Could've read it in the Spalding Guardian!

Here's an intriguing little article I found on the work Doyle did to find publication homes for 'The Sign of the Four'.

The article was published in the 'Spalding Guardian' on Saturday 25 July 1931, and describes a letter found in the newspaper offices from Conan Doyle, offering publication rights of 'Sign of the Four'. The anecdote was included in a section called 'A Lincolnshire Diary' with various interesting tid-bits, the author being 'The Diarist'.

The Spalding Guardian was based in the market town of Spalding, Lincolnshire. In 1890, the newspaper was titled 'The Spalding Guardian and Holbeach, Long Sutton, and Sutton Bridge Advertiser'. The newspaper does not appear to have purchased the option. 

Finally, one wonders whether the letter still lives in the newspaper archives!

Spalding Guardian, Saturday 25 July 1931

A MEMORY OF THE PAST. 

The late Sir Arthur Conan made a great name as a storyteller, and who is there who has not revelled in one or other of his varied books whether of the Sherlock Holmes type, the historical type such as Micah Clarke, or The White Company or indeed, any of his works? I well remember when, as a boy, I discovered "The Sign of Four," and read it with gusto from first page to last at one sitting. 

Rummaging through an old drawer in the "Guardian" office this week I came across a letter dated from Bush Villa, Southsea, and written on March 7th, 1890 — forty-one years ago. It is signed "A. Conan Doyle, M.D" and in it Dr. Conan Doyle, as he was then, offers "The Sign of Four" for publication in the columns of the Guardian as a serial story. 

AT A LOW COST

He explains in the letter that it is his intention to offer the story to several provincial papers for simultaneous publication, and that the fee he would charge the Guardian would be the modest one of ten guineas. In view of the enormous literary success which he subsequently made and the high prices which were paid by far-seeing editors for his work at a later date, this is remarkable evidence of his early struggles. At that time he was still practising as a medical man in Southsea, but as the world knows his speedy rise to fame soon enabled him to relinquish medicine in favour of letters.

--------

This unsolicited offer letter must be one of many that Doyle wrote. The ACD Encyclopedia has a letter to 'Mr Hemingsley' from a newspaper in the Birmingham area, responding to an offer of serialization. In that letter Doyle explains 'Yet I should never have thought of using it as a serial had I not had several unsolicited requests from different papers. So I thought I might as well extend it. No other offer in the Birmingham district. I think the intermediate syndicate may very well be dispensed with in transactions between author and editor.'

What Doyle confirms in this letter is that he is acting to directly license serialization in the UK as author, rather than working through an agent.

The 2026 Baker Street Almanac

The 2026 Baker Street Almanac (BSA) has arrived in the mail!! Among other things, it is an almanac of the prior year's Sherlockian activity, among other things. Madeline Quinones has created a wonderful unboxing video of the 2026 BSA you can watch here.

I contributed three items to the BSA this year, and want to capture them here for the sake of completeness. They are listed here.

A set of photos of Peter Blau examining the set of bound volumes of his Scuttlebutt newsletter that I have written about here on my blog. Each year the BSA includes a reprint of the complete year's run of Scuttlebutt, so Ross Davies asked to include some photos of this unique item.

 

The second item was a report on the activities of Watson's Tin Box of Ellicott City, for which I'm currently serving as Gasogene. I had provided a summary of WTB activities in 2025 for our Irene's Cabinet, and adapted it for the BSA.

Watson's Tin Box of Ellicott City, MD

Watson's Tin Box of Ellicott City meets on the third Monday of every month at Union Jack's British Pub in Columbia, MD. At each meeting a story is set for discussion, using the Baring Gould chronology - the canon taking sixty meetings to cover. The meeting agenda is fairly uniform: introductions ; a toast to 'The Woman' and other toasts ; Tom Fahres provides a new haiku inspired by the story ; announcements & news ; examination of the Evidence Box created by WTB co-founder Paul Churchill BSI; a discussion of the story; a Sherlockian presentation by a member or guest; and finally a quiz. A full meeting - accomplished at pace over 2 hours and all while ordering and eating our meals!

The first meeting of the year is the annual Killer Quiz meeting, a 60-question themed quiz that covers every story in the Canon, set in 2025 by 'Torquemadae' Karen Wilson BSI. At stake is the prestigious 'Mycroft Award'. The 'Strangers' Room Award' goes to the highest scorer among the self-designated Sherlockian "newbies" taking the quiz (this category can only be competed in once). Dana Richards BSI won the 'Mycroft Award' (not for the first time!), while the 'Stranger's Room' honoree was Liane Luini.

At our March meeting, outgoing Gasogene Terry McCammon BSI handed over duties to Matthew Hall (the author of this report) for the remainder of 2025 and into 2026. Other WTB responsibilities are taken on by Olivia Milunzi (Tantalus) who sets the monthly quizzes, and Liane Luini who is our webmaster.

2025 was an exciting year of growth for WTB, with some meetings reaching thirty attendees. As new Gasogene I set the goal of building our speakers - both by attracting visiting speakers, and also encouraging new members to take the plunge and create their first presentation. Guests included Travis Shick (PA), and Art Taylor (VA). As Gasogene I received many expressions of regret from those who were able to be part of WTB meetings during the dark COVID years when all meetings were virtual, and the decision was made to establish an annual virtual meeting in July to allow Sherlockians from anywhere to join us - our inaugural virtual  guest speaker was Burt Wolder BSI. In an effort to encourage new members, the Gasogene writes a summary of each meeting that is available at 221bcooee.blogspot.com.

There were also efforts update our website (www.watsonstinbox.org) thanks to our new webmaster Liane. This included adding new content to the web pages. We created digital copies of all issues of Irene's Cabinet (IC, last published in 2019 and rare as hen's teeth now) and made them available free to download, and announced we'd be re-launching IC in 2026 with Jacquelynn Bost Morris BSI as Editor-in-Chief. Steve BSI and Rusty Mason had created sixty PDF documents showing each item in each of Paul Churchill's evidence boxes, thanks to collaboration with Denny Dobry BSI and Debbie Clark BSI - these are also now available for download to allow people from anywhere in the world to peruse the amazing evidence boxes.

For the first time, we have Watson's Tin Box tote bags that are available for purchase along with our pins, both bearing the WTB logo. At the end of 2025 it was announced that Debbie Clark would be downsizing, and the Evidence Boxes will now have a new host (Matthew Hall) to care for them. WTB looks forward to 2026 - with an exciting group of speakers lined up, the Irene's Cabinet journal returning, and other projects planned. 

The third item was a report on the first meeting of the new scion, the Bowery Ruffians:

The Bowery Ruffians

January 2025 saw the first meeting of a new scion - the Bowery Ruffians - during the Baker Street Irregulars window in New York.

The Bowery features in the only direct mention of a New York location in the Canon, in the Red Circle: "Gennaro was able to do a service to an Italian gentleman--he saved him from some ruffians in the place called the Bowery, and so made a powerful friend."

The Bowery Ruffians can meet at any time when two or more Sherlockians gather in the Bowery area of Manhattan (preferably with a drink). The only formal activities of a Bowery Ruffians meeting are that toasts can be made to those nefarious criminals and ne'er-do-wells in the canon, may of whom are greatly misunderstood.

The attraction of this concept is that it is tied to a place. A thousand years from now, the scion can still meet so long as the Bowery as not been wiped off the map. As a compromise, the Ruffians can spontaneously meet at any other location with Bowery in the name such as a street, bar, anything. For example, the Ruffians could spontaneously meet in Oak Bowery, Alabama, along Bowery Creek in the Catskill Mountains, or the Bowery Kitchen & Bar in Katoomba, Australia.

A logo and pin was designed by Kyle Brimacombe. The design motif includes a rabbit and hat. The hat emblematic of the 'Bowery Boys' gang, and the rabbit represents their main opponents the 'Dead Rabbits'. The only way to receive the pin is to attend a meeting of the Bowery Ruffians (i.e. have a drink in the Bowery and toast a criminal), then email Matthew Hall (theearlofmaynouth@gmail.com) to request a pin. It will be mailed to you gratis.

And so, the Ruffians met for the first time on Thursday Jan 16th 2025, very informal, at The Wren bar (344 Bowery). Many drifted over from a long lunch at the historic McSorley's Old Ale House. Each person who arrived was handed an agenda and a pin. There was a great turnout of first-time Ruffians, with over 30 Sherlockians in attendance. Even the bar staff were presented with pins.

After welcoming the Ruffians and outlining the rules of the gang, we got down to the real business.

Mickey Fromkin BSI ASH delivered the very first toast ever, and appropriately it was to the Red Circle character Giuseppe Gorgiano.

Mickey wrote this toast specifically for the meeting, and delivered it by heart:

Giuseppe Gorgiano,

He fills us with dread.

His beard it was black

And his circle was red.

He threatened the Luccas,

Gennaro and wife,

Pursued them to London

And paid with his life.

It was resolved that this toast by Mickey will be recited by someone at every meeting of the Bowery Ruffians! Toasts were also offered by Madeline Quiñones (of Michigan) to Moriarty, Rudy Altergott BSI (of Illinois) to Old Patrick, Max Magee (of Wisconsin) to Moriarty, and dueling toasts for two characters in the Hound of the Baskervilles from Karen Ellery (of Minnesota) and Carl Stix (of Nevada), in that order.

Karen:

The choice of a villain's a tough one,

Hence this pause to review the right stuff...

One Has, from his first showing,

Set my dogged heart glowing:

To The Hound!

He's UNIQUELY a RUFF-ian!

Carl responded from the opposite end of the bar:

Those who believe the hound is a villain are barking up the wrong tree.

Stapleton is the villain of the story, as only a Ruffian would use a dog

-- a creature of love and devotion -- in such nefarious ways.

Here is to Rodger Baskerville!

And with that we ended. Later in 2025, Michael Pisapia sent in a photo of an impromptu meeting of the Ruffians at the Wren with his children Amelia and Harry (both aged seven) - all three were duly sent pins, and Amelia and Harry are the youngest Ruffians ('Irregulars' if you will). I look forward to hearing of more impromptu meetings. The Bowery Ruffians were also acknowledged as an official 'scion' by the BSI Secretary Peter Blau in 2025, setting it up for success and meetings in 2026.

Arthur's team-mates

Given my recent digging around in Conan Doyle's rugby life, and my scouring of newspapers for traces of Doyle in Southsea, I was pleased to find a reference to Doyle in a 1942 Portsmouth obituary, then another in an obituary in 1931.

As I find Southsea obituaries that reference Doyle and his time there, I'll endevaour to add them to this post.

Hampshire Telegraph - Friday 27 November 1931

Mr. S. Tidd Matson's Death
Son of a Minister

Played Football with Conan Doyle

We regret to record the death of Mr. Stanley Tidd Matson, who had served for 47 years in the public libraries of the City. He had been ill for about five weeks, and he passed away on Friday morning at his residence, Stanton, Havant Road, Drayton, at the age of 64. He was the son of the Rev. Tidd Matson, who was for some time Minister at the Highbury Street Congregational Church, and later a minister at Sarisbury. In his early days he was an athlete, and among recollections were games of football with the late Conan Doyle. 

His father was a prominent hymnologist and was the writer of many popular hymns for congregational services. Mr. Matson was appointed to the staff of Portsmouth libraries in 1884, when he was 17 years of age. For many years he was in charge of the Victoria Road branch and when Mr. J. Hutt was appointed as City Librarian in 1918 Mr. Matson was appointed as Deputy Librarian. He was shortly to have been superannuated. He leaves a widow. 

The funeral took place at Kingston Cemetery on Tuesday, the Rev. Guthrie Alison, Vicar of St. Paul's, Southsea, officiating. The private mourners were Messrs. B. Hapgood and D. Taylor (nephews). Mr. J. Hutt, M.A. (City Librarian), and Mr. H. Stubbs (friend). City officials and municipal colleagues were also present at the graveside. Beside the floral emblems from the widow, relatives, and friends were those from the City Librarian, staff, and Gosport Library, City Treasurer and staff, Drayton Institute, and Drayton Associates. Mr. H. W. Cunningham. of St. Paul's Road. Southsea, was the undertaker.

Mr. W.R. Pead was said to have played football and rugby with Doyle - the latter is interesting because Doyle played some rugby in Edinburgh but I'm not sure about rugby. 

Portsmouth Evening News - Thursday 26 February 1942

Funeral of Mr. W.R. Pead

Mr. William Rance Pead (74), 21 Avondale Road, waterlooville, formerly living at Kingston Crescent, North End for 30 years, was buried yesterday at Waterlooville. The funeral service took place at St. George’s Church and the interment at Hulbert Road cemetery, the Rev. T. W. Kirkbride officiating. 

Private mourners were: Mrs. Pead (widow), Pilot Otlicer B. Pead and Mr. R. Pead (sons), Mrs. P. Restall (daughter), Mr. H. J. and H. Pead (sisters-in-law), Messrs. B. and C. Sprigings, S. E. Borrow, J. Walmesley. J. Harvey, and S. Gray (friends). For nearly 50 years Mr. Pead was a builders’ foreman and clerk of works. He was employed by Messrs. E. and A. Sprigings for 30 years, Portsmouth Corporation eight years, and with Mr. J. Walmesley (architect) nine years. 

Mr. Pead was strongly opposed to the demolition the Guildhall, considering the building fit for reconstruction, was also well-known as a botanist and was Secretary to Portsmouth Natural Science Society, which preceded Portsmouth Literary and Philosophical Society, of which he was a founder and a past vice-president. As a youth Mr. Pead was a team mate of the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, when both played for Portsmouth North End Football and Cricket Club and the Albion Rugby Club. For a brief period Mr. Pead was manager of the Empire Cinema, Slamshaw. Two sons and a daughter are school teachers in the City. His eldest eon. also a schoolmaster, died two years ago. 

Commentary: Certainly newspaper reports suggest Paed played cricket with Doyle, and Doyle refereed football matches also - so they likely did interact. The Albion Rugby Club may be mis-remembering - it was based in Plymouth. In fact, Paed played with Albion Football Club in Portsmouth... as much as I'd like to have discovered that Doyle's rugby career kicked on.

Were there other obituaries from the 1930s and 1940s of old Southsea connections?

Watson's Tin Box meeting summary - July 20, 2026

On the third Monday of each month, the Watson's Tin Box of Ellicott City scion meets at Union Jack's in Columbia MD and we gathered on July 20 for another great gathering of members - 25 in total (if I can count). As always I took a census of where people were attending from four states/districts: Frederick MD won the competition - we had visitors from: Columbia, Bellcamp, Clifton VA, Catonsville, Berwin, Ellicott City, Silver Spring, Odenton, Frederick, Washington DC, Gaithersburg, Woodstock, Fort Meade, Bear DE, Sandy Springm, Baltimore, Woodsboro. 

We also congratulated a new member - Meg Hill-Grigson - who attended her second meeting. As Brent Morris reminded us - attending one meeting may be an honest mistake, attending a second meeting must be on purpose. Welcome Meg! Our server was Sasha, who was (as tradition dictates) presented with a volume of Sherlock Holmes stories.

The story of the meeting was 'Abbey Grange'.... but we always start with toasts. 

Mary Allen offered up a toast to 'The Woman', and Liane Luini offered her 'traditional second toast'. This time, she sourced it from The Sherlock Holmes Scrapbook edited by Peter Haining (1974) - and it was a very appropriate one:

The Old Tin Box
By Jay Finlay Christ, New York, 1946

In the vaults of Cox was an old tin box
With Watson’s name on its lid.
What wouldn’t we pay for that box today
And the secret notes there hid?

Old Russian dame, Ricoletti the lame,
The famous aluminium crutch;
For Alicia, the cutter, the parsley in butter,
What would you give for such?

Story of Randall, Darlington scandal,
The Coptic patriarchs,
The opal tiara, the Addleton barrow 
Dollars? or francs? or marks?

The tale of the pinch of Victor Lynch,
The furniture warehouse mob,
The case at the Hague, the murder at Prague
The powderless Margate job.

The giant rat, the cardinal’s hat,
The Pattersons (first name Grice,)
The cormorant’s bill, the Hammerford will 
We’d take ‘em at any price.

The Phillimore fella who sought an umbrella,
The steamer Friesland (Dutch;)
For Col. Carruthers or Atkinson brothers
One never could give too much.

The Vatican case and its cameo face,
The slithering, unknown worm,
The Abergavenny were none too many 
Where is this Cox’s firm?

Oh, wonderful box in the vaults of Cox!
You come with a touch of salt!
But I offer two blocks of choicest stocks
For the treasure of Cox’s vault.

Also, Maureen Wynn (a long-standing member returning to the fold!) offered a toast:

In honor of the women of canon who got away with their crimes, 

raise a glass to The Woman and Mary Fraser!

As Maureen pointed out: "It was Captain Crocker who murdered Sir Eustace, but Mary WAS guilty of trying to cover up the crime, so technically, she was also a criminal."

Tom Fahres then delivered his traditional Haiku for the story - this month for Abbey Grange:

A clean cut bell cord

For Holmes it was a key clue

For Crocker: mistake

Next came Announcements

• Liane Luini reminded everyone that copies of Irene's Cabinet are selling for $10 - and we mail. Even better, Liane announced that we are now accepting submissions for the 2027 Irene's Cabinet. Details will be emailed and posted shortly!
• The DC Whiskey and Sodality meeting will again take place on Sunday, July 26th, 2 pm at Shelly's Back Room, 1331 F Street NW. Contact Terry McCammon for details.
• Tom Fahres and Victoria Wood announced the next meeting of the Maryland Unit of the 221st Southumberland Waffleers will be on Wednesday, August 12 at the Waffle House at 318 S. Jefferson Street in Frederick, MD.  Meeting starts at 11am for waffles and hash browns - will yours be scattered, smothered, topped and covered, or capped and diced? 
• Debbie Clark shared that on Sunday August 30, the Sherlock Sundays with ESPTheatre will be taking place in Frederick — A live radio play mystery starring Sherlock Holmes! It is free (pay what you can) and there are details here https://www.esptheatre.org/sherlock-sundays  
• Lauren Cercone announced that she was selling pins on behalf of the Tea Brokers of Mincing Lane. Message Lauren to order one - several Tin Box members picked up their pin at the meeting.

Finally, back in April there was an announcement about the MD Unit Waffleers. Tom Fahres displayed a completed LEGO-built Waffle House for Show & Tell. As part of the effort, Victoria Wood provided MD Unit Waffleers flags for all WTB members to show their support.

Each month this year, Michelle March has been providing a trinket to the members, inspired by a piece of evidence in the month's story. To keep the evidence, Michelle created a Tin Box for each member, This month, Michelle provided a tiny wine glass, replete with beeswing for us to add to our collections.

 

Debbie Clark presented the evidence box for Abbey Grange. Here are some examples of the evidence.

The evidence box for Abbey Grange, and how the items are densely packed away between their emergence for display every five years or so.

The evidence box on display on the evening of the WTB meeting.

Left: Pictured is the telegram Holmes sent to Captain Croker summoning himto Baker Street.From the story:‘Sit down, Captain Croker. You got my telegram?’‘I got your telegram, and I came at the hour you said.’ Right: Pictured is the wine glass that made Holmes suspicious – it was the onlyglass which contained beeswing.From the story:The three glasses were grouped together, all of them tinged with wine,and one of them containing some dregs of bee-swing. Also a corkscrew.

Left: Pictured is the bell rope Holmes deduced had been cut and not broken–thus the perpetrator must have been an ‘acrobat’From the story:‘No one but an acrobat or a sailor could have got up to the bell-rope from the bracket, and no one but a sailor could have made the knots with which the cord was fastened to the chair.’ Right: Pictured is the handwritten letter from Hopkins to Holmes on Brackenstall letterhead paper, seeking Holmes’ assistance with the death of Brackenstall. From the story:Holmes drew a note from his pocket and read it aloud.

Our story discussion was robust! We wondered whether the story was true as told by Jack Crocker.... or whether Lady Brackenstall and Jack Crocker would ever have reunited. In fact, the group wondered whether Lady Brackenstall (that devious Australian) manipulated Jack Crocker into killing her husband, leaving her one of the richest women in Kent. Poor Jack was unlikely to turn up on her doorstep a year later and be welcomed with open arms. One wonders how Jack and Mary really were.... after all they had met on a ship, then all of a sudden he's turning up outside her country estate! 

We also wondered about some of the practicalities of this crime - First, how did a dusty bottle survive in the house of a 'confirmed drunkard'? Where was the butler?? We aren't saying he did it, but what sort of butler doesn't hear this drama in the night, nor answer the door when Holmes turns up. Could the Randall gang have sued for the wrongful accusation published in this story? And what sort of gang can steal silverware and flit back and forth across the Atlantic?

We also discussed real-world influences on the story. The divorce law reforms were clearly on someone's mind. Doyle's wife JUST WOULD NOT DIE, leaving him frustrated at being unable to marry his new true love. What did Touie think when she read this story? 

Our guest for the evening was Lauren Cercone, visiting from Bear, Delaware! Lauren grew up outside Boston. She received an AB in Classical & Near Eastern Archaeology from Bryn Mawr College, then an MBA in Marketing from New York University. After bouncing around the US while working in consumer marketing, product development, and research, she found herself in the literal and Sherlockian desert of Phoenix. She founded The Transfixed Correspondence of Phoenix in 2015 to remedy the latter. Lauren is also a member of The Crew of the Barque Lone Star, The Honourable Ronald Adair Las Vegas Card Room, the Legion of Zoom, The Red Circle of Washington DC, Sherlockians of Baltimore, The Tea Brokers of Mincing Lane, and Watson’s Tin Box. 

In 2026 Lauren founded The Tide-waiters of Delaware scion, and that was the inspiration for her talk this evening. Titled 'Time and wide-waiters', Lauren spoke to the group about occupations and words that time has forgotten. One example are the tide-waiters that inspired the Delaware scion name. Lauren is writing up her talk as an article, so we don't want to give the whole talk away - but you'll be able to read about it somewhere soon!

And so, we moved to the final traditions of the evening - collecting payment for our means, and trivia. Michelle March created some wonderful t-shirt stencil designs for quiz prizes - they are wonderful, and I will let them speak for themselves. Amazing:

Olivia Millunzi again created a wonderful trivia quiz.... and here 'tis:

We went to a tie-breaker (which Olivia had prepared because we seem to have ties ALL THE TIME and no-one will back down because the prizes are worth fighting for), and congratulations to Victoria Wood for winning first prize (and Breier Scheetz for second). BUT REALLY, every member of Watson's Tin Box was a winner - lots of laughs, lots of conversation, lots of Sherlockian entertainment.