Sherlock Holmes character

[mkhouri]

What was the name of the historical character on which Sir Arthur Conan Doyle based his character of a tall Irish murderer who escaped to America?

[jenstar]

Do you have the name of the character, or the story he's in? It sounds a bit like Dr Crippen, but without knowing more I couldn't be certain. I think the last few Sherlock Holmes stories came out shortly after Crippen's arrest.