Well, it worked. So far no one knows who sent the Confession Letter or who wrote the Zodiac Letters.
Zodiac must have been aware of police procedure on some level. He made extra efforts to cover
his tracks. There are still no definitive finger prints for Zodiac.

Just FYI…..there was an example of Graysmith’s handwriting floating around one time…he wrote( at least in that example) his " E" in the very same fashion. Don’t know what that means, if anything.

Slightly off topic but related to the discussion on the author, perhaps thinking/believing, that his handwriting may be recognised and thus disguising same.

Is it not even more curious that the author of the confession went to so much trouble to disguise the make of typewriter by using multiple carbon copies. Personally I’m at least half surprised that the author would be aware that it was possible to trace a typrwriter at the time, but even that aside, does it not point to someone who thought that they might come under suspicion?
If this person was a complete outsider it would appear to be an unnecessary move ( unless he was really paranoid about covering every eventuality). Would it not also suggest that the author was unwilling or probably more so, unable, to dispose of the typewriter. Perhaps it was someone using a campus typewriter in some office and was fearful they could be connected to it. Something along those lines!
Just thoughts!

Here’s a 1956 article about disguising typewriter clues:
http://scholarlycommons.law.northwester … ntext=jclc

And a couple more interesting reads:

http://www.questioneddocuments.com/serv … minations/

http://books.google.com/books?id=KQ5Dio … 22&f=false

Evidentally, the cofession author wa sfamiliar with typewriters and how to disguise them, or watched tv shows or movies or read books in which typewriter disguising was involved, or had knowledge in police work & questioned documents. Does not seem like the common every day person would think or know to disguise his type

Evidently, the confession author was familiar with typewriters and how to disguise them, or watched tv shows or movies or read books in which typewriter disguising was involved, or had knowledge in police work & questioned documents. Does not seem like the common every day person would think or know to disguise his type

A very good point and not one that I think should be over-looked. IF we consider this to be Zodiac then we have to carry that mindset through to the letters and the ciphers and the killings. Do his communications and actions appear to be from first hand knowledge or experience? or, are they something learned (still first hand in a way, i.e. learned by himself through researching books and TV)? Or are they second hand, learned from people in his immediate environment at any given time.

Evidently, the confession author was familiar with typewriters and how to disguise them, or watched tv shows or movies or read books in which typewriter disguising was involved, or had knowledge in police work & questioned documents. Does not seem like the common every day person would think or know to disguise his type

A very good point and not one that I think should be over-looked. IF we consider this to be Zodiac then we have to carry that mindset through to the letters and the ciphers and the killings. Do his communications and actions appear to be from first hand knowledge or experience? or, are they something learned (still first hand in a way, i.e. learned by himself through researching books and TV)? Or are they second hand, learned from people in his immediate environment at any given time.

Why go to such lengths to hide a make of typewriter, then, right so freely in his own handwriting?

I become more convinced all the time Zodiac’s true handwriting looked nothing like his letters.

He knew about photograph tracing techniques, certainly he know about handwriting analysis. He knew his letters were being published. I’d say his handwriting was disguised as well. I think the only benefit of the handwriting analysis is finding the letters he wrote as "Zodiac".

Evidently, the confession author was familiar with typewriters and how to disguise them, or watched tv shows or movies or read books in which typewriter disguising was involved, or had knowledge in police work & questioned documents. Does not seem like the common every day person would think or know to disguise his type

A very good point and not one that I think should be over-looked. IF we consider this to be Zodiac then we have to carry that mindset through to the letters and the ciphers and the killings. Do his communications and actions appear to be from first hand knowledge or experience? or, are they something learned (still first hand in a way, i.e. learned by himself through researching books and TV)? Or are they second hand, learned from people in his immediate environment at any given time.

Why go to such lengths to hide a make of typewriter, then, right so freely in his own handwriting?

I become more convinced all the time Zodiac’s true handwriting looked nothing like his letters.

He knew about photograph tracing techniques, certainly he know about handwriting analysis. He knew his letters were being published. I’d say his handwriting was disguised as well. I think the only benefit of the handwriting analysis is finding the letters he wrote as "Zodiac".

Absolutely. My thought’s written by yourself T. I have made some recent posts here concerning this http://www.zodiackillersite.com/viewtop … 9&start=30

Wier’s research may provide an insight to this in respect that it may uncover traits, at the very least, that may be connected with his true writing style.

Evidently, the confession author was familiar with typewriters and how to disguise them, or watched tv shows or movies or read books in which typewriter disguising was involved, or had knowledge in police work & questioned documents. Does not seem like the common every day person would think or know to disguise his type

A very good point and not one that I think should be over-looked. IF we consider this to be Zodiac then we have to carry that mindset through to the letters and the ciphers and the killings. Do his communications and actions appear to be from first hand knowledge or experience? or, are they something learned (still first hand in a way, i.e. learned by himself through researching books and TV)? Or are they second hand, learned from people in his immediate environment at any given time.

Why go to such lengths to hide a make of typewriter, then, right so freely in his own handwriting?

I become more convinced all the time Zodiac’s true handwriting looked nothing like his letters.

He knew about photograph tracing techniques, certainly he know about handwriting analysis. He knew his letters were being published. I’d say his handwriting was disguised as well. I think the only benefit of the handwriting analysis is finding the letters he wrote as "Zodiac".

To your point Tahoe, regarding the ‘citizen’ letter, he did not sign it Zodiac, nor did he include a threat, no double postage, etc,etc. So he had no way of knowing it would be linked to the zodiac letters, so that may be his true writing.

Incidentally, along with the typewriter being disguised, it seems the paper uses was also an "odd" size, being that a strip was torn of both ends. Might this suggest that the author might have used business paper…perhaps printed info was removed from top and bottom. Maybe it was a case of the author using materials from work as opposed to him actually owning a tyrewrtier himself.

It was teletype paper Wier. Read this thread-

http://www.zodiackillersite.com/viewtop … 969&p=8676

Thanks Seagull….I had just read on another thread only that it was poor quailty paper torn at both ends.

I wanted to point something out about the "R" in "MORE."

The first two letters, possibly written in the following order, has a R made of one stroke:

http://www.zodiackiller.com/BatesLetter2.html
http://www.zodiackiller.com/BatesLetter1.html

But by the 3rd letter he has switched to a 2-stroke R on both the letter and address:

http://www.zodiackiller.com/BatesLetter3.html

It shows that he was trying to change his writing style but gets lazy and switches to possibly his actual writing style.

Interesting, good catch Paul

Concerning the ‘signature’ at the end of the Bates letters… I definitely see it as mL. If you look at it closely it appear to be written in two strokes. One for the m with a small ending blob mid way of the L shape.

It also resembles the sign of Scorpio

Interesting. Whether one considers the "initial" a Z, or the sign of Scorpio, it has a Zodiacal connection.

One of the things that made ‘Zode’ an interesting Suspect, was that his initials are MLZ

My thoery is that it is a Theban script "R."

(Zode and MLZ was very interesting, but it would be to obvious)