(Toronto, April 22, 2002) — One of Canada's premiere online magazines, Writer's Cramp, www.writerscramp.ca, with four successful years of literary excellence, is showcasing the first in a collection of stories detailing the heretofore unknown adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

As written by Dr. John Watson. "A Case of Reflection," "The Case of the too Obvious Clues," and "The Case of the Imitation Thief," are three of many such treasures recently unearthed from an attic trunk in Austin, Texas. Ronald Carpenter, inheritor of the trunk, explained that the manuscripts, along with a few personal items of the renowned Dr. John H. Watson, were probably stolen by Carpenter's great-uncle, Edwin, when Watson was on a celebrity tour of the United States at the turn of the 20th century.

According to Carpenter, "Edwin was an MD and an ambitious scoundrel," who craved attention and was miffed at Dr. Watson's stealing the spotlight from him during the tour stopover in Austin. "My ancestor's petty revenge seems to have been sneaking off with Dr. Watson's satchel containing blank pads, pencils, a toothbrush, and these heretofore unpublished narratives."

The trunk was salvaged from a fire in 1968 which claimed the life and most of the estate of 90 year old Edwin Carpenter. Subsequently on the death of Carpenter's aunt, "a battered but serviceable Stanley 'Fire-Safe' box steamer fell into my reluctant hands," he explained.

Of the unpublished and largely unfinished stories, themselves, Carpenter says, "More than a dozen were curled inside the satchel, with tantalizing titles scrawled across their covers: there is 'The Three-Sided Coin', a grotesque missive of 'The Headless Man', and 'The Imitation Thief' among others."

Publishing Editor of Writer's Cramp, Robert Liberty, came to meet with Carpenter through correspondence on an unrelated matter, three years ago, and soon found out the Texas native was keeping a secret from him. When pushed, Carpenter admitted he may be in possession of something Holmes fans would be interested in knowing about.

After a number if initial attempts, the truth was finally revealed and Writer's Cramp agreed to publish the first of the newly transcribed stories.

As for the rest? Says Carpenter, "It will yet take some time to place them competently on paper, as only two were near complete and none in publishable form. Still I am optimistic all the typescript, marginal comments, and scrap notes can eventually be pieced together into coherent tales as was ultimately done with J.R.R. Tolkein's unfinished work."

These newly unearthed masterpieces can be read in their entirety by visiting www.writerscramp.ca.

"The new world of magazines is electronic, and the well-established site named "Writer's Cramp" has become an excellent international voice for modem literature as well as a platform for excellence in readable fiction and non-fiction."

Professor Frank Thayer, Department of Journalism and Mass Communications, New Mexico State University.