“Somewhere in the vaults of the bank of Cox and Co., at Charing Cross, there is a travel-worn and battered tin dispatch-box with my name, John H. Watson, MD, Late Indian Army, painted upon the lid.”
– The Problem of Thor Bridge (THOR)
There was something that touched me as I read this letter, something pitiable in the reiterated appeals to bring Holmes. ~WTB NAVA Evidence Box
Watson’s Tin Box, a BSI scion that meets in Columbia, Maryland, shares a few select items from their tin evidence box for The Adventure of the Naval Treaty with us here at The Fourth Garrideb. These evidence boxes were originally created by the late Paul Churchill, BSI, one of the founders of Watson’s Tin Box and contains both genuine artifacts and genuine faux reproductions that he (and others) created. These items create a great deal of discussion at their monthly meetings and we hope it will do the same here. Enjoy!
In his right hand he had a slip of litmus-paper. ‘You come at a crisis, Watson,’ said he. ‘If this paper remains blue, all is well. If it turns red, it means a man’s life.’ He dipped it into the test-tube, and it flushed at once into a dull, dirty crimson. ‘Hum! I thought as much!’ he cried. – WTB NAVA Evidence BoxWithout going into details, I may say that it defined the position of Great Britain towards the Triple Alliance, and foreshadowed the policy which this country would pursue in the event of the French fleet gaining a complete ascendency over that of Italy in the Mediterranean. ~ WTB NAVA Evidence Box
‘Here is a rough chart of the place.’~ WTB NAVA Evidence BoxHe walked past the couch to the open window, and held up the drooping stalk of a moss rose, looking down at the dainty blend of crimson and green. ~ WTB NAVA Evidence BoxHe handed over a sheet torn from the notebook. On it was scribbled in pencil: ~ WTB NAVA Evidence BoxThere’s a place, however, on the wooden fence which skirts the road which shows signs, they tell me, as if someone had got over and had snapped the top of the rail in doing so. ~ WTB NAVA Evidence Box‘Oh, no; it was a knife. I saw the flash of the blade quite distinctly.’ ~ WTB NAVA Evidence BoxPhelps raised the cover, and as he did so he uttered a scream, and sat there staring with a face as white as the plate upon which he looked. Across the centre of it was lying a little cylinder of blue-grey paper. ~ WTB NAVA Evidence BoxAfter leaving you at the station I went for a charming walk through some admirable Surrey scenery to a pretty little village called Ripley, where I had my tea at an inn, and took the precaution of filling my flask and of putting a paper of sandwiches in my pocket. ~ WTB NAVA Evidence BoxHe looked “murder” out of the only eye he could see with when we had finished, but he listened to reason and gave up the papers. Having got them I let my man go, but I wired full particulars to Forbes this morning. ~ WTB NAVA Evidence Box
Thanks to the 42nd Garrideb, Denny Dobry, for the scans in this post. Thanks also to Debbie Clark, the 58th Garrideb, the current keeper of the evidence boxes.
Watson’s Tin Box, a BSI scion in Columbia, MD, is one of the most active Sherlockian groups in the Middle Atlantic region, Generally meeting on the last Monday of each month, the meetings feature canonical toasts, good conversations and dining, as well as a discussion of the month’s featured story and an educational presentation. For more information about Watson’s Tin Box, please visit their website HERE.
“‘Data! Data! Data!‘ he cried impatiently. ‘I can’t make bricks without clay.’” – The Adventures of The Copper Beeches (COPP) This column is composed of material (Data!) developed for a short course called Appreciating Sherlock Holmes that I teach twice a year in the Community Education Life Enrichment Program for a local community college. It is… Continue Reading
Seventeen thoughts for further ponderance of the case at hand – The Naval Treaty (NAVA) WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONA … ER, STUDENT? Of Percy Phelps, Watson writes: “He was a very brilliant boy and carried away every prize which the school had to offer, finishing his exploits by winning a scholarship which sent him… Continue Reading
“We have not yet met our Waterloo, Watson…” – The Adventure Of The Abbey Grange (ABBE) This week marks the bicentennial of the pivotal Battle of Waterloo, where Napoleon’s troops were defeated by combined troops from Great Britain and Prussia. In the stories of the Canon, there are numerous references to Waterloo Bridge and Waterloo… Continue Reading
Watson’s Tin Box, a BSI scion in Columbia, MD, is one of the most active Sherlockian groups in the Middle Atlantic region, Generally meeting on the last Monday of each month, the meetings feature canonical toasts, good conversations and dining, as well as a discussion of the month’s featured story and an educational presentation. For more information about Watson’s Tin Box, please visit their website HERE.
