The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-12-04
MISSENT WAR-CIPHER.
First Effort OF n Romantic Boy.
TDefrou Free Press

Carrier pigeons became fairly well known as
such during the war, and when, on the morn
ing Of Sept. !, 1852, weary looking member of
that family, with dropping feathers and an ap-
parently disabled wing, alghted on the curb
stone at the corner Of Second and Vine streets,
in Cincinnati, O., newsboy promptly pounced
upon ii and began TO examine its wings and
tail feathers for hidden dispatches.
lie found one.
Later in the day a deputation OF the solid
men remaining in the comparatively deserted
city were coriugating the epidermis on their
foreheads and tearing their hair in an effort at
reading the dispatch. lt was written in cipher.
in an apparently disguised hand, upon a sheet
! OF paper so heavy that IFS weight had disabled
the birds wing and led TO its capture. A copy
Of the cipher follows:
fi}&Bs;ih@B,' "a u B,;.ffSGT)-liI4 4sT)'5IlC 55?
Lexington, a three days march distant, was
in the hands Of Kirby Smith The morning
papers had just thrown out the news that
lIcth, with 6,000 men, had been dispatched
against Cincinnati. There was nothing between
him and the Queen City but few worthless
siege guns back of COvingtOn. Martial law was
declared in the city; business was suspended !;
physicians, judges, lawyers and clerks were put
10 work with the spade throwing up fortif-
cations, and, to put il mildly, there was tumult
ia the town. B0mbardment and siege {"
were on every ones lips. Small wonder, then,
that the capture of contraband cipher mes
sage, probably from the rcdOubtable Smith him.
self, was regarded rs a matter Of moment, and
that every eiiort-ordinary and extraordinary
was made TO read il.
was a member OF the noble army of small
boys at that period, and for the past few days
the gray matter in my cerebrum had been
greatly exercised in the manufacture of vivid
pictures of the siege which was mOoted as soon
as Kirby Smiths capture of Lexington was an
s. II n , 4 r
bloodthrsty fiction. and knew more about
sieges in half an hour than the most expert
enced General could tell me in n week. knew
that siege meant hunger; il meant people
dying in their homes like rats i'm their holes |;
il meant no shoes 10 wear-all boiled and
eaten; il means brazen sun casting its lurid
beams out of hot and copper sky upon n peo-
pie whose tongues hung at halfmast from be-
tween swOolen lips, and who ever aud anon
murmurcd: Water water! for the love of
God, water!" and in my small way proceeded
TO take steps toward cOunteracting this state
Of affairs.
Henry" cried my father MS he hurried
excitedly into the attic room wherein had en-
scouced myself that afternoon about o'clock,
didn't ] see you reading a story called The
Gold Bug the other day? What on earth ails
| that dogl"
Yes sir. Fleas been bothering him all
day"
We'll, get it for me, and put him out of the
house"
But my dog refused 10 be put out Of the
! house, and retired with his torment under n
low trundle bed, where he was allowed TO re-
main until had procured 1.-The Gold Bug"
"M-m.mi nothing like it, A blind trail ;
m-m-m" my father mumblod as he turned
over the books leaves at the point where Poe
enlarges upon the subject Of cryptography.
Then a new idea seemed TO come into his head,
and he took folded paper from his pocket and
] gave IL 10 me.
There is copy of a cipher message found
| down town this morning" he said quickly
! Your head is full Of all kinds Of worthless
! knowledge and i know you have been frur-
! ing on something of this kind ever since YOU
read The Gold Bug; may be you can make
that out for us. If you do, have a silver dol
! lar for you"
While he was talking ] had been taking A
glance at the contents Of the paper. They af-
fected me strOngly-so strongly that my father
! interrupted himself to ask:
What ails you? Are you sick2 Been eat
| ing more OF those green walnutsg"
No, sir; just-I think-I believe can
read this"
You believe You can read itp"
| Yes, sir; just give me time, please. You see
] you have got 10 count the characters, aud the
character that comes in most times is e., cause
e Is used more times in English words than
anything else; then comes a, o, /, d. h, N, aud
so on-iust give me a minute"
ratified over the characters with lightning
speed, tying my forehead in a hard knot, and
looking as wise as immature features and a
rough tow-head would permit l made some
columns Of figures beside other columns Of
characters, and, in an incredibly short space Of
time-in fact, i rather overdid the time bust.
ness -triumphantly declared that the problem
was solved.
I
here" said, handing over the alphabet as rep
resented below: