On 6/9/07, Investigator Francis Bacon wrote:

Barefoot Lucy, your
apology has been noted and does indeed show good
manners. It does make me wonder, however, if one is to
point out her own good manners, are they sincere?
****************

Inspector,

I would not normally feel I need to point out my own manners, but it seems
you have a habit of overlooking clear indications of good manners, so I
thought that rather than making you muddle through my own exhibition of
courtesy, I would help you and point it out.

I would apologize if that was presumptuous of your obtuseness except that my
only motivation was to help you in that respect.

> --
> Barefoot Lucy
> "It's not about footwear, it's about philosophy"


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

My Dear Investigator Bacon,

Your investigative techniques in this case bewilder me with their
lack of direction and logic. When all else fails, put the chick on
a spit, add a can of beer and turn up the heat -- not that you are
the first to have resorted to such fowl methods of desperation. Why
it was not that long ago that photos were passed around of the chick
on the rotisserie, along with a tasty roasting recipe.

While it is true that I have engineered and participated in a number
of joint letterboxing schemes employing the efforts of letterboxing
friends from across the country, I wouldn't dream of taking
advantage of my trusted cohorts -- er, comrades, to pull them into a
scheme such as the theft of the Store of Good Manners. It is simply
unreasonable and illogical that I or my usual allies, many of whom
have themselves been held suspect in this atrocious crime, would
wish harm upon an institution which promotes many of the same
philosophies that we do.

Furthermore, I find your logic regarding the fact that I often hike
alone, to be faulty. All the more, I would hope that my fellow
letterboxers would have taken the time to browse through the Store
of Good Manners and have taken to heart what they have found there.
There is nothing more disheartening to a letterboxer than to hike 8
miles to a coveted box only to find that it was not properly closed
by the previous finder and is now full of muddy debris. As a lone
letterboxer this is especially frustrating as there is nobody else
to reach into the slimy mess to rescue the stamp and logbook!

While the good inspector has the discernment to see that my
intentions are generally well-meaning, unfortunately there are those
who would not agree. I am forever having to endure claims of elitism
and criticism from my critics in regards to mystery letterboxes --
both my affinity for them and my staunch refusal to share clues that
I have so diligently deciphered. It seems that there are those
among us who do not consider it a breech of etiquette to share
solutions and location information to mystery letterboxes! As one
with the utmost respect for the likes of Mapsurfer, Legerdemaine and
the previously accused Der Mad Stamper, and as one who immensely
enjoys finding and planting mystery boxes, I am appalled at such
indiscretion and disrespect!

Furthermore, I find it disheartening that mystery boxes, which at
one time were coveted by letterboxers across the country, now
languish in their hiding places with nary a visitor a year, simply
because a little brainwork is involved in finding them. Why, I
recently pulled one of my mystery boxes, planted along the historic
Route 66, which had been in place for several years and had seen
only a handful of visitors. What is at the root of this deplorable
phenomenon? That mystery boxes, once the dessert on the
letterboxing buffet, command so little interest? Is it a fear of
the unknown or just plain letterboxing laziness (no offense of
course, to the Lazy Letterboxer, who has herself deciphered and
found several of these coveted gems)? So intent am I that
letterboxers enjoy these treasures and unravel mystery clues on
their own, I have conducted a workshop designed to provide insight
and tools for solving ciphers, codes, cryptograms, logic puzzles and
other clue craftiness. Give a letterboxer a mystery box solution
and he obtains a coveted stamp, but teach him how to decipher clues
and he scores mystery boxes for a lifetime (or something like that).

Just the other day my dear friend and fellow Great Lakes
Letterboxer, Speedsquare, and I found ourselves in discussion about
this atrocity of loose-lipped letterboxers, among other things
related to the course letterboxing has taken in recent years. I am
sure she would be willing to vouch for me and my letterboxing ethics.

In a resent post the esteemed Ms. Emily Post chided you for ruffling
feathers, well, you have ruffled mine indeed, but I assure you that
you are roasting the wrong chick. I await your apology at such
accusation.

SpringChick


--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, Investigator Francis Bacon
wrote:
>
> SpringChick! I tell you it is SpringChick! She put it
> all together, you see. It is obvious to anyone who
> does his research. She is into this big togetherness
> thing: co-operation, being nice, sending little
> mementos across the country. It is all a ruse! It is a
> known fact that she hikes alone. Alone, that is the
> key word here. Would a person who hikes alone really
> want hordes of letterboxers on the trail? What better
> way to spread chaos in the letterboxing world than to
> remove the Store of Good Manners? What better way to
> accomplish this than to gain the trust and
> co-operation of letterboxers across the country and
> have them commit the actual crime?
>
> Never has it been said that I, Investigator Bacon,
> skirt the issues at hand, nor do I fail to acknowledge
> credit where credit is due. Barefoot Lucy, your
> apology has been noted and does indeed show good
> manners. It does make me wonder, however, if one is to
> point out her own good manners, are they sincere?
> Although you are free to leave the country, I would
> not suggest it. Given the evidence at hand, you and
> the rest of this bandy crew could very well be under
> the influence of this notorious SpringChick. For this
> very reason, "Uncle Don" cannot be used to aid in this
> investigation. Wisconsin Hiker, do not try to muddy
> the waters. You know full well what Ms. Emily Post is
> looking for, having stated it quite eloquently in her
> first letter.
>
> As this investigation draws near its conclusion, I can
> only hope that the letterboxing community at large
> finds the guilty party, restores the missing Store of
> Good Manners to its rightful location and learns to
> protect it from the hands of a negligent society.
>
> What do you say SpringChick? Maybe you should change
> the signature stamp you use to a devil with a halo!
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Investigator Francis Bacon
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
_____________________________________________________________________
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>

Did I hear my name?

Somehow the title of this post just doesn't sit well with me...

Instigator Bacon:

Have all your arteries been so clogged with cholesterol that fresh blood to your brain is
hindered?

I have been keeping an eye on you since you entered our great little group surrounding
the Great Lakes. You are our newest member and we welcome you no differently than we
welcome others. Our fearless leader and #1 Letterboxing mentor will not be with us every
day this summer; she promised to check in from time to time. Her absence should not be
interpreted as suspicious mystery; she notified us that she had other pressing
responsibilities.

Spring Chick is far from being suspect in this heinous crime, the theft of the Store of Good
Manners. The numerous files, links and databases at LbGLK will attest to the integrity and
leadership of Spring Chick.

I have to agree with Spring Chick in her estimation of your logic in solving this mystery.
You can't just throw out some gorilla glue and expect it to stick on the perpetrator of this
crime. You'll have to dig deeper and hone those puzzle-solving techniques if you are to
play in the big time. How long have you been solving mysteries? How many hours, days,
weeks did the first one take you to crack? I enjoy a good mystery, too. When I can't get
outdoors to a letterbox, I get my fix watching a good TV crime story. I can get those
solved fairly easily in 38 minutes. The rest of the hour is just a bunch of blah, blah, blah
advertising.

Surely, Mr. Bacon, you do not expect to discover the answer to this mystery by badgering a
puzzlemaster? It is my belief Spring Chick would rather be drawn and quartered and
marinated than divulge a beloved mystery. But the Store of Good Manners is not a
mystery; the only mystery is where they have been hiding.

Let me share a personal example. Some time ago, I needed a good place to hide a WOM
(word of mouth, if you need clarification) clue to a personal traveler of mine. I needed an
accessible and discreet location. I sneakily put the clue in one of SpringChick's hidden
clues files. Do you think she broadcasted that to the group? Absolutely not. Do you think
anyone else found this little gem in the folder? If they did, they didn't approach me to
receive their reward for sleuthing. And now that little (green or purple) monster is retired.
Is that not a perfect example of SpringChick's ethics?

Are there any summer openings in Sleuthing 101?

~speedsquare

--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "SpringChick" wrote:
>
> My Dear Investigator Bacon,
>
> Your investigative techniques in this case bewilder me with their
> lack of direction and logic. When all else fails, put the chick on
> a spit, add a can of beer and turn up the heat -- not that you are
> the first to have resorted to such fowl methods of desperation. Why
> it was not that long ago that photos were passed around of the chick
> on the rotisserie, along with a tasty roasting recipe.
>
> While it is true that I have engineered and participated in a number
> of joint letterboxing schemes employing the efforts of letterboxing
> friends from across the country, I wouldn't dream of taking
> advantage of my trusted cohorts -- er, comrades, to pull them into a
> scheme such as the theft of the Store of Good Manners. It is simply
> unreasonable and illogical that I or my usual allies, many of whom
> have themselves been held suspect in this atrocious crime, would
> wish harm upon an institution which promotes many of the same
> philosophies that we do.
>
> Furthermore, I find your logic regarding the fact that I often hike
> alone, to be faulty. All the more, I would hope that my fellow
> letterboxers would have taken the time to browse through the Store
> of Good Manners and have taken to heart what they have found there.
> There is nothing more disheartening to a letterboxer than to hike 8
> miles to a coveted box only to find that it was not properly closed
> by the previous finder and is now full of muddy debris. As a lone
> letterboxer this is especially frustrating as there is nobody else
> to reach into the slimy mess to rescue the stamp and logbook!
>
> While the good inspector has the discernment to see that my
> intentions are generally well-meaning, unfortunately there are those
> who would not agree. I am forever having to endure claims of elitism
> and criticism from my critics in regards to mystery letterboxes --
> both my affinity for them and my staunch refusal to share clues that
> I have so diligently deciphered. It seems that there are those
> among us who do not consider it a breech of etiquette to share
> solutions and location information to mystery letterboxes! As one
> with the utmost respect for the likes of Mapsurfer, Legerdemaine and
> the previously accused Der Mad Stamper, and as one who immensely
> enjoys finding and planting mystery boxes, I am appalled at such
> indiscretion and disrespect!
>
> Furthermore, I find it disheartening that mystery boxes, which at
> one time were coveted by letterboxers across the country, now
> languish in their hiding places with nary a visitor a year, simply
> because a little brainwork is involved in finding them. Why, I
> recently pulled one of my mystery boxes, planted along the historic
> Route 66, which had been in place for several years and had seen
> only a handful of visitors. What is at the root of this deplorable
> phenomenon? That mystery boxes, once the dessert on the
> letterboxing buffet, command so little interest? Is it a fear of
> the unknown or just plain letterboxing laziness (no offense of
> course, to the Lazy Letterboxer, who has herself deciphered and
> found several of these coveted gems)? So intent am I that
> letterboxers enjoy these treasures and unravel mystery clues on
> their own, I have conducted a workshop designed to provide insight
> and tools for solving ciphers, codes, cryptograms, logic puzzles and
> other clue craftiness. Give a letterboxer a mystery box solution
> and he obtains a coveted stamp, but teach him how to decipher clues
> and he scores mystery boxes for a lifetime (or something like that).
>
> Just the other day my dear friend and fellow Great Lakes
> Letterboxer, Speedsquare, and I found ourselves in discussion about
> this atrocity of loose-lipped letterboxers, among other things
> related to the course letterboxing has taken in recent years. I am
> sure she would be willing to vouch for me and my letterboxing ethics.
>
> In a resent post the esteemed Ms. Emily Post chided you for ruffling
> feathers, well, you have ruffled mine indeed, but I assure you that
> you are roasting the wrong chick. I await your apology at such
> accusation.
>
> SpringChick
>
>
> --- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, Investigator Francis Bacon
> wrote:
> >
> > SpringChick! I tell you it is SpringChick! She put it
> > all together, you see. It is obvious to anyone who
> > does his research. She is into this big togetherness
> > thing: co-operation, being nice, sending little
> > mementos across the country. It is all a ruse! It is a
> > known fact that she hikes alone. Alone, that is the
> > key word here. Would a person who hikes alone really
> > want hordes of letterboxers on the trail? What better
> > way to spread chaos in the letterboxing world than to
> > remove the Store of Good Manners? What better way to
> > accomplish this than to gain the trust and
> > co-operation of letterboxers across the country and
> > have them commit the actual crime?

Disheartening in itself, since it might take some of us who do solve mystery boxes several years to get out to where such a box is placed....

SpringChick wrote: Furthermore, I find it disheartening that mystery boxes, which at
one time were coveted by letterboxers across the country, now
languish in their hiding places with nary a visitor a year, simply
because a little brainwork is involved in finding them. Why, I
recently pulled one of my mystery boxes, planted along the historic
Route 66, which had been in place for several years and had seen
only a handful of visitors.

---------------------------------
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]