221B Cooee: Watson's Tin Box meeting summary

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 August 17 for another great gathering of members - THIRTY ONE in total (a record post COVID I believe). As always I took a census of where people were attending from FIVE states/districts: Frederick MD won the competition for most attendees with five people - we also had visitors from places includgin: Southern PA, Gambrils, Bowie, Columbia, Bellcamp, Fort Meade, Ellicott City, Silver Spring, Frederick, Washington DC, Gaithersburg, Woodstock, Fort Meade, Bear DE, Sandy Spring, Baltimore, and Fairfax VA.

We welcomed another first-time visitor, Heather Dertsbaugh! We also welcomed back member Debbie Belchis after a long hiatus (pre-COVID, we think).

Our server was Michaela, who (as tradition dictates) was presented with a volume of Sherlock Holmes stories. The story of the meeting was 'The Devil's Foot'.... but we always start with toasts. I offered up a toast to 'The Woman', and Tom Fahres brought an 'extra' Haiku for 'The Woman':

Brenda Tregennis
Will always be “The Woman”
To Doctor Sterndale

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:

I present to you one Dr. Sterndale,
Whose adventures were storied and many;
Called Leon, his friends would regale –
Or would, shall we say, had he any.

For he lived in a manner most solit’ry
Hunting lions abroad all his life,
Returning to Cornwall occasion’ly
To the woman he wished was his wife.

But sweet Brenda was slain by her brother.
Roundhay’s wire reached Sterndale in time.
Abiding his own law – no other –
He enacted a vengeance sublime.

The Devil’s Foot Root provided, they say,
The revenge for which his soul cried.
The Great Explorer cornered his prey,
And Tregennis: “My God! How he died!”

I’ll not recount this whole terrible tale,
A tragedy steeped in Cornish gore.
The details – the Horrors – would leave you all pale,
And possibly you may have heard it before.

So a toast now to Leon Sterndale
Who dealt Justice, I’m sure you’ll agree;
Whom Watson and Holmes would not denounce,
And nor, I imagine, would we.

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

Devil’s Foot did in

Tregennises: Tregenni?

Holmes, Watson survived

Next came Announcements

Liane Luini reminded everyone that we are now accepting submissions for the 2027 Irene's Cabinet. Copies of Irene's Cabinet are selling for $10 - and we mail.
The DC Whiskey and Sodality meeting will again take place on Sunday, September 13th, 2 pm at Shelly's Back Room, 1331 F Street NW. Contact Terry McCammon for details.
Andy Solberg announced that the 47th Annual "Saturday With Sherlock Holmes" at the Pratt Library will be held Saturday, November 14th from 10:30 to 1:00.
Olivia Millunzi shared that the play 'Clue' (based on the movie) will be performed at the Hipodrome, Baltimore on January 23 & 24.
Michelle march presented to Tom Fahres on behalf of the Maryland Unit of the 221st Southumberland Waffleers a new guidon she created. I want to be fully transparent - I didn't know what a guidon is - it's a small swallow-tailed or rectangular flag carried by military units to show their specific branch and unit identity. So I guess the Waffleers are arming up!
Tom Fahres shared a save-the-date for Friday Oct 23 for the MoCo Maryland Mullusk Masticaters SPODE. Details to follow.
The next meeting of the Red Circle of Washington DC will be held on Saturday, October 3 at J. Hollinger's in Silver Spring. The speaker will be Julie McKuras coming from Minnesota, and details can be found at www.redcircledc.org
Peter Blau has also announced that tickets are now on sale for Mark Shanahan's popular play "A Sherlock Carol" at the Arts Barn in Gaithersburg. There will be a do-it-yourself theater party and Red Circle meeting on Sunday, December 6. Purchase your own tickets, and the group will then gather somewhere nearby for drinks afterwards. You can purchase your tickets at the Arts Barn web-site.
Greg Ruby shared details of the upcoming Six Napoleons of Baltimore 80th Anniversary dinner, and other events taking place on the same weekend. The dinner is Friday, September 25, 2026 at the Baltimore Club. The next day there will be Breakfast at Dooby's, Sherlockians of Baltimore luncheon, and The Black Pearls of the Borgias SPODE dinner. A big weekend in Baltimore! All the details here or contact Greg Ruby.
I announced that Watson's Tin Box will be displaying the Six Napoleons Evidence Box at the dinner, to add to the occasion.
I also announced that we are working hard to compile a list of all presentations at Watsons Tin Box meetings. Members (including many living past Gasogenes) have been helpful in diving into their archives. Dana Richards brought along a huge folder of records for me to work through. The list of talks to date can be found here.
Finally, Evy Herzog brought along gifts - some Edgar Allen Poe items she and her husband John Baesch collected over the years. These Edgars (and ravens) have new homes.

Debbie Clark presented the evidence box for Devil's Foot to an attentive audience:

The evidence display on the evening, and some examples of the evidence:

Left: Pictured is a newspaper account concerning the Tregennis family disaster. The article states there is absolutely no explanation of what the horror can be which has frightened a woman to death and two strong men out of their senses. Right: Pictured is the telegram from Holmes to Watson, suggesting he write up and publish the story of the Cornish horror.

Of course, pictured is the envelope marked POISON containing Radis Pedis Diaboli powder.

Left: Pictured is Cornish for Beginners and Etymology of Cornish Surnames, used by Holmes as part of his study of the Cornish Language. Right: Pictured is the lamp which sat on the table where the Tregennis were playing cards. The talc shield is not shown here - but is in the photo on the table below.

Members checking out the evidence during a break in the meeting.

Our discussion of the story was highly enjoyable. Lorraine Clarke described how she leveraged her doctoral expertise in botany to investigate the likely plant that was the source of Devil's Foot. We wondered how lion-hunting could be a career. It was pointed out that this is the second story in a row where Holmes took the law into his own hands. In this case, Holmes had given the police access to all the clues he had to solve it themself.

Our very special esteemed presenter for this meeting was Kem White, with a talk titled "The Early Years of Watson's Tin Box." Kem received his first copy of "The Complete Sherlock Holmes" as a 16th birthday present during the first Nixon administration and has been an avid Sherlockian ever since. Kem was Gasogene I of Watson's Tin Box and is one of the scion's founding members, is Napoleon 187 in the Six Napoleons of Baltimore, and presented at the very first "Saturdays with Sherlock Holmes" at Baltimore's Enoch Pratt Free Library in 1980.

Kem kept the audience entranced as they had an opportunity to hear about the origins of how WTB was founded, how Kem came to be the first Gasogene (they drew straws!), found the right venue, why we meet on Mondays (it was the quietest night at restaurants), and so much more. I'm going to record Kem presenting the slides for posterity and post on Youtube.

And so, we moved to the final traditions of the evening - collecting payment for our meals, and trivia. Michelle March created two wonderful t-shirt stencil designs for quiz prizes based on the story of the evening. This design was very popular - ''Tregennis Heating and Ventilation".