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Wer knackt diese verschlüsselte Botschaft aus dem Jahr 1874?

Von / 8. Juni 2016 / 12 Kommentare
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Eine sehr alte Postkarte ist in einer Geheimschrift geschrieben. Kann jemand den Code knacken?

Verschlüsselte Postkarten habe ich auf Klausis Krypto Kolumne schon viele vorgestellt. Die meisten davon wurden um die vorletzte Jahrhundertwende verschickt, einige davon auch später.

Den Altersrekord hält meiner Erinnerung nach eine Schweizer Postkarte aus dem Jahr 1875, deren Aufschrift wie eine mathematische Formel aussieht. Meine Leser haben sie (selbstverständlich) geknackt.

Heute wird der besagte Rekord gebrochen, denn in der Sammlung des US-Amerikaners Raymond Borges, die ich im März in Charlotte fotografieren durfte, findet sich eine verschlüsselte Postkarte aus dem Jahr 1874. Hier ist sie (leider liegt mir nur die Adress-Seite vor):

Postcard-1874

Wie man sieht, hat der Verfasser eine Geheimschrift verwendet, die hauptsächlich aus unterschiedlichen Winkeln besteht. Dies erinnert an die zwölfteilige Postkarten-Serie von Tobias Schrödel, über die ich vor einigen Wochen gebloggt habe. Vermutlich steckt auch hier eine einfache Buchstaben-Ersetzung dahinter, die sich durchaus lösen lässt.

Schafft es jemand, diese Postkarte zu knacken? Hinweise nehme ich gerne entgegen. Die meisten verschlüsselten Postkarten enthalten irgendwelche Liebesgrüße. Mal sehen, ob das auch hier der Fall ist.

Zum Weiterlesen: Verschlüsselte Weihnachtspostkarte aus dem Jahr 1903 gelöst – mit überraschendem Ergebnis

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Kommentare (12)

  1. #1 Richard SantaColoma
    https://proto57.wordpress.com/
    9. Juni 2016

    Dear Will, I have just recovered from an attack of the measles. I am well now, but cannot come to school, because Fred has them now. I just saw Dollie X ?aud through the curtain, but did not speak to them. I have spoken to Dollie for ever so long. Won’t thee come and see me, unless thee is afraid of the measles. It seems so long since I saw thee. I was taken sick that 4th day Wourst [rest is hard to make out…]

  2. #2 Richard SantaColoma
    https://proto57.wordpress.com/
    9. Juni 2016

    That is probably, “I just saw Dollie [and] Maud through the curtain…”, because the “X” is probably shorthand for “and”, and the “M” of “Maud” is just written a bit different.

  3. #3 Richard SantaColoma
    https://proto57.wordpress.com/
    9. Juni 2016

    I missed the word “up”. The line is, “Won’t thee come up and see me, unless…”.

    The last line I got now, it is simply, “Yours Truly”, then what seems to be three initials… which blend together, making it hard to know. A-?-L maybe?

  4. #4 Richard SantaColoma
    https://proto57.wordpress.com/
    9. Juni 2016

    Sorry one more correction, “I have NOT spoken to Dollie for ever so long…” (missed “not” in my first transcription).

  5. #5 Richard SantaColoma
    https://proto57.wordpress.com/
    9. Juni 2016

    With corrections:

    Dear Will, I have just recovered from an attack of the measles. I am well now, but cannot come to school, because Fred has them now. I just saw Dollie and Maud through the curtain, but did not speak to them. I have not spoken to Dollie for ever so long. Won’t thee come up and see me, unless thee is afraid of the measles. It seems so long since I saw thee. I was taken sick that 4th day. Yours Truly, A-?-L.

  6. #6 robsn
    9. Juni 2016

    Wow, that was quick, Richard. Thanks for the transcription!

    Immer wieder aufregend, so persönliche Worte aus so alten Zeiten zu hören. Danke für das Blog, Klaus!

    • #7 Richard SantaColoma
      https://proto57.wordpress.com/
      9. Juni 2016

      Thanks Robsn & Tony: Sorry I “hogged” it… but I can only do the ones in English, so I jumped!

      Do you think this is a young woman in an orphanage, or maybe a boarding house? Was the “curtain” where he/she lived, or only when in the hospital? They were explaining why they were not at school, so perhaps a dormatory? But that would not explain the “coming up” part, I don’t think.

      What interests me is that clearly by 1874 they were well aware that one could “catch” measles from being near someone else who was afflicted. This card shows isolation, curtains, effective quarantine, possible fear of contagion, and avoided visits from a friend. I didn’t realize this was common knowledge so early.

      • #8 robsn
        9. Juni 2016

        An orphanage sounds like the best idea. It could explain the “coming up” part (sound like the others are well). Maybe there was some kind of hospital ward. But maybe it is just a hospital or any house on a hill, that would also explain it (coming up the hill).

        The awareness of the danger of infection doesn’t really puzzle me. Even if people did not know why, they understood quite early that contact to ill people can make you ill.

  7. #9 Tony
    9. Juni 2016

    Rich – Thee beat me to it – final initials J D

  8. #10 Klaus Schmeh
    9. Juni 2016

    Rich, thank you very much for the codebreaking!

  9. #11 Dampier
    10. Juni 2016

    Can we be sure that the author is female?

    I guess Fred is her/his brother and Dollie and Maud are the neighbor girls who are not allowed to visit her/him.

    I remember those times when I had that stuff as a child, and no one would visit me …

    Come up could also mean “Come up from the south”.

    @Klaus
    I’d like to see the other side of the Card 😉

    • #12 Richard SantaColoma
      https://proto57.wordpress.com/
      10. Juni 2016

      True, Dampier: It could be a male. I thought of it, and only guessed a woman, or girl, based on the mores of the time: I think it would have been considered improper for women/girls to be walking around (seen through a curtain) while a man/boy was in bed. And then “Fred’s” location is somewhere near.. he got the measles after all… but not included with a proximity.

      And the person is writing to Will, a male, in code, and something about it implied a woman was suggesting a visit from a boy she liked.

      Could be wrong, but that was my guess. Maybe I’m just being my old romantic self!