A.J. RAFFLES ... Who is he and where did he originate? Ernest William Hornung, an Englishman invented this hero of the underworld more than a hundred years ago, in late Victorian England. The Author was the brother in law of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the famous father of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. It certainly was not his intention to copy his famous brother in law, so his stories deal with the opposite side of the law. Raffles and his friend Bunny are gentlemen thieves Yes, they are criminals but lovely fellas, not hooligans, vandals, or worse. Hornung had some success and published much of his work. In time he wanted to switch from this underworld theme and take on serious topics. Therefore, he heroically killed off Raffles in South Africa. A lot of his followers and fans did not want to see this happen. Conan Doyle let Sherlock Holmes die in the Reichenberger waterfalls to protect the world from the evil Dr. Moriarty. Now the same fate was to befall the gentleman thief, Raffles. Fans were upset when Hornung did not resurrect Raffles. I was also saddened about my hero's sudden demise, after devotedly following him and his friend Bunny on so many adventures. Inspector MacKenzie and Sergeant Holly came very close to nabbing them, but eventually lost the battle. I know a lot more than all of Hornung's disappointed fans. > They have not heard the real truth - here it is