Erik: Is he for real?!?!?!.......

You're right. Perhaps Erik named his weapon. It is scarier to be threatened by the unknown. Whatever the case, the Punjab Lasso was never used anywhere except the original story by Leroux.

If you are doing research, don't just look for what things are called in the novel. Look for other ways of expressing or explaining what you are looking for. I would love to see proof posted here which is not only mine.

Cheers to you snowmoccasin!

I see a lot of new members. Welcome! Does anyone have any new proof of Erik's existence to add?