SOLVING C I P H E R S E C R E T S Edited by M. E . Ohaver

WITH EXPLANATIONS AND ANSWERS TO M. WALKER'S PHONETIC CIPHERS NOS. 145 AND 147, AND A NEW AND IMPORTANT LIST OF SOLVERS

NO doubt our readers are al l set for a glimpse of the alphabet which M . Walker used in preparing his pho­

netic Ciphers Nos. 145 and 147, published in the last two issues. So without further preamble we take pleasure in appending it in ful l . T h e proper values of characters which have more than one sound in ordi­nary usage are shown in parentheses.

E (eel) Y (ves) Z I ( i t ) W (we) s (see)

A (ape) L Z H (azure) E (end) R S B (she) A (alms) M B A (an) N P A (al l ) N G D 0 (dog) H T 0 (old) V J U (up) F C H (chin)

0 0 (moon) T H (the) G (go) 0 0 (foot) T H (thin) K C

Instead of listing his characters alpha­betically, our correspondent has arranged them in approximately their scientific order, beginning with the vowels—first c o l u m n — the coalescents ( W and Y ) next, then the liquids ( L and R ) , the nasals ( M , N , and N G ) , the aspirate ( H ) , and finishing up with the continuants ( V to S H ) and e.x-plodents ( B to K ) .

Since this alphabet does not use special characters for the diphthongs, it is neces­sary to represent these by the proper com­binations of simple vowel sounds, thus: I by A - I ( A as in alms, I as in it); 0 1 by

A - I ( A as in all, I as in it); and O U by A - 0 0 ( A as in alms, 0 0 as in joot).

So much for the phonetic alphabet; now for the ciphers. I n No. 145 the following series of thirty-six symbols was used as cipher alphabet. / standing for E ( long) , 2 for I ( short ) , and so on, Z, lastly, being used for K . T o avoid confusion with the figures I and o, the letters I and O are not used in the cipher alphabet.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 9 * 0 & A B C D E F G H J K L M N P Q R ; S T U V W X Y Z

Decipherment with the key, of course, is done exactly as in the ordinary simple sub­stitution cipher, as shown herewith where part of the cryptogram is given at (a), phonetic equivalents at (b), and ordinary spelling at (c). M r . Walker ' s text is the well known quotation from Shakespeare.

(a) K D 4 F U N D 9 E 6 F N Z * F V D 2 E 4 F . . . (b) F R E N D Z R O M A N Z K U N T R I M E N . . . (c) " F r i e n d s , Romans, countrymen . . ."

Without the key, decipherment could start here with a comparison of the short words. T h u s , the groups Li, L6V, and L3D, all beginning in L and B2L, ending in L , suggest the value T H (voiced) for L , and such words as T H E , T H E M , T H I S , W I T H , and so on, for the groups.

T a k i n g Li for T H E and B2L for W I T H , for example, would give the values r = E ( long) , 5 = W , and 2 = 1 ( shor t ) . B y sub-

S O L V I N G C I P H E R S E C R E T S 639 stituting these throughout the cryptogram, other words are partly deciphered and addi­tional phonetic symbols determined. Pre-quencies can also be considered. I n fact, decipherment can proceed along the same lines as with an ordinary simple substitu­tion alphabet.

A ' l this, of course, requires more or less famil iar i ty w i t h phonetic spelling. A n d in this connection we may add that of a l l spell­ings the accepted orthography of the E n g ­l ish language is the most irregular. T h i s difference between sound and symbol, how­ever, is not intentionally arbitrary. I t is the result of gradual change in pronuncia­t ion which has not been accompanied by corresponding change in spelling.

F o r example, the spelling " knight " was phonetic in the fourteenth century, for then the initial " k " was actually sounded, and " gh " was pronounced l ike " ch " in Ger­man. So-called " spelling reforms " are only efforts to have the spelling of the language keep pace with the change in pro­nunciation. Books on phonetics are, for­tunately, neither so rare nor so difficult to obtain as tho.se on cryptography. And we should be glad to send a short list of them, chosen wi th the needs of the cipher fan in mind, to any one who is interested.

I n Cipher No. 147 the phonetic alpha­bet was represented by the following cipher series: (f irst column) I - I - E - E - A - A -A - A - O - U - U - U ; (second column) W - Y - R -L - M - N - G G - Q U - F - V - H - H ; ( third column) S - Z - S W - Z W - P - B - T - D - C - J - K - G . T h e pro­nounceable feature of this cipher was ob­tained by using vowels as substitutes for vowels, and consonants for consonants, let­ters of similar sound to those represented being used wherever possible.

Replace phonetic characters for these symbols, and the cipher, " Ort N u h u l Quu-palt , yemd du h i gupult . . . , " is trans­formed into that immortal and soul-stirring tragedy, " Old Mother Hubbard , went to the cupboard . . . , " which many of our readers probably recognized at once through similarity of rhythm and meter.

Some of the symbols in this example signify more than one sound in the pho­netic alphabet. B u t these additional values have been so selected as to avoid confusion

or difficulty i n translation if due attention is paid to context. A t any rate, to M r . Walker goes the honor of being the first to submit to this department a cipher using a true phonetic alphabet.

Las t week's straight substitution Cipher N o . 146 conveyed the message: " C i rcum­stances never made the man do right who didn't do right in spite of them." We in­tended that you should mistake the letter after the apostrophe for an S. D i d it fool you?

T u r n i n g to this week's layout, in N o . 149 you wi l l find a new straight substitu­tion " c r y p t " by a newcomer to these pages. A n d in N o . 150 you have a system which M r . Napier found in an old maga­zine. W e ' l l tell you a l l about it next week.

T h e last cipher is another of M r . Walker 's phonetic ciphers, using the same alphabet as the preceding examples, but this time entirely in numbers. See what you can do with i t . T h e answers to al l of these ciphers, also to N o . 148 of last week, wi l l be published next week.

Reader ciphers are pouring in now at a l ively rate, which is very encouraging. F o r the greater the interest evinced in the de­partment by the " customers," the more i n ­teresting is the department bound to be. Keep them coming, fans!

C I P H E R No. 149 (Miss Hannah C. Jones, Far Rockaway, New Y o r k ) .

S Z K O R Y X L A O U COA R A O Q C Y W M S U K R R A U U I K M C U N M Z Z J R E C U A O U . Z W A R O W U X A W T CVV A W B Z S C E M A A H A W Y V V N D Y Q L Q L A J .

C I P H E R No. ISO ( P . A . Napier, Louisvil le, K e n t u c k y ) .

I S I R S N K B P D G X K A M A Q B R K P M T Z Q H T N R D J F A Q Y A C H N E A M O E ISQ S D A O A O .

C I P H E R No. 151 ( M . Walker, Akron, Ohio). 22-8-16 26-10-17 14-1 1S-10-21-31 23-1 15-10-21-15-2-4-26-32 6-18-31 23-1 29-4-26-32 23-6-32 16-9-15-2-19 32-5-2-17 20-6-24 22-16-8-17 20-2-25 21-2-18-32-3-33 30-16-4-26-32 20-6-21 31-16-10-19-36 23-3-16 36-10-30 3 I 6 - 5 - I 2 - 1 8 - 3 I 8-16 32-H 29-1-22-9-16.

I n a recent issue we put the matter of solvers' lists up to the fans. " T o be or not , " that was the question. A n d to this query came the answer " y e s " i n no u n ­certain terms.

Accordingly y o u wi l l find below our first

640 F L Y N N ' S W E E K L Y D E T E C T I V E F I C T I O N

list of solvers to the weekly ciphers. T h i s list only includes Ciphers Nos. 51 to n o . Solutions to the first f i f ty , which, by actual count, numbered one hundred and thirty, are not given.

Ar thur Bel lamy leads, with a string as long as your arm. A n d John Q. Boyer comes next with answers to every " crypt " published since the inception of the weekly department. Other solvers are also well represented.

Arthur Bellamy, Boston, Massachusetts— S I , 56, 58 (biliteral)^ 59, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 68, 70, 72. 73, 74. 75. 77. 78. 80, 82, 83, 90, 92, 94, 98, 100, l o i , 102, 103, 104, 106, 107, 108, 109, n o -

J o h n Q. Boyer, Baltimore, Mary land—51, S3. 56. 59, 62, 65, 68, 74. 77. 80, 83, 86, 92. 95, 98, 101, 104, 107, n o .

H . L . Bellam, Reno, Nevada—51, 52, 74, 75. 95. 96. 101, 102, 104, 105, 106.

M . Walker, Akron, Ohio—59, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 80, 92, 95, 98.

P. A . Napier, Louisville, K e n t u c k y — 5 1 , 53. 54. 106.

Alfred N . Pray, L o s Angeles, C a l i f o r n i a — 82, 86, 88, 89.

Charles E . Roe, Hudson, Massachusetts— 6 1 , 62, 63, 64.

J . L l o y d Hood, Bastrop, Texas—62, 63, 86. Louis Bekasi, Bronx, New Y o r k — 8 3 , 84. J . Levine, Long Beach, California—59. G. W. Morlan, Hawardeen, I o w a — n o . Dr. Geo. P . Wood, Detroit, Michigan—106.

Look over this list for the solvers of your own ciphers. A n d send in your solu­tions for publication in future lists. For if this list is accorded a rousing welcome, and we're almost sure it wi l l be, we wi l l publish another one before long. L e t your name be in i t ! Most of these aren't nearly as hard as they seem.

IT ' S going to be a good spring, fu l l of excellent reading matter for readers of F L Y N N ' S W E E K L Y D E T E C T I V E F I C T I O N !

W e have novels for you by W y n d h a m M a r t y n , El izabeth Y o r k Mil ler , M a x w e l l Smith, Peter Perry , John Webb, Clement Wood, and others.

Mansfield Scott is preparing a series of novelettes featuring Dizzy Mc Arthur, whom you wi l l remember from " Defenders of the L a w . "

There w i l l be novelettes by Victor Maxwel l , Carrol l John D a l y , R o y Hinds , P a u l T a y l o r , John L . T iernan , and others.

A n d we can promise you a host of new writers, writers who have never yet appeared in print in this magazine, and writers who have never appeared in print anywhere.

Y o u won't want to miss a single issue of F L Y N N ' S W E E K L Y D E T E C T I V E F I C T I O N if you l ike good detective stories.

10 F W