7/22/1973, "A code for murder"

[Tahoe27]

I'm really interested by the last part of this, which looks like:

"Someone tried speeding ... by feeding the cryptogram into ..."

And I guess the remainder of the article is missing? I'm sure they mean feeding it into a computer. I'd certainly like to read the rest of that part.

-glurk

EDIT: Never mind. I just found the text in the images, which are hard to read. "feeding the cryptogram into a computer, which failed miserably."

I find that an interesting statement. Must have been on lousy computer.

While I am no cipher expert, when shown the solution, it seems quite basic and easy to understand exactly how it created it.

[traveller1st]

Was just browsing and I spotted this. Apologies if this has been picked up on. The 'style' of presentation ie the torn paper graphic surround I think I've seen before for printing/highlighting sections of Z's letters. Prob borrowed the layout from the Chron.



Obviously not a realistic depiction of the actual shape of the letter. Then I spotted the weird, practically cursive 'am' in 'I am'. Seems nothing is real, they have re-drawn the handwriting in the letter for the article as well. Example below, included Washington as well because of the squared off tail on the g. Bet they couldn't get a hold of an original so they've redrawn it, again, prob from the Chron.

thewrongwriting.jpg

Turns out the Chron re-drew it first although the 'I am' might be slightly different in the one in this thread. Hard to be sure because of the quality. Either way neither of them are Zodiac's handwriting.

wrongwritingchron.jpg

[morf13]

Seems like alot of trouble to go thru to draw the entire letter by hand,also seems like they would have needed a copy or photo of it to draw it so closely

[traveller1st]

It does but I wonder if it had to do with transparencies and maybe even permission. Back in the day, when the only place that could scan a transparency were repro houses, you had to trace the image on a lightbox so that you had something to paste onto your artwork. Then at repro stage the transparency would be scanned and dropped into the artwork an sized according to the image you had traced.

My guess is that is what we are seeing here. A tracing for artwork. Maybe LE didn't want an actual image of the letter going out, much less being handed around a print room for the purposes of being photographed or scanned for press.

Either way thought it was interesting. Oh and it's really not that much work, not for back then. Try tracing a 'photo' of a crowd scene for print. Every face, every body, everything in the scene because it wasn't for just scale but also cropping reference for the printers.

Towards the end, before us humble design houses got things like computers and scanners that could scan transparencies we even tried rigging up our photocopier with tin foil to try and copy the flipping things. Didn't work of course.

[Tahoe27]

I have one of these photos from the Chronicle. I think it might even be this letter. I will check.

Either way...wow. Looks like some people there had to get quite familiar with it, even if they were tracing it.

Good eye trav!

[traveller1st]

I have one of these photos from the Chronicle. I think it might even be this letter. I will check.

Either way...wow. Looks like some people there had to get quite familiar with it, even if they were tracing it.

Good eye trav!

Thanks T.

Yeesssss and no. Yes you would be quite familiar with the letter if you were tracing it but no more than anything else unless you were having to do it multiple times. This would be unlikely because you are working to deadlines and probably have a hundred different things to trace. So I don't really see there being much opportunity to become familiar with any one thing in particular.

This is almost borne out in the differences. The fact that they are there suggests lack of practice. Yes it's good a tracing but then that would have been part of the person's job so you would expect some level of competency. However the differences in letter spacing, the shape of some characters and the 'squaring off' habit, is just that, the tracer's own writing habit showing through. You can see it in things like h's. He's taking his time but as quickly as he can get away with lol. Classic artworking default.

[morf13]

They couldnt have done it from memory, they had to have had the letter or something in front of them

[traveller1st]

They couldnt have done it from memory, they had to have had the letter or something in front of them

I agree.

That's what I'm trying to think through, as to why not print a photo. Maybe they weren't allowed to or decided not to? Public sensibilities? (there's those words again smithy lol). It's almost a form of censorship. Print his letter without actually printing it? Makes me think back my youth when the British Government (Maggie) decided that whilst Gerry Adams' statements would be broadcast on TV they didn't allow his actual voice to be used so every time he was on TV speaking his voice was overdubbed by an actor lol.

[Seagull]

Could have been done that way so as to be able to weed out copy cats???

[Tahoe27]

It's just weird because some of it is spot on. The way it's spaced and angled. Certain letter seemed to be exact copies. But if it was traced, it was a horrible trace. If it was copied by looks alone, from a photograph....someone was pretty darn skilled.