Richard Cabell's sepulchre in Buckfastleigh, Devon

On my recent visit to family in England, we took a wonderful day trip to visit 'Greenaway House', the home of Agatha Christie in Kingswear, Devon. Kingswear is on the River Dart at the Dartmouth area on the southern coast of Devon. I'll certainly post about this non-Sherlockian visit at some point. 

Happily, on the return trip (to Somerset where my aunt lives) we visited Buckfastleigh on the edge of Dartmoor. There were two reasons for doing so. The first is that my family heritage has a line tracking to Buckfastleigh (the BORDER family, see for example thehistoryofmatt.blogspot.com/2009/06/james-border-and-sophia-mason-updated.html), but the second and more alluring reason for me is that Buckfastleigh churchyard contains the sepulchre of Richard Cabell, a putative inspiration for the Hound of the Baskervilles!  Of course, I'm thrilled at this intersection of my genealogy and Sherlockiana. My ancestor may have been pursued mercilessly across the moor by a CABELL!

Well actually, the sepulchre is believed to house THREE successive generations of Richard Cabell, all in one spot. Incredible amounts have been written about the inspiration for the BEST SHERLOCK HOLMES STORY EVER (not a debate), and this blog post will not attempt to re-evaluate the stories that Fletcher shared with ACD, ACD's visit to the moor, and whether the legends surrounding the Cabell stories are modern inventions or ancient superstition. 

And so, below are some photos of the church, cemetery and sepulchre. Below that are some readings that are available and worth sourcing that provide background reading on HOUN, Devon's moor, Buckfastleigh, and the legends of beasts.

Thankfully, I visited the churchyard during the daytime when the powers of evil are NOT exalted.

The entrance gate to Holy Trinity Church, Buckfastleigh. Beyond the gates are an extensive churchyard with many headstones, and church itself. And the sepulchre. Unlike many villages, the church is not near the center of the village of Buckfastleigh, but at the top of a nearby incline away from the village. It is accessed by steps from the village,  or by quite a circuitous drive in the modern era.

Two views of the sepulchre itself, in the churchyard. There are solid walls on three sides (with one door), and an iron grille across 'the front', and a square pyramidal roof on top. The sepulchre is hundreds of years old, but appears in excellent condition compared with photos from the 1970s, consistent with being restored at some point (see below).

The view through the grille into the sepulchre. A tomb in excellent condition can be seen with a slab top, with whitewashed walls and tombsides. Curiously, a modern placard with information has been placed atop it, and out of view is a noticeboard with information about nature preservation!. Why the sepulchre is used for placing notices will be evident below. 

The placard states: "This tomb was built in 1656 by the third Richard Cabell, Lord of the Manor of Buckfastleigh, for his grandfather (died 1613) and father (died 1655). All three Richard Cabells are commemorated on the slab on top of the tomb. In the course of time many legends grew up on an evil man who sold his soul to the devil. These legends may be based partly on the third Richard Cabell, but there is little foundation for most of the stories. However these tales were promoted both by local legend, (e.g. that the iron grille was to ensure Cabell's spirit could not escape), and by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, (particularly stories of foul deeds and terrible black dogs), in researching for his novel, 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'."

Two views of the Holy Trinity Church. It is not an ancient ruin, but instead it was sadly burnt down in 1992, by arson. The tower is intact, the remainder is posted as dangerous (though I briefly entered the church to take these photos. The placard in the sepulchre provides a brief history: "There was a church on this site in Saxon times, but the building behind you dates from the 13th century, and was the parish church of Buckfastleigh for the next 700 years, with the name of Holy Trinity Church. In 1992 the church was burnt out by arson, leaving the ruin you now see. The decision was made not to rebuild Holy Trinity, but rather to build a new church in the centre of Buckfastleigh on the site of St Luke's Church, a Victorian chapel-of-ease."

As for books that discuss the Cabells, the sepulchre, and the legends as they relate to HOUN, I recommend the following, all of which I can see multiple copies available through resellers. There's nothing as cruel as recommending books people can't access!

The first book deserves a photo. It is the least Sherlockian publication listed here, but an excellent booklet. "The Story of the Sepulchre - The Canells of Buckfastleigh and the Conan Doyle connection" was published by Susan Cabell Djabri in 1990 (though the publication date is not shown). It is a booklet describing the documentary evidence for the Cabells of Buckfastleigh, evaluates their character based on documents such as wills, and also explores subsequent generations of connected family that may be responsible for the 'bad reputation'. Sales of the booklet went towards a fund to restore the sepulchre.

Other publications on the topic that I've enjoyed:

- Hound and Horse, A Dartmoor Commonplace Book (The Handbook of the Dartmoor Expedition of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London), Edited by Shirley Purves, Sherlock Holmes Society of London, 1992. Contains many articles on HOUN and the Dartmoor area, and the Cabells.

- Holmes and Watson Country (2nd Edition, Complete in One Volume), Bernard Davies, Sherlock Holmes Society of London, 2001. Contains several chapters on HOUN, and information about the true locations of sites in the story such as Baskerville Hall.

- The Curious Incident of the Hound on Dartmoor, Janice McNabb, The Bootmakers of Toronto, 1984. A discussion of the emergence of the legends around the Cabell family, and a discussion of the chicken-egg problem - did Fletcher Robinson and ACD ultimately give rise to the legends around the Cabell family?

- The Hound of the Baskervilles, Hunting the Dartmoor Legend, Philip Weller, Devon, 2001. An absolute tour de force covering every aspect of the HOUN story, ACDs sources and inspirations, the Dartmoor setting, and color photographs of the Cabell sepulchre. Cannot recommend this book enough. Includes the HOUN story itself.

Finally, the Cabell family lived at Brook Manor outside the village of Buckfastleigh. It is a private home (and I couldn't access it), but these two sites give some information and amazingly detailed photos of a stone spiral staircase installed there as part of recent renovations:

https://qualifiedstonemason.com/portfolio/new-build/brook-manor-2/

https://gazetteer.sherlock-holmes.org.uk/places/brook-manor-house/

Sherlock Holmes pub, revisited

I was in London for a few days over the weekend, visiting with my daughters. I was lucky enough to be in London about two months ago and visit a bunch of Sherlockian locations (https://221bcooee.blogspot.com/2023/06/shelockian-glimpses-in-london.html), and this time was a family trip with less self-indulgent touring.

BUT I did have a chance to revisit the "The Sherlock Holmes" for a quick beer, and this time I had a chance to actually wander around. The address of the pub is 10 Northumberland Street, St James's, Greater London, very close to Trafalgar Square and The Strand. While there's no direct historical link to Sherlock Holmes & co., the hotel has a range of memorabilia on display. 

The Wikipedia page for the pub (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sherlock_Holmes) explains that many items on display were part of the 1951 exhibition of Sherlock Holmes created as part of the Festival of Britain. The site states that this exhibition then toured to New York, and finally was returned and some parts of it auctioned in the UK. This collection was purchased by "The Sherlock Holmes" pub. 

The full story of the items in the pub that are actually from the original 1951 exhibition are summarized in an outstanding article by Nick Utechin that is available here: https://www.sherlock-holmes.org.uk/the-sherlock-holmes-exhibition-of-1951-lives-on/

A delightful exterior. On the ground floor are a range of framed artwork, and a display cabinet with a range of evidence samples - 'murder dossier' style - from various stories. The display is a little dusty and some of the placards have dropped from their displays - could definitely do with a refresh. 

There are rows of books on display in the glass cabinet on the ground floor. It's a fairly generic collection of books, published over a fairly wide period (and not from 1951). For example "The Holmes Affair" was published in 2011, and Conan Doyle by Michael Coren was published in 1996.

Examples of samples, including a locket with a picture of Miss Hatty Doran, from the story 'The Noble Bachelor'. The placards describing each item have numbering suggesting they may have been part of an earlier display.

One of these is very obvious - the plaster cat of the footprint of a gigantic hound! The other is bisulfate of baryta, contained in a set of corked test tubes. Sherlock's investigations into the bisfulfate of baryta is mentioned in "“A Case of Identity”.

A plaster cast of a boot, actually an example relating to the monograph published by Sherlock Holmes titled "Upon The Tracing of Footsteps....".

A final example is a mock Medical Registration Certificate for John Watson. It gives an address of 13 Sussex Gardens, Paddington, and states that his degrees were earned at the University of Edinburgh and the University of London.

The non-retired colourmen of London

 I was in London for a few days over the weekend, visiting with my daughters. I was lucky enough to be in London about two months ago and visit a bunch of Sherlockian locations (https://221bcooee.blogspot.com/2023/06/shelockian-glimpses-in-london.html), and this time was a family trip with less self-indulgent Sherlockian touring.

But that doesn't prevent the opportunity for observation. I was so pleased to be walking away from the British Museum (and past the Alpha Inn) and to spot this store: L. Cornelissen & Son, "Artists Colourmen". "The Adventure of the Retired Colourman" invokes an obscure occupation of a seeming bygone era, and yet here there were: 

The business is located on Great Russell Sq right by the British Museum, and their website provides information about the business: https://www.cornelissen.com . As outlined in this blog, the store displays an amazing range of pigments utilized to create various colors/colours and paints (https://makingamark.blogspot.com/2012/07/Artist-Quality-Pigments-Artists-Colourmen.html).

One intriguing possibility: the history of the firm (www.cornelissen.com/cornelissens-history) discloses it existed in London since the 1850s, and was solidly established by 1881. Did ACD pass a Cornelissen store in London and note the occupation ??? 

The Evidence Boxes of Watson's Tin Box

One of my local scions is Watson's Tin Box of Ellicott City, Maryland. Ellicott City is located approximately mid-way between Washington DC and Baltimore. The scion meets monthly on a Monday night for dinner, conviviality, discussion on a story (more later), usually a short talk/presentation, and finally a Sherlockian quiz.

There's a web site with plenty of information where you can learn more at www.watsonstinbox.org , but I'll add some information here as way of a brief background (quoting from the site). 

The name of the scion comes from the following quote in "The Problem of Thor Bridge" :

Somewhere in the vaults of the bank of Cox and Co., at Charing Cross, there is a travel-worn and battered tin despatch-box with my name, John H. Watson, M.D., Late Indian Army, painted upon the lid. It is crammed with papers, nearly all of which are records of cases to illustrate the curious problems which Mr. Sherlock Holmes had at various times to examine.   (THOR)

The scion was formed in 1989, and by 1990 had given itself the Tin Box name. A neat quirk of the scion is its membership requirements. There are no membership dues, but to be considered a member one needs to attend two meetings. Why? Attend one meeting and i might be considered an honest mistake. Attend two meetings, and that must be on purpose: you are now a member of Watson's Tin Box!

But there's another very special feature of the scion that ties in directly to the 'Tin Box' of cases. The scion is responsible for a box of evidence/clues/artifacts, one for each story (so sixty in total!). As each story is discussed, the evidence box for that story is opened, and each item described and passed around the group.

Where did these sixty boxes come from, and how were the items created?

At the recent Watson's Tin Box meeting, I picked up a flyer distributed with some background on this remarkable collection, and wanted to share it.

As the legend suggests, this picture displays the evidence boxes in their storage bookcase - an incredible amount of detail.  From the Watson's Tin Box information sheet on the the evidence boxes.

These evidence boxes were created by one of the scion founders, Paul G. Churchill, BSI. I've transcribed the information on the sheet, and provided below some links to wonderful material from others sources. I enjoyed learning that Paul created these with inspiration from the Simon Goodenough Murder Dossier books that I've described previously (221bcooee.blogspot.com/2023/06/calling-simon-goodenough-sherlock.html).

The Evidence Boxes of Paul G. Churchill 

Inspired by Simon Goodenough's A Study in Scarlet - A Sherlock Holmes Murder Dossier, Paul began collecting Canonical artifacts around 1990. His initial goal was to collect at least one artifact for each of the 60 Canonical tales. Over 1500 artifacts later, Paul's 'Evidence Boxes' became legendary in the Sherlockian world as he displayed them at numerous Scion meetings. What Paul could not find, he made. He became known as a master forger, and 'found' numerous genuine 'faux' letters, documents, and telegrams, items that candidly became  the very one!

After Paul's passing in November of 2008, by his decree, the Evidence Boxes were bequeathed to Watson's Tin Box Scion Society of Ellicott City, Maryland, a Society that Paul co-founded in 1989. 

This inventory and accompanying photo file was lovingly compiled by Paul's friend, Denny Dobry.

There's a wonderful interview with Deborah Clark (of the WTB Scion) with the I Hear Of Sherlock Everywhere podcast team discussing Paul's Evidence Boxes:

www.ihearofsherlock.com/2021/09/episode-225-evidence-boxes.html 

There's also a poignant article on 'Remembering Paul Churchill, BSI' from the IHOSE team at the time of his passing: www.ihearofsherlock.com/2008/11/genuine-corot-sign_9.html 

Come along to a Watson's Tin Box meeting, and see the wonderful evidence boxes that Paul created and are an enduring legacy.

APPENDIX: This is a published obituary for Paul at the time of his passing.

Obituary for Paul G. Churchill

Source: memorials.burrier-queen.com/paul-churchill/1392449/obituary.php

Paul Gabriel Churchill, 63 of Eldersburg, MD, died Friday November 7, 2008 at his home. He was the spouse of the late Jo Ann (Grammer) Churchill. Who passed away in 1989. He was born July 31, 1945 in Washington, D.C. The son of the late Murray V. Churchill and Lucille (Craven) Churchill. Mr. Churchill was a graduate of The University of MD and held a Masters Degree from Towson State University. He was a member of Pershing Rifles. He was co-founder of Watson’s Tin Box, He was also a member Baker St. Irregulars. He began his teaching career at Longfellow Elementary School and later taught at Centennial High School and most recently was a Latin Adjunct Professor at Hood College in Frederick. Mr. Churchill taught several Sherlock Homes Appreciation classes in the local region. Surviving are Sons and Daughter-in-laws Mark G. and Susan Churchill of Lincoln, Nebraska, Gregory and Danielle Churchill of Parkville, MD. Brothers: James R. Churchill of Alexandria, VA and David M. Churchill and wife Susan of Frederick, MD, Granddaughter, Ellie Churchill of Nebraska. Also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. Memorial Services will be conducted on Saturday November 15, 2008 at 1:00 PM at Burrier-Queen Funeral Home and Crematory, P.A., 1212 W. Old Liberty Rd. Winfield, MD 21784 with Pastor Andy Honeycutt of Gethsemane Baptist Church officiating. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to The ALS Association( Lou Gehrig’s Disease), Development Department, 27001 Agoura Road Suite 250 Calabasas Hills, CA 91301.

A book is more than just a book. Gisela Susanne Seligmann (1929-?)

I love the stories in books, but it's possible that I love the stories OF books even more. I have a particular fondness for tracing the owners of books from from their signatures... who were they? why did they buy this book? One example here on the blog is tracing H Michael Neiditch's ownership of a set of John Murray hardbacks from a medical consultation receipt in one of the volumes (221bcooee.blogspot.com/2023/05/was-h-michael-neiditch-was-sherlockian.html).

These connections can open up connections to our history, and be far more profound than the physical item itself.

And so a new book arrived. It was not expensive (7 pounds), and it was not in amazing shape ("Some Damage - Good to Fair". It does have a dust jacket, but the spine is almost completely faded. The book is a copy of Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The White Company'. 

It was published in England by John Murray in February 1942, and is clearly advertised as "Murray's Cheap Edition". This cheapness is reflected in the stamp on the title page under a British Lion stating that it is 'Book Production War Economy Standard' and 'This Book is Produced in Complete Conformity with the Authorised Economy Standards'.

The book may have "Some Damage - Good to Fair" but I don't care. This book is not rare. What makes this book special to me is its owner.

On the title page, above the name of the book is the name of the owner, in what appears to be the writing hand of someone who is not quite an adult:

Gisela Susanne Seligmann,

Christmas 1942

Who was Gisela?

With such a unique name, this question was easily asked, and provided a window into a moment in a child's life. Gisela was a young German girl of Jewish heritage who had fled Nazi Germany immediately prior to World War 2. Gisela found herself living in the London area, far from her native home, safe from persecution but living with the risk of death from the sky. And there, in late 1942 Gisela received as a Christmas present a copy of 'The White Company' in English - a language she'd had a few short years to learn.

There's quite a bit of information available about the family, thanks to the installation of Stolpersteine stones (translated as 'stumbling stones'). These brass plaques were conceived by a German artist, with one created for each individual (read more here: www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/feb/18/stumbling-stones-a-different-vision-of-holocaust-remembrance) : "The inscription on each stone begins “Here lived”, followed by the victim’s name, date of birth, and fate: internment, suicide, exile or, in the vast majority of cases, deportation and murder.".

The web guide to each stumbling stone (stolpersteine-guide.de/map) has a page about the Seligmann family (https://stolpersteine-guide.de/map/biografie/1512/familie-seligmann-wohnhaus-und-praxis). 

The stolpersteine for Gisela, located at Domgasse 19 in Wurzen, Germany. Translation: 
Susanne Gisela Seligmann, born in 1929, escaped to England in 1939, lived here. Image from de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Stolpersteine_in_Wurzen

The stolpersteine guide provides both the location of the stones, and a biography of the family. It reveals that Arthur Seligmann (1893-1962) was born into a family that had converted to Christianity, and he married Emma Susanne  Löwenstein (1900-1975) in 1926. The couple moved to Wurzen, where Claus-Dietrich (1927) and Susanne-Gisela (1929) were born, and baptized. 

Of course, in 1933 insidious racism entered their lives, slowly stripping the family's rights. It is heartbreaking to read phrases such as "Gisela was excluded from her class and had to sit on the last bench all by herself." It relates that "On the night of the pogrom against the Jews on November 9, 1938, when their property was being destroyed and looted throughout Germany, the mob also gathered in front of Seligmann's house." Arthur was arrested and interned, and ultimately released based on the agreement the family would leave Germany. The Seligmann's did leave separately ; Gisela with her mother in 1939, reuniting with father and brother in London.

It was there in the London area that the family worked to re-establish, not before living through the Blitz, and the fear that Germany would invade England and re-expose them to persecution and death. And it was in the middle of all this that Gisela received her Christmas 1942 copy of 'The White Company' displaying brave soldiers brandishing swords and emblazoned with British lions.

A photo of Gisela Susanne Seligmann as a young girl in Wurzen, from stolpersteine-guide.de/map/biografie/1512/familie-seligmann-wohnhaus-und-praxis

I don't know much of Gisela's fate (and it wouldn't be appropriate to dig) but I assume this book became available with other belongings from her estate. The marriage indexes show Gisela married a man named CRAWFORD in 1953. The stolpersteine page states that Gisela became a doctor like her father, had children and grandchildren, and lived near London. The book was purchased from Milton Keynes north of London, so perhaps that's near where she lived her life.

I feel lucky to own this book, that was owned by a young girl who experienced and overcame hatred, fear and persecution that I'll never experience. I'm amazed that she could flee to another country, learn a new language, live through the war, and train to become a medical practitioner in a male-dominated English-dominated world. I feel lucky to own this book, and will look after it for her.

Paddington Station in the footsteps of the canon

I find myself arrived in London this morning, and heading to the west of England. To do so, one arrives at Paddington Station to travel on the Great Western Railway.

In doing so, I find myself walking in the footsteps of Holmes and Watson.

Paddington Station this morning, Tuesday 15th August, 2023

In the Boscombe Valley Mystery, the story opens with the following.

We were seated at breakfast one morning, my wife and I, when the maid brought in a telegram. It was from Sherlock Holmes and ran in this way:

"Have you a couple of days to spare? Have just been wired for from the west of England in connection with Boscombe Valley tragedy. Shall be glad if you will come with me. Air and scenery perfect. Leave Paddington by the 11.15."

"What do you say, dear?" said my wife, looking across at me. "Will you go?" 

Of course, John joins Sherlock, and:

I was in a cab with my valise, rattling away to Paddington Station. Sherlock Holmes was pacing up and down the platform, his tall, gaunt figure made even gaunter and taller by his long grey travelling-cloak and close-fitting cloth cap.

Paddington Station can transport our detective to cases, but it can also deliver cases to Watson and Sherlock. In The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb, the opening paragraphs include the explanation that:

My practice had steadily increased, and as I happened to live at no very great distance from Paddington Station, I got a few patients from among the officials. 

and we know that this was not unusual as while Watson is getting ready to meet the thumbless engineer in the waiting room he notes that "railway cases were seldom trivial", and that story mentions Paddington Station multiple times.

A third story also opens fairly sharply with a summons and travel. In Silver Blaze , Holmes announces he must go to Dartmoor, despite the existence of other important cases:

"My dear Watson, you would confer a great favour upon me by coming. And I think that your time will not be misspent, for there are points about the case which promise to make it an absolutely unique one. We have, I think, just time to catch our train at Paddington, and I will go further into the matter upon our journey. You would oblige me by bringing with you your very excellent field-glass."

And so it happened that an hour or so later I found myself in the corner of a first-class carriage flying along en route for Exeter, while Sherlock Holmes, with his sharp, eager face framed in his ear-flapped travelling-cap, dipped rapidly into the bundle of fresh papers which he had procured at Paddington. We had left Reading far behind us before he thrust the last one of them under the seat, and offered me his cigar-case.

One more reference to Paddington Station exists - perhaps my favorite reference simply because it's in the Hound of the Baskervilles. Sir Henry Baskerville accepts the offer that Watson will join him on his journey to his seat at Baskerville Hall:

"Then on Saturday, unless you hear to the contrary, we shall meet at the 10.30 train from Paddington."

I feel lucky to be in England, and it's easy to walk in the footsteps of our heroes. And so, like Holmes and Watson, I sit on a train from Paddington Station heading towards the west country, and have just passed through Reading Station. 

Who Mr. Thomas is.

I feel duty-bound to put this brief post together: A few days ago I posted about "Mr. Thomas" of Adelaide, who operated the lantern slide projector at ACD's Adelaide lecture: 221bcooee.blogspot.com/2023/08/who-was-mr-thomas-of-adelaide.html 

All I really knew about Mr. Thomas was summarized in my post: Mr. Thomas was operator of the lantern projector at the Adelaide Town Hall in late 1920, and the address on the note he provided to ACD was "Hindmarsh Square", which is NOT the location of the Adelaide Town Hall, though it is very close by.

Given the exceptionally limited information that I was provided with, I wasn't optimistic. But as I noted in the original post (as an edited update) I managed to find Mr. Thomas. I'll add some information about how I found him, and some basic facts about Mr. Thomas. This information will serve as the basis for an article about Mr. Thomas.

I searched the 1920 Adelaide Sands & McDougall South Australian Directory, available digitally at the State Library of South Australia (guides.slsa.sa.gov.au/c.php?g=410329&p=6950224 ).

The 1920 entry shows the following:

1920 Adelaide Sands & McDougall South Australian Directory

Hindmarsh Buildings

Thomas, Arthur O. (biograph and lantern supplies depot)

Brilliant - this absolutely fits. So Arthur O. Thomas (our Mr. Thomas) wasn't simply someone who worked at the Town Hall - he was a specialist engaged to project ACD's photographs. Exploring other Directories reveals a little more detail about Mr Taylor, and the occupation of 'Lanternist':

1921 Adelaide Sands & McDougall South Australian Directory

THOMAS' LANTERN and CINAMA STORES (Arthur O. Thomas), Practical Lanternist (By special appointment to their Excellencies Admiral Sir D. H. Bosanquet, GCVO, KCB, and Lieut-Col Sir Henry Lionel Galway, KCMG, DSO). All Goods for the Lantern and Biograph Business stocked and repaired. Hindmarsh Buildings, Hindmarsh Square,

Now that we have clarified how Mr. Thomas came to provide his expert perspective.

Where did Mr. Taylor come from, and what happened to him?

Well sadly, Arthur Thomas dies a few years later. This article was accessed through the National Library of Australia Trove index of digitized newspapers:

Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 - 1929)

Saturday 13 August 1927, page 5

FATAL FALL IN STREET.

Death of Mr. A. O. Thomas.

Faling on some steps when leaving a business house in Grenfell street at about 4.30 pm on Friday, Mr. Arthur O. Thomas (58), .of 54 Seventh avenue, St. Peters, struck his head, and later died in the Adelaide Hospital, presumably from concussion.

Mr. Thomas was born at Hindmarsh in 1870. educated at Hindmarsh School, and later privately. He was a prominent man in the lantern and film business; Before the war he toured the Commonwealth on behalf of the Western Australian Government; lecturing on land settlement. During the war he was appointed by the Director of Recruiting as lecturer on recruiting for South Australia. He was lecturer, for the Institutes' Association, and one' of the adjudicators for the South Australian Literary Societies' Union contests. Prominently connected with Young Men's Christian Association work, he was a member of the board of  directors of that institution, and was long Chairman of the A and B grade Y.M.C.A. Football Association. For many years he was Chairman of the Chicago Mission Board.

He was formerly. Councillor for East Adelaide Ward in the St. Peters Corporation. He was a member of the Hindmarsh Congregational Band of Hope, and was 'a popular local preacher in the Congregational Church. He was associated with many charitable organizations. Mr. Thomas is a brother or Mr. Ernest O. Thomas, the Adelaide representative of Mac Robertson's,, Limited, and has left a widow.

This reveals an incredible amount of information about Mr. Thomas, and also leads to the identification of his place of burial in the Hindmarsh Cemetery, Adelaide (via BilloinGraves.com):

Hindmarsh Cemetery, Adelaide, SA, Australia

Arthur O Thomas
Died Aug 12 1927

Aged 57 years

Arthur is buried with family, memorialized on each side of this square pillar headstone, including his father Edwin Courtney Thomas who died only the year before, and his mother Martha who died when Arthur was quite young in 1882.

There's plenty more to learn about Mr. Thomas, and I'll pull that into a biography, but I think there are two unanswered questions that deserve to be highlighted.

What did our Mr. Thomas look like? Well, here is a photograph of him next to a film projector, as part of a long article he wrote in the Daily Herald titled 'The History of the Cinematograph'.

Daily Herald (Adelaide, SA : 1910 - 1924)

Saturday 18 February 1911, page 3

Writer of the article, Mr. Arthur O. Thomas, Lanternist to His Excellency the Governor.

The second question that deserves an answer is who he married. His obituary simply says he "left a widow". She deserves a name. South Australian marriage record indexes are a little, shall we say, paywalled, but some searching and cross-referencing reveals that in 1910 Arthur Orlando Thomas married Winifred Lucy TUCKER. Better yet, the newspaper has an article about the wedding and a wedding photo:

 Critic (Adelaide, SA : 1897-1924)  Wed 27 Apr 1910

Arthur Orlando THOMAS and  Winifred Lucy TUCKER do not appear to have left any issue, but there were certainly descendants of the THOMAS siblings. Hopefully one will find this article.

In the mail - SHERLOCK HOLMES: A STUDY IN SCARLET by Vincent Mallie

Today in the mail was a new book. I supported the recent Kickstarter campaign for ACD's SHERLOCK HOLMES: A STUDY IN SCARLET by Arthur Conan Doyle by Neurobellum Productions. The campaign was for "a beautiful new edition of Arthur Conan Doyle's first Sherlock Holmes novel lushly illustrated by artist Vincent Mallie". I don't know much about illustrators, so I'll just say that Vincent Mallie is 

The campaign offered to include a copy of the previously-published edition of Lupin, and depending on the level of commitment it included a slipcase and a set of extras. Detailed information on the Kickstarter campaign can be found here: www.kickstarter.com/projects/neurobellum/sherlock-holmes-a-study-in-scarlet-by-vincent-mallie/description 

While the Kickstarter is over, the book is available for purchase at vendors including Amazon: https://a.co/d/88ZRgFr

The overall product quality is excellent, with solid paper, it is beautifully presented. Time will tell how robustly constructed the slipcase is. The add-ons include printed art on card stock that are nicely presented, and some other items that add to the feel of the publication.

Left: The slipcase with foil inlay. Set on top are three of the add-ons, a magnifying glass (from a third party vendor - not particularly fancy), a Holmes.v Lupin decision coin, and a key to 221B. Left: The slipcase spine showing foil inlay design. Note that the slipcase holds both books.

Left: The cover of The First Adventure of Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet, with a beautiful illustration by Mallie. Right: A bookmark and a gold foil bookplate (mine is 196 of 500) tipped into the book. 

Opening page of the novel, with a facing illustration showing Watson in Afghanistan (prior to being shot, presumably).

Wonderful illustration of the study in 221B.

Left: The four 8.5x11" linen card stock art prints provided as add-ons. Right: An envelope provided contained a set of 'evidence' including a letter from Watson to Scotland Yard and a 'Utah Herald' and train ticket. These remind me a little of casefile evidence similar to the early 80s publications: https://221bcooee.blogspot.com/2023/06/calling-simon-goodenough-sherlock.html. 

Who was Mr Thomas of Adelaide?

In my last post I mentioned that my long-term goal is to prepare a short biography of each person ACD mentions meeting in Australia in 'Wanderings of a Spiritualist' (221bcooee.blogspot.com/2023/08/plans-for-articles-on-wanderings-of.html). I hope that by doing so I'll be able to throw a light on ACD's perspectives. If I run out of people I may even cover the NZ section of his trip!

In undertaking this, I want to be thorough, but not ALL people are going to be easy to identify.

Take, for example, the case of Mr. Thomas, who I may never identify. But I will try very hard to do so.

When ACD's visit to Australia was announced, his first city was Adelaide, and advertisements for his lectures appeared in the local newspapers, placed there by Carlyle Smyth (in the 'Amusements' section!). Note that there were two different lectures offered.

Daily Herald (Adelaide, SA)

Tuesday 21 September 1920, page 2

The venue for the lectures in Adelaide was the Town Hall, which still stands today on King William St, Adelaide. 

The Adelaide Town Hall in July, 2023.

As the advertisement during ACD's Adelaide leg show, the lectures were sold out, and another lecture topic was added to the schedule that included a presentation of "pictures of psychic phenomena forming a sequel to his lecture". The ad also reassures that "The pictures used to illustrate this lecture are guaranteed to be Genuine by Sir Arthur himself".

The Register (Adelaide, SA)
Mon 27 Sep 1920 Page 2 

This new, remarkable lecture on 'Pictures of Psychic Phenomena' is where our Mr. Thomas comes in. The lecture involved the presentation of pictures, projected from lantern slides. ACD relates the even in Wanderings:

"Never before have I experienced such direct visible intervention as occurred during my first photographic lecture at Adelaide. I had shown a slide the effect of which depended upon a single spirit face appearing amid a crowd of others. The slide was damp, and as photos under these circumstances always clear from the edges when placed in the lantern, the whole centre was so thickly fogged that I was compelled to admit that I could not myself see the spirit face. Suddenly, as I turned away, rather abashed by my failure, I heard cries of "There it is," and looking up again I saw this single face shining out from the general darkness with so bright and vivid an effect that I never doubted for a moment that the operator was throwing a spot light upon it, my wife sharing my impression. I thought how extraordinarily clever it was that he should pick it out so accurately at the distance. So the matter passed, but next morning Mr. Thomas, the operator, who is not a Spiritualist, came in great excitement to say that a palpable miracle had been wrought, and that in his great experience of thirty years he had never known a photo dry from the centre, nor, as I understood him, become illuminated in such a fashion. Both my wife and I were surprised to learn that he had thrown no ray upon it. Mr. Thomas told us that several experts among the audience had commented upon the strangeness of the incident. I, therefore, asked Mr. Thomas if he would give me a note as to his own impression, so as to furnish an independent account. This is what he wrote:—

"Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide.

"In Adelaide, on September 28th, I projected a lantern slide containing a group of ladies and gentlemen, and in the centre of the picture, when the slide was reversed, appeared a human face. On the appearance of the picture showing the group the fog incidental to a damp or new slide gradually appeared covering the whole slide, and only after some minutes cleared, and then quite contrary to usual practice did so from a central point just over the face that appeared in the centre, and refused even after that to clear right off to the edge. The general experience is for a slide to clear from the outside edges to a common centre. Your slide cleared only sufficiently in the centre to show the face, and did not, while the slide was on view, clear any more than sufficient to show that face. Thinking that perhaps there might be a scientific explanation to this phenomenon, I hesitated before writing you, and in the meantime I have made several experiments but have not in any one particular experiment obtained the same result. I am very much interested—as are hundreds of others who personally witnessed the phenomenon."

Mr. Thomas, in his account, has missed the self-illuminated appearance of the face, but otherwise he brings out the points. I never gave occasion for the repetition of the phenomenon, for in every case I was careful that the slides were carefully dried beforehand."

Well, there we have it, who was Mr. Thomas, operator of the lantern projector at the Adelaide Town Hall in 1920? Hindmarsh Square is NOT the location of the Adelaide Town Hall, though it is close by. It is possible that Mr. Thomas can be found in directories residing there in 1920. I'd also be intrigued to know if this note resides in ACD's archives. I will search for Mr. Thomas. As an average citizen of the time, with a not-uncommon surname, it may be difficult!

Addendum: I was absolutely tickled to find the following advert placed by someone, intentionally, immediately under the advertisement for ACD's lecture in the issue of Mon 27 Sep, 1920. Getting the last work in, and responding directly to the text of the ad !

SPIRITUALISM not a new Revelation, but an old Seduction revived by the Great Enemy in opposition to God, who has and will punish traffickers in this dark art. See 1 Chronicles 10.13. 

So Saul died for his transgression, which he committed against the word of the Lord which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of a familiar spirit.

EDIT:

I can't believe it - I found him !!

Plans for articles on Wanderings of a Spiritualist

I have to be honest and write that REAL Sherlockian accomplishments - writing articles or given a talk - I find quite intimidating. In my day job, I do both easily, but the Sherlockian world is diverse, and I deeply enjoy the world of ACD without being an expert. As a way of dipping my toe in the waters, I've embraced the old adage "write about what you know about" (to butcher a phrase). What do I know about? Science, and Australia (separate topics - I don't know much about Australian science!).

One set of articles I'll be working on over a very long period of time is Doylean. In 1920 (and into 1921) Arthur Conan Doyle visited Australia to deliver speeches on spiritualism. I've picked a very niche and unexplored topic, creating a biography of each person ACD mentions in his book (in the order of their appearance). There are surprisingly few mentions, but also a little detective work to do. Each article will appear in the 'Passenger's Log' (the journal of the 'Sydney Passengers' scion). Join the Sydney Passengers to read the articles!

This topic is one reason I felt so lucky to be in Adelaide recently, where ACD started his Australian visit (https://221bcooee.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-arthur-conan-doyle-plaque-in.html).

The first article has been submitted, on Victor Cromer (born Victor Eugene Kroemer, 1883-1930), and the second is underway now.

To aid me, I have two copies of Wanderings. The first is a reasonable first US edition (well I believe it's first edition - 1921, George M Doran, NY), and the second is a reprint by Ronin Publishing (1988, Berkeley, CA). Ronin Publishing still operates (https://www.roninpub.com/), and produces 'books for independent minds'. As such, reprinting Wanderings appears to have aligned with the scope of Ronin Publishing.

Copies of Wanderings are easy to obtain. The book is out of copyright, and can be read freely at the ACD Encyclopedia (www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php/The_Wanderings_of_a_Spiritualist), Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org/files/39718/39718-h/39718-h.htm), and through common vendors such as Amazon or eBay one can purchase a print-on-demand copy cheaply, or a second hand copy for prices ranging from $20 to $5000. I recommend the affordable copies.

As I publish my series of biographies (over what should take many years), I'll post information at this blog. 

Left: Wanderings 1921 issue, and (right) the 1988 reprint.

Publication details (left) and (right) dedication of the Wanderings 1921 print.

Title page of 1921 Wanderings, with a facing spiritual and serious-looking portrait photo of ACD.

Publication details for the 1988 reprint.