Conan Doyle — Peter Pan
Conan Doyle — Peter Pan is an article written by Arthur Lambton published in the Sunday Dispatch on 13 july 1930.
Conan Doyle — Peter Pan
"Shop Window" of Crimes Club.
How It Grew.
In appreciation of the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:
On Sunday, July 17, 1904, seven members of the Crimes Club were assembled for dinner. They were: Professor Churton Collins, J. B. Atlay, H. B. Irving, S. Ingleby Oddie, H. Crosse, B. Fletcher Robinson, and myself. Sir Max Pemberton was also to have been present, but his car broke down coming up from the country.
Suddenly the door opened and a stranger to all of us appeared. He introduced himself by saying, "Good evening. My name is Doyle." At once Allay, who was nearest to him, greeted him, and very shortly he was at home with us. It was only the third dinner of the society.
It may be asked why Doyle joined our party at all. The answer is that I wrote to him as an utter stranger and mentioned that six students of criminology were in the habit of dining together periodically, and would he care to join us?
SIXTY MEMBERS.
From six members we became twelve, at which figure we remained some time. Then we became 20, then 40, and then 60, at which number we remain.
But through it all Doyle was a shop-window. We elected hint a life-member.
Edalji and Oscar Slater were, of course, his greatest triumphs in the club. Fearless, and no respecter of persons when fighting for a just cause, he did not hesitate to tackle the Lord Advocate personally in the latter case during one of the dinners.
In later days, when Spiritualism claimed most of his attention, his attempts to link it with famous crimes, though always interesting, were not so fascinating nor absorbing as his earlier papers. They mere not so convincing.
IMPOSED UPON.
Despite his great gifts, in many ways Doyle was a Peter Pan, always a child. That is why he was one of the most lovable of men.
He was frequently imposed upon, but he was incapable of harbouring rancour or revenge.
He was a sportsman in the best sense of the word. He played most games, and played them well.
One last word, and about his books. Classic were "The White Company," "The Refugees," and "Rodney Stone," but let us recall the words of a London publisher: "There is only one character in fiction created during the last fifty years that will live."
Sherlock Holmes will never die.
ARTHUR LAMBTON.
