...to follow this trail:
Three burglary suspects were arrested by police in Mt. Morris, New York after police followed a macaroni salad trail the crooks left during their getaway.
Showing posts with label sherlock holmes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sherlock holmes. Show all posts
Sunday, June 07, 2015
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
AM HERE ABE SLANEY
A real-life crime in Idaho brings back memories of one of the great Sherlock Holmes stories:
A woman who was about to be released from an Idaho prison will stay behind bars a while longer because federal prosecutors say she mailed a threatening stick figure drawing to a relative.
Prosecutors say that in 2010, Lakes mailed a drawing that apparently depicted a battered stick figure alongside threatening phrases such as "No tears," "No hiding," and "No more you."
Kyle Wright, an FBI agent in Pocatello who investigated the case, described the drawing in a court document.
"One stick figure appeared to be lying down with his face smashed. The baseball bat was lying nearby with damage that appeared to be consistent with its use on the first stick figure. The second stick figure appeared to be walking away with a smile," Wright wrote.
Wright also said in his affidavit that Lakes sent a letter with the drawing that indicated her prison sentence was coming to an end and that the recipient should be prepared for his final moments.
The Holmes story is, of course, The Adventure of the Dancing Men. For anyone interested in cryptography, it is one of the giants of the literature, along with Edgar Allan Poe's story The Gold-Bug.
A woman who was about to be released from an Idaho prison will stay behind bars a while longer because federal prosecutors say she mailed a threatening stick figure drawing to a relative.
Prosecutors say that in 2010, Lakes mailed a drawing that apparently depicted a battered stick figure alongside threatening phrases such as "No tears," "No hiding," and "No more you."
Kyle Wright, an FBI agent in Pocatello who investigated the case, described the drawing in a court document.
"One stick figure appeared to be lying down with his face smashed. The baseball bat was lying nearby with damage that appeared to be consistent with its use on the first stick figure. The second stick figure appeared to be walking away with a smile," Wright wrote.
Wright also said in his affidavit that Lakes sent a letter with the drawing that indicated her prison sentence was coming to an end and that the recipient should be prepared for his final moments.
The Holmes story is, of course, The Adventure of the Dancing Men. For anyone interested in cryptography, it is one of the giants of the literature, along with Edgar Allan Poe's story The Gold-Bug.
Thursday, February 02, 2012
The Inspiration For Holmes' Watson?
Surgeon-Major Alexander Francis Preston, an Irishman who served in Afghanistan and was wounded at the Battle of Maiwand, may have been the real-life inspiration for Sherlock Holmes' friend and biographer, Dr. John Watson.
Pic:
Click the link for Preston's story, and speculation as to whether Arthur Conan Doyle, the writer of the Sherlock Holmes stories, used him as a model for Dr. Watson.
Pic:
Click the link for Preston's story, and speculation as to whether Arthur Conan Doyle, the writer of the Sherlock Holmes stories, used him as a model for Dr. Watson.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
The Trailer For Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Found here.
Just as a first impression, the weapons seem inappropriate for the era. When I think of the early period Holmes stories I'm expecting to see Martinis, Webleys and Gatlings, not bolt-action rifles, Maxims and modern mortars.
Just as a first impression, the weapons seem inappropriate for the era. When I think of the early period Holmes stories I'm expecting to see Martinis, Webleys and Gatlings, not bolt-action rifles, Maxims and modern mortars.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Guy Ritchie's New Sherlock Holmes Movie Coming In Dec.
Story.
In this movie Holmes confronts Professor Moriarty.
In Conan Doyle's story The Final Problem Holmes describes Moriarty to Watson:
I was sitting in my room thinking the matter over, when the door opened and Professor Moriarty stood before me.
"My nerves are fairly proof, Watson, but I must confess to a start when I saw the very man who had been so much in my thoughts standing there on my threshhold. His appearance was quite familiar to me. He is extremely tall and thin, his forehead domes out in a white curve, and his two eyes are deeply sunken in this head. He is clean-shaven, pale, and ascetic-looking, retaining something of the professor in his features. His shoulders are rounded from much study, and his face protrudes forward, and is forever slowly oscillating from side to side in a curiously reptilian fashion. He peered at me with great curiosity in his puckered eyes.
Artist Sidney Paget, who illustrated the Holmes stories in The Strand magazine, visualized Moriarty thus:
I'll tell you who I thought looked like Moriarty, at least how I visualize him: Patrick O'Brian, the late author of the Aubrey/Maturin novels:
O'Brian has eyes that closely resemble those of a Komodo Dragon:
I saw a televised special on O'Brian once, and he actually does have Moriarty's habit of swaying his head back and forth, and his eyes, especially when asked a question that displeases him, are cold in the extreme, and glare in a reptilian fashion.
Just my opinion.
In this movie Holmes confronts Professor Moriarty.
In Conan Doyle's story The Final Problem Holmes describes Moriarty to Watson:
I was sitting in my room thinking the matter over, when the door opened and Professor Moriarty stood before me.
"My nerves are fairly proof, Watson, but I must confess to a start when I saw the very man who had been so much in my thoughts standing there on my threshhold. His appearance was quite familiar to me. He is extremely tall and thin, his forehead domes out in a white curve, and his two eyes are deeply sunken in this head. He is clean-shaven, pale, and ascetic-looking, retaining something of the professor in his features. His shoulders are rounded from much study, and his face protrudes forward, and is forever slowly oscillating from side to side in a curiously reptilian fashion. He peered at me with great curiosity in his puckered eyes.
Artist Sidney Paget, who illustrated the Holmes stories in The Strand magazine, visualized Moriarty thus:
I'll tell you who I thought looked like Moriarty, at least how I visualize him: Patrick O'Brian, the late author of the Aubrey/Maturin novels:
O'Brian has eyes that closely resemble those of a Komodo Dragon:
I saw a televised special on O'Brian once, and he actually does have Moriarty's habit of swaying his head back and forth, and his eyes, especially when asked a question that displeases him, are cold in the extreme, and glare in a reptilian fashion.
Just my opinion.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Treasure Blog: Bulgari Blue Diamond
$15.75 million.
Pic:
It's a lovely thing, isn't it? How did Sherlock Holmes describe a similar stone?
"It's a bonny thing," said he. "Just see how it glints and sparkles. Of course it is a nucleus and focus of crime. Every good stone is. They are the devil's pet baits. In the larger and older jewels every facet may stand for a bloody deed. This stone is not yet twenty years old. It was found in the banks of the Amoy River in southern China and is remarkable in having every characteristic of the carbuncle, save that it is blue in shade instead of ruby red. In spite of its youth, it has already a sinister history. There have been two murders, a vitriol-throwing, a suicide, and several robberies brought about for the sake of this forty-grain weight of crystallised charcoal. Who would think that so pretty a toy would be a purveyor to the gallows and the prison? - - From The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle.
Pic:
It's a lovely thing, isn't it? How did Sherlock Holmes describe a similar stone?
"It's a bonny thing," said he. "Just see how it glints and sparkles. Of course it is a nucleus and focus of crime. Every good stone is. They are the devil's pet baits. In the larger and older jewels every facet may stand for a bloody deed. This stone is not yet twenty years old. It was found in the banks of the Amoy River in southern China and is remarkable in having every characteristic of the carbuncle, save that it is blue in shade instead of ruby red. In spite of its youth, it has already a sinister history. There have been two murders, a vitriol-throwing, a suicide, and several robberies brought about for the sake of this forty-grain weight of crystallised charcoal. Who would think that so pretty a toy would be a purveyor to the gallows and the prison? - - From The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Treasure Blog: Inscribed Copy of "A Study In Scarlet."
Story.
That would be one treasure I'd be willing to bid on myself, had I the funds. Notice how beautiful Conan Doyle's handwriting is:
That would be one treasure I'd be willing to bid on myself, had I the funds. Notice how beautiful Conan Doyle's handwriting is:
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Hmm...Conan Doyle and Ellis Peters Combined
An Indian woman killed her lover by putting poison in his food.
The poison was Monk's Hood, a variety known as aconitum ferox. It was used as a plot device in the Ellis Peters mystery Monk's Hood.
The poison was added to a curry (Imagine that!), just as opium was added to curry in the Sherlock Holmes story "Silver Blaze."
"There are no new crimes, Watson," Sherlock Holmes used to lament, before reaching for the cocaine bottle.
The poison was Monk's Hood, a variety known as aconitum ferox. It was used as a plot device in the Ellis Peters mystery Monk's Hood.
The poison was added to a curry (Imagine that!), just as opium was added to curry in the Sherlock Holmes story "Silver Blaze."
"There are no new crimes, Watson," Sherlock Holmes used to lament, before reaching for the cocaine bottle.
Who's The Best Sherlock Holmes?
UK's Daily Mail would like to know, and provides a partial list.
I think that it is Jeremy Brett, myself, but only in the earlier series of stories. As time went on Brett began putting on weight, and by the time his Holmes shows were finished he would have made a good Mycroft Holmes. If you read Brett's Wikipedia entry it seems clear that the role drove Brett mad, and the medications he had to take to relieve his suffering caused him to bloat.
Edward Hardwicke did a fine job as Watson. I always thought that Nigel Davenport was a buffoon. Jude Law looks promising as Watson in the new movie with Robert Downey, Jr.
A favorite of mine when I was younger was Murder By Decree, with Christopher Plummer as Holmes. Plummer didn't much resemble the Holmes from the stories, but gave a fine performance, nonetheless, and the movie was spooky for the time. It's also a favorite of Ace's.
I think that it is Jeremy Brett, myself, but only in the earlier series of stories. As time went on Brett began putting on weight, and by the time his Holmes shows were finished he would have made a good Mycroft Holmes. If you read Brett's Wikipedia entry it seems clear that the role drove Brett mad, and the medications he had to take to relieve his suffering caused him to bloat.
Edward Hardwicke did a fine job as Watson. I always thought that Nigel Davenport was a buffoon. Jude Law looks promising as Watson in the new movie with Robert Downey, Jr.
A favorite of mine when I was younger was Murder By Decree, with Christopher Plummer as Holmes. Plummer didn't much resemble the Holmes from the stories, but gave a fine performance, nonetheless, and the movie was spooky for the time. It's also a favorite of Ace's.
Friday, December 25, 2009
For Sherlock Holmes Fans...
...in honor of the new movie coming out on the day after Christmas (Boxing Day, as it's called in UK) I'd like to give you a link to one of the original Sherlock Holmes stories that also takes place on Boxing Day and has a Christmas theme:
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle.
Enjoy!
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Sherlock Holmes: Crappy Review, Must-See Movie
I've been looking forward to this movie all year.
Read the crap review, then check out the trailer. Looks like a wild ride.
update: A better review can be found at the UK Telegraph.
update 2: More from the UK Telegraph.
Read the crap review, then check out the trailer. Looks like a wild ride.
update: A better review can be found at the UK Telegraph.
update 2: More from the UK Telegraph.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
The Adventure of the Burglar's Code
As Sherlock Holmes and I returned from the concert hall, where we had heard the incomparable Joseph Joachim playing Mendelssohn's magnificent violin concerto, Holmes' attention was drawn to the doorway of 221B Baker Street as we approached home.
'Halloa, what's this?' said Holmes.
At the bottom of the door a small X had been drawn in chalk.
'Watson, dear fellow, you wouldn't happen to have your revolver with you, would you?' asked Holmes. When I answered in the negative, Holmes shrugged, saying, 'It's of no consequence, anyway, the deed hasn't happened yet, or Mrs. Hudson and the household would be aroused and in alarum. Stay here a moment, Watson, there's a good fellow.'
Holmes went quickly into the house and returned a few minutes later with a stick of chalk and a piece of cloth. He rubbed out the X with the cloth, and in its place, carefully marked a capital letter D. 'There, that should ensure our safety, for the moment at least, until I can get some of the Baker Street Irregulars to watch the house for a few days. Still, it would be wise to keep your army revolver handy, Watson, just in case.'
'Just in case what, Holmes? I am baffled, what are these chalk marks and why are they of significance?'
'They are burglar's signs, Watson,' replied Holmes. 'Thieves use these signs to identify houses to members of their gang. I myself have made a study of these signs, and have even written a monograph on the subject. The letter X, or cross sign, indicates a house ripe for plucking; the letter D, which I scribed onto our door, indicates a house too dangerous to enter. It should keep us safe until arrangements can be made.'
'Good Heavens, Holmes, quite extraordinary!' said I.
'Commonplace, Doctor,' he answered. 'Do let us go upstairs, I am anxious to reproduce some of the Mendelssohn on my Stradivarius. It will sound sweeter than that Cuyper fiddle that Joachim was playing tonight, I think.'
burglar's code.
'Halloa, what's this?' said Holmes.
At the bottom of the door a small X had been drawn in chalk.
'Watson, dear fellow, you wouldn't happen to have your revolver with you, would you?' asked Holmes. When I answered in the negative, Holmes shrugged, saying, 'It's of no consequence, anyway, the deed hasn't happened yet, or Mrs. Hudson and the household would be aroused and in alarum. Stay here a moment, Watson, there's a good fellow.'
Holmes went quickly into the house and returned a few minutes later with a stick of chalk and a piece of cloth. He rubbed out the X with the cloth, and in its place, carefully marked a capital letter D. 'There, that should ensure our safety, for the moment at least, until I can get some of the Baker Street Irregulars to watch the house for a few days. Still, it would be wise to keep your army revolver handy, Watson, just in case.'
'Just in case what, Holmes? I am baffled, what are these chalk marks and why are they of significance?'
'They are burglar's signs, Watson,' replied Holmes. 'Thieves use these signs to identify houses to members of their gang. I myself have made a study of these signs, and have even written a monograph on the subject. The letter X, or cross sign, indicates a house ripe for plucking; the letter D, which I scribed onto our door, indicates a house too dangerous to enter. It should keep us safe until arrangements can be made.'
'Good Heavens, Holmes, quite extraordinary!' said I.
'Commonplace, Doctor,' he answered. 'Do let us go upstairs, I am anxious to reproduce some of the Mendelssohn on my Stradivarius. It will sound sweeter than that Cuyper fiddle that Joachim was playing tonight, I think.'
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Trailer: Robert Downey As Sherlock Holmes
Click this link to see the trailer at the UK Sun website.
It's an interesting take on Holmes and Watson (Jude Law plays the good doctor), and should make a ton of money.
Still, I'd rather see Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke as Holmes and Watson, as I saw them just the other night in a delightful version of Silver Blaze.
And in my room lies a complete collection of the Holmes stories, neglected these last few years; maybe it's time to renew my friendship with the duo.
It's an interesting take on Holmes and Watson (Jude Law plays the good doctor), and should make a ton of money.
Still, I'd rather see Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke as Holmes and Watson, as I saw them just the other night in a delightful version of Silver Blaze.
And in my room lies a complete collection of the Holmes stories, neglected these last few years; maybe it's time to renew my friendship with the duo.
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