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	This note in Arthur Conan Doyle's handwriting, now in the collection of Ric Simpson of Fort Erie, gives more evidence of the interest Doyle showed in Harry Houdini (see also front cover photo).		This note in [[Arthur Conan Doyle]]'s handwriting, now in the collection of Ric Simpson of Fort Erie, gives more evidence of the interest [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Doyle]] showed in Harry Houdini (see also front cover photo).

	Text of the letter, here slightly reduced from original size.		Text of the letter, here slightly reduced from original size.

	Noted on the reverse of the document: "Fletcher family lived in Lily Dale, N.Y., where Conan Doyle lectured several times."		Noted on the reverse of the document: "Fletcher family lived in Lily Dale, N.Y., where [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]] lectured several times."
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	* 3 [[The Second Stain]].		* 3 [[The Second Stain]].
	* 4 [[The Naval Treaty]].		* 4 [[The Naval Treaty]].
	* 5 [[The Man ~~With~~ the Twisted Lip]].		* 5 [[The Man with the Twisted Lip]].
	* 6 [[The Six Napoleons]].		* 6 [[The Six Napoleons]].
	* 7 [[The Valley of Fear]].		* 7 [[The Valley of Fear]].

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	''Sherlock Holmes as Conjurer!'' is an article written by [[Doug Elliott]] published in [[Canadian Holmes]] (Vol. 6 No. 2, Christmas 1982).		''Sherlock Holmes as Conjurer!'' is an article written by [[Doug Elliott]] published in [[Canadian Holmes]] (Vol. 6 No. 2, Christmas 1982).

	~~xxx~~.		The article argues that Sherlock Holmes's dramatic revelations, timing, misdirection, staging, disguises, and "mind-reading" tricks show not merely a theatrical instinct but a real mastery of conjuring, probably acquired before Watson knew him. It suggests that Holmes may have learned from Victorian magicians John Nevil Maskelyne and Dr. Lynn, whose anti-spiritualist rationalism and worldly experiences also parallel Holmes's methods, knowledge, and rejection of supernatural explanations.

TCDE-Team: Created page with "{{Cargo_Research_Articles |date=1982-12-01 |author=Doug Elliott |topic=Magic }} ''Sherlock Holmes as Conjurer!'' is an article written by Doug Elliott published in Canadian Holmes (Vol. 6 No. 2, Christmas 1982). xxx. == Sherlock Holmes as Conjurer! == [[Canadian Holmes (Vol. 6 No. 2, Christmas 1982, p. 3)]] File:canadian-holmes-1982-christmas-n2-p4-sh-as-conjurer.jpg|thumb..."

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Created page with "{{Cargo_Research_Articles |date=1982-12-01 |author=Doug Elliott |topic=Magic }} ''Sherlock Holmes as Conjurer!'' is an article written by Doug Elliott published in Canadian Holmes (Vol. 6 No. 2, Christmas 1982). xxx. == Sherlock Holmes as Conjurer! == thumb|250px|right|[[Canadian Holmes (Vol. 6 No. 2, Christmas 1982, p. 3)]] File:canadian-holmes-1982-christmas-n2-p4-sh-as-conjurer.jpg|thumb..."

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{{Cargo_Research_Articles
|date=1982-12-01
|author=Doug Elliott
|topic=Magic
}}
''Sherlock Holmes as Conjurer!'' is an article written by [[Doug Elliott]] published in [[Canadian Holmes]] (Vol. 6 No. 2, Christmas 1982).

xxx.

== Sherlock Holmes as Conjurer! ==
[[File:canadian-holmes-1982-christmas-n2-p3-sh-as-conjurer.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Canadian Holmes]] (Vol. 6 No. 2, Christmas 1982, p. 3)]]
[[File:canadian-holmes-1982-christmas-n2-p4-sh-as-conjurer.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Canadian Holmes]] (Vol. 6 No. 2, Christmas 1982, p. 4)]]
[[File:canadian-holmes-1982-christmas-n2-p5-sh-as-conjurer.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Canadian Holmes]] (Vol. 6 No. 2, Christmas 1982, p. 5)]]
[[File:canadian-holmes-1982-christmas-n2-p6-sh-as-conjurer.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Canadian Holmes]] (Vol. 6 No. 2, Christmas 1982, p. 6)]]
[[File:canadian-holmes-1982-christmas-n2-p7-sh-as-conjurer.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Canadian Holmes]] (Vol. 6 No. 2, Christmas 1982, p. 7)]]
[[File:canadian-holmes-1982-christmas-n2-p8-sh-as-conjurer.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Canadian Holmes]] (Vol. 6 No. 2, Christmas 1982, p. 8)]]
[[File:canadian-holmes-1982-christmas-n2-p9-sh-as-conjurer.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Canadian Holmes]] (Vol. 6 No. 2, Christmas 1982, p. 9)]]

''A paper delivered to the Bootmakers on June 13, 1981, by Doug Elliott. The drawing above is an original for Canadian Holmes by Scott Bond.''

"Holmes stood before us," recalls Watson, "with an air of a conjurer who is performing a trick." (1) And, having assembled an audience of five, from which he selected suitable assistants, Sherlock Holmes materialized the missing and presumed dead Mr. Jonas

Oldacre, of Lower Norwood. The chain of deduction that led Holmes to conclude that Oldacre had contrived his own apparent murder, for which the unfortunate John Hector Macfarlane was to have been convicted, is a remarkable example of Holmes's powers; but I intend to show in this paper that several other important insights into the abilities and past experiences of the Master can be unearthed by considering that dramatic scene in which the true criminal is exposed.

Having decided that Oldacre was hiding somewhere in the house, and identified his hiding place, it would have been simplicity itself for Holmes to direct Lestrade straight to the spot. Instead, he carefully set a scene, planted a seed of curiosity and doubt in Lestrade's mind, gathered his witnesses, built suspense with a series of apparently pointless instructions, and then, with flawless timing, produced the very man who was the key to the mystery. Lestrade, we are told, "stared at the new-comer with blank amazement." (2) We might guess that his constables and the faithful Watson shared in this emotion.

Holmes's love of things theatrical has been frequently mentioned in the Sherlockian literature, and this, with his penchant for disguises, has been used to prove that he had a brief career on the stage in his younger days. The episode of the Norwood builder, however, reveals much more than the thespian here, such that for Watson to liken him to a conjurer may be more than a convenient simile.

Indeed, the sudden and unexpected revelation was somewhat of a trademark for Holmes. In the adventure of The Second Stain, an important letter was returned miraculously to a locked dispatch-box from which it was known to have been stolen. "Mr. Holmes," exclaimed the European Secretary, "you are a wizard, a sorcerer!" (3) The missing naval treaty was restored to Mr. Percy Phelps in a most dramatic manner: presented to him on a covered tray which was supposed to contain his breakfast. The striking aspect of this discovery is that the tray was brought in by Mrs. Hudson, who, as far as we know, was a disinterested observer of the proceedings; the hands, of the Master never touched the tray. (4)

We can also recall the climax of the story of Hugh Boone:

"Holmes stooped to the water jug, moistened his sponge, and then rubbed it twice vigorously across and down the prisoner's face.

""Let me introduce you,' he shouted, 'to Mr. Neville St. Clair, of Lee, in the county of Kent.'

"Never in my life have I seen such a sight. The man's face peeled off under the sponge like the bark from a tree. Gone was the coarse brown tint! Gone, too, the horrid scar which had seamed it across, and the twisted lip which had given the repulsive sneer to the face! A twitch brought away the tangled red hair, and there, sitting up in his bed, was a pale, sad-faced, refined-looking man, black-haired and smooth-skinned, rubbing his eyes and staring about him with sleepy bewilderment." (5)

And the famous black pearl of the Borgias was found after Holmes shattered—with great enthusiasm and not a word of explanation — a bust of the emperor Napoleon. (6)

So it goes throughout the Canon, the magical appearance performed with impeccable timing and with just the right audience assembled. And with Holmes taking such obvious delight in the effect! He confided to a fellow detective, "Surely our profession would be a drab and sordid one if we did not sometimes set the scene so as to glorify our results. The blunt accusation, the brutal tap upon the shoulder — what can one make of such a denouement? But, the quick inference, the subtle trap, the clever forecasting of coming events, the triumphant vindication of bold theories—are these not the pride and justification of our life's work? (7)

<div style="padding:20px; border:1px solid #000000;">
FROM SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE,

BIGNELL WOOD, MINSTEAD, LYNDHURST, HANTS.

Dear Mrs. Fletcher

I am sending you the August, and will send you the September "Strand" with my long articles on Houdini. I think they will interest & perhaps inspire you.

With all best wishes.

A Conan Doyle.

Aug. 13.

----

This note in Arthur Conan Doyle's handwriting, now in the collection of Ric Simpson of Fort Erie, gives more evidence of the interest Doyle showed in Harry Houdini (see also front cover photo).

Text of the letter, here slightly reduced from original size.

Noted on the reverse of the document: "Fletcher family lived in Lily Dale, N.Y., where Conan Doyle lectured several times."
</div>

We begin to see, then, that in addition to a detective, actor, chemical researcher, and historian, there was something of the conjurer in Holmes.

This trait can be observed, too, in the little mind-reading tricks that Holmes was fond of playing on Watson. A fine example can be found in the case of The Cardboard Box. Trevor Hall has used these incidents to show that Holmes was "keenly interested in conjuring". (8) But these examples show not merely an interest but a thorough mastery of the conjurer's art. They illustrate a mature skill, the development of which can only have been achieved by an intense application of body and mind. Professor Hoffmann, in his classic textbook on conjuring, written just a few years before Holmes and Watson began their joint career, wrote, "A wizard is not to be made in a day, and he who would attain excellence must be content to proceed as he would with music, drawing, or any other accomplishment — viz., begin at the beginning, and practise diligently until he attains the coveted dexterity." (9)

Watson did not. mention any direct connection between Holmes and the conjuring art, so whatever training Holmes had, he acquired before he met his biographer. Given the desire to learn, how would he have proceeded in his research? We know that Holmes was an omnivorous reader, so his first line of attack would be through books: the Reading Room of the British Museum near his rooms in Montague Street in those early days in London.

But in nineteenth-century England, he would have found the field barren. In 1876, Professor Hoffmann, author of that classic text, wrote, "Until within the last few years it would have been difficult to name a single book worth reading on the subject." (10) — Though we might discount this statement as mere self-promotion on the part of the good professor, it was, unfortunately, true: a great many booklets had recently been published listing a large number of tricks and their secrets, but, as Hoffmann pointed out so succinctly, "there is a vast difference between telling how a trick is done, and teaching how to do it." (11) Many other aspects of presentation, such as timing, dramatic structure, use of assistants, misdirection, and so on, which Holmes had clearly mastered, must be given their due attention.

With such a dearth of conjuring literature, Holmes would logically have gone to the same place that the rest of London went to feed its hunger for miracles: the Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly. During the last three decades of the nineteenth century, this one theatre, above all others in the country, was uniquely and proudly associated with magic. It became known as England's Home of Mystery. And from 1873 until the theatre's demolition in 1904 the undisputed masters of the Egyptian Hall were Maskelyne and Cooke. They were billed as The Royal Illusionists and Anti-Spiritualists, and although there is no direct evidence that Holmes and Watson ever attended the evening performances in the Large Hall, there can be no doubt that they did.

Early in the century, with the patronage of the courts of Europe, the art of conjuring had cast off the stigma of the street performer and mountebank, and by 1850 it was as acceptable to be seen at an evening of magic as at any classic concert at St. James or the Albert Hall.

It is almost inevitable, then, that a young man newly arrived in London in the mid-1870's would chance upon an advertisement of Maskelyne and Cooke; if that young man were Sherlock Holmes, he could not fail to be fascinated. Let us examine the life of John Nevil Maskelyne in the light of possible influence upon the life of Holmes.

Maskelyne developed in his boyhood an interest in things mechanical, and on leaving school began an apprenticeship with a watchmaker. His interest in spiritualism was stimulated when he discovered that a "surgical applicance" that a medium had asked him to repair was in fact a device designed to produce the table-rapping phenomena so popular at seances of the time. When the famous American mediums the Davenport brothers toured England in 1865, he was therefore quite interested in observing their methods at close hand. Maskelyne contrived to be one of the committee called up on the stage at one performance to assure that there was no subterfuge, and, quite by accident, he caught the two brothers in the act of faking a spiritualistic effect. He publicly announced that evening that he would prove that the entire performance was accomplished by trickery, by presenting a replica of the programme himself, in the same hall.

Several months later, after much preparation, Maskelyne and his friend, cabinet-maker George Alfred Cooke, began their long partnership as illusionists. Their fame grew, and on May 26, 1873, they opened in the Small Hall at the Egyptian Theatre. For the next thirty-one years, the only evening shows that were not presided over personally by Maskelyne and Cooke were those presentations of visiting magicians under their sponsorship.

A typical evening performance contained many of the classic illusions: appearances, disappearances, levitations, and a gripping little drama that started with a besmocked Gloucester farmer from the audience, played by Cooke, complaining of buzzing in the ears. Maskelyne's sure cure was to produce a large knife and remove the sufferer's head, which was placed on a table and continued to chat with its surgeon. Needless to say, the victim was restored to one piece, none the worse for his adventure, and much to the delight of the audience. (It is Interesting to note that in modern times, when we take the faint-heartedness of the Victorians for granted, the classic decapitation trick has nearly vanished from the magical stage.) Their most famous trick was called the Box Trick; it involved the disappearance of an assistant from a locked and corded box and the later appearance of another assistant in his place.

It is likely that Holmes's delight in these performances would compel him to visit Maskelyne backstage to discuss the art of conjuring with the great magician. Maskelyne could not but be fascinated by this intense and intelligent young man, and after several visits would have freely revealed the workings of his tricks. Holmes would have learned methods of concealing a human being in apparently impossible places, of constructing secret doors and compartments, and of revealing the climax of each illusion with maximum effect upon the audience. No doubt his inventive mind would have suggested new methods that would have surprised even Maskelyne. And Holmes would have found, in the audience reactions to the deceptions performed, insights into human nature that would prove valuable to an ardent student of the criminal and of his victims.

Maskelyne and Cooke continued to expose phony spiritualists by duplicating their feats, making it clear that their methods were completely terrestrial. Maskelyne wrote, "If the public only knew a little more in this respect, the thousand-and-one quackeries which flourish in our midst could not exist. My self-imposed task, then, has ever been to endeavour to educate the public, just a little, and to enlighten those who really seek for truth amid the noxious and perennial weeds of humbug and pretence." (12)

Holmes, too, before many years had passed, had most definite opinions of spiritualist phenomena. In the cases of The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Devil's Foot and The Sussex Vampire, he clung firmly to a rational explanation in the face of strong evidence of supernatural forces at work. "This Agency stands flat-footed upon the ground," he asserted, "and there it must remain. The world is big enough for us. No ghosts need apply." (13) Martin Ebon says that Holmes "looks, in retrospect, like an antidote to the occult, an oasis of reliable, materialistic order. There are no spirit rappings on the walls of the house of Baker Street." (14)

So we have found in Holmes's friendship with the great showman John Nevil Maskelyne two profound influences: his conjuring talents, and his strong opposition to spiritualism. But wait just a moment. We will find that by shaking the bushes a bit more, some highly suggestive discoveries will emerge.

The reason that Maskelyne and Cooke were forced to open at the Egyptian in the Small Hall was that the Large Hall was occupied at the time by a performer named Dr. Lynn. Lynn, whose real name is not known, enjoyed a colourful career, the details of which bear examination in the light of what we know about Sherlock Holmes, his interests, and his extensive knowledge.

We know nothing of Dr. Lynn before his first appearance in Australia, performing under the name "Professor Washington Blyth" in Melbourne. Lynn next took his show to China. In Shanghai his audiences were annoyed that he did not decapitate himself as shown in his advertisements. To prevent a potential riot, Lynn offered to walk through the city the next day with his head tucked under his arm — and he did. In his next stop in Japan, it was reported that he was never in any danger of attack in the streets of Yokohama at night: he always went out with a pistol in one hand and his head in the other. Crossing the Pacific, he performed in several American cities, including San Francisco and Boston. In Salt Lake City, he appeared before a huge crowd of Mormons, including Brigham Young himself, with some of his 300 wives and 150 children. Borrowing a hat from Young, Lynn boldly asked if he was a married man. Young assured him firmly that he was, and Lynn proceeded to produce a live baby from the hat.

At a time when many who professed to be professors were not in fact professors — at least, not professionally — Lynn's qualifications must be closely scrutinized. Lynn, however, claimed to be a real doctor, having obtained his medical training in Boston. We may be sceptical of this, since he stayed only a year in that city. Leaving the United States, he toured France and Germany to enthusiastic audiences, obtained a glowing testimonial from Victor Hugo after performing a seance in the writer's home in the Channel Islands, and finally settled in England, where he opened in the Egyptian Hall, as I have said, in 1873.

The climax of Lynn's evening of entertainment was an illusion called "Palingenesia"', in which he expanded upon the classic decapitation trick to include the amputation of limbs as well. "Another Man Cut Up Tonight!" screamed the posters, and the crowd loved it. His performances were characterized by non-stop lively patter, and a sense of humour that made him one of the most popular of Victorian conjurers.

Like Maskelyne, Lynn took a firm stand against spiritualism, and presented duplicates of many spiritualist phenomena in his act. He aroused Maskelyne's anger when he performed the Box Trick, claiming that it was his own invention. Maskelyne accused him of blatant plagiarism, and the two feuded bitterly for years.

The parallels between the travels of Dr. Lynn and _ the _ knowledge demonstrated by Sherlock Holmes are remarkable: Holmes was familiar with life in the Australian goldfields, (15) had some knowledge of Chinese tattoos (16) and pottery, (17) was skilled in Japanese wrestling techniques, and was acquainted with many aspects of the United States. It is therefore tempting to suggest that the young Holmes was a member of Lynn's touring company, picking up much geographical and magical information along the way. Alas, Lynn's career began in 1863, when the young detective was a mere nine years old, and regrettably the requisite adoption or abduction is not supported by fact. It is much more likely that Holmes found the time to call upon Lynn as he had upon Maskelyne — never, of course, mentioning the one rival in the other's presence — and the veteran showman was encouraged to reminisce abut his travels.

I have shown that Sherlock Holmes was adept in the art of conjuring, and have identified two of the greatest magicians of the London stage as his tutors. [I have supported their association with Holmes using two additional subjects: world travel and an active opposition to spiritualism. How easily now we can imagine the Master revealing to the dull Lestrade and the faithful Watson the astounding secret behind some mysterious event. We see the gray eyes flash as he makes the triumphant announcement and the truth appears at last before us — like magic!

'''General References'''

* Jack Tracy, ed., The Encyclopaedia Sherlockiana. Avon; New York, 1979,
* W. S. Baring-Gould, Sherlock Holmes — A Biography of the World's First Consulting Detective. Rupert Hart-Davis; London, 1962.
* Edwin A. Dawes, The Great Illusionists. Chartwell; New Jersey, 1979.
* Geoffrey Lamb, Victorian Magic. Routledge & Kegan Paul; London, 1976,

'''Notes

* 1 The Norwood Builder.
* 2 Ibid.
* 3 The Second Stain.
* 4 The Naval Treaty.
* 5 The Man With the Twisted Lip.
* 6 The Six Napoleons.
* 7 The Valley of Fear.
* 8 Trevor H. Hall, ''Sherlock Holmes, Ten Literary Studies''. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1969, pp. 101-108, 115.
* 9 Professor Hoffmann (Angelo John Lewis), Modern Magic. Republished, New York: Dover Publications, 1978, p. 2.
* 10 Ibid, p. 1.
* 11 Ibid, p. 2.
* 12 J. N. Maskelyne, ''Sharps and Flats'', pp. xiii-xiv. GBC Press, Las Vegas, no date.
* 13 The Sussex Vampire.
* 14 Martin Ebon, "Conan Doyle: Sherlock Holmes's Alter Ego."
* 15 The Boscombe Valley Mystery.
* 16 The Red-Headed League.
* 17 The Illustrious Client.
* 18 The Empty House.

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Sherlock Holmes as Conjurer! - Revision history

TCDE-Team at 14:57, 15 May 2026

TCDE-Team at 14:54, 15 May 2026

TCDE-Team at 14:52, 15 May 2026

TCDE-Team at 14:04, 15 May 2026