All Things Conan Doyle & Holmes

[Zodiac]

Holmes had a revolver and Watson had a pistol.

From The Hound Of The Baskervilles, page 189:

"But the next instant Holmes had emptied five barrels of his revolver into the creature's flank. With a last howl of agony and a vicious snap in the air, it rolled upon its back, four feet pawing furiously, and then fell limp upon its side. I stooped, panting, and pressed my pistol to the dreadful, shimmering head, but it was useless to press the trigger. The giant hound was dead.

There's also a mention a few pages before that of Inspector Lestrade having a firearm of some sort on him as well, but it doesn't say what sort.

Cheers,
Adam.

Hi Adam,

Yes, thanks, just dug out my copy. I too noticed the curious quote, "Holmes had emptied five barrels of his revolver into the creature's flank". I think that we can safely assume that Conan Doyle meant to say "chambers of his revolver" rather that "barrels"!!! There had, of course, been multi-barreled pistols, with basic revolving mechanisms, earlier in the century. The infamous "Pepper-box/Pepper-pot" revolvers, popular from the 1830's to the 1850's, but these were notoriously unreliable cap and ball weapons and had long since been supplanted by the the revolver proper, in both single and double action.

A new kind of multi-barrel Pepper-box type weapon, now using a metal "Pin-Fire" cartridge, did become popular, among certain elements of the criminal classes, in the late 19the century. This was a very small, short, easily concealed and usually 4 barreled little gun, the grips of which also served as a knuckle-duster and often came with a built in knife blade too! They were said to be very popular among the street gangs of Paris!

Lestrade does mention having a pistol himself, referring to his hip pocket. All I can surmise from this is that it would have been one of the many popular makes of "pocket revolver" that flourished at the time. Similar models, marketed for a ladies defence, were known as "Purse Pistols". These guns were the forerunners of the 20th century snub-nosed revolver, such as the Colt Detective Special.

Best wishes,

Zodiac.

[Adam Went]

Hey Zodiac,

Well spotted about the barrels/chambers! Perhaps Doyle got confused between a pistol and a full blown shotgun, as they of course have "shotgun barrels"....

As for Lestrade's firearm....could it perhaps be a Derringer?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derringer

Wasn't sure if they would have been around in Holmes's time but apparently they were.....

Cheers,
Adam.

[Graham]

Hey Zodiac,

Well spotted about the barrels/chambers! Perhaps Doyle got confused between a pistol and a full blown shotgun, as they of course have "shotgun barrels"....

As for Lestrade's firearm....could it perhaps be a Derringer?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derringer

Wasn't sure if they would have been around in Holmes's time but apparently they were.....

Cheers,
Adam.

1] Poor old Lestrade bottled out as soon as he saw the phantastical phantasmagorical phosphorus-physiognomied mutt, and never got to shoot off the contents of his trouser-pocket.

2] I believe a Derringer-type pistol was used by J W Booth to bump off President Lincoln.

Graham

[cappuccina]

Yes, you are correct, Graham, a Philadelphia Derringer pistol with a .41-caliber bullet...

[Graham]

Yes, you are correct, Graham, a Philadelphia Derringer pistol with a .41-caliber bullet...

"Apart from all that, Mrs Lincoln, did you enjoy the play?"

Graham

[cappuccina]

OMG, Graham, you are naughty!!

[Graham]

OMG, Graham, you are naughty!!

I think that was originally said by an American humorist, whose name unfortunately I can't remember.

By all accounts, Mrs L wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, and may well have been somewhat miffed that her enjoyment of 'Our American Cousin' was so abruptly disturbed.

Graham

[Adam Went]

I can remember hearing that phrase before too....a quick search tells me that a bloke by the name of Tom Lehrer was responsible for it.

http://www.quotesandpoem.com/quotes/showquotes/author/tom-lehrer/105825

Graham, yes, Lestrade wasn't of great help even as the fog was rolling in and there was a matter of minutes, possibly seconds left to get the mutt - as with most great cliffhanger stories.

Meanwhile, i'm engaged in a rather ridiculous debate on another forum about who's better, Conan Doyle or George Bernard Shaw. Bah....honestly, some people have no idea. I'm fighting the good fight though!

Cheers,
Adam.

[Zodiac]

Is that a pistol in your pocket???

I can remember hearing that phrase before too....a quick search tells me that a bloke by the name of Tom Lehrer was responsible for it.

http://www.quotesandpoem.com/quotes/showquotes/author/tom-lehrer/105825

Graham, yes, Lestrade wasn't of great help even as the fog was rolling in and there was a matter of minutes, possibly seconds left to get the mutt - as with most great cliffhanger stories.

Meanwhile, i'm engaged in a rather ridiculous debate on another forum about who's better, Conan Doyle or George Bernard Shaw. Bah....honestly, some people have no idea. I'm fighting the good fight though!

Cheers,
Adam.

Hi Adam,

Yes, and we were robbed of our chance to find out what the Inspector kept in his trousers! Perhaps Lestrade bottled it when he saw the size of Holmes and Watson's large caliber weapons. I believe that the condition is known as "Pistol Envy"!

Best Wishes,

Zodiac.

P.S. George Bernard who???

[Adam Went]

Zodiac:

LOL! You know, I think you must have been born in the wrong generation. You would have been fantastic on "Are You Being Served?"!

P.S. George Bernard who???

THANK YOU!

Cheers,
Adam.

[cappuccina]

Love it! I miss that program terribly, and watch reruns when I can find them... (Favorite Mrs. Slocombe line: "I've got a sculptor coming this evening. He's going to do my ***** in clay.")

[Zodiac]

Are you free Mr Humphries???

Zodiac:

LOL! You know, I think you must have been born in the wrong generation. You would have been fantastic on "Are You Being Served?"!

P.S. George Bernard who???

THANK YOU!

Cheers,
Adam.

Hi Adam,

I'M FREE!!! I used to love that show! Sadly many of the cast are now no longer with us, so here is a little jaunt down memory lane. Just make sure you don't sit on Mrs. Slocombe's LOL!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOmS3sb9oxE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unmkX15AeN8&feature=related

And finally, as a special treat, seeing as "You've all done very well", as 'young' Mr Grace would say. Here is an outtake from the Australian version of AYBS? The cast is just messing about waiting for the next take to be set up. John Inman shows he was just as sharp without a script as he was with one!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_25R4BBHYyc&feature=related

Best wishes,

Zodiac.

[Robert]

"Captain Peacock, I do not respond to any man's finger."

[Robert]

Harold Bennett, who played Young Mr Grace, appeared a few times in "Dad's Army" as Mr Blewett. At one point Mainwaring says to him, "In the name of the King, I demand to see your chicken."

Perry and Croft would sometimes do that, use an actor in a small role in one show and then promote him to a bigger role in a subsequent one.

[Zodiac]

They don't like it up 'em!!!

Harold Bennett, who played Young Mr Grace, appeared a few times in "Dad's Army" as Mr Blewett. At one point Mainwaring says to him, "In the name of the King, I demand to see your chicken."

Perry and Croft would sometimes do that, use an actor in a small role in one show and then promote him to a bigger role in a subsequent one.

What??? Oh..arr..yes. Well done Wilson, I wondered who'd be the first to spot that!

Hi Rob,

Yes, and Wendy Richards made an appearnce, as one of Pvt. Walkers lady-friends!!!

Best wishes,

Zodiac.