ZODIAC CIPHERS
RICHARD GRINELL, COVENTRY, ENGLAND
  • Home
    • Search This Site With Google
    • The Mount Diablo Map and Code Solution
  • Zodiac News
    • Zodiac News Archive
    • Santa Barbara Attack
    • Cheri Jo Bates
    • The Confession
    • Riverside Desktop Poem
    • Bates Letter
    • The Forgotten Victims
    • Welsh Chappie - Zodiac News
  • Lake Herman Murders
    • Blue Rock Springs Attack
    • Vallejo Times Letter
    • Examiner Letter
    • Chronicle Letter
    • Complete 408 Cipher
    • Vallejo and Benicia Map
    • Kathie Snoozy and Debra Furlong Murders
    • Debut of Zodiac Letter
  • Lake Berryessa Attack
    • Presidio Heights Attack
    • Call to Chat Show
  • 340 Cipher
    • Bus Bomb Letter
    • Betsy Aardsma Murder
    • The Fairfield Letter
    • Melvin Belli Letter
    • Santa Barbara Murders 1970
    • Modesto Attack
    • My Name is Cipher
    • Dragon Card and Button Letter >
      • Phillips Road Map
    • The Sleeping Bag Murders
    • The Little List Letter
  • The Halloween Card
    • Lake Tahoe Disappearance
    • Los Angeles Times Letter
    • The Monticello Card
    • The Exorcist Letter
  • SLA Letter
    • Red Phantom Letter/American Greetings Card
    • The 1978 Letter
    • Los Angeles Times Newspaper Articles
    • Zodiac Letters Real or Fake
    • Zodiac Documentary
    • Unsolved Mysteries
    • The Colonial Parkway Murders
  • Suspects
    • Arthur Leigh Allen
    • Rick Marshall
    • Lawrence Kane
    • Theodore Kaczynski
    • Richard Gaikowski
    • Gareth Penn
    • Jack Tarrance

THE LAKE BERRYESSA GREETING CARD

2/14/2018

 
The 'Dripping Pen' greeting card and cipher were purportedly mailed virtually alongside the 'Bus Bomb' letter, on November 8th and November 9th 1969 respectively. The postmark on the 'Dripping Pen' card envelope is less than clear in many reproductions, but there may be a better version available somewhere online. However, there is something rather out of place regarding this Zodiac communication, particularly when one compares it to the 'Bus Bomb' letter postmarked just one day later.   
Picture
The Zodiac wrote his victim count using months of the year: "Des, July, Aug, Sept, Oct = 7," but in his next 'Bus Bomb' communication he adds "This is the Zodiac speaking up to the end of Oct I have killed 7 people. I have grown rather angry with the police for their telling lies about me. So I shall change the way the collecting of slaves. I shall no longer announce to anyone. When I committ my murders, they shall look like routine robberies, killings of anger, + a few fake accidents, etc."
​

Why is the killer informing us he has killed seven people up to the end of October, when he has made this plainly obvious in the 'Dripping Pen' card by addition of the last entry as "Oct," meaning October. If the Zodiac Killer had murdered anybody in November, then surely the total would be 8 victims, with November added to the list of months. The killer further states "I though(t) you would nead a good laugh before you hear the bad news. You won't get the news for a while yet." But we didn't hear of any bad news before he mailed the Melvin Belli letter on December 20th 1969, or for months thereafter. 
This may be because we had already heard the bad news, and the 'Dripping Pen' card was intended to be mailed slightly over a month earlier. Mail can go astray from mailing to being postmarked, however, that avenue will not be explored here.

It seemed unusual for two such prominent communications to be sent either in tandem, or one day apart. The Zodiac Killer had obviously invested a lot of time crafting a new and innovative cipher, after becoming aware his first cipher had been cracked in a matter of days, and announced in the San Francisco Chronicle on August 9th 1969. So, after investing time and energy into his new masterpiece, it seemed strange he would take the shine and emphasis away from this new cipher, by tying it alongside the rather lengthy 'Bus Bomb' letter about the murder of Paul Stine on October 11th 1969 and his exploits in the park.
The 'Dripping Pen' card and cipher could have been mailed two weeks later to maximize impact. The context and choice of card, if chosen for purpose, also makes little sense. The message on the purchased greetings card read "Sorry I haven't written, but I just washed my pen."  The Zodiac Killer, however, had written only 27 days earlier, when he mailed the October 13th 1969 Paul Stine letter containing the swatch of blooded shirt. The bad news we were supposed to get also never materialized, and in addition, he would repeat the month of October just one day later, reminding us of seven victims claimed, as if our attention span only lasted 24 hours. All these factors place this correspondence and its contents curiously out of place. ​​We will attempt to put this card chronologically in its rightful place, where its contents can be understood. 

Picture
The wording "Sorry I haven't written, but I just washed my pen,"​ if this card was chosen carefully, seems to imply the killer had not written to the newspapers for a while - longer than 27 days. The Zodiac Killer prior to the October 13th 1969 Paul Stine letter, had not written to the newspapers since August 4th 1969, when the 'Debut of Zodiac' letter arrived at the San Francisco Examiner. That is over two months. It is longer regarding the San Francisco Chronicle, of over 10 weeks. This card now makes more sense. But why would the dripping pen (possibly red in color) be relevant to the Zodiac. 

On September 27th 1969, Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard were enjoying a pleasant picnic at Lake Berryessa when a knife-wielding man approached wearing an theatrical executioner's costume, brutally stabbing the young couple 16 times in their back and abdomen. The assailant's hand or glove would have been covered in blood. Minutes later he wrote on the car door with a pen: 
Vallejo 12-20-68, 7-4-69, Sept 27-69 -6:30 by knife.
The pen would have been covered with blood. What better time to ironically proclaim in your next correspondence 
"Sorry I haven't written, but I just washed my pen," as if to imply he was the responsible for the callous attack and murder of Cecelia Shepard just days earlier, and was washing the blood from his pen. The author of the 'Dripping Pen' card further added "Could you print this new cipher in your frunt page? I get aufully lonely when I am ignored, so lonely I could do my Thing."
The Zodiac Killer, like most serial killers, don't have horns growing from their head- they go largely unnoticed and blend into society. The Zodiac Killer was certainly searching for notoriety, as opposed to the loneliness he experienced in everyday life. What better way, than to dress up in an executioner's costume and do his "thing." 

Picture
The 'Dripping Pen' card would sit nicely between the Lake Berryessa attack and the murder of Paul Stine, had it been mailed sometime around September 30th 1969. The text on the card would then make further sense in respect to the month of October and the wording "I though(t) you would nead a good laugh before you hear the bad news. You won't get the news for a while yet."
The seventh victim was to become Paul Stine (or another taxicab driver) in San Francisco. He had already earmarked his next murder, and this was the "bad news" we were soon to receive. The addition of the month of October was the precursor to death, and unlike his previous attacks where he had to search out victims - in San Francisco they would literally come to him.

But why wasn't the 'Dripping Pen' card mailed after the Lake Berryessa attack, assuming the communication didn't go astray from posting to postmark? The Zodiac Killer likely had his ego dented after Donald Gene and Bettye June Harden cracked his 408 cipher in a matter of days. He may have begun developing his more challenging cipher immediately in response, or at the very least sometime in August or September. 

The Zodiac Killer chose the greetings card in respect to the Lake Berryessa stabbings, for which he could have then attached his cipher and mailed it. But something changed. Did he want to revise or add to his cipher to incorporate the attack by the lake? Some have suggested the cipher may have been separated into two halves. Did the killer originally encipher a banal message, much like his original code, and wanted to completely redesign it. The intended murder at Presidio Heights was looming, and the killer was planning ahead. The cipher and card may have been placed on the back-burner. 
​
On October 11th 1969, taxicab driver Paul Stine was murdered in Presidio Heights. The killer mailed a piece of the taxicab driver's shirt two days later, and followed up with more details on November 9th 1969 about his excursion into the park. 
In between the October 13th 1969 Stine letter and November 9th 1969 'Bus Bomb' letter, the killer may have finalized his cipher, unable to replace the 'Dripping Pen' greeting card with an identical or relevant card, and with the Lake Berryessa attack cooling, mailed off both communications in unison. He stated we wouldn't "get the news for a while yet," totally negating the message he delivered one day later, that "I shall no longer announce to anyone when I committ my murders." Seemed like a quick change of heart. The card choice still made sense to him, if not us at this juncture, with the message inside now appearing chronologically repetitive in respect to the 'Bus Bomb' letter and the intended "bad news" had already occurred. 

Picture
Rubislaw 32 link
2/14/2018 10:44:01 am

Nice to see this card back again,Richard.

For it is close to my heart,in the context of studying Zodiac [...naturally !..].

The Victorian age was certainly an age of discovery,with the cultural novelties,that went along with this.Particularly in areas of Zoology,and enabling science that allowed them to start seeing into the future,more readily.Hence the genre of ''Science Fiction'',for example.

Compared to ''us'' now,they were a ''funny'' lot,when it came to humour,and what they might regard,as hilarious.

''Timecapsules'',to be buried in the ground,was all the rage,near the end of Queen Victoria's reign.But ''hoax'' items would be added,to confuse those,in the future,that might come across these ''treasures''.

What perhaps,is hilarious to ''us'',is that the Victorians couldn't see that they wouldn't be around,to enjoy the joke,when those future people came across these timecapsules.

But,I suppose,the mere thought that those future people would be confused,was enough to satisfy the Victorians.

And so to Zodiac's ''bad news'',and the warning that the readers wouldn't receive it,for a while.

My personal interpretation is,that Zodiac wasn't referring to murders,as such.

Zodiac was referring to political issues,with the smell of anarchy in the air....largely emanating from California.

Setting aside foreign policy,the US was in internal crisis,with civil rights coming to a head,and the rise of the Black Power movement,at the fore of the political agenda,and the ''establishment'' choosing to take it ''head on''.The LAPD and FBI were in bed together,at J.Edgar Hoover's behest,in their ''brutal'' stance....which many innocent liberal minded people,felt was just fanning the flames,instead of extinguishing the problem.

Hence,as I have proffered,the ''340'' cipher,that accompanied that Dripping Pen Card,contained a solution,that included reference to Black Power,and indeed J.Edgar.Hoover,whom Zodiac refer's to as ''Cid''...meaning ''master'' or ''lord'',in Spanish.

In addition,Zodiac referred to the unofficial industrial and public sector strikes,that were bubbling up in LA,but rapidly spreading to other parts of California,and beyond.

These strikes,a demonstration of people's frustration,and protest at the tactics employed,with a ''seemingly'' government approval.

The problem for Zodiac,I believe,was that his intention,with the ''340'' solution was to reveal,that all this ''bad news'' had been predicted by him,from the start.That,in effect,people would see that he was indeed,an ''in touch'' guy,and even a prophet,of a sort.

As the unofficial strikes started to escalate,into December of 1969,and one month on,from the Dripping Card,Zodiac stated to realise that,if no one could actually solve his ''blessed'' cipher,then they would never know,what a truly ''hip'' guy,that he was.

In essence,Zodiac had made the cipher,too difficult to solve.But,if he handed out a solution,it would also look like an admission,of naivety.....particularly,with the press,who wouldn't miss a trick,to get back at him.

Hence,and if you believe as authentic....the Fairfield letter of December 16th 1969.....''I just want to tell you this state is in trouble''.

Zodiac,in effect,telling the good people of California.....something that he had hoped to convey.....through a ''solved'' cipher.

That,which he referred to,as the ''bad news''.

Richard
2/14/2018 01:02:42 pm

The Fairfield letter is a strange one Rubislaw- the writing looks like Zodiac, the message seems strangely political for Zodiac, although his constant bomb references were clearly influenced by the climate of the day, and the terror he knew it would create. The code, however, seems rather amateurish in design, something that Zodiac was not known for. If Zodiac, then he certainly refrains from placing a third shirt piece in this correspondence, holding off for four more days. This could imply the sender wasn't Zodiac, or posting a piece to Melvin Belli would create more publicity. If the Fairfield letter was Zodiac, then it certainly exposes his political machinations and his willingness to terrorize on a larger scale, albeit, it may have simply been his desire to up the ante. I try not to analyze the make up of the man too heavily, in that a case can be made in Zodiac circles of a military Freemason, who was into the occult, worked in a theatre and was turned down by the police force, hence his ridicule of cops. He was clearly a complex character, who likely mowed the lawn on Friday, murdered on Saturday, and went to church on Sunday.
I have done simple analyses of the 340 cipher because I am not that savvy with coding, only basics, so I never delve too deeply into attempting an individual solve. I'll leave others to decide on its make up. Many people believe the Zodiac never referenced Berryessa- sometimes I'm not so sure, in respect to his choice of card and 'blooded pen'. Connect pen with blood, and Berryessa springs to mind, particularly because he references September in the list of months. I think Drew nailed it- They were already giving him the attention he desired- therefore what could he add to Bryan Hartnell's vivid and detailed account. A card was all that was needed. Had Bryan Hartnell died, I am convinced his immediate correspondence after Berryessa would have looked exactly like the Bus Bomb letter.

Rubislaw 32 link
2/14/2018 02:56:29 pm

These are very pertinent points,Richard.

I do believe that the Fairfield letter is genuine.And I see those two sides to Zodiac.Some letters,were ''adrenaline'' inspired,where he was ''up for it'',as in a ''best behaviour'' one to Melvin Belli.Others,like the Fairfield one,where he was in a more relaxed frame of mind....from a point of ''already achieved'' perspective....and had probably just mowed the lawn....since he had been brought up well....from a ''decent'' middle or lower middle class background.

It is certainly an ''enigmatic'' point,regarding Zodiac's lack of reference to events at Lake Berryessa,in actual correspondence.

Maybe there is more,that we don't know about.But,if there isn't,my feelings are that there is an element of ''sheepishness'' and possibly ''shame faced - ness'' about that crime [?].Where Zodiac really became involved in the ''gore'' of killing [?].

Not exactly a crime that he would rather forget....but not one to feel covered in glory....even,for a psychopath.

Plus,he ''probably'' almost got lost,in extricating himself from the general area.....and may have seen it,as his most ''fearful'' experience [?].

Drew
2/14/2018 11:06:01 am

This has confused me from the beginning but this idea that he delayed sending the card and 340 is pretty darn convincing. Quicktrader has speculated along these lines as well (somewhere on the Morf boards). I think the 'bad news' is likely the bomb threat (though I still find the arsenic story an interesting if unlikely consideration) but it seems rather poor drama to just send that teased threat the following day.

Because the newspapers were already committed to chronicling every detail they could about him (which Zodiac humbly may not have expected when composing the card and 340 before the flurry of news reports about the Lake Berryessa stabbing) maybe he didn't feel the urgency to send it in right away. They were already giving him the attention he desired.

Zodiac was particularly concerned with providing proof throughout this period, so it also seems a reasonable explanation for the repeated October claim and 'sorry i haven't written' card choice that he composed the material soon after Lake Berryessa, but then decided to wait for the physical proof he planned to obtain from murdering a non-couple two weeks later.

After the Paul Stine murder he could then have decided that it would be more effective to mark the big MO change with the 'no longer announce' comment before embarking on his bomb threat and presumably bogus kill count phase. The card and cipher could well have been material he had held back on. Theories about the Pines card release and the 13 hole card victim count controversy are not forgotten here either.

I suppose we are tossing around a lot of speculation and I will no doubt continue to mull this over quizzically but I think it makes a lot of sense.

Rubislaw 32 link
2/14/2018 11:53:27 am

Some very interesting comments,Drew.

And ones that tend to compliment the previous comments,I made [?].

Thanks for giving those,a decent ''airing''.

I certainly believe,that this is,essentially,what happened.

Zodiac's ''340'' was a ''timecapsule'',that ended up buried for too long,and therefore never had the impact that Zodiac intended.

But,by late November,into December of that 1969 year,Zodiac could be ''well pleased'' with the crafty and successful ''accomplishments'' of ''Lake Berryessa'' and ''Presidio''.

''More'' than a consolation [?].

Carl Karas
2/14/2018 12:10:48 pm

Brilliant work. And as far as I know it breaks new ground. The logic is flawless. I don't think it would be too far from the truth to say the Dripping Pen Letter DID arrive late, perhaps because it was held by law enforcement for examination, while the Bus Bomb Letter was rushed to sender by an astute postal employee or inspector. You've untied a huge knot, and it should count as new evidence in the case. It's revealing that no one ever made it so clear before. Perhaps a hint that the various agencies botched the case by not coordinating their efforts

Richard
2/14/2018 01:25:22 pm

Cheers Carl- I did look at the postmark, but I couldn't read the examples I found, and considered the possibility it was held back as you said, because of what it may contain, attempting to solve it first-but when that failed, released it publicly. That may be my imagination running wild, and therefore went with a safer bet of why the Zodiac chose to hold off its delivery. But cannot help thinking that washing his bloodied pen after writing on the car door is a subtle reference to Berryessa. Rubislaw brought up the Fairfield letter, and that correspondence certainly mimicked the bloodied pen, replacing it with a knife in similar fashion. Whether a copycat or not, is down to personal opinion. It would be nice to think Carl, that law enforcement were as personally drawn to the case as us lot, whether it helps or not. I personally believe the case is long past solving- I hope Rubislaw is correct, that Zodiac is alive and a breakthrough is possible, but I have my doubts, without substantial forensic breakthroughs. Unfortunately we don't have the access to criminal, prison, vehicle, or personal databases available to law enforcement. That would be the key to cracking this case.
As Kim Rossmo said: "There's a number of possibilities. But remember, Rancho Vallejo was possibly 26,000 people at that time, of which only 13,000 will be male, and only a certain proportion of those are of the correct age, and a certain portion of those are only going to be white. Then we start looking at the neighborhoods involved, we have a pretty small subset. Then we start combining that with some of the personal and behavioral descriptors, and then we work in the vehicle information. If this case was active today, it would not be too difficult to find this person."

Rubislaw 32 link
2/14/2018 01:38:57 pm

Certainly hope so,Richard.

I am just ''recovering'',from giving a ''judiciary body'',a scorching rebuke,for ''tardiness''.

Not that it will necessarily make a jot of difference.

But,in nine years,I have yet to be arrested for ''wasting police time''.

So,''optimism'' abounds [?].

Richard
2/14/2018 01:45:10 pm

Yes, the postmark at least read 8 Nov, so it was presumably going through the franking system during that period.

Rubislaw 32 link
2/14/2018 01:27:08 pm

Thanks Carl....on behalf of Drew,also.

Naturally,observations don't necessarily mean a ''done deal''.But a general understanding is nine tenths of the battle.

L.E.,including F.B.I. ''crypto'' have had the ''340'' solution now,for about seven months....and,if persuaded,should be able to piece ''matters'',July-Dec 1969,with greater accuracy.

The solution includes : ''Nice freak clue around Darlene's case - Dee audio of L.A. strikes,on course set to neutrelise [sic],spare,or risk a nation's ass.''.

So,Zodiac could have started to compose the ''340'' cipher,as early as mid July [?].

Carl Karas
2/14/2018 04:18:32 pm

Funny in your last blog, Richard, you seemed to be saying nothing new would be discovered. Your leap of imagination equating the dripping pen with the Berryessa knife shows there is much more to understand about the relationship between the letters and the crimes which is what I think keeps many of us coming back to this mystery. They All Loved Jack I think gives a good solution for JTR by analysizing the letters and matching with a suspect's movements. Check it out if you haven't already. Either Z wiped himself off carefully before kneeling down at the Carmen Ghia or as I previously speculated the note on the door was written by a second suspect (but your idea would make a second suspect much less likely)

And Rubislaw I think you're right about the 340 possibly holding the clue that breaks the case. My own solution which the FBI has had for 6 months now hints at X Anthony's possible involvement

Rubislaw 32 link
2/15/2018 04:28:03 am

Yes Carl,it's amazing how ''many'' little things can start falling into place,on the basis of one ''general understanding''.

And,Richards comparison between the dripping pen and the bleeding knife,is I think,evidence of this.

With Zodiac's ''408'',between sending it off to the 3 major local newspapers,and the solution being published,it is only a time frame of 10 days.

When we add in the probable scenario of the ''farce'' coincidence,of the Harden's solution just beating Zodiac's ''concerned citizen'' solution,to the post....and all that ''anxiety'' and humiliation,for Zodiac.....we start seeing what Zodiac was ''clocking'' in his mind,as regards to how long it would take others to solve his ''puzzles''.

Hence,Zodiac knew that his ''340'' would have to be more difficult,if he wanted to buy more time,in the future.

Trouble was,that Zodiac made the ''340'' ''too'' difficult,for his given needs,at a given moment.

His struggle to judge the degree of difficulty,shows that,like the Hardens,he really was ''just'' an amateur at codes [?].

From the ''sublimely'' easy ''408''....to the ''ridiculously'' difficult ''340'' [!].

Marcelo Leandro link
2/15/2018 03:51:48 pm

Hi, Richard.
I posted on my blog something about the months written by the zodiac in this letter
Des, July, Aug, Sept, Oct.

DESJULYAUGSEPTOCT

Note that without space and punctuation there are 17 letters, which is the length of the lines of the ciphers, I have worked this as a "vigenere" key in the ciphers.
miss you my good friend

Richard
2/16/2018 12:41:40 am

Another interesting observation Marcelo, especially considering the misspelling of Dec, and the addition of the month of Aug, that hasn't been connected to any Zodiac crimes. Unless he is claiming the murders of Debra Gaye Furlong (14) and Kathie Ann Snoozy (15) on August 3rd 1969 in the Bay Area of San Jose. Bearing in mind the Dripping Pen card was mailed in tandem with the 340 cipher and constituted 17 letters, in line with each row of the 340 cipher, it is certainly worth considering. Keep working on it. Thanks my good friend.

Ray Jenkins
2/15/2018 03:55:12 pm

This card serves to constantly remind me of a truly embarrassing moment I once experienced while researching the Zodiac case. For many years I had presumed that the Zodiac was responsible for scrawling that crazy writing: "and I can't do a thing with it!". It was not until a friend told me politely one day "Ummm, you know that writing was already printed on the card?" I did not know that until that very moment. DOH!

I guess we have all had such moments of blunder when examining the online "evidence". I guess such mistakes are understandable, as most "amateur" researchers only have access to whatever has been photocopied or photographed and uploaded to the net. The quality of such material varies enormously from website to website. So we end up seeing copies of copies of copies, ad infinitum. It is also near impossible to see subtle details at times, and I am sure we are blinkered to many of the "unknowns" that may be lurking just beyond the range of visibility.

Ray Jenkins
2/15/2018 05:44:03 pm

And of course I am sure many people would agree that it is often difficult to imagine the correct dimensions of some of the letters and envelopes. At one time I was experimenting with the idea of a Cardan grille to solve the 340, but I gave up, as it was too difficult to know the precise measurements of the documentary evidence.

Rubislaw 32 link
2/16/2018 10:11:33 am

Good to see the ''dripping duo'',together,Richard.

You might note that the [copy of] the Benicia High School Note,has a blood smearing,with the postscript.

The note could be worth an article,at some point [?].

Here's Z38 solution,based on Z340 code key.Perhaps of interest [?].

''NICE,U CEKST S,U ASOL,AS U ENAKT OO,FOETEL,TR LIFE.''

After research :

''Nice,you libidinous ''Stage Yankee'',you asshole,as you enact ''blank staring'',immature,''part time'' life.''.

I wonder who ''Zodiac'' could be referring to [?].

Someone,perhaps,with a ''Fairfield'' connection [?].

And,all after the ''relaxed'' ''I just want to tell you this state is trouble.''

''All'',is not always what it seems [?].

Ray Jenkins
2/16/2018 01:03:02 pm

Seriously? What a crap solution!

It is almost as bad as this one. ;-)

IN L.A. COLERA [sic.] CLAIMED [jumbled] CIZZ [i.e. "citizens"] NOW I AM ILL, Z O D I A C

Rubislaw 32 link
2/16/2018 04:14:56 pm

It could certainly appear as ''crap'' to some people,Ray,since,apart,from other aspects,the solution,is merely a ''transfer'' of a key code,from the solution of another cipher.

As is ''plain as grey'',I have made no attempt to display it as anything other than this......and yet,despite,it does actually have some ''redeeming'' features,in that it seems to read as something remotely understandable.

Apart from commas,I have not toyed with it,nor pretended it to be anything that it isn't.

''S'' does stand for ''Stage Yankee'' in ''Southern Parlance''

''OO'' does stand for ''Blank Staring''

''TR'' does stand for ''Tuesday/Thursday'',as in ''part time''.

Nothing is created..it is merely presented.

It is noted,apart from myself,that you have had a go at others,for their efforts,including Carl Karas,who is the only other person,that I know about,who has made the effort to present a whole solution to the ''340''...i.e.340 actual solutions.

We still await your solutions to Z340 and Z63.

Are you really that shy ?

It only takes a bit of typing ?

Ray Jenkins
2/16/2018 05:05:34 pm

Some people just don't understand a joke, do they? (particularly not when it comes to cipher "solutions" it would seem!)

Similarly, you do not seem to realize that I do not have any solutions to give anyone, only alternative "possibilities".

For that reason it matters little what I present or not at my own choosing.

Basically one solution ends up being as crap as the next and none to date have provided any real solution as to the identity of the killer. Mostly they just provide an alternative idea of what the cipher might or might not mean, and only providing more obscure and vague pondering from the mind of a mysterious madman, and the resulting verbal diarrhea may or may not be representative of some profound underlying "truth".

Rubislaw 32 link
2/16/2018 06:29:20 pm

Yes Ray,and what you have conveyed is genuinely accepted in the manner,in which you appear to communicate.

That Fairfield Letter is certainly under scrutiny,as being genuine,given certain ''dots'' joining....despite L.E.'s reluctance to bend any further,with correspondences that have come to be known,as ''unconfirmed''.

If,to display a ''possible'' solution to a cryptogram,as Z38,it can at least illustrate that the ''two sides to Zodiac'' philosophy,might extend to his ''attitude'' to ciphers,in general [?].

Some were for ''up front'' show....and some,that he just ''knocked off'',in a more ''agricultural'' way [?].

Perhaps,more to the point,some that were meant for showing to the ''entire world''....and some,that actually gave a clue,to his true personal ''grievances''.

''Z 38'' could be a ''personal one'',and these may be not as ''conventional'' in construction,as we might have anticipated.

Ray Jenkins
2/16/2018 10:02:03 pm

"If,to display a ''possible'' solution to a cryptogram,as Z38,it can at least illustrate that the ''two sides to Zodiac'' philosophy,might extend to his ''attitude'' to ciphers,in general [?]."

Yes, but only if the solution is correct. Impossible to tell in this case, especially since your variables are so incredibly high they are in orbit around some distant star. :-)

Rubislaw 32 link
2/17/2018 02:28:11 am

There were no ''variables'',as you refer,in this case of a possible solution to Z38.

Between November 9th and that Fairfield letter,in December,Zodiac offered up no puzzles.

Hence,as I have already explained,in the previous post,the solution represents a ''steal'',from Zodiac's previous code key,employed.

Simply that.

Flowery vocabulary isn't going to convince others that you actually know something about cryptography,Ray.

Show us your ''wares'' first [?].

Ray Jenkins
2/17/2018 03:15:54 am

*groan*

Rubislaw 32 link
2/17/2018 01:02:10 pm

That two page letter,from Fairfield,16th December 1969,with accompanying Z5 [CAKIK = California Kick],is so ''Bleeding'' obviously Zodiac.

If we add the two ''Day-to- Day'' forecasts from Sacramento,five days earlier,the we are actually looking at Zodiac's ''Stocking fillers'' for the authorities,at ''Christmass''.

The above constitute ''Lie No.1'' to the public regarding ''unconfirmed'' correspondences,for which they have ''picked and chosen'',to sit apart from the ''appointed'' confirmed.

It is all part of their arrogance,to be seen as the only arbiters,and maintain a comfortable distance from the amateur sleuths.

Lyndon Lafferty knew this,only too well.

It was his choice,like us,to investigate Zodiac.But why,one might ask,were the authorities so ''sheepishly'' keen to hang on to Lyndon's ''coat tails'' ?

If,he didn't see it himself,I certainly did.

Lyndon Lafferty was seen to be a person,who could lead the authorities to Zodiac.

He was ''in the correct ballpark'',though his suspect,William Joseph Grant,wasn't actually Zodiac.

Howard Miller
2/17/2018 01:27:57 pm

Z5 is actually Z6 = "Or Else" in the opinion of some. The letters are partly formed by the symbols themselves. All you have to do is look at what is hidden there in plain sight.

Also, Fairfield letter was most likely written by a rank amateur copycat.

Rubislaw 32 link
2/17/2018 01:49:04 pm

Beg to differ on that,Howard.

It is Z5,with accompanying large Zodiac sign,surrounded by four little zodiac signs.

Now,substitution preference,of course,is ''up for grabs''.

But,your solution to Z5,would be ''ORELS''.

With respect intended,Howard,but I fail to see,how you can remotely arrive at a ''Z6'' cryptogtam [?].

Do come back,if you have any grounds to see clearer,than I can [?].

Howard Miller
2/17/2018 02:58:06 pm

It is Z6, that is the trick. The symbols turn, telling us that the letters have to be switched. A slight anagram or mis-spelling on "else" just to keep it interesting.

Of course no solution could ever come close to CAKIK because reading through your comments above it is quite clear you have come to understand the mind of the Zodiac! Maybe while deluding yourself with this fantasy, you came to realize that was what he had just done in his pants when he wrote it. Whatever the case, it stinks. lol!

Rubislaw 32 link
2/17/2018 05:12:20 pm

Now,Howard....the obvious fact that the Fairfield correspondence has not been officially ratified as a confirmed Zodiac letter,means that aspects to it,such as numerical descriptions,have not been officially ratified,either.

This is self evident,and applies to all correspondences,known more commonly as ''unconfirmed''.

So,our perceptions of them are ''in our own hands''.

Where you arrive at the idea that Z5 is actually Z6,by virtue of calling it ''a trick'',is anyone's guess,but your own.

There are five symbols,followed by a large zodiac symbol,surrounded by four ''decorative'' little symbols.

There might be some justification therefore,if you were to claim that it could be a ''Z 10''.

But anyone,with the means to see,could not possibly mistake being confronted with a cryptogram of five symbols.

Beyond this,substitution preference,is in the hands of the solver....and really,is not worth debating.

Yes,I note your ''Cack'' joke [!].

With ''Zodiac matters'',nothing appears to be,off the table [?].

Howard Miller
2/17/2018 06:03:00 pm

You can believe whatever you want to believe.

Carl Karas link
3/10/2018 01:14:03 pm

Has anyone ever made anything of Cecelia Sheppard attending Riverside?


Comments are closed.
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    All
    13 Hole Postcard
    148 Character Cipher
    1978 Letter
    1986 Letter
    1987 Letter
    2001 Happy New Year Card
    Albany Letter
    Allan/Peyton Murders
    Arthur Leigh Allen
    Atlanta Letter
    Betsy Aardsma
    Blue Rock Springs Attack
    Bus Bomb Letter
    Button Letter
    Call To Chat Show
    Carol Beth Hilburn
    Channel 9 Letter
    Cheri Jo Bates
    Cipher Theories
    Citizen Card
    Concerned Citizen Card
    Confession Letter
    Daniel Williams Poisoning
    Debut Of Zodiac Letter
    Deep Real Estate Ad
    DMV Letter
    Domingos/Edwards Murders
    Donald Lee Bujok
    Donna Lass
    Dragon Card
    Earl Van Best Jr
    Eureka Card
    Exorcist Letter
    Fairfield Letter
    Fingerprint Evidence
    Forecast For Cancer
    Forecast For Leo
    Gareth Penn
    General News Articles
    Gilbert And Sullivan
    Good Citizen Letter
    Halloween Card
    Hood/Garcia Murders
    Internet Articles
    Joan Webster
    Johnny & Joyce Swindle
    Judith Hakari
    Kevin Robert Brooks
    Lake Berryessa Attack
    Lake Herman Road Murders
    Lake Tahoe Disappearance
    Larry Kane
    Leona Roberts Murder
    Los Angeles Letter
    Melvin Belli Letter
    Mike Morford (Morf13)
    Modesto Attack
    Molina/Rodriguez Murders
    Monticello Card
    My Name Is Letter
    Nancy Bennallack
    New Canaan Letters
    Novato Letter
    Oakland A's Letter
    Pines Card
    Possible Zodiac Attacks
    Possible Zodiac Letters
    Presidio Heights Murder
    Radians
    Red Phantom Letter
    Richard Gaikowski
    Riverside Desktop Poem
    Robert Salem Murder
    Ross Sullivan
    Saechao/Saelee Murders
    San Jose Code Letter
    Santa Claus Card
    Scorpion Ciphers
    Scotch Tape Letter
    Sla Letter
    Tamalpais Valley Attack
    Ted Kaczynski
    Telegraph Avenue Incident
    The 340 Cipher
    The 408 Cipher
    The Celebrity Cypher
    The Little List
    The Mikado
    Thomas Horan
    You Are Next Letter
    Zodiac Letters Poll
    Zodiac Postage
    Zodiac Theories

    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    The Zodiac Killer may have given us the answer almost word-for-word when he wrote PS. The Mt. Diablo Code concerns Radians & # inches along the radians. The code solution identified was Estimate: Four Radians and Five Inches To read more, click the image.
    Picture
    Picture
    The Zodiac Atlas: The Zodiac Killer Enigma by Randall Scott Clemons. Click image for details.
    Picture
    The Zodiac Killer Map: Part of the Zodiac Killer Enigma by Randall Scott Clemons. Click image for color version
    For black and white issue..
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    July 2012
    January 2012

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Photos from Marcin Wichary, zAppledot, vyusseem, Alex Barth, Alan Cleaver, jocelynsart, Richard Perry, taberandrew, eschipul, MrJamesAckerley