I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

Sherlock Holmes and Secret Societies

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"Through the haze" [HOUN]</h4>
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Never say never about what Sherlockians might do or have already done, but so far as I know, the new society in the coal valleys of Pennsylvania, which held its first meeting recently, is the only one that has ever staged a reenactment of the Scowrers initiation from <i>The Valley of Fear</i> as a means of inducting new members. I wasn't there, and of course haven't passed through the necessary ordeals myself, so I don't know whether branding irons were involved. However, photos have appeared publicly demonstrating that there were blindfolds, and presumably ritual questions and answers (not the ones familiar to the Musgrave family). <br />
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When Jack McMurdo was admitted to the original Lodge 341, Vermissa, he was already a member of the Ancient Order of Freemen and had passed through whatever tests the more respectable Lodge 29, Chicago, required. The Bodymaster's requirements at Vermissa were extra. Both experiences can be seen as examples of what would now be called hazing, which has two general purposes: to ensure that someone is fit to be part of an organization and know its secrets, and to make the newcomer temporarily uncomfortable for the amusement of those already on the inside.<br />
When Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the Vermissa scene (Part II, Chapter III of <i>The Valley of Fear</i>) in 1914, he surely was remembering his own experience of being initiated into Phoenix Lodge 257 of the Freemasons in Southsea in 1887. He was not of course branded or threatened with sharp points to the eyes, but the essence of the experience, being a novice and the center of attention while not knowing what's about to happen, must have informed his description of McMurdo's welcome at Vermissa many years later.<br />
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Freemasons in the Canon</h4>
The Freemasons, or simply Masons, figure several times in the Canon; much has been written about Jabez Wilson's "arc-and-compass breastpin," John Hector McFarlane's "watch-charm," and so on. Neither the secrets nor the activities of Freemasons figure in the stories in any substantial way — that was left for the scriptwriters of <i>Murder by Decree</i> in 1979. When Holmes says in "A  Scandal in Bohemia" that "There is a wonderful sympathy and freemasonry among horsy men," he is using the word in a very loose sense, and his initiation into that freemasonry seems to have involved nothing more than "[lending] the ostlers a hand in rubbing down their horses".<br />
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Secret Societies, or Societies with Secrets?</h4>
Everything about Masonic secrets is a sensitive subject. Doubly sensitive is the question of how far Masonic ritual influenced the ceremonies of Mormonism when they were being developed, mostly in Ohio in the 1830s, some forty years before the events narrated in the second part of A Study in Scarlet. I am neither a Mason nor a Mormon, but I am willing to believe various authors who see similarities in the ceremonial words and handshakes used in the two traditions. In both cases, the rituals have religious meanings, the Masons looking to "the Great Architect" and the Mormons to God as understood by the Latter-Day Saints churches, and neither group tolerates the horseplay that we would understand as "hazing". <i>A Study in Scarlet</i> mentions the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, but does not talk about the crucial Endowment ceremony that takes place there. However, the Mormons who figure in the novel certainly have secrets, and their flying squad, the Avenging Angels, have passwords just as the Masons and the Ancient Order of Freemen do.<br />
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Other secret societies appear in the Canon as well, notably "the Red Circle, which was allied to the old Carbonari", into which Gennaro Lucca had been "initiated" at Naples. The arrival of the society in New York, with word that "a lodge would be held upon a certain date," precipitated the dreadful events of the story that is likewise called "The Red Circle". The society that figures as a red herring in "The Six Napoleons," though identified as "the Mafia," is not dissimilar, and no doubt has its own initiation rituals.<br />
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Finally, there is the Ku Klux Klan, the "terrible secret society" appears in "The Five Orange Pips." It clearly had its symbols, "a sprig of oak-eaves in some parts, melon seeds or orange pips in others," but since the intended victims were meant to understand the messages they were sent, they were hardly very secret. We are not told whether aspiring members of this particular version of the Klan had to undergo an initiation, or whether adhering to its anti-Republican political views was enough.<br />
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Greek Interpreter Needed</h4>
In popular culture these days, hazing is mostly associated with college fraternities and sororities, although the reputable ones have largely repudiated it. "Greek letter organizations" date from the early 19th century, but most of their practices as they have been known over the past few generations originated after the American Civil War, largely in the southern states — interestingly, the same time and place in which the original Klan held sway. <br />
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Unsurprisingly, no fraternities or sororities are mentioned in the Canonical stories, unless the Alpha Inn ("The Blue Carbuncle") qualifies on the strength of its single Greek letter. There is, however, what a newspaper quoted in "The Illustrious Client" called "that criminal fraternity which has so often had occasion to bewail the activity and ingenuity of the injured man", namely Sherlock Holmes. It is not clear whether the criminal fraternity had its own initiation procedures.<br />
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Sherlock Holmes and Secret Societies

"Through the haze" [HOUN] Never say never about what Sherlockians might do or have already done, but so far as I know, the n...

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by Chris Redmond

An Interview with Octavius Bear Author Harry DeMaio

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"bear upon the case" [VALL] </h4>
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Sherlock Holmes is no stranger to the animal kingdom. We have seen <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2016/07/thirty-years-of-great-mouse-detective.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a delightful rodent version</a> of the great detective in Basil of Baker street, a number of canine variations such as the animated Sherlock Hound and Wishbone, the dog from the children's series, dawning the Holmes role in "The Slobber Hound," and there has even been a Sherlock Sheep in the social network game of Farmville.<br />
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But there never has been quite a Sherlockian character quite like Octavius Bear, a 1,400 pound anthropomorphic Kodiak bear living in an alternate future world where humans have perished and have been replaced by intelligent animals.<br />
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We interviewed author Harry DeMaio on how he imagined this Holmesian series, one like no other.<br />
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<b>I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere: Tell us about <a href="http://mxpublishing.com/search?ssv=demaio" target="_blank">the world of Octavius Bear</a> and why you decided to make a Holmesian character in a world of intelligent animals.</b></h4>
<b>Harry DeMaio:</b> Here’s the story background: About 100,000 years ago, according to scientific experts, a colossal solar flare blasted out from the Sun, creating gigantic magnetic storms here on Earth. These highly charged electrical tempests caused startling physical and psychological imbalances in the then population of our world. The complete nervous systems of some species were totally destroyed. For example, <i>Homo sapiens</i> lost all mental and motor capabilities and rapidly became extinct. Less developed species exposed to the radiation were affected differently.  Four-footed and finned mammals, birds and reptiles suddenly found themselves capable of complex thought, enhanced emotions, self-awareness, social consciousness and the ability to communicate, sometimes orally, sometimes telepathically, often both. Both speech production and speech perception slowly progressed with the evolution of tongues, lips, vocal cords and enhanced ear to brain connections. Many species developed opposable digits, fingers or claws, further accelerating civilized progress. Some others (most fish and underground dwellers) were shielded from the radiation and remained only as sentient as they were before the blast. This event is referred to as The Big Shock.  It remains under intensive study.<br />
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Alternate universes play an increasing level of importance in each succeeding book. Let’s hear it for Quantum Superposition and good old Schrodinger.<br />
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I wanted a new type of detective and I based Octavius on several prototypes, including Holmes.<br />
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Octavius is a nine foot tall, 1400 pound Kodiak Bear/consulting detective/scientist/inventor/seeker of justice/mega-billionaire owner of Universal Ursine Industries/narcoleptic war hero/gourmet-gourmand/somewhat sedentary and grouchy just on general principles. He is a hybrid character somewhat loosely based on Sherlock Holmes and Nero Wolfe with some characteristics of each but definitely his own bear. Octavius, among his many talents and accomplishments, he is a brilliant, self-taught practitioner in the wide ranging fields of biology, physics, ursinology, voodoo, teleology, chemistry, apiculture and oenology as well as a first rate electrical, electronic, structural, marine, aeronautical, mechanical and chemical engineer.  He has a few other interesting characteristics such as falling into brief, deep narcoleptic comas – side effects of his successful genetic experiments to eliminate the need for him to hibernate. He, his associates and nemeses are all figments of my warped imagination.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: Octavius is inspired by Holmes but he has some significant differences. What are some ways the characters are similar and different?</b></h4>
<b>HD: </b> The two primary inspirations for Octavius and his sidekick, Maury Meerkat are Holmes/Watson and Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin. Octavius is nine feet tall. Maury a little more than two feet. I wanted to play heavily on the sidekick dynamic with characters whose personalities, physical characteristics and backgrounds were wildly different but generally compatible. Octavius suffers from narcolepsy which pops up at very inopportune times.  Although he thinks he is, The Great Bear is not infallible and Maury lets him know it.   So do the Bearoness and Chita.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: There really has never been a book series quite like this one. At times your books are as serious as <i>Watership Down</i> and at others as goofy as <i>Zootopia</i>.  What, besides the original Holmes tales, were your literary influences in crafting this series?</b></h4>
<b>HD: </b> I’ve already mentioned Nero Wolfe (Rex Stout.) I am an animal enthusiast with a special affection for bears so I did a lot of research on the animal kingdom and queendom.  One of my primary villains, Imperius Drake is described as “Moriarty with wings,” The Thin Man films and some of the Sam Spade stories helped. You may have noticed that every chapter begins with a limerick and there are periodic disquisitions on the nature of this alternative earth. I also include short descriptions of the <i>dramatis personae</i> at the beginning of each volume. All of these features resonate well with the reader.<br />
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<b>IHOSE:  Will we ever see Octavius Bear somehow meet the real Sherlock Holmes? </b></h4>
<b>HD:  </b>Octavius has had meetings and dealings with Fetlock Holmes, the Great Horse Detective. We’d have to switch to another alternative universe to have Octavius and Sherlock Holmes come together. One that includes Homo Sapiens. I describe one in Book Four- <i>The Lower Case</i>. The meeting is possible with a manipulation of time as well as location but not immediately in the cards.<br />
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<b>IHOSE:  The question we ask every Sherlockian, if you were stranded on a desert island with just one Sherlock Holmes story, which would you choose and why?</b></h4>
<b>HD:</b>  "A Scandal in Bohemia" for several reasons. First, I greatly admire Irene Adler who comes as close to being a romantic interest as Conan Doyle ever invented. Second, Holmes both wins and loses in this one. Refreshing to see him caught up by The Woman. A shame she appears so seldom in the Canon and subsequent pastiches.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: What are your upcoming projects?</b></h4>
<b>HD: </b> Completion of Book Five - <i>The Curse of the Mummy’s Case</i> -  later this year. I’m also looking into converting the Casebooks into scripts for animated films.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: Any last thoughts?</b></h4>
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<b>HD: </b>Females play major roles in my books. Chita, Frau Schuylkill and the Polar Bearoness Belinda Bearnaise Bruin Bear (nee Black) are reader favorites but there are many others – heroines and villains alike. Octavius’ mother, Juno, is one of my favorites. Octavius and the Bearoness marry in Book Two and at the end of Book Four, two cubs, one male, one female arrive on the scene. They have major roles in Book Five along with their governess, Mlle Woof. (Yes, it is possible for a polar bear and Kodiak to have offspring.)  Bearnice and Bearyl are identical twins and in addition to piloting Bearoness Belinda’s SST Concorde, they sing and act and appear in the Bearoness’ Aquashow – Some Like It Cold.  But Chita (or the  pseudonymous Madame Catherine Catt) seems to really resonate. Pardon the pun, but she’s a keeper.</div>
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<b>Harry DeMaio</b> is a nom de plume of Harry B. DeMaio, successful author of several books on Information Security and Business Networks as well as the four volume The Casebooks of Octavius Bear – “Alternative Universe Mysteries for Adult Animal Lovers.” The latest volume, <i>The Lower Case</i>, <a href="http://mxpublishing.com/product/9781780929514/The+Lower+Case%3A+Octavius+Bear+Book+4" target="_blank">is available from MX Publishing</a>. He is also a prolific writer of humorous poems and limericks. His website is <a href="http://www.octaviusbearslair.com/">www.octaviusbearslair.com</a>.<br />
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman';">Derrick Belanger is the author of the #1 bestselling book in its category <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1519511957" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="9e2003200f68f2fe44eb4bcdd1a73f6d" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Peculiar Provenance" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Adventure-Peculiar-Provenance/dp/1519511957/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=9e2003200f68f2fe44eb4bcdd1a73f6d&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_3292728" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Peculiar Provenance</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_3292728" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=9e2003200f68f2fe44eb4bcdd1a73f6d&_cb=1451973203084" style="border: none; height: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 0px;" width="0" />, which was in the top 200 bestselling books on Amazon. He also is the author of the MacDougall Twins with Sherlock Holmes books, the latest of which is <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B017862MVS" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="5293cce6e7483fecbc2d08a80a6fd7fa" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Curse of the Deadly Dinosaur" href="http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Dinosaur-MacDougall-Sherlock-Holmes-ebook/dp/B017862MVS/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=5293cce6e7483fecbc2d08a80a6fd7fa&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_7842789" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Curse of the Deadly Dinosaur</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_7842789" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=5293cce6e7483fecbc2d08a80a6fd7fa&_cb=1451973247482" style="border: none; height: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 0px;" width="0" />, and he edited the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle horror anthology <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B00P4E8AVI" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="a71c0c4edf6b4a9c56848bf35d8b468a" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="A Study in Terror: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Revolutionary Stories of Fear and the Supernatural" href="http://www.amazon.com/Study-Terror-Revolutionary-Stories-Supernatural-ebook/dp/B00P4E8AVI/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=a71c0c4edf6b4a9c56848bf35d8b468a&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_5010397" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Study in Terror: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Revolutionary Stories of Fear and the Supernatural</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_5010397" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=a71c0c4edf6b4a9c56848bf35d8b468a&_cb=1451973259426" style="border: none; height: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 0px;" width="0" />. Mr. Belanger has recently started the publishing company <a href="http://www.belangerbooks.com/" target="_blank">Belanger Books</a> which released the Sherlock Holmes anthology <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Watson-Sherlock-Anthology-Stories/dp/1533202273/" target="_blank">Beyond Watson</a>. Derrick Belanger also is a frequent contributor to I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere. He resides in Colorado and continues compiling unpublished works by Dr. John H. Watson.</i></div>
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An Interview with Octavius Bear Author Harry DeMaio

"bear upon the case" [VALL] Sherlock Holmes is no stranger to the animal kingdom. We have seen a delightful rodent versi...

+ Read more »

by Belanger Books

Celebrating the Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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"if it wasn't for this gentleman here..." [NORW]</h4>
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Today marks 86 years since Arthur Conan Doyle became the ultimate spiritualist. On July 7, 1930, he died after suffering a heart attack. By all accounts, he was a remarkable man — one who was much more than simply the creator of the timeless detective Sherlock Holmes.<br />
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Thanks to his own ability to document his life and the <a href="http://wessexpress.com/html/newspaper2.html" target="_blank">growing interest by the press</a>, we know quite a bit about the life he had and the exploits he led. From serving on a whaling ship in the arctic to racing automobiles, taking on cricket legend W.G. Grace, popularizing alpine skiing in Switzerland, running for Parliament and much more, he was a giant of a man, both physically and symbolically.<br />
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We have a few programs that might interest you, in which experts join us to discuss his life and his work - both renowned and newly discovered. Bookmark these and turn to them in your spare time to learn some of the intricacies behind the man who brought Sherlock Holmes to the world.<br />
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In <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose13" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 13: Arthur Conan Doyle - A Life In Letters</a>, we interviewed Jon Lellenberg and Dan Stashower, who, together with Charles Foley, edited a biography ofDoyle comprised of hundreds of letters, both personal and professional.<br />
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The pair returned to join us for <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose37" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 37: The Lost Conan Doyle Manuscript</a> to tell the tale of how The Narrative of John Smith, written in 1883 when Conan Doyle was a struggling doctor, never made it to the publishers - until now.<br />
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Then, Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post book critic and columnist Michael Dirda joined us to talk about one entry in his Writers on Writers series for <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose38" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 38: OnConan Doyle: Or, the Whole Art of Storytelling</a>.<br />
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And finally, Jon and Dan were with us for a third time on <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose48" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 48: Dangerous Work</a>, in which they shared the stories behind a truly remarkable tome: Dangerous Work: Diary of an Arctic Adventure - a book comprised of the hand-written journal entries (and drawings) from Doyle's time on an arctic whaling ship when he was but 20 years old.<br />
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A true gentleman and a remarkable human being. May you enjoy this week reveling in the wonder of the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.<br />
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Celebrating the Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

"if it wasn't for this gentleman here..." [NORW] Today marks 86 years since Arthur Conan Doyle became the ultimate spiri...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

Thirty Years of The Great Mouse Detective

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“it was remarkably animated” [SCAN]</h4>
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Disney’s <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Great-Detective-Two-Disc-Special-Blu-ray/dp/B0081VMYBI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1467515080&sr=8-2&keywords=great+mouse+detective">The GreatMouse Detective</a></i> was released 30 years ago yesterday — July 2, 1986. While not a breakout hit for the studio, its
place in history not only laid the path for the Disney renaissance period of
the 1990s, but also paid homage to the Sherlockian past that had come before it.<br />
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While working on <i>The
Rescuers</i> in the mid 70s, studio heads at Disney Animation had discussed
creating an animated Sherlock Holmes film, and the <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Basil-Baker-Street/dp/0671702874">Basil of Baker Street</a></i> series of books by Eve Titus were agreed upon
to be adapted into a feature length film. The production was shelved for the time being, due to its similarities
with <i>The Rescuers</i>, and the world
would have to wait another decade for Basil, Doctor Dawson and Professor
Ratigan.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In 1982, Disney Animation Studios was in turmoil. <i>The Fox
and the Hound</i> had been released but had underperformed, leading many Disney
executives to think that animated features had past their prime after Walt
Disney died. Funding was drying up for
animated projects, and the studio’s next release, <i>The Black Cauldron,</i> had many behind the scenes problems, leading to
newly appointed Disney heads Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg to reassign
some of its animators to begin work on a new project titled “Basil of Baker
Street.”<o:p></o:p><br />
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Following an initial meeting where the plot and early sketches
were presented to studio heads, animators were told that the story moved too
slowly.  Back to the literal drawing
board they went.  Along with the news
that instead of being released for Christmas of 1987, the film was to be ready
for a summer 1986 release, the budget of the film had been cut from $24 million
to $10 million and that the title sounded “too English.”    <o:p></o:p></div>
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Animators John Musker and Ron Clements appeared at the BSI’s
conference in 2012, and their more detailed talk, describing the ups and downs
of the production can be found in <i><a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/behindscreen.html">SherlockHolmes: Behind the Canonical Screen</a>.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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When the movie debuted for the July 4<sup>th</sup> weekend
in 1986, it was a moderate success, doing much better than <i>The Black Cauldron</i> that had preceded it. Critics enjoyed the movie. Gene Siskel called it the most “truly
memorable animated feature in 25 years" and many were enamored with the
chase sequence through the clockwork gears of Big Ben. This scene in itself was ground-breaking: the
first time that computer animation was used in conjunction with traditional
cell animation. This process would lead
Disney to their hits of the 90s such as <i>The
Little Mermaid</i> and <i>Beauty and the
Beast</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thirty years on, it’s easy to look back and see <i>The Great Mouse Detective</i> as an
important film in Disney history. But
what about Sherlockiana?<o:p></o:p><br />
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Basil and Doctor Dawson introduced a new generation to
Sherlock Holmes and his capabilities. While children of this time may have been familiar with the deerstalker
and magnifying glass from the bumbling <i>Sesame
Street</i> character, Sherlock Hemlock, this was the first time that many
children got to see intelligence as a superpower.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Basil enters the story by charging into 221 1/2 Baker Street
in a manic fashion, and within minutes has shown his mastery of disguise,
ballistics, ingenuity and determination. Once Doctor Dawson introduces him to young Olivia Flaversham, and the
problem of her missing father, the game is afoot and the movie really takes
off.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The viewers are then introduced to Professor Ratigan, voiced
by the incomparable Vincent Price. The rivalry between Basil and Ratigan is one
that both characters revel in, and the continual cat and mouse between Basil
and his “Napoleon of crime” urges the story along to its climaxes with a
dastardly Rube Goldberg-esque death machine, a mechanical queen, and the
aforementioned battle at Big Ben.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The nods to the Sherlock Holmes stories abound through this
film. From the obvious inspiration of the name
of the main character to the inclusion of Basil Rathbone’s voice as Sherlock
Holmes, there is something for every Sherlockian out there. A personal favorite is Toby, Basil’s reliable
bloodhound, whom is a clear take off from Toby from <i>The Sign of Four</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Many Sherlockians in their 30’s and 40’s have fond memories
of <i>The Great Mouse Detective</i>, and
although its stormy beginnings were not a high point in Disney history, it
sparked an interest in a new generation for Sherlock Holmes fans that have
grown over the years to treasure it for the great film it is.<o:p></o:p></div>
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