Problem 125 — crackciphers.com

Three postcards addressed to Miss Leeah Doane at Little Marsh, Pennsylvania, are preserved as HCPortal items 1506, 1507, and 1508. Their cancellations place them on the Knoxville route in May and June 1913. The first two bear composition dates of 9 May and 23 May; the third is postmarked 13 June.

The message fields contain numbers between 1 and 26, separated by periods and dashes. Ordinary writing appears among them: “Sat. Eve.,” “morning,” and “disappointed you” are visible inserts. One card also says, in clear, “Please come to the store first thing.” Their matching layout and number hand invite comparison, but the readings still have to account for each object.

Both sides of every card matter: printed captions, open signatures, the address, and cancellation sit outside the number fields. The source rendering below preserves all three fields, including uncertain or apparently omitted writing. What do they say?

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

Source rendering. Line breaks follow the evidence record; square brackets mark uncertainty.

HCP1507, written 9 May 1913
1-26  18.3.12.4-6.3.12.22-
17-3.24.9.3.20.8-8.7-
10.3.3-26.7.16-17.25-
8.7.21.25-  "Sat. Eve."  18.3.12.4-
11.7.4-1.3
12-4.17.18.3-21-17.6.6-18.7-
26.7.16-13.7.7.18-22.7.25.3.26-
17-21.17.6.6-6.7.7.14-11.7.4-
26.7.16-10.21.3.3.8.22.3.12.4.8-
"Good." 25.17.13.22.8
[closing flourish/name unclear]
xxx

HCP1506, written 23 May 1913
24.24.24.
7.22-1.26-18.3.12.4-
13.17.4.6-21.22.12.8-17.10-
8.22.3-1.12.8.8.3.4-22.12.23.3-
17-18.7.25.3-10.7.1.3.8.22.17.25.13-
21.4.7.25.13-7.4-12.4.3-26.7.16-
13.3.8.8.17.25.13-8.17.4.3.18-7.11-1.3-
17-18.7-25.7.8-14.25.7.21-21.22.12.8-
17-22.12.23.3-18.7.25.3-8.7-1.12.14.3-
26.7.16-1.12.18-12.8-1.3-[17-12.1]-
[21].7.4.4.17.3.18-[23].3.4.26-1.16.20.22-
12.4.3-26.7.16-8.17.4.3.18-7.11-1.3-
17.11-10.7-26.7.16-7.16.13.22.8-8.7-13-
[unclear or omitted span]-26.7.16.4-
4.3.12.10.7.25-26.7.16-
5.3.8.8.3.4-20.7.1.3-18.7.21.25-
"Sat night"
26.7.16.4-
11.4.17.3.25.18-
"Ezra"

HCP1508, postmarked 13 June 1913
1.26-18.3.12.4-13.17.4.6-
17-11.3.6.8-12.21.11.16.6-
8.22.17.10- "morning" -21.22.3.25-
17-21.3.25.8-17.25-8.7-11.17.25.18-
8.22.12.8-26.7.16-18.17.18-
25.7.8-6.7.7.14-7.16.8-8.22.3-
21.17.25.18.7.21-17-9.16.10.22.3.18-
8.22.3-5.3.6.6-12.6.6-8.22.3-
21.12.26-8.7-26.7.16.4-
9.6.12.20.3-5.16.8-18.17.18-
25.7.8-21.12.25.8-8.7-4.17-
25.13-17.8-8.7.7-6.7.16.18-
8.7-12.21.12.14.3.25-1.26-
18.3.12.4-18.7-26.7.16-
21.12.25.8-1.3-8.7-10.8.7.9-
"Sat." 3.23.3-12.1-23.3.4.26-
10.7.4.4.26-17- "disappointed you" -
6.12.10.8-25.17.13.22.8-
3.23.3.4-26.7.16.4-11.4.17.3.25.18-
24.24.24.
3.2.4.12

Wide transcriptions scroll sideways within this box.

Resources

Solutions

#	Solution	By	Status
1	Solution 125-1 A reading, written up in full	@offgramercy	ACCEPTED

Still open: A few crowded or omitted strokes and one closing name remain source-limited

Ezra and Leeah Doane Correspondence

Log

Problem

Resources

Solutions