Holmes, Doyle, & Fun in Dayton

Fun and Affordable -- that the annual Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Conference in Dayton, which was held last Saturday, March 23. I'm still basking in the afterglow.

The "Dayton Symposium," as it is often called, has been held under various names, in various places, and under various sponsorships since 1981, making it the granddaddy of all Sherlockian conferences that is still going strong. The Agra Treasurers of Dayton have been the sponsors since it became Holmes, Doyle, & Friends a decade ago. 

Full disclosure: I'm the Programme Chairman, which means that I get to round up the eight speakers. It's a fun job. The speakers are the heart of the conference, although the vendors are almost just as important. Each speaker gets 20 minutes to speak and 10 to answer questions. The day really moves along.

There's a bit of a family feeling as well because some of the participants have been coming from far-flung parts of the United States for years. As a surprise this time, we celebrated Chicago Sherlockian  Bob Sharfman's 88th birthday with a cake during the afternoon break.

If you've never been to a Sherlockian conference, HD&F is a great place to start. And if you're already on the circuit, Dayton should be one of your stops. The 2025 conference will be held sometime next March. Stay tuned! 

Bob Sharfman and Ann Lewis with Bob's cake

Registration Open for Dayton Symposium

Holmes, Doyle, & Friends 2021B (March 2022)  

Quick, Watson—the registration form!

Even though we are in the cold and dreary winter, you can register now for the Holmes, Doyle & Friends:2023 seminar which takes place in Dayton, Ohio, on Saturday, March 25 (with a reception the evening before). Why wait till the last minute? There’s a discount if you register by Feb. 25.

Vendors also get a discount rate, and it’s especially important for vendors to register soon—tables sold out early last year.

What is sometimes called simply “the Dayton symposium” has its roots in the “Homing in on Holmes” seminar that began in 1981 under the leadership of the late Dr. Al Rodin, sponsored jointly by Wright State and nearby Central State Universities. The conference has had other names and various sponsors in the decades since.

The Agra Treasurers, the Dayton-based scion society of the Baker Street Irregulars, has been putting on the symposium under the HD&F name since 2014, with a COVID-caused Great Hiatus in 2020 and 2021. The conference roared back with strong attendance in 2022.

This year’s program is still in the works but is expected to include speakers on Sherlock Holmes in the comics, Basil Rathbone, the great collector John Bennett Shaw, the curious walking stick known as a Penang lawyer—and a performance by a professional magician.

You can register for Holmes, Doyle, & Friends HERE.

Another Winner in Dayton

Jacquelynn Bost Morris on poisons; the crowd was bigger than it looks

Holmes, Doyle & Friends: Two, held last weekend (March 20-21) in Dayton, Ohio, proved that the high quality of last year's seminar was no fluke.

Sponsored by the Agra Treasurers of Dayton, this year's program - successor to the long-running Holmes/Doyle Symposium in Dayton hat was not sponsored by the Treasurers, offered a parade of engaging and erudite speakers whose primary purpose seemed to be having fun with the Canon.

Philip K. Jones analyzed why the Sherlock Holmes stories are uniquely popular. Jacquelynn Bost Morris, ASH, BSI, looked at the clues and symptoms which indicate that Anna Coram didn't really die as assumed in "The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez." Bill Cochran, BSI, theorized that the real groom at the wedding of Irene Adler was Holmes himself!

David Miller discussed snakes in the Canon in a way designed to evoked titters. Vincent Wright energetically surveyed the hangmen of the Victorian period, lingering over several ghoulishly humorous incidents of botched executions. Lorraine Reibert offered her opinion that the blue carbuncle was actually a Kashmir sapphire. Bill Mason, BSI, closed out the seminar with a fascinating look at Latin Americans in the Canon, and how Arthur Conan Doyle's later work was likely influenced by a Frenchman's book about Central America.

Two social events, an opening-night reception and a banquet on Saturday, served as bookends for the more formal program.

Mark your calendar for Holmes, Doyle & Friends: Three in 2016. Meanwhile, it's not too late to sign up for perhaps the premier annual Holmes symposium - A Scintillation of Scions VIII, coming in June in Maryland. Check it out!  

Dayton Event Offers Great Lineup of Speakers

Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Five, in 2018 

Fresh from the fantastic BSI & Friends Weekend in New York, I’m excitedly looking forward to the next big Sherlockian homecoming event Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Six, to be held in Dayton on March 29 & 30, 2019.

Evaluations from last year included the comments:

“Loved all the presenters.”

“Highly diverse. Each very well done in its own way.”

“Uniformly good quality.”

“A good mix of topics and formats.”

“All very good. Great variety of interesting topics.”

“You always have great presenters.”

“Very well produced.”

“Please be sure to promote this; more people need to know how wonderful this is.”

  

Sponsored by the Agra Treasurers, the “Dayton Symposium” (as it and its predecessor conferences have been familiarly known for almost 40 years) will again have a spectacular lineup of presentations. The 2019 speakers, in alphabetical order, are:

Susan Bailey, winner of the 2018 Morley-Montgomery Award for the best article in the Baker Street Journal;

Shannon Neihart Carlisle, BSI, Beacon Award winner and director of the Junior Sherlock Society for young sleuths;

Robert S. Katz, BSI, retired pathologist and co-editor of four books for the Baker Street Irregulars, including Nerve and Knowledge: Doctors, Medicine and the Sherlockian Canon;  

Ann Margaret Lewis, ASH, author of Murder in the Vatican: The Church Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes and The Watson Chronicles;

Jeffrey Marks, biographer of Anthony Boucher, who (among many other Sherlockian distinctions) co-authored many of the radio plays starring Rathbone and Bruce;  

Scott Monty, BSI, the inimitable co-host of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere, the first podcast devoted to Sherlock Holmes;

Regina Stinson, BSI, creator of amazing Sherlockian crafts and founder of the Ribston-Pippins scion society; and

Vincent W. Wright, engaging speaker, Sherlockian chronologist, and curator of the “Historical Sherlock” Facebook page.

You won’t want to miss this! So register now, if not sooner, at http://www.agratreasurers.net/holmes--doyle----friends.html. I look forward to seeing you in Dayton, where once again – 

The game is afoot!

Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Profile: Mr. Wright

Vincent W. Wright, Sherlockian Chronologist Extraordinaire 

I’ve probably heard Vincent W. Wright talk more than I've heard any other Sherlockian speaker, including on this episode of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere. And I still want more! Fortunately, I will get more of him at Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Six in Dayton on March 30. Let’s see what he has to say for himself:  

When and how did you become a Sherlockian?

In high school I was loaned the two-volume copy of William S. Baring-Gould’s The Annotated Sherlock Holmes. (I say “loaned” even though I still have them 30 years later.) I was fascinated by them, and read them often. When I moved to Indianapolis from Southern Illinois in 1996, I found that there was a local Sherlock Holmes society (the Illustrious Clients). I contacted them, and I’ve been a member ever since.

You are best known in the Sherlockian world as a chronologist. How many books of chronology do you own?

In total I have 25 chronologies. Not all chronologies are full books. Some are just simple lists of dates, or are online. Of the actual books, of which I believe there 18 or so, I have all but one of them. (And it’s just the first book of what was supposed to be more, thus an incomplete timeline. I don’t reference it much in my work.)

What captivates you about trying to figure when stories took place – given that there can never be a definitive answer?

While I do understand that it’s possible to enjoy the Canon without chronology, I still think it’s important. Some of the biggest problems we have in the Canon are wholly or partially chronologically based (the Master’s birthday, Watson’s wives, the proper dating of ‘The Red-Headed League’), so it’s deeper in the hobby than most realize.

Also, in any contemporary crime drama, one of the first things that has to be nailed down is a timeline of events. Why should it be any different for the greatest crime drama of all time?

Finally, I see it as the height of canonical research. If someone is trying to pin down the dates of a story, they have to look into every single thing about it in order to make a final decision. No detail can be overlooked or ignored.

You are speaking at Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Six in Dayton on March 30. How does your talk ("Around the World in 63,540 Days") relate to Sherlockian chronology?

This will be a rare talk in that chronology doesn’t play into it at all. It’s a fun talk, though not necessarily a scholarly talk. But, every other paper I’ve ever given touches on chronology somehow. It’s just a part of who I am, and my favorite part of the hobby. (Next to the people, of course.)

You’ve talked often at this symposium in past years. What has that been like for you?

Dayton was the first conference I ever attended outside of Indiana. I fell in love with the simplicity of it – dealers, presentations, food, Sherlockian fellowship. When I was first allowed to speak the reception was awesome, and I’ve tried to do it as often as possible. It’s such a relaxing atmosphere. Everyone associated with putting it together has always been wonderful, and I look forward to it every year. (Plus, the conference just keeps getting better and better.)

Tell us a little about your Facebook page, Historical Sherlock.

Historical Sherlock is my way of placing Holmes, Watson, and the entire Canon firmly into Victorian England. I call it “playing The Game in a most unusual way.” It’s like taking The Annotated one step further. I find the things that Holmes and Watson (or anyone in the Canon) would’ve seen or experienced, and I tie it all together.

Example: I recently found information about what is called the worst disaster on the Thames ever – the colliding of the vessels Princess Alice and Bywell Castle. It happened at a spot that is mentioned in the Canon almost exactly. I noted that during the boat chase scene in The Sign of [the] Four the Aurora would’ve gone right by that spot. I tied the accident together chronologically with SIGN, and even got Liz Stride (a Jack the Ripper victim) in there, too.

Sometimes it gets chronological, sometimes it doesn’t. Regardless, it’s another way of firmly planting our heroes in their time.

What event(s) are you most looking forward to on the Sherlockian calendar this year?

Dayton is a must-do for me. Same with A Scintillation of Scions in Maryland in June. I haven’t missed one of those in almost a decade.

I’m also scheduled to speak in Toronto in September, and in Baltimore in November. Truly looking forward to both of those. If I can squeeze in a few more conferences here and there, I will.

Register now for Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Six and get an early registration discount.

Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Profile: Bob Katz

Dr. Katz at the Baker Street Irregular dinner last month. Photo by Will Walsh  

Robert Katz, M.D., BSI, is a great raconteur and a swell guy to share a Maryland-to-DC train ride with, followed by breakfast. He’s also one of the great speakers at the Holmes, Doyle, &Friends Six symposium in Dayton, OH, March 29-30. That provided the excuse for asking Bob a few questions:  

When and how did you become a Sherlockian?

My first exposure to Sherlock Holmes came about when I was about 12 years old. I saw one of the Rathbone films on television on a rainy Saturday afternoon. As soon as the film ended, I ran out of the house and went to the local library to borrow one of the books. My interest has continued without interruption since.

Please talk about your involvement with Haverford College and its Sherlockian significance.

I received my undergraduate degree from Haverford College. I’d already read the Canon in the Doubleday edition and was familiar with the Christopher Morley introduction. It was not until I arrived on campus that I learned that Morley was a Haverford graduate. In addition, the Morley Reading Alcove had a comfortable couch and Morley’s books and papers were right at hand. In between regular studies, I had the chance to access them and became familiar with the Sherlockian literature.

Dr. Watson was a doctor. You are a doctor. Discuss! 

My decision to pursue a career in medicine was more influenced by viewings of AJ Cronin’s The Citadel (and the subsequent reading of the book) and a viewing of The Last Angry Man. However, my choice of Pathology as my specialty was very much influenced by the Canon. The stories were written by a physician, narrated by a physician, and to some extent based on a physician. Many of the deductions for which Holmes is so famous are really medical diagnoses. Pathology is really the only field of medicine where one can spend one’s entire career just making diagnoses. Given my Sherlockian pursuits and interest, it’s more likely that Pathology chose me rather than my choosing Pathology!

What are your main involvements in Sherlockian societies?

Having recently retired after founding and moderating The Epilogues of Sherlock Holmes, for 28 years here in New Jersey, my main involvement has been my service as Headmastiff of The Sons of the Copper Beeches in Philadelphia. I do try to attend meetings of East Coast groups as often as possible. On a broader level, I serve a variety of roles within the Baker Street Irregulars, primarily as Co-Publisher of BSI Press and as Billy the Page within the organization itself.  Fortunately, I’ve been retired from medical practice for a while, as these duties are nearly a full-time job. But all are labors of love.

When I was a younger, I knew very few Sherlockians. What has it meant to you to be part of a Sherlockian community?

I was fortunate to have become involved in Sherlockian scion societies while still in medical school. The Sherlockian community has really become my extended family. So many of the important relationships in my life have developed from my Sherlockian and BSI activities. Simply put, my personal life would be much the poorer had I not become a Sherlockian.

When did you become a member of the Baker Street Irregulars?

I attended my first BSI Dinner in 1981 and received the Irregular Shilling (as “Dr. Ainstree”) in 1983. Received the Two Shilling Award in 1995.

What did that feel like for you? 

It’s still hard to describe. I suppose my emotions were akin to those of Sir Lancelot when he first sat down at the Round Table. The BSI was, since my childhood, a legendary organization, populated by real giants of Sherlockian scholarship. To this day, I remain humbled to be a part of the group.

In January, your son became a BSI as well. How was that?

Any parent is happy when a child shares an interest with the parent. When my son received his Irregular Shilling…Well, I just can’t describe how I felt. It’s just something beyond words.

What event(s) are you most looking forward to on the Sherlockian calendar this year?

Of course, I’m very excited about traveling to Dayton for the HD&F event. The BSI Trust will be sponsoring a book fair in New Jersey in late April. Copper Beeches meet in early April and late October. Other local scions meet throughout the year. And then I’ll be attending the BSI Conference at the Lilly Library in November. That should be a wonderful event.

You are speaking at Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Six in Dayton on March 30. In 25 words or less, what’s your theme (as of today)?   

Good try, Dan, but I never let the rabbit out of the hat until it’s time. Needless to say, I hope the audience has as much fun listening as I will in preparing for the presentation.

What question have I not asked you that you would like to answer?

Why would someone want to travel from suburban New Jersey all the way to Dayton in order to attend a gathering of Sherlockians? I’m looking forward to seeing old friends (including you and Ann), hopefully making some new ones, hearing great talks, and also visiting the Air Force Museum. The Sherlockian experience can be summed up very easily: One comes for the stories but stays for the friends.

So register now for Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Six and get an early-bird discount.

The Return of Sherlock Holmes - to Dayton

Great news: Sherlock Holmes is returning to Dayton.

For 26 consecutive years, ending in 2012, the Sherlock Holmes / Arthur Conan Doyle Symposium was held in the town that gave the world the Wright Brothers. For many years it was conducted by Dr. Al Roden, of blessed memory.

I have in my files an attendance sheet from 1991 listing 111 participants that year. Last year, participation was a fraction of that -- which I hope had nothing to do the fact that I was one of the speakers.

After a one-year absence, a seminar with a new name and a new sponsorship but much in the spirit of the original -- exploring Victorian and Doylean topics as well as Sherlockian ones -- is coming to Dayton. The Agra Treasurers, a scion society of the Baker Street Irregulars, for the first time will host "Holmes, Doyle, & Friends" on March 14-15, 2014. Save the date!

If you are interested in being a vendor, write to AnnSiefker@yahoo.com. If you'd like to give a talk, contact Martin.Arbagi@gmail.com for guidelines and be prepared to submit a summary by the end of January. Otherwise, stay tuned. Good things are in the works, including a website.

The Accent is on the Friends

Monica Schmidt at the podium for Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Five. Photo by Marcy Mahle. 

Nothing energizes those strange people known as Sherlockians more than a good symposium. And such an event happened last weekend in Dayton.

Don’t take my word for it. As program chairman, I am somewhat biased.

Rob Nunn wrote a thorough and admittedly more objective account of Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Five on his blog, “Interesting Though Elementary.” This was the first conference for Rob, author of The Criminal Mastermind of Baker Street. His enthusiasm for the event shines through every paragraph of his post.

Rob concludes the post by saying “the more and more I go to events, the more I know that Sherlockiana isn’t just about the stories, it’s about the people you engage with. And these are some good people.”

So true! (Hence the title of this post.) And yet, Sherlockiana is also about our shared passion and the endless ways of approaching it. Despite all the books I’ve read and conferences I’ve attended over the past 50 years, each of the eight talks at Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Five offered me something new.

Veteran Sherlockian Brad Kefauver also offered a positive and insightful overview of his day in Dayton on his "Sherlock Peoria" blog. 

The conference has its roots in the nationally known Holmes/Doyle Symposium that began in 1981 under the leadership of the late Dr. Al Rodin. The Agra Treasurers, the Dayton-based scion society of the Baker Street Irregulars, has been putting on the symposium under the new name since 2014. This year’s attendance was the highest in that time, with 52 registrants. Our goal is to become a “must go” annual event for veteran Sherlockians and newcomers alike.

Planning for next year is underway. I’ll keep you posted.

Holmes, Doyle, & Many Friends

After a two-year hiatus because of the pandemic, a well-known Sherlockian symposium took place in Dayton, OH, over the weekend under title of “Holmes, Doyle, & Friends 2021-B.”

What I kept hearing on Saturday was how much fun it was. Yes, some of the speakers offered serious scholarship, but there were also a lot of laughs and much mingling among the 60 participants from more than a dozen states. As a vendor selling my books and buying a few others, I can tell you that many such transactions took place to the joy of both parties.  

Did every speaker appeal to every participant’s taste and interest? Probably not. But there was something for everyone as a stellar cast of presenters discussed the crimes of Sherlock Holmes (and whether they could be prosecuted), illustrators of the Master, Solar Pons, Rex Stout, women in the Canon, and the truth about opium dens. Bill Mason put Arthur Conan Doyle on trial for killing Holmes and we were the jury.

This conference, which Sherlockians often refer to as simply “Dayton,” has its origins in the “Homing in on Holmes” conference organized by the late Dr. Al Rodin in November 1981. It was sponsored jointly by Wright State and nearby Central State Universities and open to the public.  

Following many changes in names and sponsors over the years, Dayton’s Agra Treasurers scion society took over the conference and rebranded it in 2014. Holmes, Doyle, & Friends has been going strong ever since.

Many hands have made that happen, but we should especially note Ann Siefker’s work handling all the business aspects. She negotiated with the hotels, handled registration, balanced the books, and much else. Ann has decided to retire from that, and she will be difficult to replace.

We were fortunate to have Zoom to keep the Sherlockian community together over past two years, but for me such meetings will never replace live interaction – and the more the merrier. If there’s a Sherlockian conference within your travel limits over the next year, be sure to check it out.

The Energetic Spirit of Shaw Comes to Dayton

                      

There are a lot of candidates for the title of “Most Energetic Sherlockian,” but Jim Hawkins is certainly among them. And on March 25, he will be among the eight speakers at the Holmes, Doyle, & Friends conference in Dayton, OH. Let’s learn a little about him.

How and when did you first meet Sherlock Holmes?

Honestly, not until my 40^th birthday in 1984 in Norman, OK. My wife gave me the Baring-Gould Annotated Sherlock Holmes.

How and when did you become a Sherlockian?

When I read about John Bennett Shaw in  the Annotated, I decided to become like him, whom I had never met but I had already come under his spell. At that moment, I was a Sherlockian, or Doylean, or, in truth, a Shawian, or however one says that.

Briefly describe your connection with John Bennett Shaw, the subject of your talk in Dayton.

As I mentioned, I read about Shaw and heard interviews with him in New York City on National Public Radio during the BSI Weekends. I was hired by the Southern Baptist Convention in 1985 to be their choral music consultant to Baptist churches all over the USA. One of my tasks was to assign teachers for youth, adult, and senior adult classes for our two-week-long summer music conferences in Glorieta, NM. Since I had to be present both weeks, I did some investigating and discovered that our conference center was only 18 miles from John and Dorothy Shaw’s home in Santa Fe. From my first visit in 1986 to their home at 1917 Fort Union Drive, our friendship grew, as did my interest in Sherlock Holmes. I became a serious, fun-loving Sherlockian, just like my mentor.

What has been the response to your Shaw website, johnbennettshaw.com?

It has been overwhelming and amazing. I first began the Friends of John Bennett Shaw on Facebook,
asking Sherlockians who had encountered John in any way to send their letters and stories to the site. Hundreds of people were willing to send programs, letters, and photos of John, especially after I began posting letters, quotes, and photos from The Sherlock Holmes Collections at Wilson Library located at the University of Minnesota. Tim Johnson, the curator, was most helpful in supporting our goal of making Shaw available to Sherlockians everywhere. 

Not long after the Facebook page became popular, I got notes from Evy Herzog and Susan Rice saying, “Hawkins, we don’t do Facebook. We want to see what’s going on, so build a website we can enjoy!” I did.

Why is John Bennett Shaw still important and worthy of a presentation almost 30 years after his death?

It’s the passion for his genuineness and authenticity. He did everything he did with Sherlock Holmes out of love for the stories and the character. He was an evangelist on fire for Holmes.

Let me quote Phillip Shreffler, the editor of the Baker Street Journal that was devoted completely to John Bennett Shaw. “It is unlikely that any man since Arthur Conan Doyle himself has brought the authentic and Canonical Sherlock Holmes to so many people, and so many people to Sherlock Holmes. And no man, including Conan Doyle, ever did it with such love.” And from Mattias Boström in his book From Holmes to Sherlock: “For a whole generation of Sherlockians, no one was as important as Shaw . . . If it was possible that one person could make the worldwide interest in Sherlock Holmes continue as well as grow, that person was John Bennett Shaw.”

What has it meant to you to be part of the Sherlockian community?

I was away from Holmes activities for 16 years when I was working for Southwest Airlines, and when I retired I realized how much I had missed the world of Sherlockians, so I jumped back in.

My work on the Shaw project has put me in touch with so many important Sherlockians. Suddenly I was friends with most of the actively publishing Sherlockians in the United States. You understand that Sherlockians are ranked by the knowledge they have of the stories and by the stories they can tell about those stories. (Are you following this?) At my age, I didn’t have time to waste, so I went right to the top: Peter Blau and Evelyn Herzog knew Shaw intimately and have the best stories about him. Unfortunately, many of John’s friends have passed, but there is a younger echelon of Sherlockians who knew him. Two of those are Ray Betzner and Steven Doyle. Both men met John in one of his Sherlockian Symposiums, and both are great storytellers. There isn’t room to list the new friends I’ve made through my work on John Bennett Shaw.

To what Sherlockian groups do you belong?

Baker Street Irregulars (2022), Nashville Scholars of the Three Pipe Problem (1987), The STUD Society of Chicago, and the B3M (the Brothers 3 of Moriarty).

Besides Holmes, Doyle, & Friends, what other major Sherlockian events are on your calendar this year?

The only event for sure is the May 26-27 event, “Lone Star Holmes,” put on by The Crew of the Barque Lone Star in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

What is your investiture in the BSI?

“The Hans Sloane of My Age.”

With whom do you share that nom? (Leading question!) 

With John Bennett Shaw, who received that investiture in 1965. I could not have received a greater honor. But there was one that came close. Shaw’s friend and fellow Brothers 3 of Moriarty charter member, Saul Cohen, gave me the only B3M scion lapel pin in existence from John’s New Mexico scion society; it was his. John Bennett Shaw pinned it on Saul in 1971, and Saul felt it was time to pass it on to me. Saul Cohen is 96 years old.

Although Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Seven, March 24-25, 2023, is closed out for vendors, participants can still register here.

A Gathering of Sherlockian Friends

I’m still basking in the afterglow of last weekend’s Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Six conference in Dayton, sponsored by the Agra Treasurers. Maybe the emphasis should be on the Friends.

“Great speakers; great fellowship; great time,” said one evaluation by a participant.

The fellowship is a big part of any Sherlockian gathering as friends from various places, who in some cases have little else in common, come from around the country to reconnect in Baker Street.

Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Six attracted 62 attendees (a recent high) from the East Coast, the Midwest, the South, and Canada to hear eight A-list speakers Saturday on a wide variety of topics. Evaluations described the talks as phenomenal, excellent, high-quality, and fantastic.

Steve Doyle accurately described me as the ringmaster. It was my fun job to introduce:

Bob Katz, who offered a thoroughly plausible theory – supported by the Canonical text – that the young John H. (“Jack”) Watson was a drummer boy wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg;

Susan Bailey, who shared her research into the origins of the character Tonga from The Sign of the Four;

Ann Margaret Lewis, who not only discussed the motets of Lassus – upon which Sherlock Holmes wrote a monograph – but let us listen to beautiful examples;

Scott Monty, who (in bow tie) explored brand names in the Canon and humorously drew connections to some modern brands as well;

Shannon Neihart Castle, who described the workings of her Sherlockian-themed classroom (“it’s a bonny thing”);

Jeffrey Marks, who enlightened us about the work of Anthony Boucher on the Sherlock Holmes radio show with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce;

Vincent Wright, who took us around the world in 63,540 days by drawing hilarious connections among people, places, and dates that one wouldn’t ordinarily think of together;

Regina Stinson, who wrapped up the day with wonderful guided tour of “The Film Life of Sherlock Holmes,” from the first silent movie last less than a minute to the cringe-worthy Holmes & Watson.

What’s next for the Dayton conference, which started under another name in 1981? Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Seven! Planning is underway now for March 2020. You can expect another great lineup of speakers, and some reorganization of the room to accommodate more guests.

Stay tuned for details later! 

3 Days in a Weekend, 3 Ways to be a Sherlockian

The Illustrious Clients at the Zoo

Collecting memberships in Sherlock Holmes societies can be like collecting books, except easier and cheaper. Without trying I’ve joined a half-dozen or so. But the ones I am closest to are the ones I am closest to – geographically.

This weekend my wife Ann and I attended meetings in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Indianapolis. We rather feared it was going to be a Bataan death march of a weekend, but it turned out to be delightful. And together, the three meetings show the wonderful variety of Holmes-mania.

On Friday, the Tankerville Club met at a Cincinnati-area Panera restaurant. We had a quiz and a discussion about “The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez.” Official Secretary Paul Herbert’s legendary prowess at creating excruciating quizzes has not waned. (Example: “Would an investigation uncover any collusion between the Russians and either Arthur Conan Doyle or John Watson? Yes No Uncertain.”)

On Saturday, the Illustrious Clients made a field trip to the Indianapolis Zoo, led by the Illustrious Client, StevenDoyle. It was scavenger hunt in which we were charged with finding Canonical animals on a check list. A few examples will suffice:

Baboon: “The Speckled Band”

Lion: “The Veiled Lodger”

Ostrich: “The Engineer’s Thumb”

Tiger: “The Empty House”

Eagle: The Second Stain”

Gild Monster [lizard]: Tie breaker – what story? (A Study in Scarlet)

Ann was able to check off 16 animals, some of which she found on a carrousel, but her dogged attempts to find the worm from “Thor Bridge” proved fruitless.

On Sunday, the Agra Treasurers met for lunch at a Dayton restaurant and a quiz on a “The Red-Headed League” by member Stanley Wyllie. The Agra Treasurers’ tradition is that the winner of the quiz has to prepare the next one. Why wasn’t I warned? That task has now fallen to me.

There are many ways for a Sherlock Holmes society to function, but friendship is the lifeblood and the fun of it all. If you don’t belong to a group, join one. If there isn’t one near you, start one.

The Tiger of San Pedro or a Sebastian Moran target? (Steven Doyle photo)

Holmes in Ohio

Quick, Watson - the registration form!

Even though we are in the cold and dreary winter, you should register now for the Holmes, Doyle & Friends: Two seminar which will be presented in Dayton, Ohio, March 20-21. There's a discount if you register before Feb. 27. This was an excellent event last year, a worthy successor to the famous Dayton program of years gone by, and I'm looking forward to being there again. So check out the details and register here.

Profile: A Lawyer Looks at Sherlock Holmes

Rich Krisciunas with daughter Emily and wife Kathy

Rich Krisciunas, a veteran attorney and law professor, has prepared a marvelous talk for the Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Seven conference in Dayton, March 27 & 28. Let’s get to know him better.

How and when did you first meet Sherlock Holmes?

I first met Sherlock Holmes as a child in the 60’s watching Basil Rathbone movies on Sunday afternoons on Bill Kennedy’s Showtime television show. I was impressed with how Sherlock Holmes remained calm and cool and was able to use his mind to solve a variety of crimes. I enjoyed the genre of the detective story, and also remember watching the Charlie Chan movies as well.

How and when did you become a Sherlockian?

There are many layers to this answer. I watched the movies in the early 60’s. I started reading the stories in the Canon. I am the kind of person who becomes obsessed with anything I do. I throw all of my energy into a subject. So as I went to law school in 1972, my focus was on my studies. I became a trial lawyer at the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office in 1976 and attended a meeting of the Amateur Mendicant Society in Detroit and began subscribing to the Baker Street Journal. I read the journals in what spare time I had, but I only had time to read one book a year during Christmas break when the courts were closed My wife would buy me a Sherlock Holmes pastiche, like The Seven-Percent Solution and The West End Horror by Nicholas Meyer or The Adventure of the Sanguinary Count and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Holmes by Loren D. Estleman. She also bought me a deerstalker which I wore in the winters.

Over the years, I played softball four or five nights a week. After my daughter was born in 1985, I threw myself into being Emily’s dad. I coached my daughter’s soccer team for 12 years. I coached high school soccer. I taught Trial Practice as an adjunct professor in law school for 38 years. I taught a Criminal Trial Clinic and was Director of Externships at Detroit Mercy School of Law. These duties interrupted my ability to focus on the Canon.

Ultimately, three years ago, I retired and looked for something else to do in addition to playing golf. I Googled Sherlock Holmes scions and discovered several in my midst. I started attending meetings, which forced me to read a different story for each meeting. I tried to read as much scholarship about each story as I could find. I bought the CD of old Baker Street Journals and read articles about every tangential topic so that I could contribute something meaningful to the discussions at the meetings. The more I read, the more meetings I attended, the more I enjoyed the new friendships I had made.

Your topic for the Dayton conference is “No Obstruction, but Much Collusion: The Alleged Crimes of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson.” There are many such apparent crimes! Has this been a fascination of yours as you read the Canon over the years?

As a criminal trial lawyer, when I watch a movie or read a story, I always consider how a case would be prosecuted in a real courtroom. There are so many movies that leave me shaking my head, saying, “That would never happen in court.” As I read the Canon, I always think about the evidence and what I would argue in a closing argument to convince a jury or what I would say in an opening statement to capture a juror’s attention. How would I defend the person accused by Holmes or how would I defend Holmes for the crimes he committed? I would always think about how the Crown could prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt. Which witnesses would have to testify? Would they be willing or able to testify?  How would the defense cross-examine them, and would they be credible? It’s easy to say that Holmes broke into a house to steal some papers or he carried a gun, but it’s quite another thing to be able to go into a courtroom and find a witness with personal knowledge who could testify to their observations in front of a judge and jury. As I examined all the crimes that Holmes and Watson allegedly committed, I thought about writing my paper and sharing my experience as a trial lawyer.

Tell us a little about your law career – especially how it has been affected by Sherlock Holmes.     

I graduated from the University of Detroit School of Law in 1975. I had worked as a student intern in the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office in Detroit, Michigan during my third year in law school. I had worked in a special unit that prosecuted repeat offenders and serial rapists, robbers and murderers. I had a chance to watch some of the best trial lawyers in the state. I also played shortstop on the office softball team and batted cleanup. After I passed the bar, I was hired by the prosecutor’s office. I always joked that I was hired on the basis of my athletic ability.

I was an introvert and assumed I was going to be an appellate prosecutor because I had written several appeal briefs as a student. I never saw myself as being a trial lawyer.But when I came in to work on my first day, I was assigned to the Trial Division to work for the manager of the softball team, who was the chief of the Trial Division.

He told me to watch a jury trial on a rape case. I watched the trial and took notes on jury selection and evidentiary objections and closing arguments. After the trial ended, I told my boss that I was ready for some more training. He handed me a file and said, “Go try this misdemeanor jury trial.” I tried the case and he gave me another jury trial. Next week, I tried three more jury trials. I had tried five misdemeanor jury trials in six days. It was Friday and I was sitting in my office when a prosecutor came into my office and said, “Hey kid, you want to try an Armed Robbery?” “Whoa. I’ve never tried a felony case. Will you sit with me?” “Sure,” he said. He lied. When the jury came in, he disappeared and I tried the case by myself. I ended up winning my first nine jury trials. I was trying cases every day. Robberies, drug cases, bad checks, breaking-and-enterings, rapes, thefts and homicides.

Within a year, the judge I was assigned to, who had been a former prosecutor, wrote a letter to the elected prosecutor and praised my ability as a trial lawyer. I was promoted to the Prosecutor’s Repeat Offenders Bureau (PROB), the same unit I had worked in as a law student intern two years before. I continued trying high visibility cases in that unit for several years until I was promoted to become the special prosecutor assigned to the Detroit Police Department’s Felony Murder Squad Seven headed by Inspector Gilbert Hill, who gained fame for acting in the movie Beverly Hills Cop with Eddie Murphy. For two years, I handled nothing but Murder First Degree trials. In seven years, I had tried over 150 hundred jury trials and another 400 bench trials. Ultimately, I became a supervising attorney, responsible for the prosecution of 4,000-5,000 cases a year and training new assistant prosecutors, and retired, after 28 years in the office, as the Chief of the Trial Division.

I rose through the ranks very quickly. I think what made me successful was, like Holmes, my attention to detail and my ability to keep an open mind. I felt that no one could outwork me. I thought I needed to be as prepared as possible to make up for my weaknesses as an introvert and my lack of experience. I began my preparation for trial in every case in an unorthodox way as a prosecutor. Instead of thinking how I would convict the defendant, I started by assuming that I was prosecuting an innocent man. I looked at the defendant’s story as if it were true and tried to corroborate the defendant’s theory of the case. If the defendant was really at work, as he claimed, there would be records at his place of employment that would confirm it. I subpoenaed the records and found that he was off on the day of the crime. I looked for physical evidence of injuries, witnesses who could corroborate the defendant’s claims, common sense explanations for apparently guilty behavior. Ultimately, I could poke holes in every defendant’s story and that helped me build a stronger case for conviction. I found that many times, my case ended up being so strong that most defendants elected to plead guilty rather than go to trial.

In the Canon, there are many examples of cases where Holmes would do some investigation that would prove that the man he suspected was not being truthful. In “The Speckled Band,” for instance, Holmes looked at the will of Grimesby Roylott’s widow to see how much he stood to lose if his stepdaughters married. In that way, he determined Roylott’s motive to kill his stepdaughters. It’s that extra bit of knowledge that helped Holmes solve a case.

After I retired as a prosecutor in 2004, I decided to take court-appointed criminal cases so I could take my students to court. I defended clients for 12 years until I gave up my practice. Now, I work one day a week as a city attorney prosecuting traffic and misdemeanor offenses in my local district court. I also golf four times a week with my friends. This gives me much free time to read the Canon and related books and articles.

What Sherlockian groups do you belong to?

I joined the Ribston-Pippins, the Amateur Mendicant Society of Detroit, The Greek Interpreters of East Lansing, and the Bootmakers of Toronto. I subscribe to the Baker Street Journal and listen faithfully to Scott Monty’s podcasts “I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere” and “Trifles.”

Besides Holmes, Doyle, & Friends, what other major Sherlockian events are on your calendar this year?

I am hoping to attend the BSI Conference at West Point, New York in July and was thinking about attending “Holmes in the Heartland” in St. Louis.

What has it meant to you to be part of the Sherlockian community?

I have really enjoyed being part of the Sherlockian community. With only one exception, everyone has been warm and welcoming. There are some really smart people who play the game. I have learned so much about many different aspects of the Canon’s stories – the era, London, history, Baker Street, etc. I have been surprised by how many people who don’t belong to a scion enjoy talking about Sherlock Holmes. We have a lot in common.

What else is up your Sherlockian sleeve?

I have written a paper on who killed Charles Augustus Milverton. Spoiler alert. He is a close personal friend of Doctor John Watson.

You can still register here for Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Seven, March 27-28.

Holmes, Doyle, & Friends: Sherlocking in Spring

In a fairly busy Sherlockian life, one of the things I'm happy to make time for is organizing speakers for the annual Holmes, Doyle, & Friends conference in Dayton, OH, each spring. This year's event, the ninth such under that name -- although the "Dayton Symposium" has a history of more than four decades -- takes place March 22-23. And once again we have a great lineup! 

Speakers and their topics:  

“Setting Up Camp: How I Build a Scene”—David Harnois, BSI (on how to put together a Holmes radio production)

“We Love Sherlock, But Would Sherlock Love Us?”—Kira Settingsgaard (on Holmes and intimacy)

"Playing the Game” —Tim Kline (on collecting Sherlock Holmes games)

“I Hear Sherlockians Everywhere”—Madeline Quiñones (on the world of Sherloockian podcasts)

“Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Liberty Magazine”—Ira Matetsky, BSI  

“No Ghosts Need Apply”—George Skornickel, BSI (on ACD and spiritualism)

 “Becoming a Sherlockian”—Max Magee (on the adventures of a newly minted devotee)

“ACD: Adventurous Life, Enduring Memories”—Burt Wolder, BSI (on the life of Arthur Conan Doyle and the lessons it holds for us in making memories)

There will also be a hilarious playlet called The Mysterious Adventure of the Syntax. 

Learn more and sign up at the Holmes, Doyle, & Friends website.