What if a time warp enabled Sherlock Holmes, master criminalist from the 1800s, to collaborate with renowned criminalist Dr. Paul Leland Kirk in his 1955 investigation of the Sam Sheppard Murder Case? Merging the past with the future, the time warp would allow Holmes, Dr. Kirk and Dr. Watson to meet and to utilize resources from both centuries. And the following story would unfold — focused on the undisputed physical evidence of this case.
I became Dr. John Watson on the day I graduated from medical school as an M.D. in 1878. I practiced medicine in the British Army for several years but became disenchanted with the toxic pharmaceuticals practiced by many M.D.s of my day. Searching for another approach to healing, I found myself fascinated with the principles of osteopathy, first promulgated by Andrew Taylor Still in 1874. I was determined to learn more and immersed myself in the libraries of Madame Tussauds[1] — a wax museum first, and home for a little-used reading room second, housing an extensive collection of articles, books and other documents pertaining to infamous crimes and major historical events.
One day in 1893, I discovered a particularly intriguing biography of Dr. Andrew Still, which included a fuzzy photograph of Dr. Still examining a patient. Hoping to see the subject more clearly, I held one of my magnifying glasses over the image while illuminating the photo with the flame from a burning match. Suddenly, the photo expanded and somehow grabbed me. I couldn’t move and felt paralyzed in fear as piles of newspapers, documents and books crashed onto the library table in front of me. Needless to say, I was shocked, and it took me a moment to even stand up and cautiously examine the arrivals. Gasping at the sight of their titles and publication dates, I realized that I had somehow been given access to documents and books about osteopathy from the 20th and 21st centuries! Ignoring the fact that I had no idea how these documents had materialized, I knew they had somehow become part of Madame Tussaud’s library. Before they shelved themselves, I immediately began reading attention-grabbing newspaper headlines and ran across numerous impassioned articles about an osteopathic surgeon, Sam Sheppard, D.O.[2], imprisoned for murdering his wife and later released.
I learned that Mrs. Marilyn Reese Sheppard had been found bludgeoned to death in her bed on July 4, 1954. Her husband, Dr. Samuel Holmes Sheppard, a young osteopathic neurosurgeon, told a wild tale of a bushy-haired intruder. He never wavered from his story of events and always maintained his innocence, but he was accused, tried and convicted. Then, after serving 10 years in the Ohio Penitentiary, Dr. Sheppard was given a second trial and proclaimed, “not guilty.” Dr. Sheppard was freed, but his wife’s murder remained unsolved.
Curious to know more, I dug into the pile of curiously transported materials from the future and read whatever I could find about this case, including newspaper articles, trial transcripts, and an investigative report prepared by one Dr. Paul Leland Kirk.
I learned that Kirk was a criminalist, like Holmes, and he was the first person to seriously investigate the murder. I say the “first” because as became obvious as I read through Kirk’s careful investigation, the local authorities had never carried out an objective search for the truth. Starting on the day Mrs. Sheppard’s body was found, the county coroner and Cleveland detectives operated from the premise that Dr. Sam Sheppard had killed his wife, and they completely ignored evidence that didn’t fit their “open and shut” case of domestic violence.
Frankly, I became obsessed with the idea that an objective analysis of the physical evidence by my esteemed colleague, Sherlock Holmes, in partnership with Dr. Kirk, could finally prove who murdered Mrs. Marilyn Sheppard. Determined to engage Holmes in my obsession, I borrowed key articles about the murder and several books (including Dr. Still’s biography) from the museum. I stuffed everything into my bag, carried all of it back to Baker Street, kept the books tucked away, and left articles topped with screaming headlines about the Sheppard murder lying around Holmes’ flat for him to see and, unavoidably, read.
Several days later, I returned to Tussaud’s reading room ready to see if I could contact the future again. (I had left a note in Holmes’ flat telling him I would be visiting Dr. Paul Leland Kirk, a famous criminalist, and I hoped to bring Dr. Kirk to London to meet him. Naturally, I said nothing about visiting Dr. Kirk in the 20th century.) In my bag, I had brought an article featuring a photograph of Dr. Kirk, Holmes’ magnifying glass, and a candle. Using the same technique that worked before, I placed Holmes’ magnifying glass over Dr. Kirk’s photograph and illuminated the image with candlelight. Almost immediately the photograph expanded and I felt myself grabbed by some force, but this time I also felt myself falling or sinking into the photo. Suddenly and quite unexpectedly, I found myself staring into the wide eyes of Dr. Paul Leland Kirk! He was as astounded as I, especially when I squeaked out, “hello.” And then shouted, “Eureka!” For I had discovered that in addition to receiving documents, I could contact a living person from the 20tht century!
I found Dr. Kirk standing in his laboratory, surrounded by what I assumed were the modern tools of forensic investigation. He wore a white lab coat and appeared dumbstruck by me in my late-Victorian era suit of Harris tweed and derby hat. Well, I could hardly blame him.
Excited, I stuck out my hand and stammered, “Dr. Kirk, I presume,”
He took my hand while peering behind me, looking toward the door. “Did you enter through the college? I’m sorry, I always become so absorbed in my work. I didn’t see you arrive.”
“Oh well. Please don’t apologize. You couldn’t have seen me arrive.” I’d have to explain this later.
I decided to introduce myself as a normal colleague would. “My name is Dr. John Watson. You may have read about my work with Mr. Sherlock Holmes back in the late 1800s.”
“Yes, of course I’m familiar with Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick, Dr. Watson. Are you an actor from the 1965 movie about the pair? I never saw “A Study in Terror,” but I heard the film was quite good.”
“Uhm. I’m actually quite a bit more than a sidekick, sir, I’m more of a trusted friend and assistant. And I am definitely not an actor, but I understand how you might think that I am.”
He said nothing more but kept narrowed eyes on me. I realized the time had come for me to broach the truth of my arrival and my hoped departure with him by my side.
“Dr. Kirk, are you familiar with the concept of time travel by any chance?”
No response. So, I blurted out the entire story.
“I’m not an expert on the subject of time travel, but I accidently discovered a way to access documents addressing osteopathy from your time and bring them to my time in the 19th century. I studied those documents and ran across articles and books about the murder case of Dr. Sam Sheppard, and I became most fascinated with your 1955 investigation into the physical evidence relevant to the murder – much of which was ignored and never considered important by the authorities. I am certain that Sherlock Holmes, working in tandem with you, could solve this crime once and for all. I traveled through time to find you, and now I must bring you with me back to 1895 London to meet Holmes. Will you come?”
He took a moment, letting it all sink in, then said, “I am intrigued by your proposal. I have never given up hope that Sam Sheppard would be proven innocent based on fair analysis of the evidence. However, I’m having a hard time understanding how this will work. How long must I abandon my home and current research to work with you and Sherlock Holmes on this old case?”
“Admittedly, I lack experience with time travel to answer your question with certainty. However, I estimate that since we have the benefit or your expertise and your detailed investigative report, combined with Holmes’ unimpeachable deductive reasoning and respected reputation, we should be able to conclude who murdered Mrs. Marilyn Sheppard within one or two weeks.”
Dr. Kirk gave me a dubious look but then surprised me with his answer: “I’m game. Let me make some arrangements and meet you back here this evening.”
In his absence, I nosed around the laboratory. A strange assortment of objects covered the lab benches, including blocks of wood, hammers, and clamps. However, the curious two-eyed microscopes held my attention completely until Dr. Kirk returned carrying a small valise and briefcase.
“Dr. Kirk, I know we just met, but please trust me. We must link arms firmly. Now I’m going to try reversing the time travel process by holding Holmes’ magnifying glass over your photo, as I did to arrive here, and shining the candle flame over the image.”
“Alright Dr. Watson. I’m with you.”
Dangling my bag, his valise and his briefcase within our linked arms, I added, “You will feel strange grabbing and falling sensations, but they only last a moment.”
Sure enough, after the brief queasy sensations, we found ourselves standing in Madame Tussaud’s reading room.
I’m sure Dr. Kirk felt disoriented, suddenly finding himself in a centuries-old English library, but he took in a deep breath and appeared ready to meet Sherlock Holmes. We must have made an interesting pair, me in my tweeds and him in his modern-cut black suit.
Together we ran through yet another March rain shower back to 221B Baker Street – several blocks from the museum. I clutched my bag to my chest as I rehearsed how I might best introduce two master criminalists, each highly experienced and respected for their expertise in separate centuries.
As you no doubt are aware, my friend Sherlock Holmes is highly regarded, most notably in London and throughout Great Britain, for his keen skills of observation and logical deduction, both of which he employed to solve the most baffling mysteries of the late 1800s. I believe I can state without exaggeration that Holmes is probably the most famous criminal investigator of all time.
Dr. Kirk, of course, is one of the most well-respected and experienced criminalists of the 1950s. An expert in analyzing patterns of blood spatter, he has been called upon to unravel murder cases all across the United States of America. Upon condition of complete objectivity, Dr. Kirk had been hired by the Sheppard family to investigate Mrs. Sheppard’s murder.
We both were breathing hard by the time we circumvented people, horses and carriages traveling along Marylebone and Baker streets and climbed up the steep stairway to Holmes’ flat. Suddenly, the door flew open, and we were greeted by a glowering Sherlock Holmes.
“Well, Watson, what’s this all about? When is this Kirk fellow arriving and why are you so insistent that we meet?”
Smiling bravely, I shook water from my brolly and stepped aside, ushering Dr. Kirk into the warmth of the cozy apartment.
“Mr. Sherlock Holmes, please meet Dr. Paul Leland Kirk. Dr. Kirk, please meet my colleague and best friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes.”
Holmes, of course, immediately took in Kirk’s unusual attire and surmised that skullduggery was afoot. He shook hands with Dr. Kirk, somewhat stiffly I thought, then turned on his heel and resumed his usual position peering out the window, half hidden behind the curtains. Smoke curled upward from the cigarette he held behind his back; he appeared put-out, but I could tell he was intrigued.
I glanced apologetically at Dr. Kirk and ventured forward with Holmes. “As you know, my dear fellow, Dr. Kirk is the criminalist who investigated the Sheppard murder case in January of 1955.”
“Yes, Watson. I read his name in several of those post-dated news articles you left lying around. So how is he here now and why?”
“Ahem.” I stalled, “Have you ever heard of time travel my friend?”
“Of course I’ve heard of it, Watson. As you well know, I read about the time traveler in ‘The Time Machine,’ written by that fellow H.G. Wells earlier this year. However, I find the concept of time travel to be unrealistic and, therefore, unacceptable.”
“Well, dear colleague, here you have a time traveler in the person of Dr. Paul Leland Kirk standing before you. And, seriously, might you accept the concept of time travel if it enabled you to unravel one of the most infamous unsolved murders of the 20th century?”
Holmes moved his tall frame away from the window and looked down his nose at Dr. Kirk and me. “
“That is an appealing argument, indeed, but before I can accept this concept, I must have proof. Can Dr. Kirk prove he is from the future?”
Unphased, Dr. Kirk pulled out his wallet and showed Holmes his 1965 drivers’ license from the State of California, USA. I chuckled gleefully at Holmes’ reaction.
“I see,” he responded a bit sheepishly. “Since this appears to be a valid document, it seems I must accept the concept of time travel.”
Quickly regaining his usual composure, he added, “But as I recall, Watson, the Sheppard murder has already been solved. Dr. Sam Sheppard was convicted of killing his wife in December 1954.”
“You are correct, as usual, and that is exactly why I want you and Kirk to meet.”
Although I knew Holmes had read slanted accounts of the Sheppard murder case in the tabloids and newspapers I had dropped around the flat, I had researched the facts and studied the details of the case more deeply.
Seeking time to organize my thoughts, I invited Dr. Krik and Holmes to join me at the dining table. Draped in linen by Mrs. Hudson, Holmes’ fastidious housekeeper, the normally cluttered tabletop was now set with a pot of hot tea, a carafe of coffee and three cups on saucers, matching flowered plates and polished silver, all in anticipation of our guest.
I addressed Holmes, “Dr. Kirk is aware of the situation, of course, but as was evidently accepted practice for the State of Ohio in 1954, the prosecution did not allow the defense to mount an independent investigation of the crime scene until after the trial. And despite the new evidence that Dr. Kirk scientifically uncovered, the State of Ohio was determined to continue blaming Sheppard for this murder.”
“And so?”
Slapping my hands on the table in front of him, I implored, “Holmes, how many times have I heard you say that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth! I tell you Kirk objectively examined all the physical evidence, including the pattern of blood spatter in the murder room and other hugely important clues totally ignored by the prosecution, and he concluded, Holmes, that Sam Sheppard could not have murdered his wife!”
Holmes responded to my passionate oration with a blank look, but I was determined to make my point and gain Sherlock’s full support for my plan. I needed him to agree to join Kirk in a more thorough investigation of this murder.
“Kirk is a kindred spirit,” I implored. “He – like you – is a criminalist. Why the highest honor awarded in the criminalistics section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences is the Paul L. Kirk Award.”
Dr. Kirk modestly sipped his coffee while I pushed on. I read aloud a quote from one of Dr. Kirk’s manuscripts, a handwritten copy of which I extracted from my vest pocket and unfolded with a flourish.
“Dr. Kirk distinguishes criminalistics from criminology, detective and police work,” I said. “He says, and I quote, ‘Criminalistics is the science that deals with laboratory investigation of crime. It is the study of physical evidence as contrasted with the type of evidence that is dependent upon statements of persons (witnesses). It is the part of crime detection that is concerned only with finding out the facts that are revealed by the physical objects involved with the crime.”[3]
“Furthermore, and you know the truth of this as well, Dr. Kirk explains that although the ultimate purpose of criminalistics is to identify a person – the criminal – sometimes that person must be identified indirectly. That is, the physical facts of the crime can reveal who the criminal is not and ultimately lead the investigation toward another suspect.”
I leaned across the table toward Holmes and looked directly into his eyes, “Now I ask you, what if Sherlock Holmes could collaborate with Paul Leland Kirk and help an innocent man by lending his vast reputation and name to Kirk’s investigation?”
“An innocent man you say?” Holmes parried with a definite note of skepticism as he poured himself a cup of tea, messed with his pipe, crossed his legs and reclined his body away from me in an insolent fashion. “Tell me more about this Sheppard fellow and why you think he’s an innocent man.”
I poured Dr. Kirk more coffee and myself more tea, glaring at Holmes as I did so, and took a deep breath. How to summarize my extensive reading and research? Start at the beginning.
“Sam Sheppard was the youngest of three brothers – Richard N., Stephen A. and Samuel H. Sheppard — all of whom practiced medicine at an Osteopathic hospital founded by their father, Dr. Richard A. Sheppard.
“Dr. Sam was a talented neurosurgeon, married to his lovely and charming high school sweetheart, Marilyn Reese. In 1954 their son Samuel Reese Sheppard, nicknamed Chip, was 6 years old, and Mrs. Sheppard was expecting a second child.”
Taking a moment to glance at Holmes, I found him blowing smoke rings toward the ceiling, but still attentive. I continued.
“Life was good for the Sheppard clan. The three brothers and their father had dreams of building Bay View Hospital in Bay Village, Ohio, into a nationally recognized Osteopathic medical center. Unfortunately for everyone, Dr. Sam was a lady’s man. He figured he could do it all: save lives as a dedicated physician, love his wife and son, and still have flings with other women on the side.”
“The cursory reading I’ve done on the subject has focused on his philandering and prevaricating,” interjected Holmes. “The press was none too kind to the man.”
Almost choking on my tea, I sputtered, “That’s most assuredly an understatement Holmes! My God! The man was crucified by the press.”
“Indeed,” remarked Holmes, looking pointedly at me and glancing at Dr. Kirk. “Do go on.”
“Ahem, yes . . . Well, sometime in the early morning hours of July 4, 1954, someone murdered Mrs. Marilyn Sheppard – brutally beating her to death in her bed. Sam told a wild tale about falling asleep downstairs, running upstairs on hearing his wife scream, seeing a bushy-haired intruder, grappling with someone, being knocked unconscious, waking and finding Mrs. Sheppard dead, hearing a noise downstairs, chasing the intruder outside through the porch and down the beach-house stairs, being knocked unconscious again and regaining consciousness with the lower part of his body immersed in the waters of Lake Erie.”
I knew the next part of my tale would capture Holmes’ attention, he being thoroughly intolerant of shoddy criminal investigation.
“Dr. Sam never wavered from his strange story. He insisted that he did not kill his wife, but on the morning of July 4 – before even a preliminary investigation had been initiated — the county coroner Sam Gerber and Cleveland detectives accused Dr. Sam Sheppard of murdering Mrs. Sheppard. From that day forward, evidence was collected for the purpose of convicting Sam Sheppard.”
Feeling frustrated at Holmes’ lack of response, I appealed to Dr. Kirk to continue the story and to verify what I had said about the evidence.
“An amazing array of important physical evidence was ignored and considered irrelevant,” confirmed Dr. Kirk, “including an unfiltered cigarette butt floating in the upstairs lavatory and noted by the first police officer on the scene, but carelessly flushed away and never collected. Most incredibly, investigators chose not to examine blood found in the murder room.”
As I hoped, Holmes sat up and stared at us intently when Dr. Kirk mentioned the cigarette butt. Holmes is quite partial to cigarette butts and ashes as key pieces of evidence in solving complex crimes. And his back stiffened noticeably when Kirk mentioned the lack of blood investigation in the murder room.
Before I could elaborate, Mrs. Hudson knocked at the door, entering with a new pot of tea, a plate of most-welcome buttered scones and a fresh carafe of steaming coffee for our American guest.
Sipping hot tea, Holmes seemed to be appraising Dr. Kirk anew and with far more respect. Kirk, in turn, surveyed Holmes with a more friendly eye. In fact, I’m certain Kirk’s intense blue eyes saw subjects as perceptively as Holmes’ famously piercing gaze.
“Dr. Kirk,” Holmes, said in his usual direct manner, “Watson here seems to think that we have much in common and that I might be able to assist you in some way with your investigation of the Sheppard murder case. Does that idea have any merit?”
“Quite so,” I interjected, hoping to introduce my ideas more smoothly, but what else could be said? Dr. Kirk responded to Holmes without my assistance.
“Yes. Dr. Watson explained his intention for this meeting, and I am certainly open to exploring the benefits of this collaboration.”
“In that case,” said Holmes, “please tell me, sir, how did you become involved with this murder investigation?”
“On the evening of January 8, 1955, I received a telephone call at my home in Berkeley, California. It was William Corrigan, Dr. Sam Sheppard’s attorney. He asked if I would be willing to travel to Cleveland and re-investigate the murder. Corrigan’s exact words were: ‘I’m so sure Dr. Sam is innocent that I’d like to have someone who is completely unbiased come here and conduct a thorough investigation of this case.’”
“And did you agree to his request?”
“I hesitated at first. I was aware that recently Dr. Sam had been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife, Marilyn. And although I had not read the stories carefully, for several months from every newsstand I had seen newspaper headlines proclaiming that Dr. Sam had told an unbelievable story; that he had inflicted his own injuries; that he had refused a lie-detector test. Unless these and similar statements were pure hysteria, I, too, would have to suspect that Sam Sheppard was guilty. This raised my doubts. Would it be a mistake to re-investigate what appeared to have been a fair trial of a guilty man?”
“What changed your mind?”
“It was Corrigan’s firm conviction that injustice had been done.”
“I see,” said Holmes.
“And Mr. Holmes,” Kirk added, “my experience over the many years that I have practiced and taught the science of criminalistics, has proven two things: 1) Too much investigation is almost impossible, and 2) Too little is far too common.”
“Indeed,” said Holmes, inclining his head toward me. “You may be right about the merits of this collaboration Watson.” I smiled to myself, pleased to have earned his approval on the matter of co
[1] Madame Tussauds was established as a museum on Baker Street in 1835 and moved to Marylebone Road in 1884.
[2] Doctor of Osteopathy
[3] Kirk, Paul Leland and Alys McColl, The Sam Sheppard Case, unpublished manuscript
The Sheppard Chronicles 