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Doctor Huxton Rymer
NOTE: This profile is being constructed as the stories are read and must therefore be regarded as incomplete and work in progress.
Introduction to this Popular Old Character for the Benefit of New Readers
Like another of the UNION JACK's favourite characters (Professor Kew), Dr. Huxton Rymer originally made his name in the fields of medicine, specialising in surgery and attaining an eminence in that branch which placed him in the forefront of his contemporaries. He it was who, in Vienna, had first discovered the very delicate hip operation which revolutionised modern surgery, and which he gave to the world through the medium of Franz Josef Hospital. Europe and America had rung with the name of the great Dr. Huxton Rymer. He had been the recipient of invitations from every University of note: a Pittsburgh millionaire had paid a fabulous sum to induce the wizard to make a rush journey to America to perform an operation on his young son; Royalty of every country had sought him; and decorations from scientific bodies had descended on him from every quarter. And then, at the very apex of his fame, Dr. Huxton Rymer had suddenly and inexplicably dropped out of things. His mysterious disappearance was far more than a nine days' wonder, and a thousand-and-one theories were advanced to explain the puzzle. But, though his pupils carried on the teachings of him whom they called "The Master," the surgeon did not return to his haunts, and after a time the scientific world knew him no more. Of his life and his doings after that there still remains extant a patchy record in the volumes of the famous "Index" which the famous criminologist, Sexton Blake, has patiently compiled over many years, and a study of that would serve to provide the answer to many of the questions that have puzzled his former colleagues. This record was a startling tale of criminal adventure in which Sexton Blake himself played no small part in pursuit of the errant doctor, and of which the chapters were laid out in almost every part of the known globe, and in many unknown parts of it, too. Then, as suddenly as he had drifted across Blake's orbit, he had drifted out of it, and it was not until Blake had once again come across him in India, during the course of a dangerous investigation there, that he knew that Rymer was still following a life of active criminal adventure. After that Blake had again encountered him in New York during his investigations of a big whisky-smuggling conspiracy, and once later on, when he encountered him in London accidentally, in the grill-room of the Hotel Venetia. On that occasion Blake had gone out of his way to inform Rymer that the old warrant for his arrest which had been issued by Scotland Yard had been quashed. The detective had gone even farther, and had told Rymer that, providing he ran straight whilst in England, he, Blake, would not advise Scotland Yard that he had returned. Dr. Huxton Rymer had apparently taken the advice to heart, for he had lain low for a considerable time. He had bought a small estate in Sussex, had spent a good portion of the money he had obtained in New York on fitting it up in a wonderful way, and had also devoted himself to experiments, to writing, and to the manufacture of scientific instruments of the most delicate nature. But the restlessness of his temperament finally impelled him to conceive a scheme which he thought would satisfy his desires for criminal excitement, and yet keep him clear of the clutches of the law. Accordingly, he let it be known amongst the denizens of the underworld that he was prepared, for a substantial consideration, to advise on all subjects dealing with criminality. His first case of this description — the affair of Mrs. Stuyvesant Courtlandt's jewels — once again brought him to the notice of Sexton Blake, and it was through information which reached him in this case that Sexton Blake discovered the existance of Rymer's estate in Sussex, which was called Abbey Towers. Thus also the alias of Rymer himself became known to him as "Professor Butterfield." Chronology 1. When Greek Meets Greek (UNION JACK issue 488, 1913) Rymer allies himself with Mademoiselle Yvonne Rymer to steal two million in bullion from the tropical country of Salvarita. The scheme is foiled by Sexton Blake and Yvonne cuts her ties with Rymer, putting him ashore on the south coast of England. 2. The Diamond Dragon (UNION JACK issue 493, 1913) 3. The Yellow Sphinx (UNION JACK issue 512, 1913) Prince Wu Ling rescues Rymer from his addiction to opium and uses him to impersonate a wealthy financier. His plan begins to fail when Sexton Blake and Mlle. Yvonne Cartier interfere. Rymer makes matters worse for Wu Ling by rebelling. He is terribly tortured for this betrayal but manages to escape when Blake invades Wu Ling's hide-out to ruin his scheme. 4. The Yellow Octopus (UNION JACK issue 526, 1913) 5. The Sacred Sphere (UNION JACK issue 529, 1913) 6. The Case of the Radium Patient (UNION JACK issue 548, 1914) 7. The Crimson Pearl (UNION JACK issue 564, 1914) Dr Huxton Rymer gains possession of a priceless pearl which is sought after by The Brotherhood of the Yellow Beetle. In the Solomon Islands, he tries to sell the treasure but is defeated when Sexton Blake arrives on the scene in on Mlle. Yvonne's yacht. Blake leaves Rymer to escape but gains possession of the pearl for its rightful owners. 8. The Mystery of the Banana Plantation (UNION JACK issue 591, 1915) 9. Scoundrels All; Or, Strang the Silent (UNION JACK issue 613, 1915) Rymer allies himself with Baron de Beauremon of the Council of Eleven and the two crooks side with revolutionaries in the South American country of Costa Blanca. They hope to gain valuable oil concessions but in this endeavour they are opposed by Sexton Blake, who ultimately defeats their scheme. 10. Sexton Blake — Pirate (UNION JACK issue 618, 1915) 11. The Case of the 'Frisco Leper (UNION JACK issue 623, 1915) 12. The Two Mysteries (THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY 1st series 11, 1916) 13. The Blue God (UNION JACK issue 685, 1916) 14. The Sunken Schooner (UNION JACK issue 692, 1917) 15. The Ivory Screen (THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY 1st series 219, 1922) 16. The Spirit Smugglers (THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY 1st series 229, 1922) 17. The Diamond Dragon (THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY 1st series 233, 1922) 18. The Case of the Courtlandt Jewels (THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY 1st series 253, 1922) 19. The Winfield Handicap Case (UNION JACK issue 980, 1922) 20. Sexton Blake's Blunder (UNION JACK issue 981, 1922) 21. The Affair of the Rickshaw Coolie (UNION JACK issue 982, 1922) 22. The Voodoo Curse (UNION JACK issue 984, 1922) 23. The Soap Salvors (UNION JACK issue 994, 1922) 24. The Thousandth Chance (UNION JACK issue 1,000, 1922) In this special story to celebrate the thousandth issue of the UNION JACK, Doctor Huxton Rymer and Mary Trent are joined by Zenith the Albino, Leon Kestrel, Prince Wu Ling, The Three Musketeers, The Black Duchess, George Marsden Plummer and Professor Kew in a bid to rob Sexton Blake of his collection of art and antiques. With help from Mlle. Yvonne Cartier, the detective foils the plot. 25. The Secret Emerald Mines (THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY 1st series 271, 1923) 26. The Eight-Pointed Star (THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY 1st series 283, 1923) 27. The Crimson Belt (THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY 1st series 307, 1923) Rymer and Mary Trent interfere at the scene of a murder without realising that they're foiling the plans of Prince Wu Ling. The head of the Brotherhood of the Yellow Beetle is trying to lay his hands on a crimson belt in which is hidden a map to treasure from the Manchu dynasty. When Rymer takes the belt, he is pursued by Wu Ling and Sexton Blake to Australia. Here he teams up with the Chinaman and plots to murder Blake. Mademoiselle Yvonne and Tinker foild the plan and rescue the detective who then goes on to recover the treasure. More to come... ... |
