by Bill Peschel
[back] Lay of Horatius: Publius Horatius Cocles was a Roman officer in the late 6th century BC. During a losing battle against the King of Clusium, Horatius defended a narrow bridge that would have opened Rome to the invaders. When he saw that the bridge behind him had been destroyed, he leapt into the water and swam to safety. As a result, Rome held off Clusium long enough to negotiate a peace. The lines Holmes quoted are from the last stanza of “Horatius” by Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859).
[back] Border Burghs: The Scottish border towns, including the towns mentioned in this story.
[back] Appear like his photographs: Possibly a reference to the cover of Original Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, a special U.S. edition of the stories published to cash in on the success of William Gillette’s Sherlock Holmes play. On the cover, Gillette faces the reader, holding a gun and wearing a dressing gown. The book contains The Sign of the Four, A Study in Scarlet, four short stories, and photographs from the play.
[back] On the Stairs: The Lost Chord was composed by Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900) at his dying brother’s bedside. Its lyrics, based on a poem by Adelaide Anne Procter (1825-1864), describe the narrator playing a “chord of music like the sound of a great Amen.” He sought in vain to hear “that harmonious echo from our discordant life,” but concludes that “it may be that only in Havn’ I shall hear that grand Amen.” When Sullivan heard a recording of the song on Thomas Edison’s recently invented phonograph in 1888, he recorded a speech in which he congratulated the inventor and added presciently, “I am astonished and somewhat terrified at the result of this evening’s experiments: astonished at the wonderful power you have developed, and terrified at the thought that so much hideous and bad music may be put on record forever.” When Father Laid the Carpet on the Stairs: A comic song about a family watching their father wrestling with a roll of carpet. A typical verse describes “After super human struggles, father got the carpet spread / He tried to drive a tack in, but he hit his thumb instead / He dropped the hammer with a grunt, and oh the things he said / When father laid the carpet on the stairs.”
[back] Double first: When an Oxford or Cambridge student earned first-class honors in two subjects. At Oxford, this was usually in Ancient Greek and Roman classical literature, and philosophy and mathematics.
[back] Ibsen school: Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) led the charge for more realism in drama with his controversial plays A Doll’s House, Hedda Gabler, and Ghosts.
[back] Mr. Tree’s Academy’s: Actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree (1857-1917) founded the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1904.
[back] Subcu: Medical shorthand for subcutaneous, or injected under the skin. “Breakfast food” refers to a test used to judge the state of a patient’s stomach. A “test-breakfast” is fed to the patient, and then after several hours is pumped out and examined. It is definitely not meant to be injected under the skin, but perhaps Dr. Watson, knowing of Holmes’ drug habit, suspects something.
[back] Microcephalic: A rare neurological condition in which a person’s head is much smaller than normal.
[back] Fidus Achates: Latin for “faithful Achates,” who was Aeneas’ close friend in the Aeneid. He followed the Trojan hero throughout his adventures and became, like Watson, a byword for faithfulness and loyalty.
[back] Buccinators: The flat muscles of the cheek.
[back] Daughter of the Revolution: The Daughters of the American Revolution was formed in 1890 after the Sons of the American Revolution refused to admit women.
[back] Schopenhauer: Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) was a German philosopher, not a violinist. He did have a soft spot for music, however, believing that it was a universal language that embodied the human will. (He didn’t play the violin but Nietzsche said he played the flute every day after dinner.)
[back] Spatulate toe: Having a broad, rounded end.
[back] Mayflower: The ship bearing Pilgrims to the New World that landed at what is now Plymouth, Mass., in 1620. Of the 130 passengers and crew, 29 passengers are known to have descendants who could claim status as being from Mayflower stock. The passengers came from Holland and England, explaining why Miss Ryan thought her Irish surname would disguise her connection to the ship.
[back] Grace Baptist Temple: A church in North Philadelphia. In the 1880s, it launched a program to educate working-class citizens that led to the founding of Temple University.
[back] Priam: The king of Troy during the Trojan War (sometime between 1260-1240 BC).
[back] Fifty-seven varieties: A reference to an advertising slogan introduced in 1896 by the H.J. Heinz Co. of Pittsburgh. Although the company was selling more than 60 products, owner Henry J. Heinz (1844-1919) decided on 57, possibly as a combination of his and his wife’s lucky numbers, but also his belief that the number 7 had “enduring significance to people of all ages.”
[back] Sons of the Revolution: A hereditary fraternal organization dedicated to promoting the history of the American Revolution. The rivalry reference refers to the Sons of the American Revolution, which split from the Sons of the Revolution in 1889 over organizational issues. The Daughters of the American Revolution was formed in 1890 after the Sons of the American Revolution refused to admit women. They are now affiliated groups.
[back] Lyddite bomb: An explosive made with picric acid, a chemical compound derived from sources such as natural resin, indigo, and animal horn. It was the first high explosive that could withstand the shock of being fired by conventional artillery. In Britain, it was manufactured in Lydd and called Lyddite.
[back] Trichinopoli: A cigar made from tobacco grown near present-day Tiruchirappalli in India. It was a cheap cigar and crudely made—basically a cylinder with the ends cut off instead of tapered—and one of India’s major exports during the Victorian Era. A Trichinopoly cigar in A Study in Scarlet led to Holmes’ admission that he had made a special study of ashes and can identify any brand of tobacco at a glance.
[back] Vivisection, abolition: The practice of using animals for medical research, specifically when it involved operating on them, alive or dead. Great Britain passed the first law regulating animal testing in 1876. That was followed by campaigns there and in the United States to impose further restrictions on the practice. Abolition probably referred to slavery, although the American author of a comic story set in Britain probably didn’t have any particular subject in mind.
[back] Anesthetic: Highly doubtful, as an anesthetic is given to put a patient to sleep.
[back] In his first volume: In “The Five Orange Pips,” three men were murdered over papers stolen from the Klan, which led to their collapse in 1869.
[back] Strike both sides of my face: In “The Boscombe Valley Mystery,” Holmes deduced the location of the window in the married Watson’s bedroom by the fact that his face was shaved closer on his right side than on his left.
[back] Henry Gassaway Davis: Davis (1823-1916) was a millionaire and former U.S. Senator from West Virginia. He made his money in coal mining, timber, and railroads. In 1904, at the age of 80, he was the Democratic Party’s candidate for vice president under Alton B. Parker, who lost to Theodore Roosevelt.
[back] Pinkerton sleuth: A detective agency founded by Allan Pinkerton (1819-1884). Sleuth was derived from the Old Norse word sloth meaning “to trail.” The word first appeared in the early 18th century when bloodhounds were called “sleuth-hounds.” The word was then applied to detectives, then shortened to sleuth.
[back] Observe the hen: For those who haven’t observed chickens except on a dinner plate, a hen that is brooding is incubating her eggs by sitting on them.
[back] Marietta, Hocking, & Northern Railway: A railroad that operated in Ohio. Manchuria: The Russo-Japanese War had begun in February, and fighting had broken out in Manchuria province in northeast China.
[back] Senegambian: A region between the Senegal and Gambia rivers in western Africa. A wen is a swelling or a growth on the skin.
[back] Mikado: The emper
or of Japan, whose role has ranged from figurehead to ruler depending upon the times and the character of the monarch. From 1889 to 1947, power was held by the emperor. The word mikado means “the honorable gate” and refers to the gate of the imperial palace. The word is no longer used.
[back] Second trombone: A reference to the Gilbert & Sullivan light opera The Mikado. The son of the Mikado and romantic lead, Nanki-Poo, enters the story disguised as “the second trombone” in a traveling band. Some G&S fans believe that the “second trombone” reference might be an in-joke by composer Arthur Sullivan, who complained that producer D’Oyly Carte would not hire enough musicians to realize his musical goals. But it is also a set-up for another joke; when Nanki-Poo confesses to his lover Yum-Yum that “I am no musician,” she replies, “I was certain of it, directly I heard you play.”
[back] President Mellen: Charles S. Mellen (1852-1927), who became president of the railway in 1903. He embarked on a buying and building spree in an attempt to monopolize rail transportation in New England.
[back] Russo-Jappo war: The war between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan (ruled by the Mikado) began in February 1904 and ended in September 1905 after the Tsarist navy was destroyed at the battle of Tsushima. The war marked the entry of Japan, isolated for hundreds of years, into the modern world.
[back] Pocket handkerchiefs: Another reference to The Mikado. When the Mikado tells Ko-Ko and his assistants that they had executed Nanki-Poo, the heir, he adds that “if a man of exalted rank chooses to disguise himself as a Second Trombone, he must take the consequences.” Ko-Ko replies:
Ko-Ko. We are infinitely obliged to your Majesty—
Pitti-Sing. Much obliged, your Majesty.
Pooh-Bah. Very much obliged, your Majesty.
Mikado. Obliged? Not a bit. Don’t mention it. How could you tell?
Pooh-Bah. No, of course we couldn’t tell who the gentleman really was.
Pitti-Sing. It wasn’t written on his forehead, you know.
Ko-Ko. It might have been on his pocket-handkerchief, but Japanese don’t use pocket-handkerchiefs! Ha! Ha! Ha!
[back] Inspector McCluskey: Possibly a reference to George “Chesty” McClusky (1861-1912), the colorful chief of New York City’s Detective Bureau. Over his three decades on the force, he rose and fell in rank several times, participated in several high-profile cases, and acquired the nickname “Gentleman” for his dandyish taste in clothing, and “Chesty” for his manly appearance and elegant manners.
[back] Odellism: Benjamin B. Odell Jr. (1854-1926), the Republican political boss who was at the end of his second term as governor of New York.
[back] Rape of the Isthmus: The previous year, at President Roosevelt’s behest, U.S. warships helped Panamanian rebels win the region’s independence from Colombia and kept it as a protectorate until 1939. In return, the U.S. acquired control of the canal project, paying both Panama and France, which had trouble completing it, millions of dollars. Not everyone approved; Roosevelt was criticized for what the New York Times called an “act of sordid conquest.”
[back] Oyster Bay: A hamlet on the north shore of Long Island. Not to be confused with Oyster Bay (the bay), and Oyster Bay that is called a town, but because it contains 18 villages and 18 hamlets—including Oyster Bay (the hamlet)—it could more accurately be called a township. Near Oyster Bay (the hamlet) within Oyster Bay (the town) near Oyster Bay (the bay) is Sagamore Hill, the residence of President Theodore Roosevelt.
[back] Phloroglucin-Vanillin: A test for the presence of free hydrochloric acid in the stomach.
[back] Hotel Burke: A hotel built in 1891 in the heart of Prescott, Ariz., by Dennis Burke (1859-1918) and Michael Hickey. The three-story, 60-room hotel was outfitted with the latest conveniences, including electricity and full bathrooms. The large bar and billiard hall were soon joined by a barber shop, liquor store, and drug store, creating a prototypical shopping mall. Burke founded a Democratic Club there in 1896 and rose to become its president.
In 1900, a fire broke out in the business district. Despite its claim as a “fireproof” hotel, the Burke burned to the ground. It was rebuilt the next year and is still in business today as the Hotel St. Michael.
[back] Aquiline: Crooked or curved like an eagle’s beak.
[back] Mark Smith: Democrat Marcus A. Smith (1851-1924) served eight terms in Congress as a delegate from the Arizona Territory and became one of the state’s first two senators when Arizona was admitted to the union in 1912. As a delegate, he led the statehood fight in Congress and battled a plan to combine Arizona and New Mexico into a state called Montezuma. In 1902, Smith left Congress and Col. John F. Wilson was elected but left after serving one term. Smith ran again, and the Republicans attacked him for failing to secure statehood and the Democratic newspapers gave him only modest support. Smith still won but by the smallest margin of his career.
[back] Colonel Wilson: At the time, Democrat John F. Wilson (1846-1911) was finishing his sole term representing the Arizona Territory in Congress. He earned his military title during the Civil War when he was lieutenant colonel of a Confederate regiment.
[back] Jerome: A copper-mining town in the mountains of northern Arizona about 35 miles northeast of Prescott. After reaching its peak population of 5,000 in the 1930s, the town faded as the copper mines closed. About 450 people live there now, and the town promotes itself as an artistic and tourist destination.
[back] Soda: Holmes meant bicarbonate of soda, used to treat acid indigestion.
[back] Mike Hic-hic-hickey: The co-owner of the Hotel Burke, Mike Hickey had been nominated for sheriff as a Democrat in 1902 but lost the election. The joke is that he was not on the ballot, but the drunkard voted for him anyway. Hickey later headed a committee to build a monument for his friend, Bucky O’Neill, the town’s former mayor who died in 1898 fighting with Roosevelt’s Rough Riders in Cuba. The O’Neill monument stands today in Prescott’s Courthouse Plaza.
[back] Herald: A rival newspaper in Prescott that published both daily and weekly editions.
[back] CLARK, ROBERTS: References to Democrats E.S. Clark, who lost the district attorney’s race, and Joseph I. Roberts, who lost the sheriff’s race.
[back] Plattdeutsch: A German dialect spoken in northern Germany, so a beer saloon presumably offered beers popular in that region.
[back] Van Diemen’s Land: The original name Europeans used for the island of Tasmania, off the coast of Australia. Named for Anthony van Diemen, the governor-general of the Dutch East Indies, who sent Abel Tasman to explore the area. It was changed to Tasmania in 1856.
[back] Plato’ Lamb and Bacon: A horrible, horrible pun found in the comic song “Household Words—All the Year Round” that appears in The Comic Song Book (1863). Titled after the two magazines edited by Charles Dickens and sung to the tune of “Oh, Susannah,” each verse is packed with references to authors and poets designed to induce groans:
When I sit down to take a meal all learnedly she’ll jaw, sir;
For all the time she sees me chaw, her conversation’s Chaucer;
And when she feeds herself, she reads, and never seems mistaken—
“At dinner, I admire,” says she, “my Plato, Lamb, and Bacon.”
[back] Maeterlinck: Maurice Maeterlinck (1862-1949) was a Belgian playwright and poet and author of The Life of the Bee (1901). He received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1911.
[back] Made-up tie: A tie that is sold permanently knotted that is attached to the shirt either by a hook or a band that goes around the neck. The earliest version was patented in 1875.
[back] Sawbuck: A sawhorse with X-shaped ends used to hold wood while it is being sawn.
[back] Gillette: A reference to William Gillette, the actor-producer who popularized Holmes on the stage.
[back] Conlon: Advertisements and census records from 1930 show that T.C. Conlon (b. 1864), a native of Ireland, worked as a tailor on East Main Street in Charlottesville.
[back] Tippy
Jordan: Fletcher “Tippy” Jordan (1879-1950) become a doctor and moved to Greenville, S.C., where he lived with his wife and three children.
[back] Washington Literary Society: A literary and debating group that was founded in 1831. Student activities were suspended during the Civil War, but the group reformed in 1865 and carried on until it was disbanded in the 1920s. A group reformed twice more, and the current incarnation has been active since 1979.
[back] House “D”: An eight-room plain brick house on Dawson’s Row that was occupied by Chi Phi fraternity members.
[back] College Topics: A student literary magazine that also published news and sports items.
[back] East Range: A long row of rooms designed to fulfill Jefferson’s vision of an “academical village” where students and teachers co-existed. There is an East Range and a West Range, separated by the Lawn.
