I think it was Sherlock Holmes, or some other noted detective, who recovered the booty from some great bank robbery by playing burglar and joining the gang. He tells about receiving a rogue's letter which gave the names of certain cities which were to be visited, and which could readily be deciphered by the initiated. By way of illustration, let us look at the following rogue's letter, purporting to come from a noted pedestrian:
“Dear Jim”I won the race. The track was at the Olympic, level and hard as cobalt. I more than won, for my position was central”eight before and eight behind. They had all a start from a half to a mile”to them a considerable advantage, but I can win on a run or walk and overtake and meander by”or kill”the best of them. Treading from early day to night the raids we follow. ELLSWORTH.”
It is a mixed-up sort of an epistle which will tax the ingenuity of our young puzzlist to decipher.
In that study of hidden cities we find the following familiar places in their regular order: Cleveland, Baltimore, Raleigh, Dallas, Omaha, Macon, Utica, Winona, Norwalk, Andover, Dover, Derby, York, Thebes, Reading, Rome, Early, Dayton, Lowell and Ellsworth.
2. A Charade
I needed three and four,
And started for the door,
Thinking I would go for a three, four and five.
I had not gone a square,
When by chance I total there,
By which I mean, you know, my one, two, three, four, five.
Metaphysician
3. A Rebus
When grandpa wished my first to make,
My second he would always take,
And handle it with skill.
Now, with your first tell me the name,
For whole and second are the same,
So guess it if you will.
Cipher Answer.”16, 5, 14, 11, 14, 9, 6, 5.
PENKNIFE
4. A Rebus
Deceitful, Godless, prone to deeds accursed,
Must be the man whose ways are not my first.
When sterile winter holds its chilly reign,
My second may be seen on yonder plain.
Those who the path of honesty forsake,
My whole at last will surely overtake.
Cipher Answer.”10, 21, 19, 20, 9, 3, 5.
JUSTICE
5. A Square Word Charade
The first cliffs tower o'er the sea,
Second, third, in land of Jews
Did fourth away a vast debris
And discovered Santa Cruz.
When speaks the fifth from her tower
Hearts faint or break that feel its power.
Answer to the above:
C H A L K
H E L E N
A L I V E
L E V E L
K N E L L
6. A Rebus
My whole a poet's name displays,
Whose fame will last for evermore ;
Decapitate, and what remains
Does oft express what goes before;
Curtail my last, and mark the pains
Of industry to hoard a store.
Curtailed again, my head replace,
And you will greet a boyish face.
Cipher Answer.”4, 1, 14, 20, 5.
DANTE
7.
“Mr. Chairman,” said the secretary, “the call for a standing vote showed the motion to be carried by a majority equal to one-third of the opposition, but as that result was due to a lack of chairs to permit eleven members from sitting down so as to record their votes in the negative, we wish to report that we find the minority has defeated the motion by a majority of one vote.” Can you tell just how many votes were cast at this meeting?
There were 147 votes cast. On the first count the affirmative vote was found to be to the negative vote as 4 to 3. but when eleven votes were transferred from the affirmative to the negative, the negative had a majority of one. This shows that 21 was one-seventh of the whole number of votes.
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