Problem 119 — crackciphers.com

The University of Akron’s M. Story-Bates postcard collection preserves correspondence involving Ralph Duckworth and Minnie Storey-Bates. Most cards can be read in ordinary handwriting. A smaller set contains letter groups, numbers, apostrophe-like marks, and passages whose writing looks different from the surrounding prose.

The public binder has 132 routes and 131 distinct catalogue titles. The documented private-writing set consists of twelve physical cards, with a duplicate route for one object. Some carry a full page of unusual writing; on others only a salutation, a middle passage, or an edge inscription is set apart. The dates extend from 1904 to 1918, so each object needs to be read on its own terms before treating the correspondence as one puzzle.

Date	Event
2026-09-08	Public page prepared from the campaign record

Object	Catalogue date	Original object
001	30 November 1904	M_Bates_001
002	1904	M_Bates_002
005	Undated here	M_Bates_005
006	1904	M_Bates_006
019	Undated here	M_Bates_019
032	Undated here	M_Bates_032
045	1905	M_Bates_045
049	10 May 1907	M_Bates_049
050	Undated here	M_Bates_050
058	23 July 1907	M_Bates_058
061	1906	M_Bates_061
130	7 September 1918	M_Bates_130

The complete letter-field rendering of M_Bates_001 below is one place to begin. Its manuscript heading is “Wednesday”; the cancellation reads “NO 30 / 04.” The other objects remain available through their individual source records above. Can their private passages be read, with changes of handwriting and damaged text kept separate?

Source transcription coverage

The following separates recorded character transcriptions from catalogue-only reading aids. Damaged or uncertain marks stay visible. Each original record remains the authority for handwriting and physical placement.

Member	Source coverage
M_Bates_001	M_Bates_001, fourteen message lines; Physical damage/qualification retained in displayed text
M_Bates_002	M_Bates_002, body, closing and picture-edge addition; Physical damage/qualification retained in displayed text
M_Bates_006	M_Bates_006, fourteen rows; Physical damage/qualification retained in displayed text
M_Bates_045	M_Bates_045, lighter and darker writing; Physical damage/qualification retained in displayed text
M_Bates_049	M_Bates_049, salutation and ordinary note; Physical damage/qualification retained in displayed text
M_Bates_050	M_Bates_050, nine physical message rows; All nine source rows represented with unknowns; ordinary closing absent from source-only ledger
M_Bates_058	M_Bates_058, two embedded rows; Full special insert represented; ordinary surrounding message not fully diplomatic here
M_Bates_061	M_Bates_061, twelve message rows; Physical damage/qualification retained in displayed text
M_Bates_130	M_Bates_130, the inverted footer; Full footer represented; surrounding ordinary prose only has catalog normalization
M_Bates_005	Catalogue-only character record, not reproduced as a faithful source transcript; Full published literal is known inexact; no purely source-literal replacement extracted
M_Bates_019	Catalogue-only character record, not reproduced as a faithful source transcript; Catalogue digit conflict remains; no new glyph judgment made
M_Bates_032	Catalogue-only character record, not reproduced as a faithful source transcript; Published literal has faint-prime/cursive errors; no new glyph judgment made
M_Bates_052	M_Bates_052, separate ordinary-text card; Physical damage/qualification retained in displayed text

M_Bates_001, fourteen message lines

The letter case, punctuation and physical line breaks follow the saved source transcription.

Nz ebsmjoh, J tibmm cf jo Tpvuibnqupo
upojhiu bt ju jt uif Cpxmjoh nffujoh
pg uif Dzdmjtu Ebodf, cvu j xjmm
tff zpv po Gsjebz ojhiu.
J ipqf zpv mjlf uijt wjfx pg Nbsjf,
j epou uijol zpv ibwf ibe pof mjlf
ju cfgpsf. Ibwf zpv.
Cvu cfgpsf bt j qspnjtfe bmtp, j xjmm
ufmm zpv. Xibu j ibwf xboufe
up, gps b mpoh ujnf; j qspnjtf j tibmm
ufmm zpv ofyu ojhiu, xjmm zpv
bmmpx nf up.
J bn bmxbzt, nz ebsmjoh Njo,
Zpvst fwfs mpwjoh (Sbmqi)

M_Bates_002, body, closing and picture-edge addition

Double brackets retain uncertain source-letter readings. The gray B10g insertion is separate from the dark writing. F01–F02 belong to the picture side; their position before or after the back message is not established. The struck word and clipped edge remain visible gaps.

B01  eniM, lliW uoy esaelp tup a ynnep pmats
B02  no eht emas uoy lliW dnif ni ym gnitirw
B03  osla desserdda ot J. R. ⟦lliH,⟧ dna tsop
B04  ti ta ecno. t'noD tegrof. lliW evah ti.
B05  thgir ⟦hcum⟧ I ⟦esum⟧ ⟦erom.⟧
B06  mA gniog ot eht alacS thginot ot ees eht
B07  wohs. lliW evah a wen yob - lliW [struck:~5-7 glyphs]
B08  ⟦rebmemeR⟧ (⟦rehtona⟧ ⟦ylliW⟧) emoh 9 emit.
B09  ta eht ⟦retniW⟧ ⟦snedraG⟧ lla thgin
B10  fI uoy ⟦egdelwonkca.⟧
B10g  ⟦ylno⟧ ⟦ecno⟧
B11  ⟦sruoY|tsuJ⟧ 3 ⟦setunim⟧ ⟦no⟧ ⟦eht⟧ ⟦on⟧ ⟦noitacinummoc⟧
B12  ⟦ehs|fi?⟧ ⟦dnif⟧ ⟦gnihtyna⟧ ⟦htiw⟧ mih.
C01  eroM nona.
S01  llA morf R.
F01  ereH no yadnoM sa llew. ⟦rehtO⟧ hc[edge-clipped]
F02  erutcip. yreV doog. I hsiw.

M_Bates_006, fourteen rows

Daggers mark rows whose existing transcription restores an obscured or clipped portion: A02 at the right endpoint, A03 at the right edge, and A06 at its end. Several other primes and the punctuation on A05 and A09 are faint. This is a source-qualified edition; the original is needed to judge those marks.

A01  ym 22'1'r M3'9x,
A02 † R1'3'9, r1'3'9, r1'3'9, 3' 6h4'5'52
A03 † 3h3'98 y4'5' w3'55 12' r2'j4'3'c3'90
A04  3h2' 31'98 w3'55 12' 45'55 94'w w4'9'3
A05  3'3? 15'3 3'3 3'6 634'773'90 ym
A06 † cr3'c82'3, 15'3 3h1'3 24'2'69'3 m1'332'r
A07  64' 54'90 1'6 3'3 3'6 43'92' 92'x3 61'35'r-
A08  21'y, 1'92 y4'5' 04' 34' 1'ccr3'9034'9,
A09  23'2 y4'5' w3'9 y2'632'r21'y? 3' 1'm
A10  w1'3'33'90 1'92 54'903'90 34' 894'w.
A11  Hurrah! 1' wh4'52' 21'y6 h4'53'21'y
A12  4'9 M4'921'y, 64' 6h1'55 h4'72' 34' 62'2' y4'5'.
A13  12'63 54'v2'
A14  4r4'm R1'57h

M_Bates_045, lighter and darker writing

O01–O07 are the lighter writing. D01–D04 are the darker writing below it. The uncertain dot after “got” and the clipped terminal stroke in D01 are retained. The picture side has no handwritten message.

O01  Was very relieved to
O02  get news from home
O03  as I thought- we would
O04  have got{·/∅} stranded or
O05  something like it; Am
O06  having a lovely time,
O07  Just a riddle from Fred.

D01  eviG mih ym evol fi eh[terminal-stroke-edge-clipped]
D02  si evila tsoP- ot yad.
D03  t'nod dnim ot ees regoR. Yrs.
D04  Nell.

M_Bates_049, salutation and ordinary note

Only the salutation has the numeral-and-mark form shown here. The uncertain repeated abbreviation near the end is ordinary handwriting.

10/5/07

22'1'r M3'9x,
I am going to
Cricket practice if it keeps
fine tonight otherwise I
will turn up. Hope you
won't mind my going; they
might think it a bit shabby
if I didn't turn up. Effie
is going on Saturday to Tennis
and would like to arrange
with you what time ⟦&c. &c.?⟧
Ta-ta for the present. Best love
Ralph

M_Bates_050, nine physical message rows

This source-only transcription preserves ambiguous letter-like and numeral-like shapes inside double brackets. The faded stretches and parts under the printer’s legend have not been filled. The ordinary closing is not included in this frozen row ledger. The two archive routes 261 and 1088 show one physical card.

L01  3h2′r2′ wi′6 3h3′c8 6⟦g/9⟧4′w
L02  h2′r′- 5⟦i/1⟧′6⟦shallow-wave glyph⟧ ⟦g/9⟧5′⟦o/0⟧h3, 15′3
L03  3⟦3′/′3; tick attachment⟧ hi′6 155′ ⟦o/0⟧4′⟦o/0⟧′ - 3h3′6
L04  m⟦h/7⟧4′r ⟦g/9⟧⟦3/~⟧′⟦g/9⟧0.
L05  24′ ⟦g/9⟧4′5′ r2′⟦faded 1–2 glyphs⟧2′ ⟦i/1⟧⟦i/1′⟧-- 3h2′
L06  57′6 4′rc⟦i/1⟧2′63r15′ C4′⟦g/9⟧⟦o/0⟧ir.⟦edge-clipped vertical/dot glyph⟧
L07  I'm ⟦g/9⟧5′63 444 34′ 3h⟦long horizontal stroke with detached tick⟧
L08  ⟦left glyph(s) under printed legend⟧ 3⟦g/9⟧, 64′ w555 ⟦o/0⟧1′ ⟦right-end faded/edge-clipped glyphs⟧
L09  r2′54′3′⟦i/1′⟧.

M_Bates_058, two embedded rows

The two special rows lie between the ordinary words shown above and below. The dagger marks a cluster restored in the existing transcription where ink is overwritten. Faint primes remain source-qualified, and the uncertain terminal stroke in the ordinary “you⟦r?⟧” is retained. The full surrounding ordinary note requires the original source record.

M_Bates_061, twelve message rows

The heading is ordinary writing. Daggers identify rows containing especially uncertain loop-descender or overwritten forms in the existing transcription. The remaining small marks are often faint. Only the clearly recorded ordinary closing is printed; overlapping words at the foot are not supplied.

Friday Night

C01  3h2' r2'1'64'9 3' h1'v2'9'3
C02  wr3'32'9 3'6 3h1'3 3' h1'v2'
C03  94' 92'w6, 15'3 94' 24'5'13
C04  3h2'r2' w3'55 12' 64'm2'.
C05 † q5'2'633'4'96 34' 1'96w2'r
C06  3'9 y4'5'r 52'332'r, wh2'9 3'3
C07 † c4'm2'6. 3' h4'72' 2'v2'ry3h3'90
C08 † 3'6 1'5r3'0h3, 3' w1'6 q5'3'32'
C09  631'r352'2 3h3'6 m4'r93'90
C10  wh2'9 3' c1'm2' 24'w9 94'3 34'
C11  62'2' y4'5'r 52'332'r 4'9 3h2' 31'152'.
C12  wr3'32' 64'4'9 M3'9x

Yours Sincerely
[faint overlapping closing writing]

M_Bates_130, the inverted footer

The one-line footer runs upside down along the top edge and overlaps the printed POST CARD heading. Double brackets mark the least secure group under that printing. The preceding ordinary note is a separate field and is not included in this exact footer transcription.

M_Bates_052, separate ordinary-text card

The heading is separate from the body. Square brackets around the fourth date form are marks written on the card. A horizontal stroke crosses the heading, and the exact status of that stroke is uncertain.

31st July 1907

Glad Ritchie has passed. Shall you
be very busy tonight. Can you
understand the meaning of the
following. 31/7/07. Wednesday July 31st
1907. 31/VII/07. [31/7/1907]. 31st July 1907.
&c. &c, hope you do and accept
Yours very sincerely
Ral

Resources

Solutions

#	Solution	By	Status
1	Solution 119-1 A reading, written up in full	@offgramercy	ACCEPTED

Still open: One card retains clipped, struck, and unsafe overwritten spans that need a better physical witness

Ralph Duckworth and Minnie Storey-Bates Correspondence

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