Problem 127 — crackciphers.com

Five postcards sent to Ray E. Bartley at Rutland or Laurens, Iowa, appear as HCPortal items 1438–1442. Several correspondents write in ordinary handwriting, but insert boxes, corners, open frames, and interior dots into their messages. One card has a long private field and more writing along the picture-side margin.

These objects need to be kept together with both sides intact. A brief bottom row, a pair of edge rows, and a margin note do not occupy the same place or direction on every card. The open signatures include R.E.B. and J.B.; another hand signs Ethel Bartle[?], with the surname ending faint.

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

HCP item	Source date	Record
1438	28 May 1908	Original postcard
1439	January 1908; day faint	Original postcard
1440	17 April 1908	Original postcard
1441	18 November 1907; catalogue says December	Original postcard
1442	16 December 1907	Original postcard

The question is to read every private passage while preserving its own order, punctuation, and connection to the ordinary note.

Source fields and transcription coverage

For these source labels, SE = ┘, ON = ⊔, SW = └, OW = ⊐, BX = □, OE = ⊏, NE = ┐, OS = ⊓, and NW = ┌. The attached numeral counts interior dots; slashes show larger gaps. These names describe the marks and give no alphabet values.

Object	Field	Provided here	Still requires original
HCP1438	Two eighteen-sign edge rows	Ordinary message only	No dependable complete final sign ledger extracted; early classes conflict with later review
HCP1439	One 4/2/2 lower row and ordinary notes	Complete final sign ledger and full open notes	Several ordinary crossing words remain bracketed
HCP1440	Two upper sign rows and ordinary note	Full open note; sign row locations	Final output describes signs only at selected occurrences; full raw stream unavailable
HCP1441	Thirteen main rows plus five picture-margin signs	Open note and exact field inventory	Early stream is superseded/inconsistent; no complete final raw stream extracted
HCP1442	Three compact components and separate four-row margin	Complete seventeen-sign compact insert and open note	Separate four-row margin has only final decoded edition, not a full raw ledger

HCP1439, ordinary notes and lower sign row

The ordinary notes occupy several orientations. The sign row is copied from the final source-character ledger, replacing the inconsistent early inventory. Its physical groups have four, two and two signs. The frame legend below applies only to the displayed source characters.

how do you like
your card [?]

Have been looking
for your card.
Received it today.

Now
is that fine
for you
[Richard? mother?]
R.E.B.

[Lower sign row]
SW1 OE2 OW2 BX1 , / ON3 OE2 , / OW2 BX1 .

HCP1442, ordinary note and compact insert

The three compact components have three, nine and five signs. Earlier two-row inventories omitted a component and are withdrawn. This transcription does not cover the separate four-row left-margin field.

Dec 16-07
Received your
card Sat. morning
This is

[Compact insert, three physical components]
K1  SE3 SE1 ON3 .
K2  SE1 OE1 ON3 BX1 NW2 BX2 OE2 OE2 BX2 .
K3  BX3 NW1 BX2 OW1 NE3 .

[Separate four-row left-margin field: original source required]

HCP1438, ordinary message

The two edge rows contain eighteen signs each. The early class inventories disagree with the final source review, so no invented typographic sign stream is substituted here.

Rutland, Iowa,
May 28-08.

Received
this A.M. Walter was
here a few minutes
yesterday.
Ruth and Mabel
were just here on
there way to school
to take exams. Ada
went over to
Maud's this
morning so am
alone all day.
Ethel Bartle[?].

[Two rows of edge signs: original source required]

HCP1440, ordinary note around the two sign rows

The two sign rows at the top need the original image. The ordinary prose retains its unusual wording and the final uncertain noun.

[cipher row 1]
[cipher row 2] Ha Ha.
I am still sitting up in
front and expect to stay
there the rest of this term.
I was to Lodge and Harvey
turned good and didn't
want us to dance but we
did it anyway. Such
awful weather as this is.
I wanted to go to a play in
Humboldt tonight but if
it keeps on this way I guess
I'll stay at home. Mrs P.E.B.
sick and Ethel and I sat
up last night. I don't
feel any sleepy when I have
big [eats?] after dances. R.E.B.

HCP1441, source field inventory

The main field is diagonal to the address and becomes horizontal after a quarter-turn. The early mnemonic stream is not a dependable transcription of all final source distinctions. The thirteen-row field and separate five-sign margin therefore require the original source.

Ray
from [Jh.?]

[Thirteen-row main sign field]
[Separate five-sign picture-side margin, read bottom to top]

Resources

Solutions

#	Solution	By	Status
1	Solution 127-1 A reading, written up in full	@offgramercy	ACCEPTED

Still open: Several ordinary handwritten words and a signature ending remain uncertain

Ray Bartley Postcard Packet

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