Black Peter.
The case begins Wednesday, July 10, 1895.
Why?
IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR:
"I have never known my friend to be in better form, both mental and physical, than in the year ‘95."
"In this memorable year ‘95, a curious and incongruous succession of cases had engaged his attention, ranging from his famous investigation of the sudden
death of Cardinal Tosca — an inquiry which was carried out by him at the express desire of His Holiness the Pope — down to his arrest of Wilson, the notorious canary-trainer, which removed a plague-spot from the East End of London. Close on the heels of these two famous cases came the tragedy of Woodman’s Lee, and the very obscure circumstances which surrounded the death of Captain Peter Carey."
"I have never known my friend to be in better form, both mental and physical, than in the year ‘95."
"In this memorable year ‘95, a curious and incongruous succession of cases had engaged his attention, ranging from his famous investigation of the sudden
death of Cardinal Tosca — an inquiry which was carried out by him at the express desire of His Holiness the Pope — down to his arrest of Wilson, the notorious canary-trainer, which removed a plague-spot from the East End of London. Close on the heels of these two famous cases came the tragedy of Woodman’s Lee, and the very obscure circumstances which surrounded the death of Captain Peter Carey."
THE STATEMENT OF THE MONTH:
"During the first week of July, my friend had been absent so often and so long from our lodgings that I knew he had something on hand."
"During the first week of July, my friend had been absent so often and so long from our lodgings that I knew he had something on hand."
THE DATES OF PETER CAREY:
"He was born in ’45 — fifty years of age. He was a most daring and successful seal and whale fisher. In 1883 he commanded the steam
sealer Sea Unicorn, of Dundee. He had then had several successful voyages in succession, and in the following year, 1884, he retired. After that he travelled for some years, and finally he bought a small place called Woodman’s Lee, near Forest Row, in Sussex. There he has lived for six years, and there he died just a week ago to-day."
"He was born in ’45 — fifty years of age. He was a most daring and successful seal and whale fisher. In 1883 he commanded the steam
sealer Sea Unicorn, of Dundee. He had then had several successful voyages in succession, and in the following year, 1884, he retired. After that he travelled for some years, and finally he bought a small place called Woodman’s Lee, near Forest Row, in Sussex. There he has lived for six years, and there he died just a week ago to-day."
THE DAYS OF CAREY’S DEATH:
"You remember that a stonemason, named Slater, walking from Forest Row
about one o’clock in the morning—two days before the murder ... this refers to the Monday, and the crime was done upon the Wednesday."
"On the Tuesday, Peter Carey was in one of his blackest moods, flushed with drink and as savage as a dangerous wild beast. He roamed about the house, and the women ran for it when they heard him coming. Late in the evening, he went down to his own hut. About two o’clock the following morning, his daughter, who slept with her window open, heard a most fearful yell from that direction ..."
"You remember that a stonemason, named Slater, walking from Forest Row
about one o’clock in the morning—two days before the murder ... this refers to the Monday, and the crime was done upon the Wednesday."
"On the Tuesday, Peter Carey was in one of his blackest moods, flushed with drink and as savage as a dangerous wild beast. He roamed about the house, and the women ran for it when they heard him coming. Late in the evening, he went down to his own hut. About two o’clock the following morning, his daughter, who slept with her window open, heard a most fearful yell from that direction ..."
THE MONTH OF NELIGAN’S FINAL FATE:
"On the first page were written the initials ‘J. H. N.’ and the date ‘1883.’"
"It struck me that if I could see what occurred in the month of August, 1883, on board the Sea Unicorn, I might settle the mystery of my father’s fate."
"It was in ‘83 that it happened — August of that year. . . We were coming out of the ice-pack on our way home, with head winds and a week’s southerly gale, when we picked up a little craft that had been blown north. There was one man on her —a landsman. . . So far as I know, the man’s name was never mentioned, and on the second night he disappeared as if he had never been . . . Only one man knew what had happened to him, and that was me, for, with my own eyes, I saw the skipper tip up his heels and put him over the rail in the middle watch of a dark night, two days before we sighted the Shetland Lights."
"On the first page were written the initials ‘J. H. N.’ and the date ‘1883.’"
"It struck me that if I could see what occurred in the month of August, 1883, on board the Sea Unicorn, I might settle the mystery of my father’s fate."
"It was in ‘83 that it happened — August of that year. . . We were coming out of the ice-pack on our way home, with head winds and a week’s southerly gale, when we picked up a little craft that had been blown north. There was one man on her —a landsman. . . So far as I know, the man’s name was never mentioned, and on the second night he disappeared as if he had never been . . . Only one man knew what had happened to him, and that was me, for, with my own eyes, I saw the skipper tip up his heels and put him over the rail in the middle watch of a dark night, two days before we sighted the Shetland Lights."
CAIRNS MEETS CAREY:
"The first night he was reasonable enough, and was ready to give me what would make me free of the sea for life. We were to fix it all two nights later."
"The first night he was reasonable enough, and was ready to give me what would make me free of the sea for life. We were to fix it all two nights later."
LENGTH OF HOLMES’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE MATTER:
"There, Watson, this infernal case has haunted me for ten days."
WHAT THE BARING-GOULD ANNOTATED SAYS:
July 3, 1895.
July 3, 1895.
WHAT ZEISLER, THE KING OF CHRONOLOGY, SAYS:
July 10, 1895.
July 10, 1895.
THE BIRLSTONE RAILWAY TIMETABLE:
This one isn’t too hard to calculate: The year is definitely 1895, both in Watson’s words and in Black Peter’s birth year plus his age. Watson also says his friend had been absent much during the first week of July. Holmes tells us he spent ten days on the case. Carey was killed on a Wednesday "a week ago."
This one isn’t too hard to calculate: The year is definitely 1895, both in Watson’s words and in Black Peter’s birth year plus his age. Watson also says his friend had been absent much during the first week of July. Holmes tells us he spent ten days on the case. Carey was killed on a Wednesday "a week ago."
Put all this together and look at a calendar, you’ll come up with Wednesday, July 10, 1895, just like Zeisler did, and just like I did. (Those folks that say July 3 just weren’t listening closely enough to Watson.)
No comments:
Post a Comment