The Solitary Cyclist.
The case begins Saturday, April 20, 1895.
Why?
THE BUSY EIGHT YEARS:
"From the years 1894 to 1901 inclusive, Mr. Sherlock Holmes was a very busy man. It is safe to say that there was no public case of any difficulty in which he was not consulted during those eight years, and there were hundreds of private cases, some of them of the most intricate and extraordinary character, in which he played a prominent part."
"From the years 1894 to 1901 inclusive, Mr. Sherlock Holmes was a very busy man. It is safe to say that there was no public case of any difficulty in which he was not consulted during those eight years, and there were hundreds of private cases, some of them of the most intricate and extraordinary character, in which he played a prominent part."
THE STATEMENT OF THE DATE:
"On referring to my notebook for the year 1895, I find that it was upon Saturday, the 23d of April, that we first heard of Miss Violet Smith."
"On referring to my notebook for the year 1895, I find that it was upon Saturday, the 23d of April, that we first heard of Miss Violet Smith."
THE CASE JUST BEFORE THIS ONE:
"Her visit was, I remember, extremely unwelcome to Holmes, for he was immersed at the moment in a very abstruse and complicated problem concerning the peculiar persecution to which John Vincent Harden, the well known tobacco millionaire, had been subjected."
"Her visit was, I remember, extremely unwelcome to Holmes, for he was immersed at the moment in a very abstruse and complicated problem concerning the peculiar persecution to which John Vincent Harden, the well known tobacco millionaire, had been subjected."
UNCLE RALPH’S TIME AWAY:
"My mother and I were left without a relation in the world except one uncle, Ralph Smith, who went to Africa twenty-five years ago, and we have never had a word from him since."
"My mother and I were left without a relation in the world except one uncle, Ralph Smith, who went to Africa twenty-five years ago, and we have never had a word from him since."
A CONFIRMATION OF THE MONTH:
"Excuse me," said Holmes. "When was this interview?"
"Last December — four months ago."
"Excuse me," said Holmes. "When was this interview?"
"Last December — four months ago."
THE DAYS OF THE CASE
"You must know that every Saturday forenoon I ride on my bicycle to Farnham Station, in order to get the 12:22 to town ... Two weeks ago I was passing this place, when I chanced to look back over my shoulder, and about two hundred yards behind me I saw a man, also on a bicycle ... on my return on the Monday, I saw the same man on the same stretch of road. My astonishment was increased when the incident occurred again, exactly as before, on the following Saturday and Monday."
"Thursday brought us another letter from our client."
"I think, Watson, that we must spare time to run down together on Saturday morning and make sure that this curious and inclusive investigation has no untoward ending."
"Two days ago Woodley came up to my house with this cable, which showed that Ralph Smith was dead."
"You must know that every Saturday forenoon I ride on my bicycle to Farnham Station, in order to get the 12:22 to town ... Two weeks ago I was passing this place, when I chanced to look back over my shoulder, and about two hundred yards behind me I saw a man, also on a bicycle ... on my return on the Monday, I saw the same man on the same stretch of road. My astonishment was increased when the incident occurred again, exactly as before, on the following Saturday and Monday."
"Thursday brought us another letter from our client."
"I think, Watson, that we must spare time to run down together on Saturday morning and make sure that this curious and inclusive investigation has no untoward ending."
"Two days ago Woodley came up to my house with this cable, which showed that Ralph Smith was dead."
WHAT THE BARING-GOULD ANNOTATED SAYS:
April 13, 1895.
April 13, 1895.
WHAT ZEISLER, THE KING OF CHRONOLOGY, SAYS:
April 23, 1898.
April 23, 1898.
THE BIRLSTONE RAILWAY TIMETABLE:
Well, Watson seems to have done us all a favor in this case and said it plainly: Saturday, April 23, 1895. There’s just one problem: in 1895, the 23rd falls on a Tuesday. The Saturdays are April 6, 13, 20, and 27. And our two friendly Chronology Corner past masters, Baring-Gould and Zeisler, each take a different route in deciding what the error is. Baring-Gould claims it’s the first digit in day, Zeisler goes with the last digit in year. In both cases, the error comes down to a single digit, someone mistaking a "2" for a "1" or an "8" for a "5."
Well, Watson seems to have done us all a favor in this case and said it plainly: Saturday, April 23, 1895. There’s just one problem: in 1895, the 23rd falls on a Tuesday. The Saturdays are April 6, 13, 20, and 27. And our two friendly Chronology Corner past masters, Baring-Gould and Zeisler, each take a different route in deciding what the error is. Baring-Gould claims it’s the first digit in day, Zeisler goes with the last digit in year. In both cases, the error comes down to a single digit, someone mistaking a "2" for a "1" or an "8" for a "5."
So why doesn’t anyone think that maybe that "3" could have been a "0"?
The day is a lot easier to mess up than the year, so I’m leaning toward the B-G hypothesis, but mistaking a "1" for a "2"? Nope. I have to go with Saturday, April 20, 1895 for this one, the closest possible Saturday to the one Watson put in print.
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