ZODIAC CIPHERS
RICHARD GRINELL, COVENTRY, ENGLAND
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THE PYTHIAN CASTLE

11/14/2017

 
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A home location for the Zodiac Killer was previously examined based on his movements after the July 4th 1969 Blue Rock Springs Park shooting and his possible misdirection in the August 4th 1969 'Debut of Zodiac' letter, where he stated "The man who told police that my car was brown was a negro about 40-45 rather shabbly dressed. I was in this phone booth having some fun with the Vallejo cop when he was walking by. When I hung the phone up the damn thing began to ring & that drew his attention to me + my car". It was argued, that by drawing our attention to the description of the male negro and the fact he had spotted the Zodiac's brown car, the killer was in fact disguising the reality, that he had actually walked to the payphone at Springs and Tuolumne rather than driven, thereby safeguarding his identity.

Approximating the attack at Blue Rock Springs Park to midnight, had he lived in the vicinity of the payphone, then his journey time from the attack site would have been approximately 10 minutes. Allowing for a further 10 minute turnaround to park his vehicle, ditch his weapon, change his clothes and prepare himself, we are left with a reasonable estimate of 15-20 minutes walking time to the payphone, affording him a reasonable buffer zone to his residence or base location. 

Many observers have speculated as to whether the Zodiac Killer knew any of his victims, or had crossed paths with them at any point in time. There is no solid evidence to believe such a relationship ever existed, but to even try to contend one existed, common ground must be sought. If our killer lived 15-20 minutes walking distance from the payphone, then it is reasonable to assert that he likely interacted with neighbors and the local community by way of convenience stores, churches and community centers. Although not fully established, the Zodiac Killer has been touted as having a military connection. It has also been suggested he may have belonged to a secret society, fraternal organization or satanic circle. So, in an attempt to give this notion a fair examination, we must first look at the locale in a 15-20 minute walking radius of the payphone, as well as any possible connections to the victims at Blue Rock Springs Park or Lake Herman Road, where his reign of terror began. To narrow down the search field further, the north side of the payphone was examined first, as it afforded separation from the police station nearby.              


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First take a look at these three repeated symbols in the 340 character cipher, mailed on November 8th 1969. The following connection, pointed out on many Zodiac forums is extremely tenuous, nevertheless it has relevance to the following segments in the Lake Herman Road police report.

On page 31 it states "Joe was interviewed at the Faraday residence, 1930 Sereno Drive. He was a personal friend of David. He states David had no enemies to his knowledge. David met Betty Lou approximately a week ago at the Pythian Castle where they were decorating the hall for a social event".

On page 53 it states "Mrs Faraday stated she did not know Betty Lou that she and David had only been going together for a short time, she had never met Betty Lou. She stated she did not know of any enemies David may have had. She stated that on Friday night at 7:10 pm David drove his sister Debbie to a meeting of the Rainbow Girls at the Pythian Castle on Sonoma Boulevard, and David came back home at 7:20 pm and left again at 7:30 pm. Responding officer talked to Debbie Faraday, WFJ 16 years, sister of David. She relates the following David told her on the afternoon of Friday 12/20/68 that he was going out to Lake Herman Road that night because a bunch of the kids were going out there that night".

Here is an extract from the Calvary Baptist Church: "Calvary Baptist Church held its first services on Sunday, January 13, 1959. Pastor Emmit Duckett and the Fairfield Baptist Church commissioned the beginning of Calvary Baptist Church on February 1, 1959. On that day, the 20 charter members unanimously called Patrick Everitt as their pastor. The first meeting place was the Pythian Castle Hall at 2618 Sonoma Boulevard in Vallejo, California". link.

This following snippet is from the Vallejo Times-Herald newspaper on December 22nd 1968: "The Jensen girl, whose family resides at 123 Ridgewood Ct, was a native of Colorado. She was a junior and an honor student at Hogan High School. She was also grand royal guide of Prima Vera Council 32. Pythian Sunshine Girls".

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On the left is the emblem of the Knights of Pythias, referring to  Friendship, Charity and Benevolence. The Knights of Pythias was the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded by Justus H. Rathbone who had been inspired by a play by the Irish poet John Banim about the legend of Damon and Pythias. This legend illustrates the ideals of loyalty, honor, and friendship that are the center of the order. The order has over 2,000 lodges in the United States and around the world, with a total membership of over 50,000 in 2003. The order is headquartered in Stoughton, Massachusetts. Some lodges meet in structures referred to as Pythian Castles. Extract from Wikipedia. The Pythian Sisters have a youth affiliate, the Pythian Sunshine Girls, started in 1930. It is open to girls 8–20 and has local Councils in Arizona, New Mexico, California, Ohio, Virginia and Texas,.

Albeit one character is reversed, the 340 cipher contains the letters FBC from the Knights of Pythias emblem, on the ninth and thirteenth lines. Had David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen come into contact with their killer through the Knights of Pythias fraternal organization - and somebody who knew their plans on Friday night. The Pythian Castle Hall at 2618 Sonoma Boulevard is only 24 minutes walking distance from the Springs and Tuolumne payphone. However, there is somewhere that lies inside our 15 minute walking radius from the payphone, that may have some greater relevance regarding the Zodiac Killer and the Knights of Pythias. Listed in the 1969 Vallejo directory under 1020 Alabama Street is The Knights of Pythias Organization 643-6087 and The Navy City Elks Lodge No 1268 643-6087. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is a fraternal order founded in 1868, with veteran services provided by the society. The Elks pledge that "So long as there are veterans, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks will never forget them." Wikipedia link. 1020 Alabama Street is approximately 14 minutes or 0.7 miles from the Springs and Tuolumne payphone, that may center the Zodiac Killer's location very close to Alabama Street and Sanoma Boulevard, or indeed The Knights of Pythias Organization and The Navy City Elks Lodge.  The Mare Island Naval Shipyard is also in close proximity. ​However, If the Zodiac Killer did not live in this area, was he a staff member or visitor of these organizations? And did he at any time cross paths with David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen? It's a slim possibility, but can it be ruled out?

Richard
11/14/2017 06:44:16 am

1218 Ohio Street - Ralph's Barber Shop. I wonder if they interviewed any barbers in the area, who have regular customers, and showed them the Presidio Heights sketch.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/1020+Alabama+St,+Vallejo,+CA+94590,+USA/1218+Ohio+St,+Vallejo,+CA+94590,+USA/@38.1076385,-122.2473733,706m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x8085736a19a7ad7f:0x3386dbcf981beb50!2m2!1d-122.2478476!2d38.1091711!1m5!1m1!1s0x8085736b999fc3f5:0x1a4159511561e5ed!2m2!1d-122.2458525!2d38.1069159!3e2?hl=en

Tom
11/14/2017 06:55:11 am

This is an incredible find. My suspect was almost certainly in the inner circles of Masonic organizations, and the Alabama St. location is also a very direct link. You're on the right track, and this somewhat confirms that I am as well.

Richard
11/14/2017 08:03:34 am

There is a Pythian Castle in Eureka/Arcata. 1990 Xmas card.
The Pythian Castle is a building in Arcata, northwestern California, that was built during 1884-85 for the North Star chapter of the Knights of Pythias fraternal order. It is notable for its commercial Queen Anne style architecture which features five projecting towers: two square towers projecting from the center of the two street-fronting sides of the building, and three round towers projecting from the street-side corners. Patterned shingles covered the tower roofs in the past. The corner ones have "witch hat"-shaped tops and used to sport tall finials. The side ones once had cresting. From Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythian_Castle_(Arcata,_California)

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Eureka,+CA,+USA/Arcata,+CA,+USA/@40.810277,-124.0285074,51639m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x54d3ff83e6ff4ea7:0x2a860766b8290695!2m2!1d-124.1636729!2d40.8020712!1m5!1m1!1s0x54d1570e67b9e801:0x7d8ad78fa1858786!2m2!1d-124.0828396!2d40.8665166!3e2?hl=en

Cristian
11/14/2017 08:36:12 pm

All of this is really very interesting, Richard. Take a look here at page 78: https://archive.org/details/illustratedcatal00lill

There's a guy who looks like to someone we all know. Maybe he got inspired by this? Maybe he had that role?

I hope this can be helpful for your investigation.

Richard
11/15/2017 12:24:03 am

Cheers Cristian- nice find and interesting costume. Maybe a sequel in the offing.

Rubislaw 32 link
11/18/2017 02:02:13 pm

Secret societies is a potentially huge subject,Richard,and wish you every success,with this [!].

There is no doubt that Zodiac has subliminally alluded to some,in his correspondences.The significance of ''riding the dragon'' on the Dragon Card,has allusions to the relationship between Satan,and Son of Satan.....as an example.

My feelings are that Zodiac was not a member of any society,but reading about them interested him.And,he may have aspired to join one,in the future.

I have previously referenced ''horizontal readings'' on the back of the Halloween Card.A further one is ''KIR'',which stands for ''Knights of the Immortal Realm''.This society emanates from Arthurian legend and,are thought to represent the ''blueprint'' for,what we now know as ''Special Forces'',such as FBI agents and even,the SAS.

Ray Jenkins
11/19/2017 03:40:35 pm

I first came to the Zodiac case as a symbologist - looking at the symbolism that the Zodiac related through his letters and ciphers. I was blown away by how many similarities I found with the symbolism of Freemasonry and Elks in particular. The symbols are inextricably linked with the entire Zodiac story in my opinion. They are the thread that is consistent and the thread that binds the whole case together. We may even consider with this line of thought, the Zodiac's patronage of Melvin Belli, his vague references to private eye Peekaboo Pennington, and his sojourns into pyramid-building pharaohs (Zodiac watch ads alluding to slaves in an afterlife, akin to compass face time-pieces) as all part and parcel of the whole Zodiac package.

Tom
11/20/2017 08:01:16 am

So, an architect would be the preferred career choice for someone steeped deeply in Masonic lore and western esoteric mysticism, correct?

Rubislaw 32 link
11/19/2017 05:44:58 pm

Symbologist sounds a fascinating occupation,Ray.

I never dismiss a potential lead or clue....but I do find,more often than not,that one can end up going round and round,in circles with symbols,and what they have meant to Zodiac.

With ''psuedo-religions'',or secret societies,or even known clubs,I still feel that it was curiosity,and possibly aspirational,for Zodiac.

This,bearing in mind that,he was still,more than likely,a young man....who may have had to wait a few more years,to be accepted by some of the societies,that he aspired to [?].

''Eclecticism'' was his real ''thing''.....and a general sense of desire to simply ''belong'' to something,since close friendships,appeared to be a problem,with him.

I believe that he struggled to understand,given that he was well read,that others didn't find him interesting [?].

The reality,I believe was that he just wasn't able to articulate himself,in a way that held other's attention,for very long.

He probably came across as ''forced'' and deliberate....as,of course,might be the case of a psychopath.....who essentially watches,learns,and then delivers in a manner that they think,is the norm.

Ray Jenkins
11/19/2017 07:27:38 pm

The study of symbols is just an interest Rubislaw. Basically I agree with everything that you have said and have nothing to add. I particularly agree with your statement: "This,bearing in mind that,he was still,more than likely,a young man....who may have had to wait a few more years,to be accepted by some of the societies,that he aspired to [?]." I have often wondered about this myself. What if he had tried to join some society but been rejected for some reason (too erratic, too impatient, too demanding, lacking discipline)? Could this have then become a part of his sense of "revenge" on those who failed to accept and understand him?

Sully link
12/6/2017 12:01:39 am

Thank you for developing a 6th sense to break down the mindset & soul (or lack thereof) of a serial killer. Wow!!

Very good insights Rubislaw

Rubislaw 32 link
11/20/2017 12:51:58 am

Of course,I am no psychologist....but you might have realised,yourself,it is surprising how many avenues of knowledge,one finds oneself exploring,when investigating Mr.Z [!].

Growing up,I think that he would have joined clubs...but ones that were more about hobbies and pastimes.No doubt,Ray,you are referring to ones,with ''fraternity'' and social engagement,at its heart [?].

Zodiac's ''starting point'' would have involved ''usual'' shyness....but he probably made an effort,sometimes....and realised that it could have rewards of boosted self confidence,if he did make an effort,to engage.

However,since ''our'' assessment is,that he was a psychopath,then it is inevitable that,he would receive,on occasions,''knock-backs'',in the form of perceived rejection.

If he had certain interests to focus on,at those times of rebuff....then he could ride them.But,but because of his ''natural disposition'',he would have started to develop,a sort of early warning system,when it came to ''impending'' rejection.

That is when others,and particularly the female of the species,could be in trouble.....and not even know it.

Rubislaw 32 link
11/20/2017 06:11:36 am

I have realised that I have rather ''beaten about the bush'',on my reply,to you,Ray.

You mentioned the ''alarm bells'' word.revenge [!].

Yes indeed,there always was a ''core problem'',with Zodiac,beyond the probability that he possessed cavities,where brain matter ought be,in his frontal lobes.

And I believe that we shouldn't have to travel far,in searching for what ''reason d'etre'',turned him into a ''bete noir'' [?].

Forgive my pomposity

When Ted Bundy was of a certain age,in youth,the reality of his ''biological birth circumstances'' were made apparent,to him.This now,is believed to have changed his outlook on life,forever....a pivotal moment that,deep down,devastated him.

I would suggest that something similar happened to Zodiac.

These individuals are not affected every moment of their day,and every day of their life....but it can start developing,with momentum,if they don't find true stability and happiness.Like,someone to love,and be loved by,for instance.

As was the case with Mr.Bundy.


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    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.
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