BERNE - LAUSANNE - LUCENS - LAUSANNE Friday 17th June

Catherine Cooke

It was a fairly early start from Berne by Swiss Federal Railways to Lausanne, where we boarded buses for the drive to Lucens. It was, perhaps, a trifle surprising to find ourselves outside a building bearing the impressive sign, “Museum Professor Moriarty”. The Professor, of course, embarked on a speech of welcome, only to be interrupted by Mr. Holmes. While Barker arrested Moriarty, Holmes removed the sign he knew to be bogus, revealing the true identity of the building - The Sherlock Holmes Museum.

Since our last visit to Lucens some years ago, the museum and reconstruction of the sitting room at 221b had moved from the Chateau, where Adrian Conan Doyle set it up, to this museum. It looks very much the same. There are the familiar bust and portrait of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, his chair and the family table bearing silver plaques of family and friends, like Henry Doyle and Sir Edward Landseer. Artefacts and books line the walls and exhibition cases. There is even Dr. Grimsby Roylott’s safe, in which Miss Helen Stonor’s snake at once took up residence! Passing through velvet-curtained doors at the end of the room one finds the reconstruction of 221b with its appropriately shrine-like atmosphere.

As we finished viewing, we climbed the path up to the Castle, for many years Adrian’s home. In the courtyard we were welcomed by the Mayor of Lucens with a vin d’honneur. The Mayor thanked the Society for including Lucens on the tour and told us something of the town - its woods and industry making it a good place to live. He asked us not the change history at Reichenbach! Holmes replied most impressively in French, bearing greetings from the Lord Mayor of Westminster. He and Watson made the usual presentations before Moriarty, not to be left out, added the thanks of his organisation to the Mayor. Present was also a representative form the police of the Canton of Vaux. It was a leisurely morning, with plenty of time for those who wished to explore the mediaeval stairs and passages of the Castle leading to its dungeon, in the highest tower, from which splendid views over the countryside were to be found.

It was then time to descend to the town again, where there was a remarkable performance by Les Abeilles Dansantes. It has to be said, however, that it is surely not usual to see a bee-keeper mustering his swarm, if 6 bees constitute a swarm, with a whip. One bee in particular, seemed to have little regard for the queen and clearly harboured the desire to be queen herself.

After an extremely tasty lunch in the Village Hall, we embarked once again by bus for the University of Lausanne. Here we mingled with students to hear a lecture by Professor Pierre Margot, Director of the School of Criminal Science. Using quotations from the Canon, Professor Margot showed how modern students were taught the difference between the Evaluator - focusing on the suspect - and the Investigator - focusing on the crime, observing and speculating. Material evidence exists, it is a sign, while immaterial evidence does not exist, it is the information given by witnesses. Like Holmes, the modern investigator must observe, see and imagine - it is a conjectural process. There was, however, a modern tendency not to collaborate, a reluctance to share information, which stood in the way of the investigation. People now have specialities and separate databases, one for DNA, another for fingerprints. It was essential that these were brought together so that the investigators could see the whole picture.

A debate followed on “Sherlock Holmes - Paragon or Charlatan?” Holmes himself spoke of how he had solved over 1,000 cases and only been beaten once by a woman and three times by men. His clients included Prime Ministers and royalty. In a few days he was confident he would bring down the greatest criminal organisation there was. Dr. Watson told how Holmes had compiled a huge resource of information, exactly what we had just heard was so essential to investigation. Lady Frances Carfax told how Holmes had helped her, understanding her position, and how he had helped other friendless women. Speaking against Holmes, Kitty Winter highlighted how little Holmes knew of the female mind, how Irene Adler and Lady Hilda Trelawney Hope had run rings around him. Milverton, pointing out how unusual it was for a murder victim to give evidence, spoke of how Holmes had tried to cast aspersions on Milverton’s innocent life and how he’d allowed his murderer to go free. Finally Professor Moriarty gave an impassioned speech telling the audience he knew they were intelligent and understood justice, truth and money. The vote, on the merits of the arguments, not the bad acting, looked close, but it was then noticed that those voting for Holmes as a Charlatan were putting both hands up! It was agreed that Holmes had been proved to be a Paragon.

Back to the buses for the drive to the 15th century city hall, where we were welcomed by the Head of Protocol of the City of Lausanne. There was ample opportunity to sample the local wine, Lausanne being a premier wine producer in Switzerland, and to view the building, whose use by the governing Council was explained to us. The traditional procession through the old city followed until we reached our hotel. Some of the more sturdy members of the Society made a short detour to view the Hotel National where Lady Frances Carfax stayed, and the plaque erected by local Sherlockians. While the evening was officially free, many of us took the opportunity arranged by Guy Marriott of touring the city that evening in a restored 1932 trolley bus.