Another record-breaking turnout this month as Sherlockians from 11 states as well as Canada, England, and Germany met on Saturday to discuss The Solitary Cyclist!
After introductions, we kicked off our news segment talking about the Enola Holmes movie coming to Netflix in two weeks. Everyone agreed that it looks like a fun romp, and those of us who have read the book series it is based off of enjoyed the series. Whether it's Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, or another Holmes media interpretation, there was plenty of positivity around this film! And as an added piece of fun, one of our participants, Maria, consulted on the upcoming film! Unfortunately, she couldn't give any good gossip due to contractual obligations.
What didn't have positive feelings, however, is the lawsuit that the so-called Conan Doyle estate filed claiming that Enola Holmes is a copyright infringement because in the film, Sherlock Holmes shows emotion, and that only happened in the last few stories of the Canon, specifically the ones that aren't under copyright. We talked about this group's long history of nuisance lawsuits and how they are only interested in Holmes interpretations when it's by a company with lots of money that wouldn't be bothered to throw a few thousand their way instead of battling them in court.
In lighter news, a new Sherlockian podcast starts next month, However Improbable. It is hosted by two women who are detective literature enthusiasts who will have a diverse cast read the stories in chronological order each episode. The two host will then talk about the story's "history and politics, adaptations, and why we're still so captivated by the detective and his good doctor." The first full episode will air on October 1, but an introductory episode where you can get to know the hosts is available now.
The next issue of the amazing Sherlock Holmes Magazine is now available to order. Fans can sign up for a single issue or a yearly membership. The contents of the upcoming issue include three articles on Jeremy Brett, two one BBC Sherlock, an interview with Clive Merrison, stage adaptations, Sidney Paget, bees, Jack the Ripper, Enola Holmes, lost movies, and an article by David Stuart Davies. Everyone at our meeting who ordered the first issue of Sherlock Holmes Magazine were impressed with its first outing and are looking forward to the next.
The latest edition of the Baker Street Journal's bi-weekly interview series, The Fortnightly Dispatch, had longtime Sherlockian and world-renowned collector, Peter Blau in the hot seat. Peter is a natural storyteller, and hearing him speak for an hour on our shared hobby and Sherlockians was a enough of a treat, but seeing his personal library was icing on the cake! Peter's interview even had a St. Louis collection, as he bought Doyle Beckemeyer's collection, and a fun story was included in this interview.
It's back-to-school time, so the Beacon Society has rolled out their programs for Sherlockian students and educators. The R. Joel Senter Essay Contest is back again this year and students can win $100, $200, or $300 for submitting an essay on a Sherlockian story. Any educator, librarian, or person who is educating young folks about Sherlock Holmes are eligible for the Susan Diamond Beacon Award, which recognizes an outstanding Sherlockian educator. And the Beacon Society is preparing library display kits that will be shipped to any library in the country to help publicize the Sherlock Holmes stories. The Beacon Society also has something for the rest of us to continue our own Sherlockian education, The Fortescue Scholarship Exams, a fun test to encourage your familiarity with the Canon. Even if you've passed the test once before, you can always take one of the re-certification exams.
And next month is the Left Coast Sherlockian Symposium! On October 10, Sherlockians from around the world will log in via Zoom to watch a panel of speakers talk all things Sherlock Holmes, followed by social hours that are sure to ramble into the night. Speakers for the Symposium include Mina Hoffman, Leslie Klinger, Bonnie MacBird, Angela Misri, and our own Rob Nunn. You can name your price to sign up and merchandise is available at the Left Coast Sherlock website.
Because our next meeting was scheduled on the same day as the Left Coast Sherlockian Symposium, we have moved our discussion on The Priory School to October 17.
We had lots of other scions represented at our meeting, and here is a quick list of some upcoming Zoom meetings:
September 14: The Six Napoleons of Baltimore
September 18: The Harpooners of the Sea Unicorn
October 17: The Priory Scholars
Elaine announced that the International Poe Festival will be taking place online October 3-4.
Maria also let everyone know about the Edinburgh Conan Doyle virtual conference on September 24-25.
And of course, don't forget about next summer's Holmes in the Heartland weekend on July 9-11!
It was finally time to get down to discussing this month's story, and Rich led us off with a great toast that debated just who the solitary cyclist actually was.
After that, Rob noted that the story starts off with Watson discussing how busy Holmes was from 1894-1901, but that he only published cases "which derive their interest not so much from the brutality of the crime as from the ingenuity and dramatic quality of the solution."
Bob pointed out that Watson cites a case where Holmes was involved with the American tobacco millionaire, John Vincent Harden. Bob said it was typical for Watson to slightly change a famous person's name for these stories, and he posited that Holmes had something to do with the American gunfighter John Wesley Hardin.
Violet Smith arrives at Baker Street and Holmes muses that she isn't there for a problem related to her health as she is such an ardent cyclist. Watson doesn't need this deduction explained to him, as he notices the scuffs on the side of her shoes.
Stacey then treated us to a great history on women and bicycles in the Victorian age, complete with her Victorian bicycling t-shirt. The 1890's had quite a bicycle craze, kick-started by the safety bike that made it easier and more affordable to ride. Manufacturers specifically marketed to women, and this led to changes in skirt, bustle, and corset fashions. Backlash eventually followed, arguing that bicycling would make women ugly due to muscle formation and what was called "bicycle face."
Some more background on this can be found in an article by the Guardian from 2015.
But Violet Smith isn't just a cyclist; she's also a musician, as Holmes can tell from her fingertips. He almost says she's a typist, but the spirituality in her face convinced him otherwise.
There's a brief mention of Archie Stamford, the forger and Rob cited some scholarship that has tried to say that Archie Stamford was either the Archie from REDH, the Stamford from STUD, or both. No one was quite convinced by any of these arguments, though.
This led to a discussion about one of Steve's Baker Street Elementary cartoons where Stamford disclosed that his first AND last name were both Stamford.
Violet Smith tells Holmes and Watson her story. She and her mother answered an advertisement looking for them. Apparently, her uncle's two friends, Woodley and Carruthers, had been asked to help them out after he died in South Africa. She was repulsed by Woodley, but Carruthers offered her a position teaching music to his ten year-old daughter. Miss Smith would spend the week at Carruthers's house in Forsham and return home to her mother each weekend.
After this had been going on for a few weeks, Woodley arrived at Carruthers's house for a visit. He harassed Miss Smith and proposed to her. When she refused he grabbed her. Carruthers came in and rescued her from his embrace, knocking the man down and sending him off. Violet has not seen Woodley since.
Rob noted that Woodley may be the character that hits the ground the most in the Canon. First Carruthers knocks him down here, later Holmes knocks him down in a fight, and one could imagine that the gunshot knocked him to the ground a third time. Not that he doesn't deserve it, but maybe Roaring Jack Woodley should be renamed Falling Jack Woodley. Mike wondered if we should all start singing Chumbawamba for Woodley.
So every Saturday, Violet rides to the Farnham train station on her bike, six miles from the house where she is staying. On this ride, she has to pass through a mile-long wooded section of road that goes by Charlington Hall. Two weeks ago, a bearded man was behind her on this stretch but soon disappeared. He followed her again on Monday when she was on her way home from the train station over the exact same stretch of road.
The same thing happened the following Saturday and Monday. When she told Carruthers about this, he said that he would order a horse and trap so that she wouldn't be bothered by this anymore.
But the horse and trap hadn't arrived by the day that our story is taking place, so she rode her bike again. Violet was curious about the man when he appeared, so she slowed down. So did he. She stopped. He stopped. She finally rounded a sharp turn and waited, but the man never appeared. Holmes decides that the man had to have gone toward Charlington Hall to avoid her trap.
Holmes asks about Miss Smith's admirers, and she says that she has a fiancee who is an electrician in another town. Does she have any more admirers? She admits that Carruthers has shown an interest in her as well.
Holmes promises to look into her matter and says she should be careful in the meantime. After Violet leaves, Holmes and Watson discuss the problem, and Holmes feels that the bearded cyclist is an admirer of Miss Smith.
Stacey, Kevin, and Edith talked about how hard it must have been to ride a bike in a corset, while her follower could lean over the handlebars. Joe wondered if this was the only story that let us discuss women's underwear.
Elaine and Heather said they can remember their first time reading the story and they expected the bearded man to turn out to be her fiancee.
Rob asked why Holmes was interested in this case? At this point, he thinks a man is interested in Violet Smith, but won't speak to her. Rob said that from this viewpoint, Holmes isn't doing much more than recovering lost lead pencils or giving advice to a young lady, the exact thing he complains about in COPP.
Tom said Holmes would be able to see that there was something amiss even at this point of the case. Joe agreed with Tom, but wondered why Holmes didn't investigate the backstory of what happened in South Africa.
Watson finds it interesting that the man is only appearing at a certain point, an insight that Holmes compliments him on.
After more discussion, Holmes decides that it is important to know who is renting Charlington Hall, the relationship between Woodley and Carruthers, and why someone would pay twice the going rate for a governess, even though he can't afford to keep a horse and cart at his house that is six miles away from town.
It's decided that Watson will go to Forsham on Monday to investigate, as Holmes is busy. Elaine offered that maybe Holmes just wanted Watson out of the apartment. When he gets there, he stakes out Charlington Hall and sees the mystery man ride down the road and hide his bike in a hedge. Violet shows up fifteen minutes later and the man comes out of the bushes to follow. She stops and he stops. This time, the turns her bike around to come toward him and he races off. She continues on her way, and Watson sees later that the man rides toward the hall.
Watson then goes into town to meet with the local house agent about Charlington Hall, but they send him to an agent in Pall Mall. He follows that up to find out that a man named Williamson rented the hall a month ago.
When Watson returns to Baker Street, he reports this information to Holmes, who says, "You really have done remarkably badly."
Heather said that this was the third or fourth time that Holmes has sent Watson out to collect information and he screwed it up. Kevin offered that maybe he was training Watson. Crystal offered that we all have that "one" friend that you keep trusting, whether they deserve it or not. Tom made a point that even though Watson wasn't great, he at least brought some information back to Holmes. Charlene said that Watson had some good information, it just wasn't up to Holmes's standards.
Steve made a great analogy. When he was a kid, his dad would ask him to hold the flashlight while he worked and little Steve was scared to disappoint him. Watson was in the same position hoping to do well for Holmes. Peter said he didn't have to hold the flashlight for his dad, but had to pick out the right book from his collection!
Bob pointed out that Watson is often given extremely hard tasks, such as becoming an expert of Chinese porcelain or convincing a murderous doctor to come visit Holmes as he lays dying. Beth argued that Watson is the one telling the stories and he is tough on himself. And, Tom pointed out, it always comes down to the fact that Holmes trusts Watson, no matter what happens.
Rob said it shows what Watson is not good at (collecting information) and what he is good at (bravery and trustworthiness). Ed cited Conan Doyle's interview where he called Watson "Holmes's rather stupid friend," and disagreed with that sentiment, saying Watson was just as intelligent as the reader, just not as smart as Holmes.
Holmes believes that Violet Smith would know the bearded cyclist and that is why he won't let her get close to him. Holmes tells Watson that he should have gone to the local pub for gossip. But there's nothing that can be done now until Saturday.
But the next day a telegram from Violet Smith arrives, confirming everything Watson has reported, and also saying that Carruthers proposed to her!
Holmes decides that its his turn to scout things out and goes to Forsham that afternoon. He returns to Baker Street that night with a cut lip and a lump on his forehead. He starts laughing and tells Watson the story.
He went to the pub that Watson should have visited and asked the landlord for information. Williamson is an old man that rented Charlington Hall. He may also be a clergyman. Woodley spends time there as well, and the whole lot of them are a bad bunch.
Woodley happens to be in the next room and overheard all of this, when he confronts Holmes on his snooping, Holmes described him as having "adjectives [that] were very vigorous."
Woodley backhands Holmes which leads to a fighting lasting a few minutes. Holmes reports that "Mr. Woodley went home in a cart." But he admits that his afternoon wasn't much more profitable than Watson's fact gathering.
On Thursday, another telegram from Violet Smith arrives. She is quitting her position. She knows that Woodley is back in the neighborhood and Saturday will be her last day. Holmes says that they should be there on Saturday to make sure that she leaves safely.
Watson admits that it doesn't seem so serious to him. "That a man should lie in wait for and follow a very handsome woman is no unheard of thing." Rob pointed out that John Watson is usually a great guy, but this is a gross sentiment.
On Saturday morning, Holmes and Watson are in Forsham. They see the trap coming down the road earlier than they expected and catch it, but no one is in it. It's too late! Stacey pointed out that if Holmes had communicated his plans with Violet, the following issues could have been prevented. But we all agreed that a lot of our stories wouldn't exist if characters actually used good communication!
Holmes and Watson load up in the dog cart, and turn back toward the hall. On the way, they see the bearded cyclist. He wants to know where they got that cart. They want to know where Violet Smith is. He wants to know the same thing: "They've got her, that hell hound Woodley and the blackguard parson!"
The three men run into the bushes. There they see the driver knocked unconscious and continue on Violet's trail. A scream rings out, and they burst into a bowling alley (or open glade) to see a gagged Violet Smith, Woodley, and the old clergyman, Williamson.
Rob wondered why Woodley wasn't surprised to see Sherlock Holmes at this point. Holmes had just given him a beat down a few days ago, and now the man comes out of the bushes at his wedding? Carruthers's fake beard must have been very distracting.
Woodley announces to Carruthers, "You're too late. She's my wife!"
Carruthers responds, "No, she's your widow," and shoots him.
This may be the first published instance of action movie dialogue.
After Carruthers shoots Woodley, Williamson starts cussing and pulls a gun on him. Holmes pulls out his own gun and aims it at the cleric.
Once things have calmed down enough, Watson takes Williamson's and Carruthers's guns. The driver regains consciousness and appears. Holmes sends him for the police. Everyone else is marched into Charlington Hall. Watson examines Woodley and says that he'll live. Carruthers announces, "I'll go upstairs and finish him!"
Rob noted here that we don't actually see much of Carruthers in this story, but from all accounts, he seems like a wimp until this point. When he burst in on the wedding ceremony, he transformed into a hero ala George McFly in Back to the Future!
Bob pointed out that Watson only examined the gunshot wound after Holmes's requested it. He argued that any doctor would immediately attend to that wound, unless they were deferring to a more qualified person. Bob's argument was that Holmes was actually a physician, and Watson waited for permission from his superior.
Edith offered that they weren't worried about Woodley because one of them actually shot the villain.
In the meantime, the clergyman, someone who had very little to do with the whole scheme is the mouthiest of all, and Holmes is not putting up with it.
Holmes: It's not a legit marriage.
Williamson: Yes it is!
Holmes: Shut up.
Carruthers weighs in saying he loves Violet Smith, but she doesn't love him. But he protected her. He couldn't let her know about the danger she was in or she would have left. Watson says, "You call that love, Mr. Carruthers, but I should call that selfishness." Holmes isn't the only one here that's calling people out on their idiocy.
Holmes asks Carruthers to explain things and Williamson jumps in again.
Williamson: Don't you squeal on us, Carruthers!
Holmes: Again, shut up. I already know it all.
Woodley and Carruthers knew Violet's rich uncle in South Africa. He was about to die so they came to England so one of them could marry her. They decided by playing cards for her and Woodley won. So Carruthers hired Miss Smith while Woodley tried to woo her, but in the meantime Carruthers had fallen in love with her. They fought and Woodley started making his own plans on how to get her fortune. Randy said this was just another example of women being objectified so often during this time.
Two days ago, a cable arrived telling Woodley that the uncle was dead. He decided that it was time for one of them to marry Violet.
The police show up at the house and Holmes and Watson escort Violet to the train station to take her back home to her mother. They plan to telegraph her fiancee to meet them there. But before they leave, Holmes gives Carruthers his card and offers to help the man at his trial because of how he turned over a new leaf today.
In the end, Violet Smith inherited her uncle's fortune and married her fiancee. Williamson and Woodley were sent to prison for seven and ten years, respectively. As for Carruthers, Watson says, "I have no record... I think a few months were sufficient." Rob wanted to know out of all the players in this, how does Watson not keep track of the one person that Sherlock Holmes helps in his trial?
Another question that was brought up was about Carruthers's daughter. Where was she during all of this? Was she in South Africa with her dad? Who was with her on the day that her father busted up a wedding and shot his old friend? Elaine said the housekeeper could've been watching her on the day of the fake wedding. Heather figured that Carruthers's wife was alive in South Africa. And what happened to her? Probably brain fever.
Srini pointed out that so often in these stories, the rich guys don't have to work for their money. You don't really see people earning a fortune in the Canon. Beth agreed that a lot of this played into class structure.
The discussion wrapped up a lot of folks could get to their next Zoom meeting!
We look forward to seeing everyone again next month for our discussion on The Priory School on October 17. Come at once if convenient!
