Towards the end of July 1907, there was a severe gale, the wind blowing up-Channel, heaping the seas to the base of the cliffs, and leaving a lagoon at the turn of the tide.’

Event: ‘From The Gables I walked down to the bathing pool. The sun had sunk and the shadow of the great cliff lay black across the water, which glimmered dully like a sheet of lead. The place was deserted and there was no sign of life save for two Sea-birds circling and screaming overhead. In the fading light I could dimly make out the little dog’s spoor upon the sand round the very rock on which his master’s towel had been laid. For a long time I stood in deep meditation while the shadows grew darker around me.’ (LION)

Watson

Date: ‘To James Mortimer, MRCS, from his friends of the CCH’, was engraved upon it, with the date ‘1884’…. What was he, then? If he was in the hospital and yet not on the staff, he could only have been a house-surgeon or a house-physician – little more than a senior student. And he left five years ago – the date is on the stick’  (1884 + 5 = 1889)*

(*We realize there is some disagreement among the chronologists with this dating but we are electing to believe Sherlock Holmes.)

Event: ‘The sun was already sinking when I reached the summit of the hill, and the long slopes beneath me were all golden-green on one side and gray shadow on the other. A haze lay low upon the farthest sky-line, out of which jutted the fantastic shapes of Belliver and Vixen Tor. Over the wide expanse there was no sound and no movement. One great grey bird, a gull or curlew, soared aloft in the blue heaven. He and I seemed to be the only living things between the huge arch of the sky and the desert beneath it. The barren scene, the sense of loneliness, and the mystery and urgency of my task all struck a chill into my heart.’ (HOUN)

 

 

 

TH6: Every Link Rings True 1-Question Pop Quiz

Hello Watsonians,

I know I promised to be quiet for awhile, but while working on TH6 I came across an interesting serendipity.  While my happy discovery ultimately proved unworkable as part of the actual treasure hunt, it is perfect for a one-(big)-question pop quiz.  I hope you will agree, and decide to give this one a go.

Answers should be submitted to treasurehunt@johnhwatsonsociety.com no later than May 17.

Now, back to it…

Margie/  JHWS ‘Mopsy’

‘It is so long a chain, and yet every link rings true.’

Holmes and Watson once had very similar solo experiences—many years apart. Their descriptions of their individual experiences were marked by eerily similar loneliness, mystery, shadows, sundown, and fauna.

Where was Watson? What year was Watson there?

Where was Holmes? What year was Holmes there?

What fauna?

Helpful hint: Sherlock Holmes once told Dr. Watson: “We are moving in exalted circles.” Do not let the circles go over your head.

TH6: Every Link Rings True 3rd Warm Up Game Results and Answers

Hello Watsonians,

The 3rd TH6 warm-up game proved to be quite challenging.  Two of our intrepid quiz masters managed to correctly answer all five questions after a few strategy discussions. Congratulations to Sheila ‘Daisy’ Holtgrieve and Ron ‘Chips’ Lies for a job well done.

I want to thank all of you who took the time to participate in the three warm up games.  Each game helped me to better understand which puzzle types work best; my goal is to write a hunt that is challenging and fun. If time permits, we might have one more warm up game closer to the August hunt.

As always, I appreciate your participation and enthusiasm.

Margie/ JHWS ‘Mopsy’

‘It is so long a chain, and yet every link rings true.’

  1. According to Holmes, these prevent the world from being dull. What?

Answer: lunatics

‘I was wondering whether he could have buried something. Of course, when people bury treasure nowadays they do it in the Post Office bank. But there are always some lunatics about. It would be a dull world without them.’ (3GAB)

2.Probably a (answer to number one) broke it to atoms. What?

Answer: bust of Napoleon

‘’In Kennington Road, and within a few hundred yards of Morse Hudson’s shop, there lives a well-known medical practitioner, named Dr Barnicot,..Some little time ago he purchased from Morse Hudson two duplicate plaster casts of the famous head of Napoleon by the French sculptor Devine. One of these he placed in his hall in the house at Kennington Road, and the other on the mantelpiece of the surgery at Lower Brixton.…Dr Barnicot was due at his surgery at twelve o’clock, and you can imagine his amazement when, on arriving there, he found that the window had been opened in the night, and that the broken pieces of his second bust were strewn all over the room.  It had been smashed to atoms where it stood.  In neither case were there any signs which could give us a clue as to the criminal or lunatic who had done the mischief.’ (SIXN)

  1. With the (answer to number two) in mind, count the pieces in the container. How many?

Answer: two thousand

‘We had occasion some months ago to strengthen our resources, and borrowed, for that purpose, thirty thousand Napoleons from the Bank of France.  It has become known that we have never had occasion to unpack the money, and that it is still lying in our cellar.  The crate upon which I sit contains two thousand Napoleons packed between layers of lead foil. Our reserve of bullion is much larger at present than is usually kept in a single branch office, and the directors have had misgivings upon the subject.’ (REDH)

  1. Value (the answer to number three) times a hundred to determine who proposed a bribe which Holmes found amusing. Who?

Answer:  Killer Evans

‘Yes, sir,’ said our prisoner, staggering slowly to his feet and then sinking into the chair.  ‘The greatest counterfeiter London ever saw. That’s Prescott’s machine, and those bundles on the table are two thousand of Prescott’s notes worth a hundred each and fit to pass anywhere. Help yourselves, gentlemen. Call it a deal and let me beat it. ‘Holmes laughed. ‘We don’t do things like that, Mr Evans.’…So those are the facts about Killer Evans and his remarkable invention of the three Garridebs. (3GAR)

  1. Someone with the same surname as (answer to number four) and someone else sailed together on at least two different vessels. The life of the someone else was defined by two sets of initials. Who? What initials?

Answer: Old Trevor, J.P., J.A.

‘Old Trevor was evidently a man of some wealth and consideration, a J.P. and a landed proprietor… ‘”And you have been most intimately associated with someone whose initials were J.A., and whom you afterwards were eager to entirely forget.’

‘My name, dear lad, is not Trevor. I was James Armitage in my younger days, and you can understand now the shock that it was to me a few weeks ago when your college friend addressed me in words which seemed to imply that he had surmised my secret…’

‘I did so, and found my other neighbour to be a young fellow in much the same position as myself, whose crime had been forgery. His name was Evans but he afterwards changed it, like myself, and he is now a rich and prosperous man in the South of England.’

‘Next day we were picked up by the brig Hotspur, bound for Australia, whose captain found no difficulty in believing that we were the survivors of a passenger ship which had foundered.  The transport ship, Gloria Scott, was set down by the Admiralty as being lost at sea, and no word has ever leaked out as to her true fate. After an excellent voyage the Hotspur landed us at Sydney, where Evans and I changed our names and made our way to the diggings, where among the crowds who were gathered from all nations, we had no difficulty in losing our former identities.  (GLOR)

Helpful Hint— Sherlock Holmes said, “Education never ends, Watson.”  See where it leads the party.

‘Our boat lay, rising and falling, upon the long, smooth rollers, and Evans and I, who were the most educated of the party, were sitting in the sheets working out our position and planning what coast we should make for…’ (GLOR)

Clarification for TH6: Every Link Rings True 3rd Warm Up Game

Hi Watsonians–

I have heard the 3rd TH6 Warm-Up Game may be a bit too….ambiguous. To help correct the situation, I have added four words to the game.  These four words should make solving the thing much easier.

Since a change is being made, the deadline to submit answers is changed as well.  Please send your answers to treasurehunt@johnhwatsonsociety.com no later than April 15.

Your obedient servant,

Margie/ ‘Mopsy’

‘It is so long a chain, and yet every link rings true.’

1. According to Holmes, these prevent the world from being dull. What?

2. Probably a (answer to number one) broke it to atoms. What?

3. With the (answer to number two) in mind, count the pieces in the container. How many?

4. Value (the answer to number three) times a hundred to determine who proposed a bribe which Holmes found amusing.  Who?

5. A person with the same surname as (answer to number four) and ‘someone else’ sailed together on at least two different vessels.  The life of the’ someone else’ was defined by two sets of initials.  Who is ‘someone else’?  What initials?

Helpful Hint— Sherlock Holmes said, “Education never ends, Watson.”  See where it leads the party.

TH6: Every Link Rings True 3rd Warm Up Game

Hello Watsonians!

Last month, we had some fun with a practice game in anticipation of the annual Treasure Hunt.  Participation was good, and I received some nice comments.  Want to try another one?

You will find below five questions for the 3rd practice  round for TH6:Every Link Rings True .  Please do not post any answers here; send answers to treasurehunt@johnhwatsonsociety.com.  Answers are due no later than April 11th.

Good luck!

Margie/JHWS ‘Mopsy’

‘It is so long a chain, and yet every link rings true.’

1. According to Holmes, these prevent the world from being dull. What?

2. Probably a (answer to number one) broke it. What?

3. With the (answer to number two) in mind, count the pieces in the container. How many?

4. Value (the answer to number three) times a hundred to determine who proposed a bribe which Holmes found amusing.  Who?

5. A person with the same surname as (answer to number four) and ‘someone else’ sailed together on at least two different vessels.  The life of the’ someone else’ was defined by two sets of initials.  Who is ‘someone else’?  What initials?

Helpful Hint— Sherlock Holmes said, “Education never ends, Watson.”  See where it leads.

TH6: Every Link Rings True 2nd Warm Up Game Answers

Hi All–

‘Roxie’ (Sandy Kozinn) kindly reminded me that I failed to post the answers to the game when I posted the results last week.  Sorry about that.  Please see below.

Thank for the interest!

Margie/ JHWS ‘Mopsy’

1. According to Watson, Holmes never stood here. Where?

Answer: the dock

Such extenuating circumstances came out in the trial that the sentence, as will be remembered, was the lowest that was possible for such an offence. Sherlock Holmes was threatened with a prosecution for burglary, but when an object is good and a client is sufficiently illustrious, even the rigid British law becomes human and elastic. My friend has not yet stood in the dock. (ILLU)

2. Find the slip of a girl who prevented her friend from standing where Holmes never stood. Who?

Answer: Miss Morrison

It was not easy to pick one’s steps, but on the whole I was inclined to dismiss the idea that there had been anything between the Colonel and Miss Morrison, but more than ever convinced that the young lady held the clue as to what it was which had turned Mrs Barclay to hatred of her husband.  I took the obvious course, therefore, of calling upon Miss Morrison, of explaining to her that I was perfectly certain that she held the facts in her possession, and of assuring her that her friend, Mrs Barclay, might find herself in the dock upon a capital charge unless the matter were cleared up. Miss Morrison is a little, ethereal slip of a girl, with timid eyes and blonde hair, but I found her by no means wanting in shrewdness and common sense. She sat thinking for some time after I had spoken, and then turning to me with a brisk air of resolution, she broke into a remarkable statement, which I will condense for your benefit. (CROO)

3. A lady with an identical surname to [the answer to question two] was mentioned only once as part of a well-baited trap. Who?

Answer: Annie Morrison

‘It is very much the sort of thing that I expected,’ said he. ‘Of course, we do not yet know what the relations may have been between Alec Cunningham, William Kirwan, and Annie Morrison. The result shows that the trap was skillfully baited. (REIG)

Tracey, Encyclopedia Sherlockiana, p. 248: Morrison, Annie, a woman mentioned in the note from the Cunninghams to William Kirwin, though her role in the case is uncertain.

4. A lady with the same first name as [the answer to question three] had a brother who did not think Holmes was very clever after all. Which brother?

Answer: Joseph Harrison

‘Of course you saw the “J. H.” monogram on my locket,’ said he.  ‘For a moment I thought you had done something clever.  Joseph Harrison is my name, and as Percy is to marry my sister Annie, I shall at least be a relation by marriage.  You will find my sister in his room, for she has nursed him hand-and-foot these two months back.  Perhaps we had better go in at once, for I know how impatient he is.’ (NAVA)

5. With the first name of [the answer to question four] in mind, look in the pocket and find the poet. Who?

Answer: Giovanni Boccaccio

‘’You’re sure it doesn’t simplify them?’ observed Holmes.  ‘There’s nothing to be learned by staring at it. What did you find in his pockets?’ ‘We have it all here,’ said Gregson, pointing to a litter of objects upon one of the bottom steps of the stairs ‘A gold watch, No. 97163, by Barraud, of London. ..No purse, but loose money to the extent of seven pounds thirteen. Pocket edition of Boccaccio’s Decameron, with name of Joseph Stangerson upon the fly-leaf. Two letters – one addressed to E. J. Drebber and one to Joseph Stangerson.’ (STUD)

Wikipedia: Giovanni Boccaccio (/boʊˈkɑːtʃioʊ, bə-, -tʃoʊ/; Italian: [dʒoˈvanni bokˈkattʃo]; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375)[1] was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Boccaccio wrote a number of notable works, including The Decameron and On Famous Women. He wrote his imaginative literature mostly in the Italian vernacular, as well as other works in Latin, and is particularly noted for his realistic dialogue which differed from that of his contemporaries, medieval writers who usually followed formulaic models for character and plot.

Helpful hint: Do not look in Holmes’s pocket

‘No, sir, I shall approach this case from the point of view that what this young man says is true, and we shall see whither that hypothesis will lead us. And now here is my pocket Petrarch, and not another word shall I say of this case until we are on the scene of action. We lunch at Swindon, and I see that we shall be there in twenty minutes.’ (BOSC)

 

 

TH6: Every Link Rings True 2nd Warm Up Game Results

Hello Watsonians,

The time has passed to submit answers for our second TH6:Every Link Rings True warm-up game.  Responses to this game came quickly, with our ‘Calder’ /Brad Keefauver sending the answers almost before I posted the questions.  He was fast and 100% accurate.

Several others quickly followed with correct answers as well: Roger Johnson/ ‘Count’, Richard Olken/ ‘Palmer’, Denny Dobry, Paul Harnett/ ‘Scout’, Sheila Holtgrieve/ ‘Daisy’, Beth Gallego/ ‘Selena’, Ron Lies/ ‘Chips’, and Michele Lopez/ ‘Reggie’

Congratulations to all of you for a game well-played!  You are all in fine form for the 2018 Treasure Hunt.  I will be back soon with another small warm-up challenge.

Many thanks for playing!

Margie/ JHWS ‘Mopsy’

‘It is so long a chain, and yet every link rings true.’

TH6: Every Link Rings True 2nd Warm Up Game

Hello Watsonians!

Last month, we had a little fun with an introductory practice game in anticipation of the annual Treasure Hunt.  This month we continue the practice for TH6:Every Link Rings True with a second warm up game.

You will find the five questions for the practice posted below.  Please do not post any answers here; send answers to treasurehunt@johnhwatsonsociety.com.  Answers are due no later than March 11th.

Won’t you play along?

Margie/JHWS ‘Mopsy’

‘It is so long a chain, and yet every link rings true.’

1. According to Watson, Holmes never stood here.  Where?

2. Find the slip of a girl who prevented her friend from standing where Holmes never stood.  Who?

3. A lady with an identical surname to [the answer to question two] was mentioned only once as part of a well-baited trap.  Who?

4. A lady with the same first name as [the answer to question three] had a brother who did not think Holmes was very clever after all.  Which brother?

5. With the first name of [the answer to question four] in mind, look in the pocket and find the poet. Which poet?

Helpful hint: Do not look in Holmes’s pocket.

TH6: A Little Game Results & Answers

Hi Watsonians–

The first warm up game for TH6:EveryLinkRingsTrue is over and the results are in.  The first Watsonian to correctly answer all five questions is none other than our amazing leader ‘Selena Buttons’ (Beth Gallego).   Several other Watsonians gave it a go and most succeeded in answering all questions correctly.

Congratulations to Beth and all our participants: Ron Lies/ ‘Chips’, Richard Olken/ ‘Palmer’,  Paul Hartnett/ ‘Scout’, Sheila Holtgrieve/ ‘Daisy’, and Michele Lopez/ ‘Reggie’.

We will have a few more short games to practice this quiz style prior to the start of the Treasure Hunt.  The answers are posted below.

Many thanks to all of you that played the game!

Margie/ JHWS ‘Mopsy’

  1. In ten minutes or less, accept a child. With the child in mind, choose 4 brief letters

Answer:  YELL

‘It was a long two minutes before Grant Munro broke the silence, and when his answer came it was one of which I love to think. He lifted the little child, kissed her, and then, still carrying her, he held his other hand out to his wife, and turned towards the door.’ (YELL)

‘The Yellow Face’ = YELL

In some editions, two minutes is changed to ten minutes.  See Klinger Annotated, VOL 1, p. 472, note 25.

  1. Turn your four letters into a verb, send it across the moor, and confirm who it is not. Who

Answer: Sir Henry Baskerville

‘A terrible scream – a prolonged yell of horror and anguish burst out of the silence of the moor.  That frightful cry turned the blood to ice in my veins. ‘Oh, my God!’ I gasped. ‘What is it? What does it mean?’…Blindly we ran through the gloom, blundering against boulders, forcing our way through gorse bushes, panting up hills and rushing down slopes, heading always in the direction whence those dreadful sounds had come. At every rise Holmes looked eagerly round him, but the shadows were thick upon the moor and nothing moved upon its dreary face. And it shone upon something else which turned our hearts sick and faint within us – the body of Sir Henry Baskerville!….Good heavens, are you mad?’ He had uttered a cry and bent over the body. Now he was dancing and laughing and wringing my hand. Could this be my stem, self-contained friend? These were hidden fires, indeed! ‘A beard?”It is not the Baronet – it is – why, it is my neighbour, the convict!’ (HOUN)

  1. Find a restorative for [the answer to #2], and then find the soldier who supposedly took an expanded version of the same. What expanded restorative?

Answer: Voyage round the world

‘Sir Henry and Dr Mortimer were, however, in London, on their way to that long voyage which had been recommended for the restoration of his shattered nerves.’ (HOUN)

‘I waited a bit and then I wrote again. This time I had a reply, short and gruff.  Godfrey had gone on a voyage round the world, and it was not likely that he would be back for a year. That was all.  ‘I wasn’t satisfied, Mr Holmes…Is it not natural that I should wonder at his sudden silence and should wish to know what has become of him?”… I spoke to the station-master and also to the innkeeper in the village. I simply asked if they knew anything of my old comrade, Godfrey Emsworth. Both of them assured me that he had gone for a voyage round the world. He had come home and then had almost at once started off again. The story was evidently universally accepted.’ (BLAN)

  1. Compound the cost for a lady to have a similar restorative. How much?

Answer: Five thousand pounds

‘Well, well,’ said he, ‘I suppose I shall have to compound a felony as usual. How much does it cost to go round the world in first-class style?’ The lady stared in amazement. ‘Could it be done on five thousand pounds?’  ‘Well, I should think so, indeed!’ ‘Very good. I think you will sign me a cheque for that, and I will see that it comes to Mrs Maberley. You owe her a little change of air. Meantime, lady’ – he wagged a cautionary forefinger – ‘have a care! Have a care! You can’t play with edged tools for ever without cutting those dainty hands.’ (3GAB)

  1. With a like amount, buy a thief. Who?

Answer: Colonel Valentine Walter

With the shock, his broad-brimmed hat flew from his head, his cravat slipped down from his lips, and there was the long light beard and the soft, handsome, delicate features of Colonel Valentine Walter. Holmes gave a whistle of surprise.  ‘You can write me down an ass this time, Watson,’ said he. ‘This was not the bird that I was looking for.’  ‘Who is he?’ asked Mycroft, eagerly. ‘The younger brother of the late Sir James Walter, the head of the Submarine Department….’ I confess it. It was just as you say.  A Stock Exchange debt had to be paid. I needed the money badly. Oberstein offered me five thousand.  It was to save myself from ruin. But as to murder, I am as innocent as you.’ (BRUC)

Helpful Hint:  Your final answer should be appropriate for the times with February right around the corner.

February 14,  Valentine’s Day

 

 

TH6: A Little Game reminder & a helpful hint

Hello Watsonians–

Popping in to remind you that five days remain to play along with our TH6:EveryLinkRingsTrue warm up game.  Responses to the quiz are welcomed through January 29th.  Several very good, almost-100%-correct attempts have been submitted. Up to this point, however, only one of our Watsonians has managed to solve all five questions correctly on the first try.  (Change-of-heart-do-overs are also welcome through the 29th.)

Almost invariably question #3 is proving to the problem.  After correctly solving question #2, our quiz takers are making an assumption as to the first part of #3 which does not make sense when linked to the remaining questions because the assumption is incorrect.  If you are willing to give it a try (or a re-do), I recommend you think about Holmes’s good advice:

“There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.”

Question #3 requires you to look beyond the most obvious.

I have re-posted the questions below if you would like to give them a try. Since all the questions link, it is certainly possible to work from the bottom up.

Many thanks to all of you that have taken the time to play the game,

Margie/ JHWS ‘Mopsy’

  1. In ten minutes or less, accept a child. With the child in mind, choose 4 brief letters.
  1. Turn your four letters into a verb, send it across the moor, and confirm who it is not. Who?
  1. Find a restorative for [the answer to #2], and then find the soldier who supposedly took an expanded version of the same. What expanded restorative?
  1. Compound the cost for a lady to have a similar restorative. How much?
  1. With a like amount, buy a thief. Who?

Helpful Hint:  Your final answer should be appropriate for the times with February right around the corner.

TH6: An announcement and a little game

Hello Watsonians!

With the New Year underway, it is time to begin thinking about that annual event our ‘Calder’ (Brad Keefauver) once dubbed “Treasure or Torture”–the annual John H Watson Society Treasure Hunt.   With ‘Selena Buttons’ approval, I am pleased to serve as Treasure Hunt Master for 2018.  I hope to concoct a hunt you will find challenging and fun.  We are taking a somewhat different approach this year. ‘TH6: Every Link Rings True’ will be a 50-question quiz rather than our usual 100 questions, and all the questions will link.   Three of our previous hunts have featured some linking sections that were popular with our competitors.

To get you thinking about the possibility of participating this year, I have a small, five-question quiz below for you to think about over the next two weeks. Please do not post your answers here; your answers should be emailed to: treasurehunt@johnhwatsonsociety.com.  Answers will be accepted through January 29th.

Won’t you play along?  As Holmes told Watson: “’Yes, you can, Watson. And you will, for you have never failed to play the game. I am sure you will play it to the end.”

Margie/JHWS ‘Mopsy’

TH6: Every Link Rings True Introduction Quiz

  1. In ten minutes or less, accept a child. With the child in mind, choose 4 brief letters. What four letters?
  2. Turn your four letters into a verb, send it across the moor, and confirm who it is not. Who?
  3. Find a restorative for [the answer to #2], and then find the soldier who supposedly took an expanded version of the same. What expanded restorative?
  4. Compound the cost for a lady to have a similar restorative. How much?
  5. With a like amount, buy a thief. Who?

Helpful Hint:  Your final answer should be appropriate for the times with February right around the corner.

‘It is so long a chain, and yet every link rings true.’