Regarding graffiti in London at the time: how common was it? I'm originally from a part of Manhattan called Morningside Heights, and it is not possible to drop a piece of apron there, without having it land within 30 feet of some piece of graffiti. It would be ridiculous to associate a piece of dropped apron with the nearest piece of graffiti.
However, I've been to other places where graffiti is so rare, that when someone finds some, it makes the newspapers. I'm not kidding. Where was 1888s London in there? if graffiti was a remarkable rarity, then I suppose there's a pretty good chance it went along with the piece of apron. One the other hand.... Yes, I'm aware the building was new. In Morningside Heights, that means nothing. A spanking-new building can be covered overnight, and the more security, the more fun, as far as some people seem to be concerned.
Also, considering that no one agrees on how the word "Ju/ew[e]s" was spelled, isn't it likely the word was smudged, or something? Maybe the writer couldn't decide how to spell it, and wiped it out, and tried again, so it wasn't as clear as the other words. Or maybe he started writing an E, and changed his mind halfway through. Or maybe the whole thing was sloppy, so that the words that were obvious, people's brains filled in, and the other ones, not so much, which is why people had trouble remembering the order of the words.
However, I've been to other places where graffiti is so rare, that when someone finds some, it makes the newspapers. I'm not kidding. Where was 1888s London in there? if graffiti was a remarkable rarity, then I suppose there's a pretty good chance it went along with the piece of apron. One the other hand.... Yes, I'm aware the building was new. In Morningside Heights, that means nothing. A spanking-new building can be covered overnight, and the more security, the more fun, as far as some people seem to be concerned.
Also, considering that no one agrees on how the word "Ju/ew[e]s" was spelled, isn't it likely the word was smudged, or something? Maybe the writer couldn't decide how to spell it, and wiped it out, and tried again, so it wasn't as clear as the other words. Or maybe he started writing an E, and changed his mind halfway through. Or maybe the whole thing was sloppy, so that the words that were obvious, people's brains filled in, and the other ones, not so much, which is why people had trouble remembering the order of the words.
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