He fascinated Victorian England with his unequalled skill at brilliant cases, based on logical reasoning and grasp of forensic(法医的)science, not to mention a mastery of disguises(伪装)and an encyclopedic knowledge of the criminal underclass.
But this detective was not Sherlock Holmes but a real life investigator, Jerome Caminada, who, new research suggests, helped inspire Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s celebrated hero.
A biography of Caminada written by Angela Buckley reveals a series of striking similarities between him and the fictional character, in terms of their unusual methods and character. It also establishes strong echoes between the real detective’s cases and plot lines used by Doyle.
The son of an Italian father and Irish mother, Caminada was based in Manchester, but was involved in cases which took him across the country, and he enjoyed a nationwide profile in the press, where accounts of his legend were widely reported.
Most of his career was spent with Manchester City Police Force although he later operated, like Holmes, as a “consulting detective”.
He became well-known in the mid 1880s, shortly before Sherlock Holmes made his first appearance in A Study in Scarlet and parallels soon emerged between the two.
As the fictional character relied on an network of underworld contacts – the Baker Street Irregulars – so Caminada was known for his extensive web of informers, whom he would often meet in the back pew of a church.
These characters helped him build up an encyclopedic knowledge of the criminal fraternity(兄弟会), among whom he would often move in disguise – another method in common with Holmes.
His skill with disguises was so renowned that on one occasion, while tracking a group of thieves at the Grand National dressed as a laborer, his own chief police officer was unable to recognise him.
_______________. However, he also posed as white collar professionals, once while bringing a bogus(假的) doctor to justice.
Over the course of his career, he was reportedly responsible for the imprisonment of 1,225 criminals. His most famous case – and perhaps the one which most closely resembles a Holmes story – was “Mystery of the Four-Wheeled Cab”.
Mrs Buckley identifies Caminada’s “Moriaty” figure as Bob Horridge, a violent, intelligent career criminal, with whom he had a 20-year fight, which began when Caminada arrested him for stealing a watch, landing him with a sentence of seven years’ penal servitude because of his previous crimes.
This harsh sentence for a relatively small crime angered Horridge so much that, as he was sent down, he swore revenge(报复) on the detective.
On his release, Horridge’s criminal enterprises grew in size and scope, but he was usually able to stay one step ahead of the authorities, often effecting dramatic escapes.
His good luck finally ended after he shot two police officers. Caminada tracked him to Liverpool where the detective, disguised once more, eventually apprehended him. Horridge was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Caminada’s “Irene Adler” was Alicia Ormonde, an apparently well-educated woman with an noble background and expensive tastes, who was actually an experienced criminal wanted across the country for frauds and thefts.
Caminada tracked her down and arrested her, but – in an echo of Holmes’ fascination with Adler – the detective apparently became attracted by her. The case took place in 1890, a year before Adler appeared in A Scandal in Bohemia.
Caminada – who published his memoirs on retiring – died in 1914, the year the last Holmes book was set.
Other individuals have previously been put forward as the basis for Holmes. However, Mrs Buckley, whose book is called The Real Sherlock Holmes, believes that Caminada was used to give Holmes a better grounding in actual casework among the criminal fraternity, inspiring his detecting styles and some of the puzzling cases he encountered.
66. From the passage we can know that Caminada_________.
A. died after the last Holmes book was set
B. was the only basis for Holmes
C. had a good knowledge of forensic science
D. had a whole life career as a “consulting detective”
67. Which of the following CANNOT prove that Caminada was the basis for Holmes?
A. Caminada became a national figure shortly before Holmes’ first appearance
B. Caminada tracked an attractive and talented criminal, similar to Irene Adler
C. Caminada was known for his extensive web of informers in the Baker Street
D. Caminada had a Moriaty-like enemy for a long period of time
68. Which of the following sentences could be added into the blank part?
A. His most famous case was the Manchester Cab Murder of 1889
B. As an investigator Caminada served with the police between 1868 and 1899
C. Following his retirement, he published a second volume under his own name
D. Other disguises included as drunken down and outs, as well as working class roles
69. Caminada used to disguise himself in the following cases EXCEPT_________.
A. bringing a bogus doctor to justice
B. tracking and arresting Alicia Ormonde
C. tracking a group of thieves at the Grand National
D. arresting Horridge and sending him to life imprisonment
70. The most suitable title of the passage should be _______.
A. Detecting styles of Sherlock Holmes B. Caminada and his legend
C. Detectives and their disguises D. Has the real Holmes been deduced(演绎)?