Posts

Posted on

On April 17th… Toby and the Wiper


April 17, 1888: Toby led Holmes and Watson on a creosote trail. [SIGN]
(Source: A Day by Day Chronology of Sherlock Holmes according to Ziesler and Christ by William S Dorn DWNP, BSI.)

One of the errors mentioned in this story in the Canon involves Watson going to pick up Toby the bloodhound from Old Sherman to try to trail the creosote. The quotes from the story that apply to the problem are:

Chapter 5: The Tragedy of Pondicherry Lodge

[The room] appeared to have been fitted up as a chemical laboratory. A double line of glass-stoppered bottles was drawn up upon the wall opposite the door, and the table was littered over with Bunsen burners, test-tubes, and retorts. In the corners stood carboys of acid in wicker baskets. One of these appeared to leak or to have been broken, for a stream of dark-coloured liquid had trickled out from it, and the air was heavy with a peculiarly pungent, tar-like odour.

Chapter 6: Sherlock Holmes Gives a Demonstration

He whipped out his lens and a tape measure, and hurried about the room on his knees, measuring, comparing, examining, with his long, thin nose only a few inches from the planks, and his beady eyes gleaming and deep-set like those of a bird. So swift, silent, and furtive were his movements, like those of a trained bloodhound picking out a scent, that I could not but think what a terrible criminal he would have made had he turned his energy and sagacity against the law instead of exerting them in its defence. As he hunted about he kept muttering to himself, and finally he broke out into a loud crow of delight.

“We are certainly in luck,” he said. “We ought to have very little trouble now. Number One has had the misfortune to tread in the creosote. You can see the outline of the edge of his small foot here at the side of this evil-smelling mess. The carboy has been cracked, you see, and the stuff has leaked out.”

“What then?” I asked.

“Why, we have got him, that’s all,” said he. “I know a dog that would follow that scent to the world’s end. If a pack can track a trailed herring across a shire, how far can a specially-trained hound follow so pungent a smell as this? […]”

Chapter 6: Sherlock Holmes Gives a Demonstration

I wish you to go to No. 3, Pinchin Lane, down near the water’s edge at Lambeth. The third house on the right-hand side is a bird-stuffer’s; Sherman is the name. You will see a weasel holding a young rabbit in the window. Knock old Sherman up, and tell him, with my compliments, that I want Toby at once. You will bring Toby back in the cab with you.”

“A dog, I suppose?”

“Yes, a queer mongrel, with a most amazing power of scent. I would rather have Toby’s help than that of the whole detective force of London.”

Chapter 7: The Episode of the Barrel

Pinchin Lane was a row of shabby, two-storied brick houses in the lower quarter of Lambeth. I had to knock for some time at No. 3 before I could make any impression. At last, however, there was the glint of a candle behind the blind, and a face looked out at the upper window.

“Go on, you drunken vagabond,” said the face. “If you kick up any more row, I’ll open the kennels and let out forty-three dogs upon you.”

“If you’ll let one out, it’s just what I have come for,” said I.

“Go on!” yelled the voice. “So help me gracious, I have a wiper in this bag, an’ I’ll drop it on your ‘ead if you don’t hook it!”

Can any one tell us what a wiper is that it might need to be carried in a bag and threaten anyone Prevailing Sherlockian scholarly research indicates the word was supposed to be Viper and was a typo, misprint, or a certain Doctor’s handwriting was very hard to read, or the same certain Doctor/Author could not spell well.

Posted on

On April 16th…

April 16, 1888: Holmes, Watson and Mary Morstan went to Pondicherry Lodge. [SIGN]

We had hardly reached the third pillar, which was our rendezvous, before a small, dark, brisk man in the dress of a coachman accosted us.

“Are you the parties who come with Miss Morstan?” he asked.

“I am Miss Morstan, and these two gentlemen are my friends,” said she.

He bent a pair of wonderfully penetrating and questioning eyes upon us.

“You will excuse me, miss,” he said, with a certain dogged manner, “but I was to ask you to give me your word that neither of your companions is a police-officer.”

“I give you my word on that,” she answered.

He gave a shrill whistle, on which a street arab led across a four-wheeler and opened the door. The man who had addressed us mounted to the box, while we took our places inside. We had hardly done so before the driver whipped up his horse, and we plunged away at a furious pace through the foggy streets.

The situation was a curious one. We were driving to an unknown place on an unknown errand.

April 16, 1897: Brenda Tregennis was murdered, and her two brothers lost their sanity. [DEVI]

Source
A Day by Day Chronology of Sherlock Holmes according to Ziesler and Christ by William S Dorn DWNP, BSI.

Posted on

On April 15th… “Chips” on the Sign of Four

April 15, 1888: Tonga killed Bartholomew Sholto with a poison dart. [SIGN]

Source
A Day by Day Chronology of Sherlock Holmes according to Ziesler and Christ by William S Dorn DWNP, BSI.

“Chips” writes:

The Sign of Four – my favorite of the long stories.

I enjoyed the story because it incorporated every thing that would take me from my daily life on the plains of Kansas to the fog covered streets of London and then into the warmth of my new home, 221B Baker Street, with my two favorite companions. A pretty female who needed our help. A mysterious mystery which before it was over involved a revenge plot and a stolen missing treasure of incredible fortune.

And then the Villains! A one-legged man and a murderous pygmy with a blow gun and poison darts. Coupled with a chase down a fog-covered river and these words:

“Fire if he raises his hand,” said Holmes, quietly.

We were within a boat’s-length by this time, and almost within touch of our quarry. I can see the two men now as they stood: the white man with his legs far apart, shrieking out curses, and the unhallowed dwarf with his hideous face and his strong, yellow teeth gnashing at us in the light of our lantern.

It was well that we had so clear a view of him. Even as we looked he plucked out from under his covering a short, round piece of wood, like a school-ruler, and clapped it to his lips. Our pistols rang out together. He whirled round, threw his arms in the air, and, with a kind of choking cough, fell sideways into the stream. I caught one glimpse of his venomous, menacing eyes amid the white swirl of the waters.

Then, as an after action, the treasure disappears, but Watson and Mary Morstan declared their love for each other.

Years later, I met my wife – Mary, as fate would have it. And another quote from the story ends my piece:

“Because I love you, Mary, as truly as ever a man loved a woman. Because this treasure, these riches, sealed my lips. Now that they are gone I can tell you how I love you. That is why I said, `Thank God’.”

“Then I say `Thank God,’ too,” she whispered, as I drew her to my side.

Whoever had lost a treasure, I knew that night that I had gained one.

And that describes my wife who is my life for 45 years and going strong forever.

-Ron, aka The Sign of Four

Posted on

On April 14th…

April 14, 1887: Holmes lay ill in the Hotel Dulong at Lyons. [REIG]

Three days later we were back in Baker Street together, but it was evident that my friend would be much the better for a change, and the thought of a week of springtime in the country was full of attractions to me also. My old friend Colonel Hayter, who had come under my professional care in Afghanistan, had now taken a house near Reigate, in Surrey, and had frequently asked me to come down to him upon a visit. On the last occasion he had remarked that if my friend would only come with me, he would be glad to extend his hospitality to him also.

Paget illustration of Holmes, Hayter, and Watson
Illustration by Sidney Paget for The Strand Magazine

A little diplomacy was needed, but when Holmes understood that the establishment was a bachelor one, and that he would be allowed the fullest freedom, he fell in with my plans, and a week after our return from Lyons we were under the Colonel’s roof. Hayter was a fine old soldier, who had seen much of the world, and he soon found, as I had expected, that Holmes and he had plenty in common.

On the evening of our arrival we were sitting in the Colonel’s gunroom after dinner, Holmes stretched upon the sofa, while Hayter and I looked over his little armoury of firearms.

Source
A Day by Day Chronology of Sherlock Holmes according to Ziesler and Christ by William S Dorn DWNP, BSI.

Posted on

Friend and Biographer Series: JHWS ‘Daisy’

Speaking of my old friend and biographer, I would take this opportunity to remark….Watson has some remarkable characteristics of his own, to which in his modesty he has given small attention…

Hello Watsonians,

Today we add to our series of brief biographic interviews with some of the members of JHWS. Our members, like the good Dr. Watson, have some remarkable characteristics of their own, and we would like to give some small attention to them.

Sheila Holtgrieve of Seattle is an active member of this society and a dear friend to many of us in the Watsonian world. I am happy to share her interview with you. Time spent with Sheila is always a joy.

Margie

JHWS/Mopsy

  1. Name/with bull pup moniker—

Sheila Holtgrieve/ JHWS Daisy

2. Current (city,state, country) location—

Seattle, Washington USA

3. How long have you been a devotee of Dr. Watson?

I have been devoted to the good doctor since I became  acquainted with all the canon well enough to realize that he is just as important to my love all things Sherlockian as Sherlock is.  I would say this really hit home when I joined the Sound of the Baskervilles in Seattle and listened to our dear PFL (President for Life) David Haugen talk about Watson being Holmes’s heart and the one who ties us ordinary folks to Holmes.  It seems to me that the Doyle stories would most likely have disappeared onto the back shelves of libraries without Watson.

4. Do you have a favorite canonical story?  

Oh my, you would have to ask this question!  I would say The Final Problem and The Empty House combined.

5. What is your favorite quote from the canon?

“Come at once if convenient—if inconvenient come all the same.”  (CREE)

6. If you could speak directly to anyone in the canon, who would you choose and why?

Watson, of course!  My working career was as an ICU RN, so I have worked with numerous doctors.  I love most of them! So, I think Watson is the one for me.  Plus he is such a gentleman, he has so many stories to tell (a month with him, do you think?), and I think he would enjoy talking with me.

7. Are you fond of any particular canon adaptations—pastiche, radio, film?

I prefer reading to any other kind of media with radio as a second.  So, I have read many pastiches over the years.  My favorite authors are June Thomson, Hugh Ashton, and Denis O. Smith among several others.  Individual stories, not necessarily pastiches, I have found exceptionally good are: Neil Gaiman’s A Case of Death and Honey, Gillian Lincsott’s A Scandal in Winter, and the story Laurie R. King wrote in the middle of her book, The Art of Detection.  I have greatly enjoyed Robert Hardy’s reading of the canon (he played Milverton in the Granada series) and the Bert Coules et al BBC radio series starring Clive Merrison and Michael Williams.  My favorite TV series is the Granada series.

8. Do you have a local Watsonian/Sherlockian/Holmesian group you meet with on a regular basis?  

Yes, the Sound of the Baskervilles in Seattle.  Joining this group was practically the first thing I did when I moved to Seattle in 2009.  In fact, I was in touch with the group leaders before I moved.  Margie Deck, the Pawky Puzzler and JHWS Mopsy, and I have a close friendship that began when she asked if anyone in the club was interested in doing this new thing in the Sherlockian world—the JHWS Treasure Hunt.  The rest is history in terms of the hunt and our personal friendship.  She is a gem (comes by this naturally since her canonical name in the Countess of Morcar).

9. Do you have any recent Watsonian/Sherlockian/Holmesian projects/events you would like to tell us about?

I served as JHWS Mopsy’s assistant in creating the Treasure Hunt #4.  We repaired toward the end of our labors to my family’s vacation home up in northern Washington to do the final fact checking and editing.  To keep our minds clear, we took walks every day along the beautiful Methow River, looking out for the resident brown bear.

10. If you could change one thing in the greater Watsonian/Sherlockian/Holmesian world, what would it be?

This is not a change, it is a delightful idea for me to think about.  A Sherlockian advent calendar paired with a Watsonian one.  Anyone ready to go in with me on this?

Posted on

On April 13th…

Illustration by Josef Friedrich

April 13, 1890: Violet Hunter sat in the window seat for the second time [COPP]

“Two days later this same performance was gone through under exactly similar circumstances. Again I changed my dress, again I sat in the window, and again I laughed very heartily at the funny stories of which my employer had an immense repertoire, and which he told inimitably. Then he handed me a yellow-backed novel, and, moving my chair a little sideways, that my own shadow might not fall upon the page, he begged me to read aloud to him. I read for about ten minutes, beginning in the heart of a chapter, and then suddenly, in the middle of a sentence, he ordered me to cease and change my dress.”

Source
A Day by Day Chronology of Sherlock Holmes according to Ziesler and Christ by William S Dorn DWNP, BSI.

Posted on

On April 12th…

Portrait of Constantin Meunier by Max Liebermann

Sherlock Holmes had, in a very remarkable degree, the power of detaching his mind at will. For two hours the strange business in which we had been involved appeared to be forgotten, and he was entirely absorbed in the pictures of the modern Belgian masters. He would talk of nothing but art, of which he had the crudest ideas, from our leaving the gallery until we found ourselves at the Northumberland Hotel. [HOUN]

Constantin Meunier, Belgian painter and sculptor, was born April 12, 1831 in Brussels. Could he be the Oscar Meunier mentioned in the Canon?

Meunier trained at the Academie des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, beginning in 1845. On the advice of Charles de Groux, he focused on painting before returning to sculpture later in his career. More information about his life can found in A Curious Collection of Dates by JWHS members Leah Guinn (“Amber”) and Jaime N Mahoney (“Tressa”).

More information about the wax bust credited to Oscar Meunier may be found at John A Lanzalotti’s site: Williamsburg Sculpture:

Wax bust of Holmes

In the sixty reminiscences of Dr. Watson better known as the Sherlock Holmes stories, there are two references to a wax bust made in the likeness of Sherlock Holmes by a French sculptor. The first reference is in the Return of Sherlock Holmes. The credit of the execution is due to Monsieur Oscar Meunier, of Grenoble, who spent some days in doing the molding. It is a bust in wax. ” The second reference is in the Mazarin Stone. Sherlock Holmes tells his assassin that the wax effigy was made by Tavernier, the French modelier. These names however, are either pseudonyms or the individuals were so obscure that history passed them by with no other reference. It seems odd that Sherlock Holmes would have two life-sized busts made in his image by two different sculptors. Both busts were said to be the identical image of Holmes.

Posted on

On April 11th…

April 11, 1890: Violet Hunter in window seat for the first time. [COPP]

Illustration by Josef Friedrich

“A chair had been placed close to the central window, with its back turned towards it. In this I was asked to sit, and then Mr. Rucastle, walking up and down on the other side of the room, began to tell me a series of the funniest stories that I have ever listened to. You cannot imagine how comical he was, and I laughed until I was quite weary. Mrs. Rucastle, however, who has evidently no sense of humor, never so much as smiled, but sat with her hands in her lap, and a sad, anxious look upon her face. After an hour or so, Mr. Rucastle suddenly remarked that it was time to commence the duties of the day, and that I might change my dress, and go to little Edward in the nursery.”

Source
A Day by Day Chronology of Sherlock Holmes according to Ziesler and Christ by William S Dorn DWNP, BSI.

Posted on

On April 10th… Louisa “Touie” Hawkins

Louisa Hawkins Doyle

Louisa “Touie” Hawkins was born April 10, 1857. She married Arthur Conan Doyle in 1885; they had two children – Mary and Kingsley.

Conan Doyle was brought in by a fellow physician, William Pike, to consult on on a case of suspected meningitis. The patient was 25-year-old Jack Hawkins. Jack stayed at Doyle’s Home/practice so that Doyle could treat him, though the illness was incurable, and Jack only survived a short time.

While treating Jack and speaking with his family, Dr Doyle met Jack’s sister, Louisa (nicknamed “Touie”). They were engaged in April and married in August of 1885.

In October of 1893, Louise was diagnosed with what appeared to be a fast moving case of tuberculosis. Arthur devoted himself to caring for her, taking trips to Switzerland and Egypt, and he built his estate home in Surrey, at a higher altitude to allow Touie and their family to stay in England. Touie lived nearly 13 years past her diagnosis, until July 4 , 1906.

(I urge anyone interested to research and read and the literature about the relationship. There is so much more to the story then can be listed here. . You will find it quite interesting and worth the time. -Chips)

For more information, check out A Curious Collection of Dates by JWHS members Leah Guinn (“Amber”) and Jaime N Mahoney (“Tressa”).

Posted on

On April 9th… The Trial of Drouet

The trial of Bartholomew Peter Drouet for manslaughter began on April 9, 1849.

Whistler etching of Drouet (1850s)

He was a son of that Rodger Baskerville, the younger brother of Sir Charles, who fled with a sinister reputation to South America, where he was said to have died unmarried. He did, as a matter of fact, marry, and had one child, this fellow, whose real name is the same as his father. He married Beryl Garcia, one of the beauties of Costa Rica, and, having purloined a considerable sum of public money, he changed his name to Vandeleur and fled to England, where he established a school in the east of Yorkshire. His reason for attempting this special line of business was that he had struck up an acquaintance with a consumptive tutor upon the voyage home, and that he had used this man’s ability to make the undertaking a success. Fraser, the tutor, died, however, and the school which had begun well, sank from disrepute into infamy. The Vandeleurs found it convenient to change their name to Stapleton, and he brought the remains of his fortune, his schemes for the future, and his taste for entomology to the south of England. I learn at the British Museum that he was a recognized authority upon the subject, and that the name of Vandeleur has been permanently attached to a certain moth which he had, in his Yorkshire days, been the first to describe.

The trial of Drouet was about the kind of schoolmaster that Rodger Baskerville probably was. It was not uncommon in the 19th century for private boarding schools of varying quality  to be set up and attract pupils.

In the 1840s, one such school was set up by Drouet. It first prospered by taking pupils from overcrowded workhouses and training them for a fee. Although unannounced inspections brought up issues of poor conditions and unsanitary food, nothing was done until a cholera outbreak at the school killed 100 children and one adult. The nature of cholera made it hard to prove that the children died because of the school’s conditions, and Drouet was acquitted.

See the excellent A Curious Collection of Dates by JWHS members Leah Guinn (“Amber”) and Jaime N Mahoney (“Tressa”) for more information.

Posted on

On April 8th…

still of Miss Stoper, Violet Hunter, and Jethro Rucastle from The Copper Beeches (BBC, 1965)
Miss Stoper (Sheila Keith), Violent Hunter (Suzanne Neve), and Jephro Rucastle (Patrick Wymark) in “The Copper Beeches” (1965)

April 8, 1890: Violet Hunter went to work as governess at Copper Beeches. [COPP]

“That is enough.” She rose briskly from her chair with the anxiety all swept from her face. “I shall go down to Hampshire quite easy in my mind now. I shall write to Mr. Rucastle at once, sacrifice my poor hair tonight, and start for Winchester tomorrow.” With a few grateful words to Holmes she bade us both good-night and bustled off upon her way.

Source
A Day by Day Chronology of Sherlock Holmes according to Ziesler and Christ by William S Dorn DWNP, BSI.

Posted on

On April 7th…

Illustration by Sidney Paget for the Strand Magazine[
April 7, 1883: Grant Munro and Sherlock Holmes discovered who was behind the Yellow Face. [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. “We can talk it over more comfortably at home,” said he. “I am not a very good man, Effie, but I think that I am a better one than you have given me credit for being.”

 

April 7, 1890: Violet Hunter consulted Sherlock Homes. [COPP]

Illustration by Josef Friedrich[

As he spoke the door opened, and a young lady entered the room. She was plainly but neatly dressed, with a bright, quick face, freckled like a plover’s egg, and with the brisk manner of a woman who has had her own way to make in the world.

“You will excuse my troubling you, I am sure,” said she, as my companion rose to greet her; “but I have had a very strange experience, and as I have no parents or relations of any sort from whom I could ask advice, I thought that perhaps you would be kind enough to tell me what I should do.”

“Pray take a seat, Miss Hunter. I shall be happy to do anything that I can to serve you.”

Source
A Day by Day Chronology of Sherlock Holmes according to Ziesler and Christ by William S Dorn DWNP, BSI.

Posted on

On April 6th…

Illustration by Sidney Paget for The Strand Magazine (1893)

April 6, 1883: Grant Munro came home early and found the cottage vacant [YELL]

I stayed long enough to make certain that the house was absolutely empty. Then I left it, feeling a weight at my heart such as I had never had before. My wife came out into the hall as I entered my house, but I was too hurt and angry to speak with her, and pushing past her I made my way into my study. She followed me, however, before I could close the door.

`I am sorry that I broke my promise, Jack,’ said she, `but if you knew all the circumstances I am sure you would forgive me.’

`Tell me everything, then,’ said I.

`I cannot, Jack, I cannot!’ she cried.

Source
A Day by Day Chronology of Sherlock Holmes according to Ziesler and Christ by William S Dorn DWNP, BSI.

Posted on

On April 5th…

Illustration by Sidney Paget for The Strand Magazine (1893)

April 5, 1883: Grant Munro stayed home from his office for a second day. [YELL]

I determined to say nothing about the former to my wife, for she is a nervous, highly-strung woman, and I had no wish that she should share the unpleasant impression which had been produced upon myself. I remarked to her, however, before I fell asleep that the cottage was now occupied, to which she returned no reply.

Source
A Day by Day Chronology of Sherlock Holmes according to Ziesler and Christ by William S Dorn DWNP, BSI.

Posted on

On April 4th…

Illustration by W H Hyde for Harper’s Weekly (1893)

April 4, 1883: Grant Munro stayed home from his office. [YELL]

`Oh,’ said she, in her playful way, `you said that you were only my banker, and bankers never ask questions, you know.’

`If you really mean it, of course you shall have the money.’ said I.

`Oh, yes, I really mean it.’

`And you won’t tell me what you want it for?’

`Some day, perhaps, but not just at present, Jack.’

Source
A Day by Day Chronology of Sherlock Holmes according to Ziesler and Christ by William S Dorn DWNP, BSI.

Posted on

Quiz Results: Tuscan Luxury

Enrico Solito (“Devon”) sent us a very tricky quiz question indeed, with the only correct answer coming from the team of Sheila Holtgrieve (“Daisy”) and Margie Deck (“Mopsy”), who wrote:

Engraved portrait of Giovanni Boccaccio by Raffaello Sanzio Morghen (1822)

The Tuscan is Giovanni Boccaccio.  He famous book, the Decameron, was found amongst Enoch J. Drebber’s pocket contents in the house at Lauriston Gardens (STUD, p. 30).  It was found with the luxury items of a gold watch by Barraud of London, a heavy gold chain, a gold ring, a gold pin with rubies in the bull dog’s head, and a Russian leather card case.  Wow—this man had some bucks!

Also, the history of the Decameron plus some story threads in the individual stories may have some relation to/similarity with A Thousand and One Nights. mentioned in NOBL, p. 296 in connection with the luxuries of the “epicurean little cold supper” that Holmes ordered.

Honourable Mention goes to Robert Perret (“Sampson”), who suggested:

Do you perhaps refer to Goldini, the proprietor of a garish restaurant in BRUC? I understand his cigars, likely the famous Toscanos, are less poisonous than one might expect.

Well done, all three of you, and thank you again, “Devon”!

If you’ve been bitten by the bug to create your own Canonical Quiz, send questions (and answers, please!) to Selena.

Posted on

A Consultation with the John H Watson Society

On April 13, 2013, the John H Watson Society held its very first “consultation” – toasts were given, food was eaten, and drinks were drunken. It’s high time this tradition was revived, and the upcoming 221B Con gives us the perfect opportunity!Watsonian badge ribbons

Of course, those who have perused the Con Schedule know that the weekend is already jam-packed. But you need to eat (and drink).

(Trust me on this; I’m a mom.)

Join me (“Selena Buttons”) in the bar area of the Atlanta Marriott Perimeter Center for conversation, drinks, munchies, and an all-round good time on Saturday, April 8, at 10:00pm EDT. Internet permitting, there will also be an open Google Hangout for those of you who can’t make it to Atlanta to join in virtually. There will be “Watsonian” badge ribbons, too.

Hope to see you there!

Posted on

On April 2nd… Stoke Moran and Norbury

April 2, 1883 Repairs were started at Stoke Moran [SPEC]

“Two days ago some repairs were started in the west wing of the building, and my bedroom wall has been pierced, so that I have had to move into the chamber in which my sister died, and to sleep in the very bed in which she slept.”

What is going to happen? We might do well to think of the quote from this case:

“Violence does, in truth, recoil upon the violent, and the schemer falls into the pit which he digs for another.”

A Snake coils usually before striking his victim. Could Watson/Doyle have been attempting a pun using recoil and a snake?

Illustration by Josef Friedrich (1906)

There was little difficulty in entering the grounds, for unrepaired breaches gaped in the old park wall. Making our way among the trees, we reached the lawn, crossed it, and were about to enter through the window, when out from a clump of laurel bushes there darted what seemed to be a hideous and distorted child, who threw itself on the grass with writhing limbs, and then ran swiftly across the lawn into the darkness.

“My God!” I whispered; “did you see it?”

Holmes was for the moment as startled as I. His hand closed like a vice upon my wrist in his agitation. Then he broke into a low laugh, and put his lips to my ear.

“It is a nice household,” he murmured. “That is the baboon.”

I include this picture because I always imagined what this scene looked like but I never saw it pictured until now.

April 2 1883: Effie’s Munro daughter, Lucy, moved into the cottage [YELL]

Paget illustration of the cottage doorway in YELL
Illustration by Sidney Paget for The Strand Magazine (1893)

“Well, last Monday evening I was taking a stroll down that way, when I met an empty van coming up the lane, and saw a pile of carpets and things lying about on the grass-plot beside the porch. It was clear that the cottage had at last been let.”

I have a quote from this case that I again have to put before dear readers:

“Watson,” said he, “if it should ever strike you that I am getting a little over-confident in my powers, or giving less pains to a case than it deserves, kindly whisper `Norbury’ in my ear, and I shall be infinitely obliged to you.”

To me, proof that Holmes had been at least bested by two women in his cases when you put this one together with “A Scandal in Bohemia”.

Source
A Day by Day Chronology of Sherlock Holmes according to Ziesler and Christ by William S Dorn DWNP, BSI.

Posted on

On April 1st…

April 1, 1890: Violet Hunter decided to accept Jethro Rucastle’s offer as governess [COPP]

Miss Stoper (Sheila Keith), Violent Hunter (Suzanne Neve), and Jephro Rucastle (Patrick Wymark) in “The Copper Beeches” (1965)

Sources:

A Day by Day Chronology of Sherlock Holmes according to Ziesler and Christ by William S Dorn DWNP, BSI.
More details about the 1965 BBC production of The Copper Beeches are available at IMDB.

Posted by Ron (JHWS “Chips”) and Beth (JHWS “Selena Buttons”)