The other night I reorganized the folder on my computer where I keep all the weird New York Herald personal ads I post.
Over the years I've been clipping these I've come across a handful of personals that were just straight up written in code.
As I was going through the folder I noticed that almost all the coded ads were printed within a year or two of each other (specifically between 1850 and 1852). Looking a bit more closely I also began to realize that the same coded words and phrases were appearing across multiple personals - suggesting they were all written in the same code (which appeared to be a basic substitution cipher), likely by the same person/people.
Possessing multiple samples of the code, struck by the type of confidence that only hits at 11:30 at night, and having the little know-how remaining from a special interest in cryptology in middle school, I thought... I bet I can crack that.
So I took the longest coded personal I had at the time (the image directly above - I've since found a much longer one), cracked open a notebook and got cryptoquip-ing.
I had a few little hitches due to words being mispelled in the original ad and a few unclear letters due to poor quality newsprint, but I soon found myself with a mostly decoded message...
"This morning at elevn[sic] precisely be at Carter's bookstore two eighty five Broadway. As a prete?h ask for their directory. Don't fail."
I made myself a key (V and W are Q and Z, but as neither letter is ever used in an ad there's no way to tell which is which.)...
...and got to decoding the other personal ads and putting them chronological order.
Let's see what was worth encoding 175 years ago...
July 16, 1850 -
"You have arrived by this time I suppose my own dearest Josie. I shall wait ivpatiently[sic] for the Asia hoping to hear from you. I went to vespers Sunday and sat in your pew. You are never out of my thoughts. I have written down all that has occurred which I thought would interest you. We will read it together on our first drive after your return. I kiss this on which your eyes will rest. Do not forget your own fond devoted Jerry."
---
September 12, 1850 -
"Welcome my dearest Josie; when can k[sic] see you."
---
September 17, 1850 -
"Not one word from you dearest while away or since you returndd[sic]. Have your feelings then changed, See last Thursdays Herald. I dare not see you for the first time at home."
---
October 10, 1850 -
"I’m sick with anxiety about you, love. Will you not see me."
---
The ads then skip almost two years (I'm planning to go through the intervening microfilm by hand at some point to make sure there aren't any sneaky ones I missed)...
June 3, 1852 -
"Dearest - I was very ill whne[sic] you wrote."
---
July 4, 1852 -
"Deareft[sic] - Just return[sic] from Albany write again to me box in post office."
---
July 7, 1852 -
"Today three oclock Jersey City ferry house."
---
July 8, 1852 -
"This morning at eleven south ferry New York side."
Street cars and omnibuses wait outside the South Ferry terminal in New York City, circa 1865.
---
July 13, 1852 (the original message I decoded) -
"This morning at elevn[sic] precisely be at Carters Bookstore two eighty five Broadway. As a pretexh[sic] ask for their directory. Don’t fail."
Carter's Bookstore (indicated by janky arrow) as seen in a panoramic view published in Gleason's Pictorial, March 18, 1854.
---
Another time skip, this time 5 months.
December 14, 1852 -
"Give me a da y[sic] dear."
---
And the final message (that I've found as of writing this)...
December 25, 1852 -
"Mnray[sic] at elevn[sic] Catharine Ferry New York."
It may not be the most thrilling of Victorian espionage, but it still feels pretty cool to read something no one else has read in 175 years.
I've gone through about 3 months worth of microfilm by hand and found two more coded ads that weren't picked up by the text recognition due to blurry newsprint, but it's a slog so it's going to take a while.
So what are our theories? Did these two crazy kids make it? What was keeping them apart? Why the two year gap? What were all the meetings for?
EVERY. DAMN. PASSCODE. FOR THISISNOTAWEBSITEDOTCOM.COM:
Will update when i find more!! (updates VERY frequently)
everything in bold+italics needs to be spammed for the full effect
Dipper
Mabel
Wendy
Soos
Bill
Cipher
Bill cipher
Pacifica
Gravity Falls
Robbie
GideonStanley
Stan
Stanford
Ford
Sixer
Mcgucket
Hectoring
Pinata
Rat
Divorce
Breakup
Weird
Alex Hirsch
Matpat
Giffany
Pines
Sorry
Skeleton
Math
Mystery shack
Mystery
Lies
Tad strange
Book of bill
God
One eyed king
Blanchin
Boyfriend
Curse Wittebane
Euclid
Euclydia
Peak
Platinum Paz
Fuck
Shit
Glass Shard Beach
Theory
Cray cray
Ad Astra Per Aspera
Im still on your mind
Vallis Cineris
Help me
Theraprism
Triangle
Weirdmageddon
Blind eye
Dorito
Deer teeth
Baby bill
Baby
LALALALALA
Journal 1
Journal 2
Journal 3
Blendin
History
Filbrick
Love
FBI
Waddles
Reality
Universe
Portal
T J Eckleburg
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Cursed
Scary
Abuelita
Gun
Disney
Mickey Mouse
Caryn
Cryptogram codex
Ducktective
Toby Determined
Irregular
Booberry
Horror
Creepypasta
Seven eyes
Yes
Trigonometry
Torture mentally
Xyler
Craz
Tantrum
Justblendin
Black sheep
Baaaa
Monster
Titans blood
Life
Death
Skibidi
Fortnite
Gyatt
Who are you
Fixinit1
R34lity
Love ya bro
Conspiracy
Dippy Fresh
Disco girl
Liar Lyre
Harold's Ramblings
Union Made
29121239168518
Grebley hemberdreck
3466554
Tinsel snake
XGQRTHX
333 sundapple lane cozy creek IL 60714-94611
naitsuaf
mountain don't
axolotl
morality
well well well being
Burnside
Creepypasta
Family matters
Forget the past
Nothing
Something
Hey nerd
Even his lies are lies
Riddle
No
LLIB
When will I die
Elon
Clone
Multilevel mark
Goodnight Sally
Paper jam
Tyrone
Fordtramarine
Tourist trap
Mason
The duchess approves
shape
Scalene
Scientology
Meow
Shave Your Grandma
Nacho
Rizz
Crypto
Sevral times
Easter Egg
Oh yes they both
Oroborous
Suck it Merlin
Just fit in
Daddy
Mommy
Burned Inside
Kings of new jersey
Destruction is a form of creation
They'll see
They'll all see
I see
Unreality
Rubberhose
You can't kill an idea
Card
Scrimbles
Am i blanchin
Fuck Alex
Fuck you Alex
Fuck you (im not cursing out alex i prommy, these are deadass codes)
Hotxolotl
Bye gold
Ciphertology
NSA
Globnar
Disneyland
Rehpic
Kook
Kubrick
Not a phase
Paper is book skin
Virus
Spookemups
That's just a
You're insane
Owl trowel
L is real 2401
NFT
Question
Answer
Occurremus iterum
Frilliam
Butternubbins
Dispense My Treat
Dionarap
Stod eht tcennoc
History
Hologram
The gun
Marry me
i reached a milestone on ko-fi! i'm slowly rebuilding it because my old one was reported lmao. as thank you, here's a theme to celebrate me reaching 100+ followers over there. thank you so much for the love. *w*
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