Please Patiently Ponder Purported Poe Puzzle

grouchomarxist writes: "Salon has an article about a cryptograph attributed to a certain W. B. Tyler, possibly a pseudonym for Edgar Allen Poe. There is a $2500 prize for the person who solves the cryptograph." The Gold-Bug , which rates a mention in the Salon article, was by far the most spell-binding story in my old Horace Mann Reader, and it's the tale that first turned me on to The Divine Edgar. Could it be that the reason this cryptograph has remained unsolved for so long is that it is actually insoluble? Now that would be the ultimate posthumous practical joke. Even if you have no intention of trying to solve it, take a look -- the cryptograph itself is strangely hypnotic.

Comments

Just a thought...

[DgtlGhost]

Anyone else get the idea that MAYBE this thing is up-side-down, or backwards? If it is Poe's, then that would make the Salutation a signature instead. Just a thought. I'm not a cryptographer, but I've watched them on Tv...
Hey, new open source project, FreePoe! Set this thing up on Distibuted and lets get cracking! Damn, it's late.

-Earthman

Are the two puzzles related?

[Lionfire]

Just a thought -- perhaps the first puzzle, which was apparently reasonably easy to solve, is a clue to this second puzzle?

It could be used as a form of "key" to solve the second...


Or maybe that's just my sick twisted mind enjoying the idea of having people struggle to understand something left behind for 150 years while the clues are sitting right there on the same page :)


...MoO!

I solved it

[Anonymous Coward]

It says,

I poured hot grits down my pants while Natalie Portman was petrified and naked with ninjas and pancakes.

FIRST POST!

Way ahead of his time, Mr. Poe was.

Schema + Brute force algorithm

[Red Pointy Tail]

My guess is that it is a letter substitution plus translations, governed by the characteristics like Big/Small, Capital/Not, Reversed/Not.

I bet 100+ years ago they didn't have networked supercomputers like we did now, so it should be a cinch. So someone with access the juice, please key in the schema and churn

1. Define degrees of freedom schema
-----------------------------------
a) Capital or not (0,1)
b) Big, Small (0,1)
c) Reversed, or not (0,1)
d) The letter (1..26)

2. Key in the data in this schema
---------------------------------
(1,1,0,D),(1,0,0,R),spc,...

3. Run the damn thing
---------------------
Using a standard dictionary substitution methods for the letters d), using various translations for a), b) and c).

Diophantus' Arithmetica

[Yardley]

I have assuredly found an admirable resolution to this, but the margin is too narrow to contain it.

And perhaps, posterity will thank me for having shown it that the ancients did not know everything.

The puzzle and A solution?

[doomy]

Maybe we are looking at the puzzle in the wrong way. I've been doing a lot of 3d work lately and the first time I saw this puzzle, I felt that it had something to do with a depth.

Look at how some letters extrude out and some go in and some lie in most unusual manner. Also see the cases. There are fonts uses of varying sizes. This gives a very strong feel for depth. The first two letters. Cap D and R with the R being half the size of D, pushing it in. Then the mix of cases and the big OGXEW right up front.

If someone could lay this puzzle in a 3d representation, I'm pretty sure we a solution would open up.
--

Here is the REAL 19th Century Code Challenge...

[cybrpnk]

Poe IS cool but the REAL 19th century code mystery is called the Beale cypher. This guy sent the letter below and three code sheets to a friend. Beale's codes were based on documents available in the early 1800s - one was the Declaration of Independence. One code sheet talked about a vault of gold in Bedford County (Virginia, I think) when decoded, and the second listed who got what share of it (not reproduced here). The final code sheet with the gold's location, reproduced below, HAS NEVER BEEN BROKEN....

Details at:

http://treasurehunt.miningco.com/hobbies/treasur ehunt/bllet.htm

The Original Uncoded Letter From Beale

St. Louis, Mo., May 9th, 1822.

Robt. Morris, Esq.:

My Esteemed Friend: - Ever since leaving my comfortable quarters at your house I have been journeying to this place, and only succeeded in reaching it yesterday. I have had altogether a pleasant time, the weather being fine and the atmosphere bracing. I shall remain here a week or ten days longer, then "ho" for the plains, to hunt the buffalo and encounter the savage grizzlies. How long I may be absent I cannot now determine, certainly no less than two years, perhaps longer.

With regard to the box left in your charge, I have a few words to say, and, if you will permit me, give you some instructions concerning it. It contains papers vitally affecting the fortunes of myself and many others engaged in business with me, and in the event of my death, its loss might be irreparable. You will, therefore, see the necessity of guarding it with vigilance and care to prevent so great a catastrophe. It also contains some letters addressed to yourself, and which will be necessary to enlighten you concerning the business in which we are engaged. Should none of us ever return you will please preserve carefully the box for the period of ten years from the date of this letter, and if I, or no one with authority from me during that time demands its restoration, you will open it, which can be done by removing the lock. You will find, in addition to the papers addressed to you, other papers which will be unintelligible without the aid of a key to assist you. Such a key I have left in the hands of a friend in this place, sealed, addressed to yourself, and endorsed not to be delivered until June, 1832. By means of this you will understand fully all you will be required to do.

I know you will cheerfully comply with my request, thus adding to the many obligations under which you have already placed me. In the meantime, should death or sickness happen to you, to which all are liable, please select from among your friends some one worthy, and to him hand this letter, and to him delegate your authority. I have been thus particular in my instructions, in consequence of the somewhat perilous enterprise in which we are engaged, but trust we shall meet long ere the time expires, and so save you this trouble. Be the result what it may, however, the game is worth the candle, and we will play it to the end. With kindest wishes for your most excellent wife, compliments to the ladies, a good word to enquiring friends, if there be any, and assurances of my highest esteem for yourself, I remain as ever,

Your sincere friend, T.J.B.

Beale Code Page II - (This is the decrypt; the original is on the web page above)

I have deposited in the county of Bedford, about four miles from Buford's, in an excavation or vault, six feet below the surface of the ground, the following articles, belonging jointly to the parties whose names are given in number "3," herewith:

The first deposit consisted of one thousand and fourteen pounds of gold, and three thousand eight hundred and twelve pounds of silver, deposited November, 1819. The second was made December, 1821, and consisted of nineteen hundred and seven pounds of gold, and twelve hundred and eighty-eight pounds of silver; also jewels, obtained in St. Louis in exchange for silver to save transportation, and valued at $13,000.

The above is securely packed in iron pots, with iron covers. The vault is roughly lined with stone, and the vessels rest on solid stone, and are covered with others. Paper number "1" describes the exact locality of the vault so that no difficulty will be had in finding it.

THE LOCALITY OF THE VAULT - (This has never been decoded)

71,194,38,1701,89,76,11,83,1629,48,94,63,132,16, 111,95,84,341.
975,14,40,64,27,81,139,213,63,90,1120,8,15,3,126 ,2018,40,74.
758,485,604,230,436,664,582,150,251,284,308,231, 124,211,486,225.
401,370,11,101,305,139,189,17,33,88,208,193,145, 1,94,73,416.
918,263,28,500,538,356,117,136,219,27,176,130,10 ,460,25,485,18.
436,65,84,200,283,118,320,138,36,416,280,15,71,2 24,961,44,16,401.
39,88,61,304,12,21,24,283,134,92,63,246,486,682, 7,219,184,360,780.
18,64,463,474,131,160,79,73,440,95,18,64,581,34, 69,128,367,460,17.
81,12,103,820,62,116,97,103,862,70,60,1317,471,5 40,208,121,890.
346,36,150,59,568,614,13,120,63,219,812,2160,178 0,99,35,18,21,136.
872,15,28,170,88,4,30,44,112,18,147,436,195,320, 37,122,113,6,140.
8,120,305,42,58,461,44,106,301,13,408,680,93,86, 116,530,82,568,9.
102,38,416,89,71,216,728,965,818,2,38,121,195,14 ,326,148,234,18.
55,131,234,361,824,5,81,623,48,961,19,26,33,10,1 101,365,92,88,181.
275,346,201,206,86,36,219,324,829,840,64,326,19, 48,122,85,216,284.
919,861,326,985,233,64,68,232,431,960,50,29,81,2 16,321,603,14,612.
81,360,36,51,62,194,78,60,200,314,676,112,4,28,1 8,61,136,247,819.
921,1060,464,895,10,6,66,119,38,41,49,602,423,96 2,302,294,875,78.
14,23,111,109,62,31,501,823,216,280,34,24,150,10 00,162,286,19,21.
17,340,19,242,31,86,234,140,607,115,33,191,67,10 4,86,52,88,16,80.
121,67,95,122,216,548,96,11,201,77,364,218,65,66 7,890,236,154,211.
10,98,34,119,56,216,119,71,218,1164,1496,1817,51 ,39,210,36,3,19.
540,232,22,141,617,84,290,80,46,207,411,150,29,3 8,46,172,85,194.
39,261,543,897,624,18,212,416,127,931,19,4,63,96 ,12,101,418,16,140.
230,460,538,19,27,88,612,1431,90,716,275,74,83,1 1,426,89,72,84.
1300,1706,814,221,132,40,102,34,868,975,1101,84, 16,79,23,16,81,122.
324,403,912,227,936,447,55,86,34,43,212,107,96,3 14,264,1065,323.
428,601,203,124,95,216,814,2906,654,820,2,301,11 2,176,213,71,87,96.
202,35,10,2,41,17,84,221,736,820,214,11,60,760.

Hold on...

[grappler]

First off, I know that this COULD be in a different language, meaningless random gibberish, or based on some horribly obscure document. However, I doubt it. Here's my thoughts:

Here's what gets me - no letters are on top of each other. While this sure looks like it was fed into a typewriter and typed over several times with lowercase, smallcaps, and uppercase, upside down and not, it looks like gaps were left by someone who knew that when he got to that exact spot later, he would need a letter there.

Also, I took your advise and looked up boustrophedon (great word by the way) - it means that every line would start at the same side of the page that the last ended on and go in the opposite direction "as the ox plows". If it is written this way, you would have to turn the paper upside down to type the other direction, so the stream would consist of right side up characters from alternating lines, and upside down from the other lines, and then go back the other way.

I think it is more likely that he did something like this:

o Type the entire right side up portion of the message, leaving gaps where he knew the upside down letters would go.

o Turn the paper around

o Type the rest of the message. Done.

The fact that gaps had to be left implies that some planning went into this before the "final copy" was made. He probably had some rough drafts worked out. Also, he was into cryptograms that people worked out as puzzles, not codes that would be unbreakable. I think it's unlikely that there's some obscure text that he used as a key. If I were making a serious attempt at this, I would look for the following:

o Words broken up differently from the spaces in the message.

o Words written backward, or the entire message backward. Or vise versa.

o Dummy characters. Especially at the end (beginning?)

o Different substitution alphabets for different kinds/orientations of characters in the message. (This is doubtful IMHO)

o boustrophedonic writing, like the guy said.

I'm betting it's cheap tricks like this. You can be surprisingly criptic just doing that.

--
grappler