Conan Doyle (article march 1900)
This article was published in Current Literature in march 1900.
Article
The presentation of Sherlock Holmes as a play has stimulated anew interest in the personality of that great detective and his creator, Conan Doyle. The Omaha Bee recently printed an article descriptive of a visit to Dr. Doyle's home in Hardmere, England, from which the following quotation is made : "A glance at Doyle indicates how well this country is suited to his tastes and habits. He might be forty-five — he might be forty. It is hard to say, as he stands over six feet, a fine specimen of the vigorous, hardy manhood native to Great Britain. His strong, resolute features are tanned by exposure in the cricket field, on the tennis court and by season after season of bird and rabbit shooting. It can be seen at once that he needs no tonics for nervousness or dyspepsia. Apparently he has no nerves, for whether handling a cricket bat in a decisive play or sighting his gun in a supreme moment, one cannot trace a tremor of the muscles or a quiver of the eyelids. Indoor and outdoor exercise have given him muscles of steel and the suppleness and agility of a youth in his teens.... But little sign of literary work is to be found about the house. Even his library is made the receptacle for cricket and tennis kits, and guns and trout tackle are spread all over the place.... A spring trap and the fragments of numerous clay pigeons scattered about the grounds attest his fondness for shooting. The six horses in the stable include two fine saddle mares, one of which has a record as a jumper. At the side of the house is a grass tennis court bearing the indications of frequent usage, while one of the largest rooms, in fact, that apartment opposite the drawing-room, is given up to billiard and pool tables for indoor sport in inclement weather, although the rain must fall fast or the snow be deep to keep the author-sportsman from enjoying some outdoor pastime if he feels thus inclined. Perhaps the most notable feature of Dr. Doyle's library is a bust of Sherlock Holmes, the detective whose marvelous performances as depicted by the author have been the wonder of the English-reading world. It has been questioned whether Holmes was a true personage or whether he was a myth conjured up to play his part in the novelist's several dramas. It was well known that Holmes' friend, 'Dr. Watson,' was none other than the author, but the identity of Holmes himself was questioned. The writer can positively state that he did exist, although the name of Holmes was naturally fictitious. The man, whose right name was Dr. Belden [1], was a Scotchman residing in Edinburgh. His study of human nature led him to play the part of detective, and he met with success in hunting down several noted criminals who had eluded the professional detective force of the kingdom. Dr. Doyle chanced to make his acquaintance, and an intimacy sprang up between the two men, which resulted in the production of the 'detective stories.' Belden was a man of medium height, and though delicate in appearance, very wiry and muscular. He was what Americans would call a 'dead' shot with a revolver, and the knowledge of his skill among the criminal classes undoubtedly saved his life on several occasions when tracing out the perpetrators of crimes.... Dr. Doyle's workshop is always ready with an abundance of paper, pens and pencils, while the box of smoking mixtures always contains a good supply for the favorite stumpy black pipe. How many thrilling descriptions have been written with that pipe clenched between the author's teeth will probably never be known, but its appearance indicates that it has done yeoman service.... Considering his experience it is not strange that the doctor has secured material for such a variety of fiction — if it can be called fiction — which he has prepared. It scarcely seems credible that the same hand which detailed the career of an adventurer of the Richelieu regime, could with equal faithfulness portray the lives of the miserly London merchant and his villainous son, in The Firm of Girdlestone, but he has visited the most historic sections of France and no detail of scene which would assist in forming the plot of a story has escaped his notice. He is as familiar with the ins and outs of the world's greatest city as though a lifelong resident, and has traversed about every part of England offering matter for his line of work. The time spent as a medical practitioner at Southsea and elsewhere gave him an additional fund to draw from, which the great majority of writers have never possessed. Every one at all familiar with the routine of a surgeon can appreciate the opportunities to observe life from a point of view hidden to the layman. Dr. Doyle has abandoned the use of the scalpel and phial except as emergencies require his skill in his own household, and intends to devote himself entirely to literary work. He has followed this plan for several years."
