Just finished the draft of the preface to Secrets from the Deed Box of John H Watson MD

The deed box of Dr Watson, presented to me some time ago by a friend who rescued it from the archives of a London bank, continues to produce treasures. The four stories in this collection, which I have entitled Secrets from the Deed Box of John H Watson MD, all represent some aspect of Holmes and his adventures that has previously been undiscovered. In many ways these are (with the exception of The Bradfield Push, which Watson left unpublished for personal reasons) somewhat darker in tone than the stories that he did release to the public and publish in the Strand magazine.

For some reason, Watson failed to date most of Holmes’ adventures, and we must therefore make a guess at the chronology of these stories through their allusions to other cases.

The first of these tales, The Conk-Singleton Forgery Case, is mentioned by Watson. He gives no other details in his reference in The Adventure of the Six Napoleons, and the story was presumably withheld from the public on account of Holmes’ brush with with the police as described here. The story provides excellent examples of Holmes’ skill in deduction from seemingly trivial observations, as well as details of his methods of working a case.

The next story, The Strange Case of James Phillimore, is likewise mentioned in passing by Watson. James Phillimore is described as stepping into his house to retrieve his umbrella, never to be seen more in this world. This vague description implies a somewhat supernatural twist to things, but the truth of the matter is even more surprising. Likewise, the open antagonism between Sherlock Holmes and some officers of the Metropolitan Police Force may come as somewhat of a surprise to those who have always regarded him as an unflagging ally of the official guardians of law and order.

In The Enfield Rope, we enter unknown territory. Watson never alluded to this case. The principals here were far too well-known to Watson’s public to allow of this case’s publication, even with pseudonyms, and respect for the British Establishment would have restrained Watson in this case. Holmes’ sense of the dramatic is shown here, and his admiration and liking for a member of a part of society that was often shunned at that time shows a human, more attractive side to Holmes than is often portrayed by Watson.

Finally, The Bradfield Push was presumably locked in the deed box by Dr Watson because it showed a side of his emotional life prior to his marriage that he would sooner have kept hidden from Mary. An entertaining story of detection, with Holmes displaying his characteristic powers of observation and deduction.

There are still more sealed envelopes in the deed box, but the papers are becoming brittle in the Japanese climate, and Watson’s writing seems to have deteriorated over time. It may be a matter of a few months before I am able to decipher more of the stories lurking at the bottom of the box.