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Oct. 2nd, 2015 at 10:58 AM
There are three Holmes cases which mention a "life preserver." At that time that term was in fact used for a flotation device, but gained a different meaning in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A blackjack-type weapon had the name as well, and was called a "life preserver" because it would harm someone but not kill them. Unlike a blackjack or cudgel, it was flexible in the middle. That helped soften the blow.
The only case of the three (BERY, BRUC, GREE) that shows us what one looks like is BERY - 'The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet.' In that story George Burnwell takes one down from a wall. Luckily for us, Sidney Paget was able to illustrate the scene for us.
The first picture here is that Paget drawing. The other is a section of a 1902 book which featured a story about New Scotland Yard and the weapons they had encountered.
(from Historical Sherlock FB pg)
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