The New York herald., 1922-11-26
Sir Basil Thomson Describes Some
Cases Which Scotland Yard SOLved
Without Help of Sherlock Holmes
BY STEPHEN SENNETT.

r I is nice TO think what Sherlock
Holmes would have to say about
Scotland Yard now. Here we
have Sir Basil Thomson, X. c. B.,
trouping the United States prefacing
his MY Experiences at Scotland Yard
with a few well chosen remarks about
the utter impossibility of Sherlock.
Sir Basil, formerly head of the Grim
inal Investigation Department at
Scotland Yard, confesses that he is
about fed up with the sort OF fiction
that makes the Scotland Yard inspec-
tor the stupid foil of the brilliant de-
tective."
Then Sir Basil goes on to tell the
country that the Scotland Yard man
is sometimes quite a neat and speedy
worker, frequently getting somewhere
from nowhere. In just moment a
few of Sir Basils Illustrations will be
set forth. But as Sir Basil speaks we
seem to hear the guffaw of Mr.
Holiness guffaw. to be sure. tenn
pered with regret that he should have
to take advantage of most regret
table affair to win a point over Sir
Basil.
AS Sir Basil lays the bull whip upon
the bony shoulders OF Mr.. Holmes we
receive word that Sir William Hor-
wood, present head of Scotland Yard,
is rendered temporarily inactive by
poisoned chocolates. The chocolates
old ones, 1t seems, in disreputaole
package--slip through all the doors
between the outer gates of Scotland
Yard and the private office OF Sir
William. That should be enough.
Can't you hear Mr.. Holmes speaking
to the bewildered Inspector:
"Ah, yes. Inspector. YOU would
think so. YOU would do it that way.
YOU are from Scotland Yard. YOU
would permit a package to pass un-
opened to your chief. AS / have said,
YOU are from Scotland Yard"
But 1t is much worse than just that.
An employee of Scotland Yard, having
tasted one Of the poisoned and un-
sponsored chocolates, discovers that
the sweet is bitter and not so easy to
take as nice chocolates should be.
Therefore (just listen to Mr.. Holiness
raucous laughter) this trusted en-
ployee throws the nasty chocolates
away! Think OF it! Scotland Yard.
with it's own chief poisoned, throws
away the evidence
Well, let that pass. After all we
know that what Scotland Yard has
done ii has done. We know, too. that
what Mr.. Holmes did he didn't do.
Sir Conan Doyle made him do 1t. And
also we know that Sir Basil is right
in his opinion that almost any writer
of detective fiction can take a cele-
brated case. select a solution therefor
and then work backward to the be-
ginnings OF his mystery, handing the
finished product right end to TO the
public for fireside consumption.
"I have never met DR.. Watson nor
Sherlock Holiness" says Sir Basil. III
/ might choose I'd sooner meet Wat
son because at least Watson was not
a drug fiend and he showed real horse
sesuse between flashes of brilliant stu
pidity> Poor fellow. Ike Sherlock
Holmes, he was what his creator made
him."
And then Sir Basil goes on to ex-
plain that we all have that advantage
of origin, detective and reader OF
crime fiction. SO consider, therefore.
the numerous triumphs Of Scotland
Yard. Take. for example. the genius
who made off with the clothes and all
they contained of some hundreds of
Londoners.