"It is always a joy to me to meet an American, Mr. Moulton, for I am one of those who believe that the folly of a monarch and the blundering of a Minister in far gone years will not prevent our children from being some day citizens of the same world-wide country under a flag which shall be a quartering of the Union Jack with the Stars and Stripes," - Sherlock Holmes in “The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor”.As we celebrate Independence Day and the bicentennial of the War of 1812 this year, let’s also reflect on the profound effect America and Americans have had on the Canon.
Frank Moulton
and Hatty Doran may have been two visitors from across the pond that Holmes welcomed to 221B with woodcock, pheasant, foie gras pie and “ancient and
cobwebby bottles”, but most Americans, in Watson’s pages, would be left off the guest list.
There is
Jefferson Hope, whose American virtue of tenacity is mixed with that equally
American desire for revenge, and tracked his fellow countrymen Drebber and Stangerson
to London with
deadly results. Revenge was also on the mind of Captain James Calhoun of the “Lone
Star”. Protection of the secrets of the Ku Klux Klan led to the deaths of three
members of the Openshaw family. Abe Slaney, “the most dangerous crook in Chicago” tracked Elsie Cubitt (nee Patrick) to Norfolk and was willing
to kill her husband to possess her. “James Winter, alias Morecroft, alias
Killer Evans” even wounded Watson during “The Adventure of the Three Garridebs”.
While it was worth a wound to Watson to see the great heart behind the great
brain, it’s doubtful the American criminal was on Watson’s Christmas card list.
Ex-senator J. Neil
Gibson, the Gold King, may have best exemplified the concept of “the Ugly
American” in the Canon. Arrogant, demeaning and used to buying his way, it took
the equally strong personality of Sherlock Holmes to put him in his place.
A better representative
of the United States
is John Douglas, amiable master of Birlstone Manor, a.k.a. Birdy Edwards,
Pinkerton detective extraordinaire. As John Douglas he was cheery and genial
and as Birdy Edwards, cool, tough and fearless, the qualities that most
Americans would like to see in themselves.
There is one
other to be mentioned; Altamont, the faux
Irish-American played by Holmes in his bid to fool and ultimately capture
German spy Von Bork. Holmes spent two years in America,
traveling from Chicago
to Buffalo to perfect his cover. It’s fitting to remember on this July fourth
that Altamont was described as ”a tall, gaunt man of sixty, with clear-cut
features and a small goatee beard, which gave him a general resemblance to the
caricatures of Uncle Sam.”
Holmes’ dream of a united Great Britain and United States may be no closer to reality in 2012 than in 1887, but the two countries are deeply intertwined in the Canon. As we Americans celebrate the 4th with family and friends; barbeque hamburgers, hot dogs and corn on the cob; and watch the rockets' red glare to the tune of "The 1812 Overture", remember Holmes himself, that quintessential Englishman, liked and occasionally was one of us.
Editor's note: James is a long-time Sherlockian and a huge fan of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere. He is a contributor to the Baker Street Blog.
Holmes’ dream of a united Great Britain and United States may be no closer to reality in 2012 than in 1887, but the two countries are deeply intertwined in the Canon. As we Americans celebrate the 4th with family and friends; barbeque hamburgers, hot dogs and corn on the cob; and watch the rockets' red glare to the tune of "The 1812 Overture", remember Holmes himself, that quintessential Englishman, liked and occasionally was one of us.
Editor's note: James is a long-time Sherlockian and a huge fan of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere. He is a contributor to the Baker Street Blog.
