Long before Sherlock Holmes entered the public domain as a character, a few dedicated authors "borrowed" Holmes and Watson without permission for their own work. Here are 5 classic early (and completely unauthorized) tales featuring the world's greatest detective (sometimes under not-so-cunningly disguised pseudonyms):

"WATSON!" by Captain A.E. Dingle
THE ADVENTURE OF THE DIAMOND NECKLACE, by G. F. Forrest
THE STOLEN CIGAR-CASE, by Bret Harte
THE ADVENTURES OF SHAMROCK JOLNES, by O. Henry
MR. RAFFLES HOLMES, by John Kendrick Bangs