The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-07-23

"Now, in English, the letter which most fire.
quently occurs is e. Afterwards the succession
runs thus: o Oidhnrstuycf fglmW b K p q
7 :. predominates SO remarkably that an in
dividual sentence of any length is rarely seen,
in which it is not the prevailing character.
"Here, then, we have in the very beginning,
the groundwork for something more than a
mere guess. The general use which may be
made of the table is obviouS-but, in this par
ticular cipher, we shall only very partially re-
ouire its aid. As our predominant character is
s, we will commence by assuming it as the G of
the natural alphabet To verify the SUPPOSE
ton, let us observe if the be seen often in
couples-for is doubled with great frequency
in English-in such words for example, as
meet feet speed seem, been, agree &c.
In the present instance we see it doubled no
less than five times, although the cryptograph
is brief
LET us assume g. then, as e. Now, Of all
aeords in the language, the is most usual; let
us see, therefore, whether there are not repeti-
tions of any three characters in the same order
of collocation, the last of them being 8. If we
discover repetitions of such letters so arranged,
they viii most probably represent the word
the Upon inspection, we find no less than
seven such arrangements, the characters being
;4S. We may, therefore assume that repre-
sents {, represents h, and represents e-the
last being now well confirmed. Thus great
step has been taken. ~
"But, having established single word, we
are enabled to establish vastly important
point; that is to say, several comlnencements
and Examinations of other words. Let us refer,
for example, to the last instance but one, in
which combination As occurs-pot far from
the end of the cipher. We know that the i'm
mediately ensuing is the commencement of a
word, and, of the six characters succeeding this
the we are cogniZant of no less than FIVE
I of oatf hes rha RI down ha
letters We know them to represent, leaving a
space for the unknown
eeth.
"Here we are enabled, at once, to discard the
'A' as forming no portion of the word COM
mencng with the first t !; since, by experiment
Of the entire alphabet for letter adapted to
the vacancy we perceive that no word can be
formed of which this th can be part. We are
thus narrowed into
and, going through the alphabet, If necessary,
as before we arrive at the word tree' as the
sole possible reading. We thus gain anosier
letter, q, represented by {, with the words the
tree in juxtapositon.
Looking beyond these words, for short
distance, we again see the combination ;43 and
employ it by way of termination TO what i'm
mediately precedes. We have thus this ar
rangement:
the tree ;4(t?34 the,
OF, substituting the natural letters, where
known, it reads thus:
the tree thri?3h the.
snow. if, in place of the unknown characters,
we leave blank spaces, or substitute dots, we
read thus:
the tree thr. h the,
when the word Through makes itself evident
at once. But this discovery gives us three new
letters o, and 9, represented by i ? and 3.
Looking now, narrowly, through the cipher
for combinations of known characters, VIC find,
not very far from the beginning, this arrange
ment
S3(65, or egree,
which, plainly, is the conclusion of the word
degree and gives us another letter, d, repre-
sented by I.
-Four letters beyond the word degree we
perceive the combination
;48(;SS.
Translating the known characters, and
representing the unknown by dots as before,
we read thus:
an arrangement Immediately suggestive of the
word thirteen and again furnishing us with
two new characters, and a. represented by 6
and 2.
Referring, now, to the beginning of the
cryptograph, we find the combination,
53tff.
/ Translating, as before we obtain
which assures us that the first letter is 4, and
that the first two words are A good
"It is now time that we arrange our key, as
far as discovered, im a tabular FORM to avoid
confusion. 1t will stand thus
5 represents a
d
o-s-~
3 e
8 81