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-- OR -- Inspector Stanley Hopkins, noted law enforcement official, can also be seen in these previous issues of Electro-Graphic Monthly courtesy of his literary agent Joseph E. Dierkes: (Links to come.)
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A
letter from Mr. Sherlock Holmes Dear members of the Dark Lantern League, I am pleased to introduce to you Inspector Hopkins of Scotland Yard. Although he did not display as much talent as I had as it pertained to the solution of some of the more trivial matters which were brought to my attention, he is, however, an eager and willing worker. When Dr. Watson and I first worked with him, he had just been promoted to the position of Inspector at the C.I.D., having had several years of service in the Metropolitan Police Force, first as a constable, and then as a Sergeant. I understood from private talks with him that this promotion was of an extraordinary nature, it usually being reserved for those with more years of service on the Force. Although he did not mention any details in those regards, my good friend Watson, in one of his chronicles, did note that a mutual feeling of admiration existed between the Inspector and myself, and I can quite assure you that this was so. Of all the officials with whom I had professional acquaintance over the many years of my practice, I must confess that I found Mr. Stanley Hopkins to be the most open-minded of them, not being given to inner competitions or conceits, as demonstrated by some others. Mr. Hopkins did express a desire to study my methods, and did in fact attempt on several occasions to employ them, but not entirely with success, I regret to state. The good Inspector is quite well organized, and has further privately expressed to me a desire to try his hand at chronicling some of the more obscure events that occurred during the times that Watson and I knew him, or, at the very least, helping others to better understand some of the difficulties that we encountered. In spite of his exuberance, willingness, and exceeding alertness, his methods did not commend themselves to me. I was disappointed in him, and had hoped for better things from him. Although he has an excellent command of all of his facts, he still fails to grasp some of the more subtle implications of his own observations. In consideration of all the above, I would nonetheless enthusiastically recommend him as a member of your Dark Lantern League, if you would be good enough to temporarily overlook his inexperience and some of his shortcomings. Yours most
truly, |
