An interesting article on an amateur detective trying to solve a 50+ year-old mystery with as many confounding clues as the Z case: https://stories.californiasunday.com/20 … erton-man/

Definitely an interesting case..

The cipher is not solvable using substitution with English language. Thought about looking for a ITT.. word in e.g. Russian..

QT

An interesting article on an amateur detective trying to solve a 50+ year-old mystery with as many confounding clues as the Z case: https://stories.californiasunday.com/20 … erton-man/

Definitely an interesting case..

The cipher is not solvable using substitution with English language. Thought about looking for a ITT.. word in e.g. Russian..

QT

I know that case very very well.. my own thoughts are ww2 "two letter code".. from the "international code of signals" 1932? to 1943? ..all ships used it.. example "AB" abandon ship, "AI" I will not abandon you .. sent via lamp flag or morse, if I find my workings on it I will pm anyone who wants to see it… the detective Gery Feltus who has since retired many years ago and wrote a book on it quite liked my theory, but he liked others as well…i needed someone to debunk it but no one could,or could be bothered. I don’t think it was a secret code as such..

One way to possibly understand the Somerton cipher:

Assume for a second that you were a well-trained secret service agent.

To enable you with a sae method of communication, your government has previously made you learn a list of let’s say 200 words. Those 200 words enable you to communicate efficiently on a fundamental basis (e.g. ‘GET SUPPORT’). Typical ‘spy’ language, so to say.

All other words are simply not on this list, thus not available for secret communication. Conjugations may or may not exist on the list (e.g. DECIDED but not DECIDE). Grammar, tenses etc. remain moreless unimportant.

What can now be done is to set up some sort of polyalphabetic word pattern cipher. For each word, a different alphabet is allowed to be used. This makes a cipher consisting of multiple words quite hard to crack. However, if the agent uses a pattern such as ‘XOBGXOX’, the government automatically has only one word (or only a few words) on its list and can thus identify the cleartext (DECIDED). Then, for the next word, a different alphabet is used (e.g. ‘MLIABO’ for the word DANGER).

According to such word patterns, a message can be set up. Only the government and the agent know, which words can be used (are on the list). Even if multiple words on the list would fit the same criteria, due to the sense of the message a cleartext might be figured out.

According to this the cipher could be interpreted like this:

A TRAINING CONSERVATOR/DEMOGRAPHER ABDUCT/DANGER ENEMY SEEK RENDERING / ERROR ONCOMING / ASSIST ADMIRAL / DEEPEN ANTIWAR / LOOKOUT KELVIN

Depending on the list used, valid solutions could be:

A TRAINING CONSERVATOR ABDUCT ENEMY SEEK RENDERING
A TRAINING DEMOGRAPHER DANGER ENEMY ASSIST ADMIRAL
A TRAINING CONSERVATOR ABDUCT ENEMY ERROR ONCOMING
A TRAINING DEMOGRAPHER DANGER ENEMY DEEPEN ANTIWAR
A TRAINING CONSERVATOR ABDUCT ENEMY LOOKOUT KELVIN

IMO the cleartext "A TRAINING DEMOGRAPHER – DANGER ENEMY – DEEPEN ANTIWAR" or "A TRAINING CONSERVATOR – ABDUCT ENEMY – ERROR ONCOMING" could match a cleartext on such a basis quite well. However, as we don’t know about the content of the list, we can not be sure about such solution.

Some words are actually unique or nearly unique (e.g. only one or only few alternatives) as the only reasonable cleartext has to consist of a word of exactly such pattern. The moreless only alternative to TRAINING e.g. is STOWAWAY (which less likely’d be on the list due to its frequency & meaning). DEMOGRAPHER and CONSERVATOR is the same, only two words, ad hoc, match such pattern. The first word can usually be only ‘A’ or ‘I’ (although it could also be C for ‘SEE’). There are some alternatives for DANGER and ABDUCT, but none of those would actually be on such an ‘efficient’ list either. Similar with ENEMY.

The last word, however, is a bit weird…in no language such a word pattern structure exists for one single word. This is why I separated it into two words, not knowing if this is correct. This could have been done generally (to combine the last two words) to in any case irritate an enemy from potentially decoding the cipher.

Please be aware that I have only checked English as a language, there could be similar solutions in other languages, too.

QT

Well finally they have just been given the green light to dig up the somerton man and DNA him to try and narrow down who he was.

According to this article, Alfred Boxall is most likely the killer of the Somerton man:

– Jessica Thompson writes her phone number into the book or somebody else has done so earlier.
– Jessica Thompson (if not sent by post) meets Alfred Boxall, gives him the book
– A part of the book is ripped out, the cipher is written onto its backside. Most likely this happened by the Somerton Man himself, as the note disappeared in his pocket.
– The rest of the book is thrown into a car, where a man and his brother finds it
– Somerton man dies and the note – part of Jessica Thompson’s book – is found in his pocket.
– During investigation, police finds Jessica Thompson and learns about Alfred Boxall, thinking he might be the victim (but he is alive).

According to thosse steps, the book went from Jessica Thompson via Alfred Boxall to the Somerton man.

Of course, Alfred Boxall was alive.

However, he must have had met the Somerton man (if not having left the book on some park bench etc. – which he never claimed). Otherwise, Jessica Thompson’s book would not have reached the Somerton man.

Thus, Alfred Boxall was one, if not the last person who had met the Somerton man.

Alfred Boxall, however, did not mention this circumstance to police (as it would have made him suspicious on the Somerton man’s murder). Therefore, Alfred Boxall was actively hindering the homicidee investigation.

It is unlikely that the Somerton man has been confined by his murderer previously, as it then would have been difficult to discharge the book into the brother’s car. He therefore went free even after having written the note. The note, however, he put into his pocket. Most likely to hide the information written onto it or – if he foresaw his murder – to let the people finding him afterwards know about specific circumtances.

So or so, Alfred Boxall hindered the police investigation, at the same time was one of the last persons in contact with the Somerton man, left Jessica Thompson’s book with him. Thus, he is the only connection between Jessica Thompson and the Somerton man. Therefore, there is quite a good chance that Alfred Boxall is the murderer of the Somerton man.

When identifying the Somerton man’s body, Jessica Thompson almost fainted. Not only had she known the victim but also his killer: She knew that Alfred Boxall will give the book to the Somerton man. She realized that Alfred Boxall was a murderer, giving the book leading to the death of the Somerton man, which made her ‘almost faint’. This is also, why she could not let the police know about the Somerton man’s identity as in that case she would have lost Alfred Boxall (prison).

Boxall, rejected from Jessica Thompson (letter), had killed the person so he thought he could get back to Jessica Thompson. However, Jessica Thompson had already left the Somerton man, heading for another marriage (Prosper Thomson). Therefore, Boxall even killed the wrong person (doing so by giving him poisoned cigarettes).

Alternative scenario could be that the cipher was written by Jessica Thompson, the book then given to Alfred Boxall. Maybe she wanted to inform the Somerton man about her new love (Prosper Thomson), which she of course could not tell the rejected Boxall (reason for the encryption?).

QT

https://7news.com.au/news/crime/body-of … d-c-502980

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-15/ … t/11377458

two different books quicktrader

From Wikipedia:

On the inside back cover of the book [1941 edition], detectives identified indentations from handwriting. These included a telephone number, an unidentified number, and a text that resembled an encrypted message.

Thus, the cipher was not found with the Somerton man but had (already) been written inside the book which was thrown into the brother’s car. Somerton man only had the small note ‘Tamam Shud’ in his pocket, which matched that book.

Therefore, the Somerton man could have left the book with the cipher (1) in some strangers car, while still referring to it with his Tamam Shud note (but small chances for somebody to find that book). The phone number (2), was Jessica Thomson’s [corrected], the existance/meaning of the unidentified number (3) is unclear.

Alfred Boxall had shown a 1924 edition, that is correct, which had an intact last page as well as some verse written by Jessica Thomson in it. Indeed, according to that, the book of the Somerton is unrelated – if there wasn’t the telephone number of Jessica Thomson in it. But it was.

Thus, Jessica Thomson can be connected to two books: One she wrote the verse into and then had given it to Alfred Boxall, the second which was found in the brother’s car- previously in Somerton man’s possession – with her unlisted phone number written into it. Somerton man being a stalker, re-buying the book Alfred Boxall had received?

And there is a third one:

In June 1945—three years before the death of the Somerton Man—a 34-year-old Singaporean named George Marshall (born Joseph Saul Haim Mashal) was found dead in Ashton Park, Mosman, Sydney, with an open copy of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam on his chest.

Even IF the book was a different one, we know that Jessica Thomson had given an edition to Alfred Boxall. With 1,000,000+ different books available, there has to be a connection between those two books, after all. Either Jessica Thomson had given away not only one but two or three different books or somebody had started to buy the book, eg. a stalker. But even then: Two stalkers buying the same book Jessica Thomson had given to Alfred Boxall? Not very realistic.

IMO Jessica Thomson – if she had not returned the book as such given to her previously, eg. by Alfred Boxall – had given three books or even more. Two out of those three people died, the Somerton man as well as George Marshall, the third did not (Alfred Boxall). Both connected to the book, with Jessica Thomson giving away such, makes her suspicious.

Let’s assume both, Marshall and Somerton, died from poison. Marshall read the book, had his laughs about it, Jessica Thomson next to him, giving some poisoned food – Marshall is done. Two years later, Jessica Thomson gives the same book to Alfred Boxall. But he then leaves for military service – no chance or need to poison him anymore. However, Somerton receives the book as well, gets poisoned. The book itself, however, is already gone. Just a note is left in his pocket. Was he supposed to take the book with him all the time, which he did not?

This case is indeed super mysterious..nevertheless, the only ‘initiator’ of that Tamam Shud book issue is Jessica Thomson. If she did not kill, who else if not Boxall? ALSO having ties / knowledge about this specific type of book?

There is another possibility: What if the book itself was poisoned? Marshall read it – died. Somerton man opened it, wrote a note into it and ripped of the Tamam Shud section – died. What if Boxall’s edition was simply not poisoned?

QT

The telephone number X3239 was used in three other states. But i will go wih occys razor and say it was jessicas.

I purchased an original copy of the newspaper via a company in South Australia It has a picture of the code and numbers in it. I can make out the X3239 clearly and have a fair idea of the other which is of a lawyer who looked for missing people from overseas and locally. He worked out of bank offices.

"The Book" was popular in the era.
Jessica wrote a verse in alfreds book.
The somerton mans book had its Taman shud ending torn out
Georges book was weather beaten being exposed to the elements.

My thoughts on who it is.
For the purpose of posterity William Dawe was the unknown rider with Paul Revere FWIW

Exhumation, DNA, and hopefully a name

The verse..

The book was popular? Somewhere read that one edition was even rare?

QT

Yes Quicktrader hundreds of publishers world wide and lots of rare copies amongst the clutter.

It was the Somerton mans code that got me interested in codes many years ago. I believe the codein the back of the book was a 1930s maritime two letter International code of signals (AB) meaning abandon ship etc

Yes Quicktrader hundreds of publishers world wide and lots of rare copies amongst the clutter.

Ok, but it still was the same book? One out of at least a million? And her phone number was written inside the book?

I’m gonna stick with it, Jester and Somerton man, there is a connection and the only connection known of is Alfred Boxall.

QT

My approach on the "Tamam Shud" code.

1. Take FitzGerald’s translation of "Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam".
2. Convert all ciphertext letters to numbers.
3. W, W, M, A, I – these are the markers of the Rubaiyat numbers.
4. Convert numbers to letters from the corresponding Rubaiyat (23, 23, 13, 1, 9).
5. Exclude markers from the ciphertext.
6. Arrange the anagrammed message.
7. Read the intended message.

*******************************************************

W R G O A B A B D

W T B I M P A N E T P

—-x————-

M L I A B O A I A Q C

I T T M T S A M S T G A B

****************************************************

23 18 7 15 1 2 1 2 4

23 20 2 9 13 16 1 14 5 20 16

—-x————-

13 12 9 1 2 15 1 9 1 17 3

9 20 20 13 20 19 1 13 19 20 7 1 2

****************************************************

18 7 15 1 2 1 2 4

20 2 9 13 16 1 14 5 20 16

—-x————-

12 9 1 2 15 9 1 17 3

20 20 13 20 19 1 13 19 20 7 1 2

****************************************************

L E T F O F O S

V O E O H F D O V H

—-x————-

O I H O A M A L A

S S S S O A S O S K A N

****************************************************

S O V — L E F T — O F F — H D O

O H I O — A L A M O — K A N S A S

*******************************************************

Intended message:

THE SOVIETS LEFT OFF HYDROGEN DEUTERIUM OXIDE

OHIO — ALAMO — KANSAS.

My rendition of the Somerton man’s face reconstruction from the known post mortem photos.