Addressed to Paul Averly

[smithy Profile]

Hey TF!

1. In BOTH the authentical Zodiac Halloween card, and the Pine card, the name "Paul Averly" is misspelled, and misspelled the exact same way. (The correct spelling is Paul Avery.)

Yep. Same guy alright.

2. The handwriting IMO is a match.

Yep. Same handwriting and same guy alright.

3. The same technique, brushed, is used in both communications

Yep. Same technique alright.

4. The Pine card is sent on a Zodiac anniversery (1 year anniv. of Kathleen Johns abduction)

Yep - but I don't believe in the "anniversary" effect. (There's a thread around here someplace). Especially not in commemorating an event which isn't "proven" Z, so there. (Open to argument).

Speaking of "arguably" - what is it about these two cards which tell us they are from Z?

They don't contain his "handwriting" per se.
They are addressed to an individual - Paul Avery - rather than to a newspaper, "as usual"....
The text on the Halloween card's a bit like the Berryessa door - except it's lowercase on the door....
They are acrostics on the back of the card and in the envelope. Not seen before or since...
The back of the Halloween card text looks "a bit like" the cipher text in the 340. But not exactly....
The addresses match each other, but not the handwriting on any other address, or any other letter....
They are "homework" pieces, with a degree of hand-made content not featured widely....
The Halloween card's got the wrong stamp, and that wierd "flange" rubbish on it....
The Halloween card's got that "Z" signature, and the symbol looks odd....
The symbol on the Napa card looks really silly...

It's Bently's fault. I now doubt the validity of both these communications.

I was going to include the fact that the text has been "rehearsed" on the back of the Halloween card too btw - it's been re-drawn over an earlier, lighter, letter outline, but I suppose that's the case in other "real" communications too. (Such as the overdrawing in "do my Thing!!!!!"

[Zsearcher Profile]

You know we need to look at something in relation to handwriting. Experts concluded that the Red Phantom letter was written by the Zodiac, although most of us look at it and chuckle about the idea of it being real. There must be something else that these experts are looking for that has nothing to do with the overall appearance of comparative documents. What I'm saying is we need to let the experts decide these things. It would be nice to have a handwriting expert on this forum. If Dennis can have Nannette (ahem), why can't we have an expert to let us know what their opinion is. If there is an expert out there reading this, please consider posting here. I have read about handwriting analysis and they say that someone can easily change their handwriting style and may even have a few different styles, but their true writing always "peeks through the lines" (sorry). This is what the experts look for. For instance, the loop in the "d" in the word Zodiac to me seems like one of these things that peeks through. Zodiac always looped his d's in his sloppy style. However, I can't say this is correct either, since I'm not an expert. Zs

[Bently Profile]

Bently, most likely this letter would have been pulled out at the post office before going through the cancellation machine due to the "Zodiac" in the corner. I do see a possible 3 stroke k under that L, but at the same time it appears the writer was spelling the name of the paper "Chronickle" before correcting it, which Z never did.

Just noticed Graysmith states this card "arrived at the Chronicle". He could be mistaken, as it would not have been mailed without a postmark. especially with three addresses! If it was indeed pulled at the post office it would of course have gone directly to LE. I recall previous discussion on another board of a card or letter "mysteriously" appearing at the Chron without a postmark, perhaps this was it.

[smithy Profile]

Zs - it would be nice to have a handwriting expert attend and opine yes!
Like you I tend to laugh about the Phantom letter opinion though, so I'll always feel free to have an opinion I think. (Which maybe I'll learn to keep to myself).

In respect to the address, the "San Francisco News Agency" was what we used to call the Chronicle and the Examiner "combined". They were both on Mission street, and in the 80's were "close enough" to share a publishing system provided by the company I worked for. You can read about their joint operating agreement here, if you like, paragraph starting "For 35 years starting in 1965..". If it matters. Which maybe it don't.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_San_Francisco_Examiner

The address might make a little more sense then, than at first glance - though having the Times on it doesn't make any sense at all. That's just dumb. The absence of a postmark is odd too, though there are lines through the stamp on the photos of it I've seen. That's not from some sort of franking, then? (Pity the poor Brit).

BTW - as you guys may know - on Zodiac Killer Facts here it explains:
http://www.zodiackillerfacts.com/movie.htm
"Paul Avery did not open the envelope that contained the famous Halloween card from the Zodiac. In an interview for a 1989 television program, Avery explained how the events had actually unfolded. "The two homicide inspectors working the Zodiac case came in and tapped me on the shoulder, and pulled me outside, and said, "Uh, we received another letter from the Chron-er, from the Zodiac, and it was addressed to you."

[Bently Profile]

I wondered about the lines through the stamp too smithy (what did you call them, franking?). My postal experience is second only to my mastery of the English language (lousy) but I had the impression that cards like that might have come with a stamp already imprinted on it, and maybe those lines too. They are very parallel to the stamp, which is very square to the card, and stop at Lincoln's head. See page one of this thread for the image.

[Zsearcher Profile]

Smithy, I don't think we shouldn't have opinions about the handwriting, but I think we need to temper that with the knowledge that we aren't experts, and the experts have weighed in on these letters. The Riverside desktop poem is a great example. People think Morrill was a bit scotchy the day he determined it was from Z, but as I've mentioned for a couple of years now, Z could have written it in pen, in his regular handwriting, then gouged it out with the pen by going over it again, and again, tracing over the original writing. An expert said it was Z, so I'm not going to discount it completely. If there is a second opinion by an expert that discounts it, I'd like to hear it. Until then our opinions are good for conversation, but they aren't going to change my mind.

Just ate a Christmas banquet, and feel a little full right now, so I'll stop posting and roll on over to the couch for a bit.


Zs

[Zsearcher Profile]

Anyhoo, the Pines card envelope is as odd as the H card, an odd non official Z symbol and Zodiac written in the return address field. Definitely looks like the H card writing to me but I'd be hard pressed to say it resembles classic Z. The t's are crossed a bit high, not sure what to make of the K that's turned into an L.

Well during my two day vacation, I at least found the reason why the Z symbol is odd looking. Baba Bijan has the best version of the card I've seen. I don't know where he found it. In fact I don't know where he finds anything, but he finds alot of weird stuff.

The reason the Z symbol looks odd is because the center of it is punched out with a hole punch.

He goes on to say the edges punched out make the card resemble a large postage stamp, possibly another postal service clue.

I vaguely remember this hole in the card but I don't remember it being discussed.

Here's the link. Please watch out for the mathemagic.

http://zodiacnetwork.multiply.com/photo ... rd#photo=6

Zs