An experiment

[Pierre]

Dear Pierre,

without knowing the word you cannot say that, given David has said it was from a letter to the Home secretary, without knowing the content of that you are guessing and of course it could be a letter about your suspect.

However it will have as much connection to the case as the word "Judges".

steve

Hi Steve,

So now starts the defence of David again. I thought you were able to think by yourself. Why do you not let David do the talking for the material instead.

Of course it has no connection to the case. It is just that David became so illuminated when he saw a word nobody had thought of before.

But there may be more such words. And they have nothing to do with the case. They are just words.

Regards, Pierre

[David Orsam]

Well there are no winners.

[David Orsam]

However it will have as much connection to the case as the word "Judges".

This is entirely accurate.

[David Orsam]

Here it is

So to reveal the word....

I'm posting the actual image of the word as it appears in the November 1888 letter but I thought I would make it easier for you to decipher, sorry I mean more difficult, by adding some photoshopped effects to replicate that "chalk on wall" feel, with some added blurring to keep Pierre happy.

I want to stress that I don't say that it looks exactly like 'Juwes' only that it potentially could have done.

Can anyone actually work out from this what it is?

Clue: the first two letters are "Ju" and the last two are indeed "es" as Pierre wanted.

[MsWeatherwax]

Well, at first glance I thought it said 'jackass'.

[Elamarna]

Judases?

[MsWeatherwax]

Judases?

Yours is more probable than mine.

[David Orsam]

None of the above.

Come on chaps, you can do it.

[David Orsam]

Boy you will kick yourselves.

[Pierre]

None of the above.

Come on chaps, you can do it.

Obviously, reading blurred handwriting is not easier now than it was then.

Regards, Pierre

[MsWeatherwax]

Justices?

Edit: cannot believe I just had to edit the spelling on that. Please help me. :P

[David Orsam]

Justises?

We have a winner!!!

Well done Ms Weatherwax.

Actual spelling being "Justices".

Or, in other words, magistrates.

[David Orsam]

Here is the actual image without effects.

[David Orsam]

And the full page for context. You will see that the word "Justices" actually appears four times.

[MsWeatherwax]

So annoyed you got to before I noticed the spelling. 😂

However, it looks more like 'justices' in your edited version than the original. I'd never havegot it from that.