The Man with the Watches (1898) by Arthur Conan Doyle

This is a popular short story by Arthur Conan Doyle, first published in July 1898 in The Strand magazine. The Man With The Watches begins with a passenger train leaving Euston station in London for Manchester on the evening of the 18th March 1892. The weather is singularly inclement, but it's a favourite among businessmen as it's quick, stopping only three times.
As the story unfolds we hear from a detective, who gives his opinion about this thorny case. Some consider this detective to be Sherlock Holmes himself and declare this story to be an extra-canonical tale featuring Conan Doyle's most celebrated character. I don't think so. Doesn't sound like him anyway ;-) What do you think?
It is read as usual, by me, Greg Wagland.
©Magpie Audio 2020

[@debbiewilck3076]

I just want to assure the narrator and producers of these volumes that although I too use them to relax and fall asleep. I always back up later and finish the story. I play them while I work in the kitchen etc. But the best part of my day is when I can lie in bed, close my eyes and visualize everything in my mind. Thank you so much!

[@sharongreen5655]

I unplugged tv in my bedroom 6 weeks ago as I felt it contributed to my chronic insomnia. Please don’t be offended but I’ve been listening to your channel since and I fall asleep fastest I’ve ever been able to in many many years. Thank you for this. I’m a big mystery buff. One of these nights I might be able to stay awake to the ending of these terrific tales. Gives new dimension to mystery....I really enjoy your bedtime story reading. Thanks again. 💚

[@sierraseven3680]

I sometimes fall asleep before the end of the tale, too. In the morning I go back to the last part that I remember and finish it off while I'm eating breakfast.

[@veritas6335]

The light from a television acts on the pineal gland in the eye to keep a person awake. One will stay awake as long as there is light entering the eye. Audiobooks are great for sleep as long as one listens to them with the screen face down. Like being read a bedtime story 😴😴😴

[@barbarasmith2345]

@@sierraseven3680 exactly what I do!

[@Supermodel2020]

I have heard that The rays from TVs really do contribute to insomnia in some people.

[@Supermodel2020]

@@veritas6335 That's right!

[@taxidude]

Six times I had to wake up and go back to restart this! Cured my insomnia though and finally when I got to the end, a great story by my fellow countryman, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle!

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Glad to hear it Keith. Insomnia is hard to overcome sometimes.

[@lianatheghost9357]

I’ve never read Conan Doyle’s stories in my life. I’m discovering them through your audio collection. What an excellent way to enjoy these brilliant stories. Thank you, kind stranger !

[@lindamccracken8235]

Such a treat! I, myself, is a Sherlockian! I cannot get enough of Sherlock Holmes & await additional writers who pick up the mantle of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, that displays his excellent talent and intelligence, to do him proud!

[@Dildosoup]

The great and powerful Greg Wagland. Always making my day fly in.

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

The great and powerful - that caused my other half to splutter coffee over the table when I read it to her. However, I think it sums me up quite nicely. Cheers Sunstone C K

[@rab7889]

Good grief. These fellows very much need Mr Sherlock Holmes

[@2ndAveScents]

Sir Greg, I feel your contributions to the ACD audiobook collections deserves a knighthood. It really can’t get any better.

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Glad you like them! Thanks Daniel, kind of you. Yes, I could handle a knighthood.

[@magicbulletdancers]

Most heartily do I concur 👍

[@gregjones8412]

I've given this a thumbs up even before listening to it. I have absolute confidence that the combination of Greg's narration and Arthur Conan Doyle's storytelling will be sublime. These recordings have made sleepless nights a sheer delight.

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Absolute confidence? E Easy, tiger!! Cheers, Greg

[@ringpop6177]

Sherlock Holmes Stories Magpie Audio it so sublime and sheer

[@J.DeLaPoer]

I don't know if I'd call those nights a delight, but as a chronic insomniac I can attest that they're far less miserable. The narration is top notch and perfectly fitting, the latter being more important than many people realize... Regardless of how technically correct it may be, the "wrong" narrator can all but ruin a good tale just by having (through no fault of their own) a voice that doesn't 'fit' with it. This is emphatically not the case here.

[@glennscheuermann3930]

@@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio ghost has

[@kaf890890]

I really cannot get enough of Mr. Wagland reading Conan Doyle. Good night.

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Cheers K.

[@trinaholman4083]

Another goodie! YAY! Read this one many, many years ago. Had forgotten it, and here it is to remind me of the long ago days of my youth spent with my nose in a book. You, Sir, are very much appreciated. Cheers from the arse end of Oz! =o)

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Cheers Trina.

[@BitesizedAudio]

Excellent rendition, as always. Great overlooked story too... I agree the voice of the detective doesn't quite sound like Holmes - but I can hear you've chosen not read him with your usual distinctive Holmes intonation, perhaps that's what makes the difference! Do you know The Lost Special? ACD does something similar in that story which perhaps sounds a bit more like SH (I think, anyway)

[@frankmcgovern5445]

I was thinking about The Lost Special a lot during this.

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

I read them together. The Lost Special is next on my list after a Sherlock Casebook adventure... Have you done that one, Bitesized?

[@annabuena]

Love it!!! Since everyone is making suggestions ... may I request the the D’artagnab Romances by Alexandre Dumas?

[@BitesizedAudio]

@@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio I have, tho it was almost my first when just getting started & I don't feel it's my best work, especially the post edit (I've learned a lot since!) I look forward to hearing your interpretation though, a perfect addition to your oeuvre. Best wishes, Simon

[@frankmcgovern5445]

@@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio Not to answer for Bitesized, but I'm going to: yes, he did it and he knocked it out. Not to get presumptuous or step out of line but... collaborative reading of something? You two have similarly excellent taste and Internet-winning Master Level Ultra-Narration skills. Just a thought.

[@marvfj6451]

The fact of the parallel train was a key one that Doyle should not have left to the author of the 'Letter to the Editor.' In particular, the railroad detective should have known it.

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Very possibly.

[@dandelionf.c7505]

Been looking forward to listening to this at bedtime all day...goodnight

[@shenghan9385]

So true

[@heenanyou]

Good night.

[@sierraseven3680]

It's been 20 below zero here for the past week. Even with a snug house and a sturdy furnace, it seems that the chill just seeps into my bones. I must be getting old; in my younger days, when I wore a uniform that declared that Uncle Sam Ain't Released Me Yet, I used to think nothing of trekking through the field training areas of Fort Richardson on snowshoes, sleeping in a tent or even a snow cave if the drifts were deep enough, for two weeks at a time at these same temperatures. Now I'm as domesticated as my lazy cats, and we all pile onto the bed and pull up the extra quilts, and listen to your excellent stories at bedtime. I used to always read in bed, but as time goes by I find I have to have my reading specs on, and falling asleep with glasses on results in them winding up mashed and mangled, or poking me in my ear, or confiscated by the cats and stashed under the couch with the rest of their prized possessions. Thank you so much for the stories.

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Sounds cosy! An enjoyable tale - especially about your cats and their stash under the couch! Are they in charge?

[@sierraseven3680]

@@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio Of course!

[@19683]

You have a way with words too.

[@annskinner8467]

Greg, thanks for this most unusual and fascinating story ❤️😊❤️

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

It is a bit different. Cheers Ann.

[@cousinsister69]

Marvellous reading & story. The characters come to life. Greg gives us a wonderful narration.

[@bodegabreath4258]

Wonderful. Thank you. ACD’s non-Holmes stories are a rarity and are very much appreciated.

[@tiggywinkler6962]

Another inspired reading bringing all the characters of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's to life. Thank you so much.

[@ericwinnert]

At first it could have been a Railway Detective story by Victor L. Whitchurch. Then there was a big spiel about the role of the detective that made me think this could be a manifesto for Doyle on what makes a detective. Then the second part of the story reminded me of the silly, pointless unrelated of adventures in the new world in A Study In Scarlet. In short, all this made me feel this must have been on Doyle's very first stories.

[@MikeGreenwood51]

Yet the first publication date for 'The Man with the Watches' was July (1898). So years after the early'Study In Scarlet' I agree about the rambling long winder parts of 'The Study In Scarlet'.

[@pesnevim1626]

This must have been a very risque story in its day for there is a very gay theme flowing through it with a touch of cross dressing too. It is though a great story with Mr Wagland's usual excellent narration. Thank you.

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

No worries pes.

[@mr.sherlockholmes6130]

Greg thank you for your Contribution to the literature of Sir Athur C. Doyle. I have never heard these short stories . You are a Benefactor of the Human Race. I wonder how Sir A .C. Doyle would think about being remembered for Sherlock Holmes . Considering he wanted him gone in the end . I know he was into spiritualism and many other endeavors but in the end his legacy was Holmes. What do you think he would think ?or say ? Greg thank you with all my heart ❤ Sir Scott Dickens

[@helengordon-smith5753]

I wonder if the writers of Better Call Saul knew this story? It's got massive Chuck & Jimmy vibes!

[@IanP1963]

The cops in this are more of the Lestrade mould, SH would probably have as much fun with them !!!!

[@TexanAmiga]

Day made! This was fantastic. Thank you so much😍

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Ta!

[@tedtimmis8135]

Michael Bloomberg’s ill-conceived presidential campaign ads are a windfall for KZbinrs!

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Well, I don't get them over here. I hope you watch them to the bitter end!

[@kimberlykasimoff1447]

"This young man with the abnormal number of watches, was alone in the carriage of the slow train.....He was probably an American, and also probably of weak intellect. ( I hope he's not trying to make a connection there) The excessive wearing of jewelry is an early symptom in some forms of mania." Where did the Victorians get their psychological knowledge from? Everyone in these old radio shows who are different in some way from the average person, seem to be diagnosed with a "mania."

[@jasonfreeman2863]

Good job dude! Thanks

[@lilbits4173]

Nope, not Sherlock Holmes, the detective. What a story, though! Wow! You will get tired of me saying this but another great job, Greg! 👍

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Ta, Bits. Appreciated.

[@CharlieOkeson]

Thanks for the ACD that ISN'T Sherlock Holmes. I'll check your channel after this one to find more, but right now it's bedtime cuz I just found my story for tonight. Thanx, G'nite.

[@thurayya8905]

Ingenious! Sir Arthur Conan Doyle thought up the most original situations and then presented them to us, inside out. Fun and refreshing to listen to. You never over dramatize or chew the scenery.

[@tillitsdone]

I've listened to so many of these I've started to talk like this narrator. Friends are concerned,.

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Bad luck. Seek medical attn 68Charger. (Dodge Charger?)

[@tillitsdone]

@@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio Yes indeed. 1968. Thank you for the uploads, first class all the way!

[@quickjumpingfoxes]

Thank Greg, it is always so engrossing the way your voice and its inflections form the characters. Better than watching a Grenada Production. Just wondering though, and maybe I missed the point of the story, but isn't the character who gives the true account of the events an American? Why did you give him one of the English accents? A suggestion: do you have a Patreon or SubscribeStar (better) page? I would like to see a way to support you in your work.

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Well I think he was English originally wasn't he? Maybe I got that wrong...

[@maryfelix1546]

You have the perfect voice for narrating this story.

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Thanks Mary

[@ringpop6177]

I just thru my watch away 😝

[@michaelwargo5702]

So good ...and so well read ... thankful for you and these stories

[@teamtoobs]

A new one on myself. Thank you again, for such a wonderful rendition and most remarkable of audio library. W&toobs

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Toobs looking cool

[@claytonwalter8700]

Good stuff, Greg!

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Hi Clayton. Hope you're well. Writing much? All the best.

[@84homey]

Excellent little story, beautifully read!

[@alexandracolmant9983]

Nice story, read with feeling. Thanks!

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Cheers Alexandra.

[@melodypaz7247]

I love being read to, especially at night. Listening to the narrators read these stories reminds me of my late father. My late father read stories to my siblings and me until I was 13. (He stopped due to a shift change.) We progressed from reading his automotive repair manuals and Dr. Seuss when I was very young to the Walk West series by Peter Jenkins as I entered my teenage years. Being read to made me feel loved and valued.

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

It's a lovely thing. I remember my Dad reading us The Hobbit, many moons ago. These things stick in your head for a reason.

[@DemeterTelphousia-Erinyes]

Excellent reading.

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Cheers D T E

[@chrisnorman9980]

As soon as I heard that the woman wore a veil that covered most of her face...

[@JakeLHyde]

The detectives explanation.. i was hoping for the appearance of Holmes voice tbh.

[@davehopkins1970]

Worth waiting for after the false upload . obviously a ruse to see if you could find the real thing.cheers Greg

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

I love the smell of a false upload in the morning, as Robert Duvall never said. Cheers Dave

[@karenwaters1926]

Thank you so much. This story has special significance for me that I will not go into today. 🔎🎩🎻

[@armandvantonder7069]

Funny thing: I had just read this story two weeks ago for the first time. Now you read it to me! Yay!

[@muzakcritiq]

And with that, I'm in my happy place again.

[@KiKiabout]

Excellent... Thank You!

[@roystongrange]

32:17 ‘asked one of the dudes’ :-))

[@kaf890890]

Thank you! I read this one recently, but I’d rather have you read it to me.

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Reading, K., uses up far too many calories.

[@jjj886dfhttgrdvjj7]

I was already on 2nd run with all your uploads. Ty for adding new.

[@frugtaylor648]

I like your comments in the description Greg! I think you nailed it by applying one of your other "lesser detectives" voices to the theorist. It does seem like the sort of half baked surmisial that a "inspector Lestrade, or one of the many other detectives (perhaps even sherlocks sometime competitor, sometimes collaborator, amateur detective from that story where the client is the crook. Which i cant think of atm) Holmes would never have approached the problem that way, or deduced such a explanation. Ecspecially the part about the jewelry. So i was happy that it indeed DID NOT sound like him.... 😉in more ways than one. CHEERS, thanks as always for the great read!

[@MrRolloTomasi]

POSSIBLE SPOILER: I don't consider the detective of the story to be of Holmes' caliber. Holmes would would have made note of the missing bag and certainly wouldn't have excluded the clues of the mirror or the book. The vestitures of the passengers also would have piqued his curiosity.

[@Scotticus71]

Always such a joy to find a new adventure narrated by our favorite audiobook maestro. Thank you Mr. Wagland, much appreciated!

[@ajarnStef]

Greg, you read so well! I am addicted to your reading voice.

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Ta, ajarnStef

[@patriciat7058]

This was such a good story and your reading of it brought tears to my eyes. I loved it.

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Very glad you did, Patricia T

[@michaelkinsey4649]

Watches and trains......there's a great movie starring Claude Rains called 'The man who watched trains'!

[@patriciaramsey5294]

I liked this, but to repeat what another commenter said, this feels like it could have been one of ACD very first works. Maybe he edited this and re-released it as 'the 13 watches, a definite SH tale.

[@davebeecher6579]

Thanks again 😊

[@rosebud3971]

Not Sherlock! He has to have facts before making a move; he would not theorize like this.

[@biacampbell676]

I keep repeating myself but you’re indeed the best reader in youtube! Thank you so much Sir 🙏cheers

[@AbigailPoirier]

Doesn't sound like Sherlock to me, either. Nice reading!

[@karenwaters1926]

Maybe a close relation?

[@Donna-cc1kt]

It would be nice if commenters made recommendations! There’s so much fluff & nonsense. I added my faves.

[@chungokhowb2957]

did u do an edit with in holmes woice

[@ringpop6177]

Wait I’m still contemplating the Orchid! What’s goin on here?

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

A rare burst of energy, that's what's goin' on here, Ringpop. Could be sunspot activity or the optimism of the new decade! You decide! How's my 2020 North American tour with Prince Harry shaping up?

[@ringpop6177]

Sherlock Holmes Stories Magpie Audio I don’t know what’s goin on with Harry I only keep track of you and George Clooney

[@Ade4fish]

Dear Greg I have just revisited your channel after quite a while. I am so pleased I did. Lots of treats to enjoy. Many thanks. Much appreciated. Now subscribed so I never miss anything. Ade

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Nice one, Ade

[@justsitting1]

Thank you

[@tedtimmis8135]

This story stands out among the Sherlock Holmes cannon in the manner in which it is told. I don’t mean to offend anyone but there seems to be a homosexual subtext with a very modern spin on reconciliation.

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Yes, it only struck me as I was reading it for the first time.

[@enthusiasticasian6189]

Lovely reading of the book, " The man with the watches ". I really enjoyed it.

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Glad you enjoyed it, enth.a ! All the best.

[@anjalikndwl]

Truth is stranger than fiction. :)

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Yes. Although this story is a pretty bizarre, Anjali..

[@IanP1963]

@@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio If you watch all the Crime Watch episodes like I have been doing on YT, Fact is more bizarre than fiction believe me - enjoying the stories!

[@chungokhowb2957]

i think it is holmes

[@unlocked1040]

1) Describe a mysterious crime in England. 2) Switch the setting to the US and describe how violent criminals there were the cause. How many times did Arthur Conan Doyle use this structure?

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Three times?

[@IanP1963]

I know the Bucks line very well !!!!

[@greglombardi90]

Wow. A convoluted and clunky mess.

[@peterbamforth6453]

A superb reading many thanks...

[@helenamcginty4920]

Finally heard the whole story. 😊

[@micahfoley9572]

This reminds me of Sherlock Holmes in the same way that the Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock Holmes reminds me of Doctor Who. By which i mean, it's great and i love it, but yeah, i think you're right. Sherlock Holmes is something ever so slightly different.

[@md.mahfuzurrahmanshimanto4075]

Can anyone please tell me the name of the person who is actually reading out these stories? 🙂

[@ITWorksSoftware]

Greg Wagland I believe

[@mauricestanley6859]

Good, as always. Thanks, Greg!

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Thanks Maurice.

[@TMelody]

Excellent story!!!!

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Glad you enjoyed it, Tangerine M!

[@gregnicholls8347]

An overused description 'artist'. But it might be applied to Greg's story telling if artist means a master of their medium.

[@jessisage4708]

Very enjoyable story!

[@frankmcgovern5445]

*SPOILER ALERTINGS!!!* Ohhh.... I'd read this once before, when younger, and I missed what I think is the suggestion here that Sparrow McCoy and the younger brother were lovers.

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Well Frank, I think there is something of that in this story and I'm glad you spotted it. And perhaps I leaned on that thought a little (or a lot) as I read it. Who knows? In the end the interpretation is down to the listener.

[@markperry2827]

I dont think it is suggested. It is told. The soft spot directly said was how brits said a man to be girlish when young. He dressed as a girl without makeup "implied" and passed easily. The primary antagonist said he loved him to his brother. Primary antagonist who had NY on lockdown went to London where he gave up his protection. Of course they were gay lovers. People act as if this is a new thing but has been there since the beginings of man. Doyle just had the intertesticular fortitude to write about it in a way to not turn off his fans.

[@tedtimmis8135]

Mark Perry Yes, I hadn’t seen these posts but I came to the same conclusion. I just re-listened and I’m even more convinced. According to the brother, “He always had this soft spot in him, and it was like mold in cheese...mother saw it just as clearly as I did.” And later, he recounts saying to his brother, “‘A man?’, said I. Well I’m glad to have your friend’s assurance of it, to see you like a boarding school missy.” Also, in the letter to the newspaper, the prominent investigator, presumably Holmes, correctly postulates that there is a romantic relationship which gave rise to the crime of passion. I think Doyle put that in to say that one can figure out the underlying motives without knowing all the facts.

[@brucejackson4219]

An enjoyable yarn, but it stretches my belief somewhat. Worth listening to.

[@scottbennett777]

There's no connection between "weak intellect" and mania; what an odd observation from such a meticulous writer!

[@gwendolyn2001]

I always avoid men named Sparrow McCoy.

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Wise move. So do I.

[@feralbluee]

a good one - interesting how the police had a theory and then everything was explained so easily and made perfect sense.

[@Bhlisse]

Thank you for sharing 😊

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Thanks for watching!

[@baronsamedi7304]

Your narration is just perfect. Thank you.

[@mijiyoon5575]

👍👍👍🕛

[@mijiyoon5575]

👍👍👍🕛

[@magicbulletdancers]

What an enjoyable listening experience. Thank you !

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Thanks for listening

[@farooqm2470]

Thanks a lot for the upload! Greg, you have a wonderful voice.

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Thanks for listening, Farooq... kind of you to say!

[@rosepalmer73]

So enjoyable…thank you

[@doorbasher77unwellnews52]

Fantastic

[@jeremiahquinlan2482]

What a great story ❤️

[@karenwright5387]

C

[@gemmacastrillon2301]

VISTO 2/25/20

[@richardschall5721]

Grand thank you

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

Cheers, Richard!

[@mugilv]

el firsto.

[@sherlock_holmes_magpie_audio]

And the first shall be...

[@ringpop6177]

I’m usually first