The John H Watson Society – Page 6 – The Open and Inclusive Worldwide Online Sherlockian Society (Really, We're about Having Fun)

3 September, 20211 September, 2021

WE STROLLED ABOUT TOGETHER

An occasional feature about the places in the John H Watson Canon

“What say you, Watson? Can you rise superior to the heat, and run down to Croydon with me on the off chance of a case for your annals?’ ‘I was longing for something to do.’ ‘You shall have it, then. Ring for our boots, and tell them to order a cab. I’ll be back in a moment, when I have changed my dressing-gown and filled my cigar-case.’ A shower of rain fell while we were in the train, and the heat was far less oppressive in Croydon than in town.

‘The Adventure of the Cardboard Box‘

“Nevertheless, up and down the country, since at least the mid sixteenth century, hundreds of real wife-sales have been reported, and there must have been many hundreds more which went unrecorded. Not every sale realised fifteen pounds, however, as can be seen in this article than appeared in the Hereford Journal on 17 March 1894:

SELLING A WIFE FOR FOUR PENCE

One of the few remaining common lodging-houses in Middle-Row, Croydon was on Sunday night the scene of a curious transaction, a labouring-man selling his wife for a pot of fourpenny-ale. The purchased adopted the precaution of taking a receipt for his money, and when the newly-mated couple adjourned to a neighbouring public house, the document was the object of much curiosity. It is said the husband and wife parted on very friendly terms.

From the extensive number of cases, it is clear that many of those involved genuinely believed that such transactions were a legal form of divorce, as long as certain rules were adhered to. The local market was the commonest place for the auction, and in some cases the wife was led in wearing a halter to emphasis the connection with a livestock sale. The husband would be careful to pay the toll he would normally pay for selling an animal, and be equally careful to get a receipt. The wife might be dressed on in her shift, which symbolised the fact that the purchaser took her as she stood, and could make no further claim on the husband. If all this sounds dreadful in our post-feminist age, it must be noted that in at least some of the cases we know that the wife had agreed to the proceedings and had, in fact, already arranged who was going to bid for her.”

From London Lore: The Legends and Traditions of the World’s Most Vibrant City by Steve Roud, p. 103.

2 September, 2021

Treasure Hunt answers due September 5

Don’t forget to get your Treasure Hunt answers in to treasurehunt@johnhwatsonsociety.com by September 5!

Team/Individual Name(s):

Primary Contact if for a team:

Primary Contact email:

2021 JOHN H. WATSON TREASURE HUNT

1 point for every correct answer unless otherwise specified.

PART 1: WATSONIAN WORLD OLIO

1. How many wives did John Watson have? Name them all alphabetically.

2. What is a far Eastern intestinal inflammation caused by Salmonella?

3. What is an Augean stable for couch potatoes?

4. Who was thin as a narrow piece of wood and brown as a nut?

5. Bozo would have been proud of whom for being the glue?

6. The most famous “Angel” in the Canon, Hosmer, didn’t really exist. Can you name five others who were real? 5 points

7. Name eight Canon kings without royal blood. 8 points

8. What was Nigel Bruce’s middle name?

9. What was Basil Rathbone’s middle name?

10. Dr. Watson frequently dispensed his favorite medicine, brandy. What other two medicines did he consider? 2 points

11. Which person in the Canon had been jollified?

12. What was found near a fictitious river near Xiamen?

13. Name three who were, initially, sentenced to death but spared? 3 points

14. The official colors of the Baker Street Irregulars were chosen by Christopher Morley based on what item and which colors?

15. Who was the combined age of: when one became master of the house plus the number of crew on a ship lost at sea? 3 points

16. Two men played chess together in Lewisham 29 years before their almost namesakes met again in what Sherlockian story?

17. In reference to q. 16, what were the chess players’ names in the story? 2 points

18. He met his Maker while standing but no bullet was fired. Name the story.

19. In reference to q. 18, who died?

20. He hired a one-legged man to help him manage his blues. Name the boss, the man and the story. 3 points

21. Watson thought Holmes could have rivaled which actor?

22. This poet’s Shakespearean pastiche was one of a kind. Who was the author and what was the title? 2 points

23.Two Scotland Yard inspectors used a term to compare a man and a woman with young, rowdy people who cause damage. What was the term?

24. In reference to q. 23, who were the two inspectors? 2 points

25. In reference to q. 23, who was the man?

26. In reference to q. 23, who was the woman?

27. [The sum of the numbers of two unused upper circle tickets] – [The house number of the address where the wife with aroused suspicions exited the cab] + [The number of minutes in a first-class carriage ride to Birmingham] ÷ 2/3 = [What Canonical plant]? 4 points

28. There was confusion caused by two individuals in a story having the same initials. Name the three pairs and the three stories where this confusion occurred. 6 Points (2 points each)

29. How many places could Holmes go to disguise himself?

30. Sherlock Holmes allergy to cats affects his ability to solve a case in a short story by what famous writer? 

31. According to one canonical Mister, this person was more of an expert than Holmes. Who was the person?

32. Which military fencing champion portrayed Sherlock Holmes in the movies?

33. One was short-sighted, another naturally blind, the third missed a train. Two died and one survived. What did the three have in common?

34. In reference to q. 33, who were the three persons? 3 points

35. Who was the man from Gdansk who Holmes showed how it really happened?

36. Who was the first voice to speak after host Brad Keefauver on the first episode of the Watsonian Weekly podcast?

37. In reference to q. 36, what topic did the person discuss?

38. Who composed the theme song for the Watsonian Weekly podcast?

39. Two characters had the same surname; one a future bridegroom, one a lawbreaker. Who were they? 2 points

40. Which woman did Holmes compare to a chicken?

Part 2: LONDON NEWSPAPERS

Name the Daily newspaper and the story in which the item mentioned appeared:

2 points for each correct pair of answers

41. This newspaper labeled the crime as a political one.

42. This newspaper’s advertisement sheet was thrown aside by Sherlock Holmes.

43. This newspaper was picked up by Mycroft Holmes.

44. This newspaper was removed from Holmes’ knee by the accused murderer.

45. This newspaper reported a murder discovery made by the Parisian police.

46. This newspaper labeled one officer in charge as the smartest detective.

47. This newspaper reported a lady’s distress on a bus.

48. This newspaper was visited by Holmes and Watson at the end of a busy day.

49. This newspaper’s editor was beaten.

Part 3: UNTOLD STORIES

Sherlockians and pastiche writers love speculating about the untold adventures discussed by Dr. John H. Watson. Name the title of the untold adventure and the story in which it appeared. 2 points for each correct pair of answers

50. Petroselinum crispum

51. Costermonger pushcart

52. Don’t judge a book by its cover

53. Wind up

54. Umbrella

55. Dentures

56. Toothless

57. Fake

58. Peerless

59. Plague

60. Understood by one

61. Female but not a woman

62. Powderless

Part 4: HOUSEKEEPERS IN THE CANON

Identify the housekeeper by the clue.

63. She didn’t notice the scratch.

64. She slept through the night and heard nothing.

65. She didn’t hesitate to let them in.

66. She was mistakenly arrested.

67. She was hard of hearing.

68. She was old but respectable.

69. She found the fingerprint.

70. She had a black cat.

Part 5: WATSONIAN WORD OLIO CONTINUED

71. An electrician, a solicitor, a marine, a second son and a cashier walk into a bar in London, what do they all have in common?

72. In reference to q. 71, name with whom? 5 points

a. Electrician/

b. Solicitor/

c. Marine/

d. Second son/

e. Cashier/

73. Dr. John H. Watson mentioned two people who he knew in Afghanistan. Who were they? 2 points

74. He once made the beer, and he was responsible for the introduction. Who, who and who? 3 points

75. More than likely it was this ten-year-old best-selling text Watson laid aside when he lost interest due to the weather. What text? Which author?

76. John H. Watson’s literary agent was quite taken with this person’s Holmes-like power of disguise when the person was acting like Holmes. Who?

77. This Madame appeared in the world of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson almost 30 times. Who?

78. Supply the missing names. 6 points.

a. Douglas:: Nigel:: ?, ?

b. Benedict:: Martin:: ?

c. Jeremy:: ?, ? ::Rosalie

d. ?:: Colin:: Sarah

79. In an apocryphal tale, Watson patiently and quietly accepts Sherlock Holmes’s error as to the doctor’s background as Holmes describes a letter Watson has received. Watson reports Sherlock Holmes saying to him, “This I gathered from the use of the word ‘Doctor’ upon the address, to which, as a Bachelor of Medicine, you have no legal claim.” Which word in Holmes’s statement is false?

80. Holmes, after some gentle searching near the light, found the hiding place for a short shotgun. Where was the hiding place?

81. While Watson did not exactly call it an alternative, he chose this public version over a home version. What?

82. According to Sherlock Holmes, a little talk about this produces the desired appearance of mental disturbance. A little talk about what?

83. Bow windows are mentioned as existing in four different places in the Canon; what four places?

4 points

84. While it rained frequently in London, only four persons in the Canon had an umbrella. Who were they? 4 points

85. Who were the two men in the Canon whose blood ‘boiled”?

86. Holmes offered a cigar and was sunk in deep thought at which railway station?

87. Her husband was an elected official in a town by the Cotswolds that houses the tomb of a king. Who was she?

88. Sherlock Holmes paid each of these six men a half-sovereign. Who were they? 6 points

89. Which author did Holmes say was always tersely cogent?

90. Sherlock Holmes studied the ashes of various tobaccos and smoked several cigarettes and pipes while contemplating his cases. To whom did Holmes offer a cigarette? 2 points

91. This newspaper reported a mid-May death. What was the paper?

92. While Holmes re-read a letter in October, Watson’s thoughts turned to a sandless beach in Southern England. What was the name of the beach?

93. Sherlock Holmes played the violin well and played it to take his mind off of bad weather. Who else was known to have played a violin in the Canon?

94. Two medical men in the Canon wore tennis shoes. Who were they? 2 points

95. Who was the unhappy, single, professional man who rang the bell at 221B?

96. Two men wore spats when they asked Sherlock Holmes for help. Who were they? 2 points

97. Arthur Conan Doyle was extremely athletic; swimming, playing golf, cricket, football (soccer), hockey and baseball. In what sporting activities did Sherlock Holmes participate?

2 points

98. Holmes described this man as having a heart of metamorphic rock. Who was he?

99. Two different items in two different stories the Canon cost the same price. Both were part of a set. What was the price?

100. In reference to q. 99, what were the different items and what were the two stories?

4 points

BONUS QUESTION

Sherlock Holmes relied on Dr. John Watson to help him with his cases. Can you decipher this story to find a hidden, well-known phrase that demonstrates Holmes’s reliance on Watson? 15 points

It was another cold, rainy morning where Holmes was looking at the agony column of the Daily Mail. Remnants of supper remained where Mrs. Hudson had placed them the night before. Seated in his chair was Dr. Watson who was warming his cold feet in the toasty fire that Hudson had just prepared. Outside, a man closed his umbrella and approached 221B Baker Street to ring the bell.

Holmes called to Mrs. Hudson, “We have a visitor. Stop what you are doing and let him in. Please tell Billy to open the door so that my friend Watson can help bring an end to this poor man’s suffering.

Looking worried, a stranger entered but Holmes laughed. “You need not worry because Watson’s here.”

As the man looked nervously around the room, Holmes noticed that Dr. Watson had taken out his revolver. Holmes reached for his pipe, inserted fresh tobacco from a Persian slipper that he had refilled from the previous day’s problem solving that involved members of Royal families from two different European nations.

“Don’t worry, old boy. My dear friend Is apprehensive. His sixth sense has caused him to expect that you are here with some problem that could bring serious danger to our home. I perceive he is incorrect.”

“One can never be too cautious.”

“Tell us what brings you. Elucidate your problem. I can see that no one has been able to help. Let us bring an end to your dilemma.”

The stranger’s face relaxed and a twinkle formed in his old eyes.

”This is what happened.”

He carefully explained his situation and then, Watson interrupted, “I solved it, Holmes!” Nothing gets past Dr. Watson.

“Great!,” Holmes said, and the man left happily.

30 August, 202125 August, 2021

WORDS ON WATSON

An occasional feature of published pages about John Watson

Watson’s obsession with protecting me manifested itself through his creation of an elaborate constructive mythology of my life. In his extensive writings, which are quite simplistic regarding my methods, but quite accurate regarding the general details of the cases, he always sought to disguise locations, obscure dates, alter names and re-direct the reader’s attention to places and circumstances at great distances from my actual location, all designed–in his mind–to assure my safety from the latent powers of the tentacles Moriarty.

A case in point: Watson’s imaginary Great Hiatus placing me in exotic locales, wandering throughout Asia, disguised as one ‘Sigerson’ when, in fact, I was safely incognito at Maiden Wood…The corpus of writing that Watson produced over the years, taken as whole, is remarkable for this constant protective turn of the narrative.

From The Biography and Autobiography of Sherlock Holmes by Don Libey, Campbell & Lewis, 2013, pp. 165-166

27 August, 202125 August, 2021

WE STROLLED ABOUT TOGETHER

An occasional feature about the places in the John H Watson canon

I think I stood stunned for some moments. Then I have a confused recollection of snatching at a paper, of the remonstrance of the man, whom I had not paid, and, finally, of standing in the doorway of a chemist’s shop while I turned up the fateful paragraph. This was how it ran: We learn with regret that Mr Sherlock Holmes, the well-known private detective, was the victim this morning of a murderous assault which has left him in a precarious position. There are no exact details to hand, but the event seems to have occurred about twelve o’clock in Regent Street, outside the Café Royal. The attack was made by two men armed with sticks, and Mr Holmes was beaten about the head and body, receiving injuries which the doctors describe as most serious. He was carried to Charing Cross Hospital, and afterwards insisted upon being taken to his rooms in Baker Street.

‘The Adventure of the Illustrious Client’

Cafe Royal opened at 68 Regent Street in 1865, staying at the same premises right through until it closed down in 2008, serving royalty and celebrities throughout this period. For four years, the property was redeveloped, and the Hotel Cafe Royal now sits on the spot. —londonist.com/2016/04/12-secrets-of-regent-street

Named after the Prince Regent, the street was built in 1819 under the direction of architect John Nash and its Grade II listed facades represent some of the most distinguished architecture in London. When built, Regent Street was the original purpose-built shopping street for the capital. —regentstreetonline.com

This [224–244 Regent Street] was once the site of The Argyll Rooms, a popular entertainment venue owned by the London Philharmonic Society and used for various concerts, public performances and other exhibitions…During a show on 26 December 1832, a young lady was taken home by her friends after appearing to have some kind of fit. The case was recounted in John Ingram’s 1897 book Haunted Homes and Family Traditions of Great Britain, quoting from the diary of Thomas Raikes, who knew the girl. After the young lady got home, she found it difficult to talk, until eventually she told her companions that she had been seized by the vision of a naked male corpse, with its face partly covered by a cloth, though she recognised the corpse of a man she knew. Her friends reassured her that he was okay. The next day, news came through that he in fact had drowned in Southampton after his boat capsized and the body found tangled up in a ‘boat cloak’. —spookyisles.com/soho-haunted-london-ghosts

By the turn of the century Regent Street had enjoyed 80 years as the ‘centre of fashion.’ It was mainly dependent on the custom of society, and out of season it was often almost deserted. But by 1900 a change could be discerned in the nature of the of the Regent Street customer, partly due to a shift in the relative wealth of the aristocracy and middle classes. —The London Encyclopaedia, Edited by Ben Weinreb and Christopher Hibbert, p. 642, Adler & Adler Publishers, Inc., 1986

23 August, 2021

Our August meeting of august Watsonians

This Saturday, the bull pups and friends will finally be gathering again to discuss our old friend John H. Watson and those who came after him — his literal heirs! Who in his life might have gathered for the reading of the will? Who took something of Watson with them when he was gone, either in a tin box or their DNA? The matter needs discussed, and we shall certainly do it this Saturday. (And probably record something of it for the society’s podcast.) And who knows where else the conversation might ramble, as always!

Saturday, August 28 at 10 AM PDT, 11 AM MDT, 12 Noon CDT, 1 PM EDT, 6 PM BST, 7 PM CEST, etc. is the time, Zoom is the place. If you need the Zoom invitation, please send a request to podcast@johnhwatsonsociety.com and we’ll get you the link.

22 August, 2021

WORDS ON WATSON

An occasional feature of published pages about John Watson

“I sometimes think it a mercy that poor Violet is in her grave,” I overheard one of the maiden aunts say to the other after I had announced my decision [to go to sea rather than open a medical practice], which had had the effect of casting a heavy cloak of gloom over my grandparents’ household. “One son a scoundrel; the other an ingrate.”

“I told you there was bad blood in him, the first time she brought him to our hotel in Stranraer,” Her sister answered. “It’s him they got it from, not poor Violet.”

“I must say I am surprised at John, though. I believed him to be the steady one.”

“Still waters run deep, you know. The next thing we shall hear, he will be paying attention to women.”

—From The Private Life of Doctor Watson, Being the Personal Reminiscences of John H. Watson, MD by Michael Hardwick, E.P. Dutton, Inc., 1983, p. 208

18 August, 2021

The Treasure Hunt is on until September 5!

Getting a late start on the Treasure Hunt? That’s okay, we did, too. That’s why you have until September 5th to submit it!

Please send your answers to this year’s Treasure Hunt Master, Richard Krisciunas, JHWS “Hector” at treasurehunt@johnhwatsonsociety.com.