200-Year-Old Cipher Finally Cracked

Attila Dimedici writes "A code expert just cracked a code used by a friend of Thomas Jefferson in a letter written to Jefferson some 200 years ago. This code is fairly easy to crack using a computer, but extremely difficult without one. I think it would have been much harder if the author had not included an indication as to what code algorithm he used in the letter accompanying the coded message."

Comments

Contents of message

[wjousts]

"Hey Jefferson, you might want to try keeping it in your pants. I saw that slave girl today and she's starting to show. People will start asking questions."

Re:tl;dr

[morgan_greywolf]

FTFA:

After about a week of working on the puzzle, the numerical key to Mr. Patterson's cipher emerged -- 13, 34, 57, 65, 22, 78, 49.

Hey! That's the combination to my luggage!

Could have been done earlier

[houghi]

... but they had to wait for the copyright to expire.