I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

"The Second Morning After Christmas..." [BLUE]

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Jwr9Z2Fdf-y1YMmLQC3Kp2lGpcXfPkk9-2AF_mgMAi-rTY-6T1ViuA0vUwGvMgy9x9u4AYZpjmiruzRaYdjAqg9HeCasLALMEctcdT3PFVE_RhSLEjL5y95fgJKCiQOhHoqcAa-_87N-/s1600-h/blue-05.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5013328828577409250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Jwr9Z2Fdf-y1YMmLQC3Kp2lGpcXfPkk9-2AF_mgMAi-rTY-6T1ViuA0vUwGvMgy9x9u4AYZpjmiruzRaYdjAqg9HeCasLALMEctcdT3PFVE_RhSLEjL5y95fgJKCiQOhHoqcAa-_87N-/s200/blue-05.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" /></a>In 1995 I penned a seasonal ode to <a href="http://camdenhouse.ignisart.com/canon/blue.htm">The Blue Carbuncle</a> in the style of Clement Moore's <a href="http://iment.com/maida//familytree/henry/xmas/poemvariants/troysentinel1823.htm">A Visit from St. Nick</a>. Since then, it has been an annual tradition to share this gem (sorry, I couldn't help myself) in my Sherlockian circles. Enjoy. Please note that this is a copyrighted piece. But should you wish to use it at your own society meetings, I'll have no objection. And allow me to wish you "compliments of the season." May all your carbuncles be blue. <div style="text-align: center;">Two Days After Christmas </div><div style="text-align: center;">'Twas two days after Christmas and in one part of town, Sherlock Holmes was lounging in his purple dressing gown. A felt hat was hung on the wood chair with care, Looking seedy and cracked and much worse for the wear. The forceps and lens were an arm’s length away, So Sherlock Holmes was engaged well today. Peterson was the giver, Holmes was the taker Of the hat and goose, "For Mrs. Henry Baker." Holmes began to infer from the battered old hat Grizzled hair, self-respect, and odd things like that. Then Peterson entered, astonished and dazed, And showed us upon what the goose must have grazed. When what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a bonny blue thing in the shape of a tear. With facets that twinkled, sparkled, and shone, I knew in a moment it was the Countess’ stone. Holmes sprang to the Times to review all the history Of the Hotel Cosmopolitan jewel thief mystery. The crime was fixed on a plumber named Horner. No Christmas pie, no plumb; for him, a corner. More rapid than lightening, Holmes’s orders now came, As he wrote an advert and called the papers by name: "Evening News, the Star, Globe, and Pall Mall! St. James’s Gazette, Standard, Echo, et al." The stone which Holmes held was the devil’s pet bait, With a sinister history for a forty-grain weight. Robberies, vitriol, three people now dead; And all for a stone which should have been red. Henry Baker called on the street with his name, Wearing a tam o’shanter, much to his shame. Holmes gave him his hat and then the bad news: That we were compelled to eat his fine goose. "To eat it!" said he, as he rose from his chair, <div style="text-align: center;">"Do not fret, Mr. Baker, we have one more there." Holmes offered to him the disjecta membra, Relics of an adventure he still could remember. And taking his items, Baker turned with a jerk, As Holmes and I set straight to work. To the Alpha we went, then on to Covent Garden Where Breckinridge against our pleas seemed to harden. But finally we found the origin of the geese, From one Mrs. Oakshott of Brixton Road, east. We overheard Ryder, who was hot on the trail, So as a four-wheeler passed, we decided to hail. Riding to Baker Street, of the mystery, no mention, But all the way there, we could sense Ryder’s tension. As he saw the truth, our guest stifled a howl: The stone had been rescued from his bar-tailed fowl. At Holmes’s request, I helped the small imp, To whom Holmes referred as simply "a shrimp." The little man clutched at the detective’s knees, Shrieking and begging and putting forth pleas. For Sherlock Holmes, the case held no glory, He was simply looking for an end to the story. Cusack, the maid and Maudsely, who went bad - Both wanted the stone that Holmes just now had. The hotel attendant did the deed of evil, Fed the stone to a goose, in the hopes of retrieval . There were two that matched, but he hadn’t looked. So now it seemed that Ryder’s goose was cooked. Holmes said "No more words," and turned to the lout, Ryder opened the door and then ran straight out. The crisp rattle of footfalls, up from the street, Told me Ryder knew that Holmes had him beat. "I am not here to perform the policeman's role, But it is just possible that I’m saving a soul. It’s the season of forgiveness, a time to have heart, Let us begin another case, in which a bird will take part."</div><o:p></o:p> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div></div> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/2.5/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0pt;" /></a> This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 License</a>.

"The Second Morning After Christmas..." [BLUE]

In 1995 I penned a seasonal ode to The Blue Carbuncle in the style of Clement Moore's A Visit from St. Nick . Since then, it has been ...

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by Scott Monty

"That Strange Wireless by Which Such People Collect the News" [LION]

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi930T3h50EE8mKkpXWIWBWaXkTca6fQwqBmTehvX7XLtm4mM3GpudAO6eabOD7zO0BrFwhR1GKBCwxkfI3GxGByme9yGA1s3ahKFYbkH_lYnpxdRgxQF9JeD-dpuLMcpzojehBJtdMeYD0/s1600-h/oldradio.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010447798874990786" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi930T3h50EE8mKkpXWIWBWaXkTca6fQwqBmTehvX7XLtm4mM3GpudAO6eabOD7zO0BrFwhR1GKBCwxkfI3GxGByme9yGA1s3ahKFYbkH_lYnpxdRgxQF9JeD-dpuLMcpzojehBJtdMeYD0/s200/oldradio.gif" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 131px;" /></a>Last month I mentioned the <a href="http://detective.libsyn.com/">Radio Detective Story Hour</a> podcast, hosted by Jim Widner. If you haven't had a chance to listen to his series, I highly recommend it; you can find it by clicking on the link or by downloading the free <a href="http://www.itunes.com/">iTunes</a> software (you don't have to have an Apple computer to run Tunes). This week, Jim returns to the subject of Sherlock Holmes (and gives a nice plug to the Baker Street Blog - thanks, Jim!) with an airing of a show from November of 1934 written by Edith Meiser, BSI ("A Fascinating and Beautiful Woman"). The episode is called <a href="http://detective.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=157707">The Jewish Breastplate</a> and stars Louis Hector as Sherlock Holmes and Lee Lovell as Dr. Watson. <a href="http://media.libsyn.com/media/detective/rdsh76.mp3" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5008242741341365138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitGN-LqfGGV45swllFR299KJv5wnvTqefa_wEftPmFMT3nPFG_8ssSNaohwb2bNfSMI8tBdYHkoThbvXZrNUO7WXM8K_DbBaMcDoeEEKUbEsDVY6CtPCt7rzc-ncQ3aHJWhlPJwqc5bMTd/s200/podcastIcon.gif" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" /></a>Listen/download now I'll write a little more about Edith Meiser and her involvement with the Baker Street Irregulars in a future post.

"That Strange Wireless by Which Such People Collect the News" [LION]

Last month I mentioned the Radio Detective Story Hour podcast, hosted by Jim Widner. If you haven't had a chance to listen to his serie...

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by Scott Monty

Publicity, Famous Personalities from History, and Preposterous Claims

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"Circumstantial evidence is a very trick thing" [BOSC] </h4>
<blockquote>
"It may seem to point very straight to one thing, but if you shift your own point of view a little, you may find it pointing in an equally uncompromising manner to something entirely different." - Arthur Conan Doyle</blockquote>
We recently mentioned a book in which the author diagnosed Sherlock Holmes and Conan Doyle as <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.blogspot.com/2006/10/i-will-examine-your-symptoms-dyin.html">suffering from Asperger's Syndrome</a>. This, of course is in addition to other diagnoses of Holmes/Doyle as suffering from <a href="http://www.geocities.com/athens/acropolis/8950/holmes/autism.htm">autism</a> and <a href="http://www.geocities.com/sherlockiana/holmesian/add_yop.html">attention deficit hyperactivity disorder</a> (ADHD). 
 
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7TW8Q9eNLKxGOhSDrpKfISabEI5X69Je9xKZlM95uWv1LUWGU8WtF89TBpdkPfXRHDMXHDWnK6VNyyvxdbIeYXF-eRXtAdlWrd8C1KYfCRfmLuKI5IZPyRTjTmvkdemBLOSyPNLxQius/s1600-h/inclouds.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5009922039043385506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7TW8Q9eNLKxGOhSDrpKfISabEI5X69Je9xKZlM95uWv1LUWGU8WtF89TBpdkPfXRHDMXHDWnK6VNyyvxdbIeYXF-eRXtAdlWrd8C1KYfCRfmLuKI5IZPyRTjTmvkdemBLOSyPNLxQius/s320/inclouds.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 294px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 186px;" /></a>Now Dr. Andrew Norman would like us to believe that - I suppose in addition to all of these other afflictions - <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2090-2508919,00.html">Conan Doyle suffered from a form of schizophrenia</a>. Norman's assertion is that Doyle's fervent belief in faeries and voices from the afterlife are evidence that Doyle was a schizophrenic. Now, we're not a doctor - although we did have a year of medical school as part of our education - but Doyle, even with his later belief in psychics, was not a psychotic. He merely had different beliefs than the mainstream. Would current celebrities who embrace [insert wacky religion of your choice here] be diagnosed as schizophrenic? Okay, well maybe a few would. 
 
But the point here is a larger one. It seems that lately, authors in search of publicity simply attempt outrageous headlines to gain attention for their (sometimes controversial) work. This is not limited only to Conan Doyle. For example, a book last year called Abraham Lincoln a homosexual. Some of the examples we've seen recently mentioning Doyle include: 
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.newsday.com/features/printedition/ny-2know5002945dec06,0,7151644.story?coll=ny-features-headlines">Was the Great Houdini a Mata Hari?</a> - Harry Houdini as a spy</li>
<li><a href="http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=ab53340d-c81d-4562-bf7a-0d4a9ac0513c&k=72517">Bio Suggests Houdini Killed by Holmes Author</a> - Conan Doyle responsible for Houdini's death</li>
<li><a href="http://archives.cnn.com/2000/books/news/09/11/uk.conandoyle/">Master of Intrigue Conan Doyle Accused of Murder</a> - Conan Doyle accused in the death of Fletcher Robinson</li>
</ul>
Perhaps it's the nature of the fast-paced world in which we live. The mainstream media believe that the only way to reach mass audiences is with negative, shocking or sensational news. In the meantime, Sherlockians will continue on with our narrowly-focused and very singular interest and block out all of the noise. 
 
--

Publicity, Famous Personalities from History, and Preposterous Claims

"Circumstantial evidence is a very trick thing" [BOSC] "It may seem to point very straight to one thing, but if you shif...

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by Scott Monty

"One Singular Point..." [TWIS]

Here's an interesting point to ponder. On page 50 of the Autumn 2006 issue of the <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/">Baker Street Journal</a>, the editor's "Commonplace Book" contained a note from a frequent contributor to the BSJ who was credited as being a member of the Baker Street Irregulars: <blockquote style="font-style: italic;">“I am no longer a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, so while it was generous of you to include an investiture after my name in the Whodunit? section, it is neither appropriate nor welcome.” </blockquote>Wow. Quite a statement. So I throw the point to you, dear readers. Should a member of the BSI, after attaining an Investiture - admittedly a very coveted accreditation in the Sherlockian world - renounce his or her association with the group ? Or should an Investiture be treated like a religious ordination or regal investiture - it's yours for life? <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGWURCBKxZXe4FegN1vXk5o5YLWWHWiTk-2WUNE7FuacdrwHN-FNu7AMG4QRMAGk_8loh-GGn-s7L73ijtvYCOVENaGCov3ldVzbzVLJp06lq7Tlwz_zaukO0HqdFiOJm9HN1d_wqjQJD/s1600-h/Edward8.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5007132173582702754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGWURCBKxZXe4FegN1vXk5o5YLWWHWiTk-2WUNE7FuacdrwHN-FNu7AMG4QRMAGk_8loh-GGn-s7L73ijtvYCOVENaGCov3ldVzbzVLJp06lq7Tlwz_zaukO0HqdFiOJm9HN1d_wqjQJD/s200/Edward8.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a>

"One Singular Point..." [TWIS]

Here's an interesting point to ponder. On page 50 of the Autumn 2006 issue of the Baker Street Journal , the editor's "Commonp...

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by Scott Monty

"They Seemed to Be a Happy Couple." [COPP]

If you've never been to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gillette_Castle_State_Park">Gillette Castle</a>, you're really missing a treat. It is the home that William Gillette, the actor who brought Sherlock Holmes to life on stage in the early 1900s. If you have been there, you may have had the opportunity to <a href="http://theday.com/re.aspx?re=a7cf2974-40e4-450b-be56-608430130e81">encounter Will & Helen Gillette in the flesh</a>. <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/5683/1768/1600/210791/Nivers.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/5683/1768/320/537854/Nivers.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a> Personally, I've had the pleasure of knowing Tyke & Teddie Niver for 20 years. Wow. When I say it like that, it makes me feel old. It's because of Tyke & Teddie that I discovered the world of Sherlock Holmes. Tyke has been one of my Sherlockian mentors and continues to be a true friend and guiding light. Teddie, who can hold her own in any Sherlockian setting, is a pure joy to know. She can make anyone feel at ease and completely special when you talk to her. From my first experience with them - a phone call to interview Tyke for a high school term paper - they have been completely generous with their time and knowledge. As a young man at my first Sherlockian meeting, they made sure I met the right people and knew what was going on. Even when I moved away to attend college, Tyke and Teddie remained in touch and have been a special part of my life. Today, I call them my Sherlockian parents. They are a quintessential Sherlockian couple: they each have a strong interest in the Canon (and also associated topics such as Jack the Ripper and Dracula), they are both fonts of knowledge and great hosts, and are investitured members of the Baker Street Irregulars. As the article in the above link notes, they don their Victorian garb on weekends and act as pseudo-tour guides at the Castle simply because they enjoy it. And their joy translates to amusement and fun for all who meet them. Every budding Sherlockian should be so lucky to have mentors and true friends like this as part of their journey.

"They Seemed to Be a Happy Couple." [COPP]

If you've never been to Gillette Castle , you're really missing a treat. It is the home that William Gillette, the actor who brough...

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by Scott Monty

"Lost Forever in This World" [VALL]

"Lost Forever in This World" [VALL]

As linked to in the latest issue of Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press, the documentary The Real Lost World will debut on television ove...

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by Scott Monty

"This is Our Last Chance." [BRUC]

<a href="http://www.stencil-library.com/images/exclusives/flags.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.stencil-library.com/images/exclusives/flags.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" /></a>Our editor is standing by, ready to go to press before the holidays. The address labels are being printed. This is it! Your last chance to order the 2006 Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual, <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/christmasannuals.html">Quartering in the Fifties</a>. The original announcement and description of this issue can be found <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.blogspot.com/2006/10/its-annual-contribution-vall.html">here</a>. By placing your order now, you guarantee that you'll have a copy when we print. Last year's issue was a record print run, and we still ran out. Don't miss out this year!

"This is Our Last Chance." [BRUC]

Our editor is standing by, ready to go to press before the holidays. The address labels are being printed. This is it! Your last chance to...

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by Scott Monty