In the spring of 1987, the 58th Hamilton Cubs, Ont, were asked to help solve a crime that had taken place in the neighbourhood a couple of months before. One of the two local drugstores had been robbed and, as a result, had to close. The police unable to unravel the mystery, called in an expert from England. You guessed it. He was none other them the famous Sherlock Holmes.
The week before Holmes' arrival, we gave each Cub a card explaining the role he was to play See sidecar) and asked the Cubs to dress for and act their parts at the next meeting. On the scheduled night, a number of very interesting characters arrived at the meeting hall in place of the usual pack of Cubs. They'd taken their roles so seriously that in some cases, it was difficult to identify the individuals under their disguises!
Our guest arrived at the beginning of the meeting. Holmes explained that he was a famous detective who had been called in by the Hamilton- Wentworth Regional Police to help solve the mystery. He also explained that it was his custom in London to make use of a gang of kids and other local people to help solve crimes. Unfortunately, he said, budget restrictions made it impossible for him to bring the Baker Street Irregulars to Canada with him. But, because they knew the area well, he hoped that the 58th Hamilton Cubs would act as the Canadian version of his Baker Street bunch. The Cubs were more than happy to oblige.
Holmes then outlined the situation and the Cubs' job. The drugstore once located next to the church had been forced to close after a robbery. Most of the witnesses were still available in the neighbourhood, and he wanted the Cubs to interview these people. After they'd completed the interviews, they were to try to answer four short questions on a sheet given to each six. The questions were:
1. Who masterminded the theft of medical supplies?
2. Who helped with the theft?
3. Which of the witnesses is telling the truth?
4. Which of the witnesses is mistaken?
Before they left the meeting hall, he gave each six a map showing the location of the various witnesses and each Cub a piece of information that might be relevant to solving the case. The sixes moved out to find and question the witnesses.
What Witnesses Told Cubs
Jasper Meeks was the pharmacist who ran the drugstore. His dear wife had died recently, he had no family, and he was very much alone. On the Sunday night of the robbery (the store was closed Sunday), he had gone to the store around 10 p. m. to do some paperwork and get ready for Monday's opening. As he entered the store, the assailant forced his way in. He was husky, about 6 feet tall and wore a ski mask, black leather jacket, jeans and gloves. He said nothing, but forced Jasper into a chair, tied him up in the bathroom and closed the door. The next person Jasper saw was Constable Roy Slade, who showed him that the store was in a mess and all of the medical supplies were gone. Jasper had no money and no insurance. Now he was bankrupt and totally depressed
Moe Riarty was the head of the East End Gang. Although they had a bad reputation he denied that they were troublemakers. He said that they just liked to party and lift weights. The weekend of the robbery they were at a party at a buddy's farm in Barrie. Moe said that the police were always on their case and never really had any evidence against them.
Bernice Woods had been a clerk in the store. She felt sorry for Jasper. His whole life was the store after his wife died, she said.. He had owned the store for years and now had nothing. She also said that business had not been very good since the drugstore opened in the new mall across the street. And she reported that the East End Gang hung around the store a lot. They were big and wore black leather jackets and jeans. She also passed along a lot of idle gossip about everybody else in the neighbourhood.
Rubin Glickman was a garage attendant who worked at the gas station across the street from the store. He had been called for an emergency tow the night of the robbery and was at the garage. He saw Jasper and another man go into the store around 10 p.m. The other man was short and stocky. He saw neither party leave and went home at midnight.
Dr. Marcus Tanner worked down the street from the store. He was approached by Grover Gladwell a couple of weeks before the robbery and asked if he wanted to buy medical supplies. He said no because he thought there was something fishy about it. He knew that Grover Gladwell had lived in the neighbourhood for years but recently moved away. Grover was short and stocky.
Constable Roy Slade worked the night shift. The East End Gang had been a thorn in his side for years. When he passed the store at 3 a.m. Monday morning, the lights were on and the door was open. The store was a mess and all the medical supplies were gone. He found Jasper tied and gagged in the bathroom. Jasper gave Constable Slate the same description of the assailant as he gave the Cubs.
Detective Tobias Gregson was a member of the Criminal Investigation Department. He had been called in by Constable 7Slade. There were no fingerprints because the assailant wore gloves. About $15,000 worth of supplies had been stolen. He has been unable to find any more witnesses because he is busy on cases involving the East End Gang.
Melvin Tuttle was a neighbour. He had walked the dog around midnight and saw nothing unusual. But, he had seen a rented truck at the back of the store Saturday night with two men loading boxes into it. He knew that there were no deliveries that night but didn't want to get involved.
Putting It Together
The Cubs went to work to put all of this information together and to add the information they had received before they left the church hall. Some of it was pretty interesting! For example, one Cub in each six had been told by a close friend, who worked at a travel agency, that Jasper Meeks had booked a world cruise with his nephew, Grover Gladwell. Another Cub's uncle lived in the penthouse of a luxury apartment. Grover Gladwell had just moved in.
Yet another Cub had been in Barrie the weekend of the robbery and had heard of trouble caused there by Hamilton's East End Gang. A fourth Cub's cousin worked at the race track and recognized Dr. Marcus Tanner as a regular who, at the moment, was on a losing streak. The last Cub reported that, recently, Beatrice Woods claimed that aliens had landed in her back yard and stolen her laundry.
The sixes wrote down their answers to the questions on their sheet and returned to the church. After a pause to pick up juice and doughnuts, they sat down with Sherlock Holmes to review all the clues.
"Elementary, " said Holmes. It was clear that the villain was none other than Jasper Meeks working in cahoots with his nephew Grover Gladwell. Unable to compete with the new store across the street, he developed a plan to get the most money out of his failing business. He made use of his gossiping clerk, Beatrice Woods, and the bad reputation of the East End Gang to keep police on the wrong trail.
But the Cubs found the gang had an alibi, and Jasper Meeks' story was not consistent with what Melvin Tuttle and Rubin Glickman said they'd seen. One of the sixes solved the mystery. Most fingered Grover Gladwell, and one six blamed Dr. Marcus Tanner. Sherlock Holmes complimented the Cubs for their efforts and returned to England.
Our Sherlock Holmes mystery night required a great deal of planning and the involvement of a number of volunteers to play the parts of the witnesses. We stressed safety, sent along a leader with each of the sixes, and held the event in the spring to take advantage of daylight saving time.
There are a number of resources for an activity of this type. Although none of us had read the Holmes mysteries, we bought a game that gave us the inspiration for the plot, names, and atmosphere. Many mystery games on the market can be adapted to use with Cubs. We took advantage of the closing of a local drugstore to develop our plot, and recruited a local Venturer advisor who, with Holmes garb and the appropriate accent, topped off an exciting evening.
The Cubs had a great time, and that makes it all well worth the effort.
Dave Wands, former Akela with the 58th Hamilton Cubs, is now deputy regional commissioner, Hamilton-Wentworth Region, Ontario.
Making Cubs Part of the Play
The 58th Hamilton's Sherlock Holmes mystery night took the Cubs out and involved them not only in map reading and communications skills but also a whole lot of playacting. Rather than leaving the imaginary parts to the volunteer witnesses and Sherlock Holmes, the mystery turned Cubs into characters who might have been members of Holmes' Irregulars - people who see and hear much on the streets and through their jobs. Each Cub received a card giving his character's name and brief background. They included people like:
Richard Sebastian: a cab driver in Hamilton for 37 years, he knows everything about everyone because everybody talks to cab drivers.
Jason Steele: a 23 year old single fireman who just bought a house in the area.
Wayne Unger: a first year geology student at McMaster University, originally from New York.
Roger Prescott: a 46 year old professional photographer who started his own studio at the age of 20 and now owns a chain of 12 studios.
Angelo Icardi: a landed immigrant originally from Rome, he has lived here for three and a half years and is considered one of the finest chefs in the world.
Enrico Mozzetti: just moved into the neighbourhood from out west and owns Mike's Subs.
The list goes on, but you get the idea. The costumes and characterizations were up to the Cubs. What a great way to double the fun of an already fun-filled special program.
Last edited: February 22, 2004
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