The Rival of Sherlock Holmes

Going strictly by the Canon, as we must in our studies of the Great Detective, Sherlock Holmes has but one rival. Books have been published touting other Victorian detectives as rivals, further rivals, and American rivals of Holmes. But like the stalwarts of Scotland Yard, could they seriously be said to rival the master of detectives? We think not; few men or women could reach such a lofty plateau even in this more learned age. But there was one man whom Holmes himself called his rival more than once, a man we know simply as Barker, of the Surrey shore in "The Adventure of the Retired Colourman."

Just what are Barker's qualifications, one has to wonder. He does no appear to be a very young man, and the military look about him that Watson notes would indicate that he is not too long out of the service. Judging by his career choice, the particular branch of the military he served in must have been one that gave him some investigative experience, such as intelligence or military police work, since by the time of SOLI he had several successful cases to his credit. With Holmes on the job, however, we have very little chance to see Barker's skills in the Amberley case.

For what little we do see, Watson puts Barker in the same class as Holmes as "an experienced man-handler." Holmes himself suggests that Barker uses "irregular" methods much like his own. Since the master detective refers to Barker twice as his friend and reacts to their surprise encounter with a smile, it seems plain that the two have compared notes or have even worked together before.

One person who definitely has worked with Barker before is Inspector MacKinnon of Scotland Yard. MacKinnon knows little of Sherlock Holmes and assumes the two private detectives are similar in style, showing us something else about Barker.

"You will excuse us for feeling sore when you jump in with methods which we cannot use, and so rob us of the credit," MacKinnon tells Holmes. The Master then explains to the young Scotland Yarder that he has no want of public acclaim. MacKinnon is relieved, but does not expect such treatment from a private detective. That fact, combined with his earlier bitterness concerning Barker's successes, shows that apparently the man from the Surrey shore does not share Holmes's distaste for public acclaim. Barker has beaten MacKinnon to the culprit more than once, and does not mind at all if his name figures prominently in the newspaper accounts.

Of course, Barker was competing with Sherlock Holmes and probably needed all the advertisement he could get. The Surrey detective did not have a Watson to spread the word of his skills. But then, from what we see of him in RETI, Barker sadly lacks many of the things Holmes had. The two men are as different as "grey eyes, as bright and keen as rapiers" and "grey-tinted sun-glasses." Or is that impression simply coming from our Watsonian viewpoint in the story? We shall never really know. For the nonce, it must suffice that Barker was the one man Sherlock Holmes called his rival.

That in itself should be enough acclaim for any man.

(Printed in Plugs & Dottles, February 1984)