D S O F December 2009 N Volume 13 Number 4 E T 100 Years Ago...Continued from Page 2 I H R E The New York Times stated that in 1897, Whatever the confusion is regard- canonical Trepoff, the notorious pun- F Dmitri “was shot and badly wounded by ing which Trepoff was shot by which ster John Bennett Shaw wrote an article Vera Sassoulich because he had her fian- Vera, we know that neither father nor in the December 1973 issue of the cé publicly flogged for failing to salute son died in 1887 or early 1888 when Baker Street Journal. The first line of an officer of the gendarmerie.” George Holmes was summoned to Odessa. “Sherlock Holmes was not Russian,” Barton’s statement about the attempted Holmes’s summons there must have was “At least he was hurried in 1887.” murder of Feodor by Vera Zassolic seems been interesting, and the name Trepoff very similar to the shooting of Dmitri by lives on. Michael Kurland uses it in his Julie McKuras, ASH, BSI Sherlock Holmes Vera Sassoulich. The Infernal Device. As for the COLLECTION S “Your merits should be publicly recognized” (STUD) 50 Years Ago...Continued from Page 3 the modern skeptical movement. His in G. K. Chesterton, Gardner wrote a with nods to Doyle and Chesterton. But interest in the fringes of science started review of a pamphlet by Robert Mayer, a there is another interesting tid-bit. There C o n t e n t s The Sign of Four in the 1920s with Hugo Gernsback, edi- rival of Shaw amongst Chesterton collec- is a cameo by Carroll’s White Knight who tor of Weird Tales, and he picked up tors. Published in Baker Street Miscellanea, sings the poem, “When you are tired of t a meeting of the Younger Stamfords of Iowa City, Iowa, a gift was made to the most of Conan Doyle’s Spiritualism books the story is about a meeting of Sherlock virtue.” This poem was written by Vincent The Sign of Four group. Mike Kramme, a member of the Younger Stamfords, presented the society at William Targ’s bookstore in Chicago Holmes and Father Brown. Gardner has Starrett, and when he and Gardner met, 1 with a copy of a script of The Sign of Four. This “remarkable little drama” (ABBE) in the 1930s. In 1975 Gardner pub- written far more about Chesterton than in 1948, Gardner greatly amused Starrett has now been donated to the Sherlock Holmes Collections. 100 Years Ago A lished “The Irrelevance of Conan Doyle” Shaw ever did, including The Annotated by reciting it, and observing that it could in Beyond Baker Street: A Sherlockian Innocence of Father Brown and his new be sung to the tune of “When Irish Eyes 2 Dr. Michael Kramme is president of The Museum of Repertoire Americana. According to its Anthology, a Festschrift in honor of BSI The Fantastic Fiction of Gilbert Chesterton, are Smiling.” website, “The Museum of Repertoire Americana, located in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, is dedi- Commissionaire Julian Wolff edited by published by the Battered Silicon Dispatch 50 Years Ago cated to the preservation of memorabilia and artifacts of early repertoire theatre. The collec- Michael Harrison (Bobbs-Merrill, 1976). Box, which includes the Mayer review. Martin Gardner has kindly supplied a 3 tion includes numerous painted curtains and scenic pieces; costumes and equipment used by This article combined an attack on Doyle’s sidebar about Shaw to accompany this From the President individual performers and technicians; playbills, show cards, advertising sheets, etc.; and an extreme credulity with a whimsical bit of Finally in 1998 Gardner published the article. A similar article was published in extensive research library of rare scripts, correspondence, tour schedules, production photos Higher Criticism. pastiche Visitors from Oz to celebrate the the Baker Street Journal, December 1990. 4 and other original source materi- centenary of Baum’s original work. It con- Acquisitions als. Of special interest is the large In 1984, because of his abiding interest tains a character named Sheerluck Brown, Dana Richards BSI collection of videotaped interviews 4 with actual ‘troupers’ describing Remembrances An Update from their professional and personal In supporting the Sherlock Holmes Collections, many donors have made contributions either in honor or in memory of special persons. experiences.” (http://www.thethe- the Collections atremuseum.com/home.html) The In Honor Of From David & Priscilla Hammond Thomas Galbo 5 museum opened on September Francine Kitts Al Gregory 1, 1973, reflecting the long-time Paul Lockwood John Lockwood A Visit to the Collections Julie McKuras Andy Fusco interest of repertoire theatre com- Julie McKuras Robert Katz, MD 5 pany owners and actors Neil and Julie McKuras Bill Vande Water Austin McLean Charles Press Musings Photo courtesy of Michael Kramme Caroline Schaffner. Sherlockian Friends Sandy Kozinn Theatre Museum in Mt. Pleasant Bob & Terry Thomalen Francine and Richard Kitts For any inquiries contact: 5 The Schaffners collected theatrical memorabilia from the 1850s to 1950s, a time when trav- In Memory Of From Timothy J. Johnson, Curator Elmer & Alice Beerman Judith Payne Remembering eling performing companies toured rural areas of the United States. The troupes performed June Berg Stanton Berg 612-624-3552 or “comedy, farce, Broadway hits, adapted classics and suspenseful mysteries in settings that Paul Churchill Andrew Solberg [email protected] John Bennett Shaw Jim Duval Ralph Hall ranged from small-town opera houses to empty-lot tent theatres.” When the museum Joe Fink Dorothy Stix 6 opened on the grounds of the Midwest Old Settlers and Threshers Association, volunteers Sidney Goldberg Robert Hess Sherlock Holmes Collections catalogued the Schaffners’ collection. Since that time, numerous donations have been Richard Lancelyn Green Allan T. Devitt and Susan Z. Diamond Suite 111, Elmer L. Andersen Library Annual Meeting of the Richard Lancelyn Green Robert Hess received of materials from the more than four hundred touring companies of that time, Richard Lancelyn Green Andrew Malec University of Minnesota Friends of the Sherlock Don Hardenbrook Vincent Brosnan 222 21st Ave. S. from their actors and their families. In addition to the materials listed, the museum holds Allen Mackler Paul and Carole Martin Minneapolis, MN 55455 Holmes Collections newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, dissertations and items from minstrel shows, showboats Allen Mackler Patricia Nelson Joseph & Eleonore Margolin Jerry Margolin Telephone: 612-626-9166 7 and Chautaquas. The museum is also home to the Caroline Schaffner Research Library. Gordon Marlow Bob Price FAX: 612-625-5525 In 1995 work began on a database for interested researchers to access. The Museum Martha McCormack Dorothy Stix E. W. McDiarmid Mike and Julie McKuras My Donation to the produces one of the old repertoire plays each summer. Michael K. Mullaly Michael Kean Mailing list corrections requested— Sherlock Holmes Collections Patricia Nelson Mike and Julie McKuras Because of the high cost of returned newsletters, Alvin E. Rodin Jack Key Dr. Kramme located the duplicate copy of The Sign of Four that was originally part of the Philip Sherman John Pforr we would appreciate being informed of changes 7 collection of Robert J. Sherman of Chicago, who ran a play bureau leasing scripts to these Jan Stauber Al Gregory of address or other corrections. Chris Steinbrunner Russell Merritt Remembrances Continued on page 6 Edith Umansky Dorothy Stix Timothy J. Johnson, Curator 8 8 Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections 1 Annual Meeting of the Friends of the true crimes and mysteries, as well as and at the same time, the hearty detes- Sherlock Holmes Collections historical works, including one detail- tation of the people....Vera Zassolic, a ing the work of Catholic nuns during young Nihilist, shot at him while he he annual meeting of The Elmer L. Andersen Director of Archives the Civil War. He died in Philadelphia was seated in his office in the early Friends of the Sherlock Holmes and Special Collections Kris Kiesling in March 1940. part of 1880.” Despite his personal- Collections was held on Thursday, announced that during the next 6-8 100 ity flaws, Trepoff’s detective skills and November 19 in the Givens Suite month period Tim Johnson will move The book includes fifteen chapters instincts enabled him to capture the T of the Andersen Library, and was into a half time position as the E. W. The Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections Y E ars A GO of true crimes and the police officials potential assassins and prevent the called to order by Dr. Richard McDiarmid Curator of the Sherlock is a quarterly newsletter published by the who solved them. Barton wrote in Czar’s death, which was planned for Sveum, President. During his remarks, Holmes Collections. Tim will continue Friends of the Sherlock Holmes Collections The True Stories of Celebrated which seek to promote the activities, inter- his introduction, “With the exception March 13, 1887. Dick announced that the 2010 confer- half time in his current role as director of Crimes: Adventures of the World’s ests and needs of the Special Collections of necessary liberties in construction ence, jointly hosted by the Friends, the Special Collections. and Rare Books Department, University of Greatest Detectives Sherlock Holmes Collections and the and a few pardonable embellishments, We know who General Trepoff was, Minnesota Libraries. Norwegian Explorers, has been resched- Tim Johnson presented the state of but who was the Trepoff named in “A Mail editorial correspondence c/o: The contentedly married Dr. Watson uled for August 6-8. the Collections with particular empha- Scandal In Bohemia”? In “Scandalous wrote in “A Scandal in Bohemia” that sis on his travels over the past year.