It was said to be of such arresting character, such delicacy that it stopped all conversations. Holmes recognized it by its characteristic fluffy, white ash. It was Dr. Watson's favorite. Drew Thomas will speak to this formula, deduced after careful study of several vintage examples of what was known as the original and made available to us by dedicated collectors. We know it will please most discriminating smokers and readers of the Sherlock Holmes stories.

Note the following exchange between Holmes and Watson from The Adventure of the Crooked Man. (Strand Magazine, July 1893)

'Ah, Watson,' said he, 'I hoped that I might not be too late to catch you.'

'My dear fellow, pray come in.'

'You look surprised, and no wonder! Relieved, too, I fancy! Hum! you still smoke the Arcadia mixture of your bachelor days, then! There's no mistaking that fluffy ash upon your coat. It's easy to tell that you've been accustomed to wear a uniform, Watson; you'll never pass as a purebred civilian as long as you keep that habit of carrying your handkerchief in your sleeve. Could you put me up to-night?'

'With pleasure.'

In 2026, the Nashville Scholars will celebrate its 47th anniversary. We have made our way through the canon, the 56 short stories and four novels about Sherlock Holmes written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, several times. This year we decided to ask members to share their thoughts on topics about the stories and the era. It promises to be a refreshing approach to Sherlockian scholarship outside the confines of the stories.

We announced the passing our dear friend Gael Stahl in September 2024.
A service of remembrance and celebration for Gael
was held at our January 2025 meeting.

He was our Final Problem, often the spark of creativity and progress for our Three Pipe Problem Scion Society. His enthusiasm and energy were never lacking until his health waned in the past few years.

Please see our 3PP Newsletter, 1st Quarter of 2024 for a special issue produced when we learned that Gael and SuSun were moving to Indianapolis, IN earlier this year.

More about Gael Stahl is on our Remembrance page.

When Gael’s health began to fail, he joined our monthly meetings via Zoom. I asked him to be prepared to read Vincent Starrett’s poem 221B to close our meetings. He was thrilled to do so. We are pleased to have this memory of Gael reading this famous Sherlockian benediction from a meeting in 2023.

221b
by Vincent Starrett

Here dwell together still two men of note

Who never lived and so can never die:

How very near they seem, yet how remote

That age before the world went all awry.

But still the game's afoot for those with ears

Attuned to catch the distant view-halloo:

England is England yet, for all our fears—

Only those things the heart believes are true.

A yellow fog swirls past the window-pane

As night descends upon this fabled street:

A lonely hansom splashes through the rain,

The ghostly gas lamps fail at twenty feet.

Here, though the world explode, these two survive,

And it is always eighteen ninety-five.

March 11, 1942