On The Trail Of The Forgers

[Callyphygian]

Hi Maria,
You said:
Stephen, Gerard Kane and Stephen Park are two different people with a difference of 40 years of age between them.

So Melvin's Gerard Kane is currently 94 years old??? Is that correct???
He was born, then, in 1918?? I'm not incredulous, just curious.

Love,
Callyphygian

[Maria]

Cally:

Urgent correction. Peter has just called me and I asked him again to be sure and he says Gerard must be in his SEVENTIES. Oh sorry about that. Anyway he is not in his fifties.

-Maria

[plang]

You know what Omlar ? I'm just throwing this out there, but now I see what kind of fanatical minds I am up against.
So, who declares that the Maybrick diary is the truth? Come on out with it,show us the money god dammit.Speak up! Do not hide behind your pathetic life support system. Who are you really? You lying devious ****.

[Omlor]

Someone called "Plang" asks me,

Who are you really?

How does one begin to answer this question? Of course the presence in it of the verb "to be" already implies at least the assumption of existence so perhaps I can go the Cartesian route and assert that I am "a thing which thinks." But is that the sort of "who" I am being asked about? Should I describe my home or professional life or my physical self or state my family history? But all these are simply elements of the "who" and would not answer the question. And what of that "really" that attaches itself to the end of the provocation as if insisting that there might be several mes but only one "real" one? What sort of philosophical problems are raised by this assumption? Is this an existential interrogative or an ontological one? I confess, at this point, to being at a genuine loss as to how to reply properly, such that the "who" of the question is adequately adressed. Perhaps, indeed, this is a Seussian problem after all.

Or a Waitsian one. ("Who are you this time?")

Or perhaps the whole post was simply a throwaway -- a sloppy attempt at an insult that, because it was not carefully constructed and contained no wit, allowed for itself to be taken more seriously than was originally intended.

Although there are more than a few people who still claim to believe in the diary -- not just Shirley and IKJ, for instance, but plenty of others on amusing websites dedicated to Maybrick as the killer, as a quick Google search reveals -- clearly no one in these quarters takes them seriously. So that question is irrelevant for the purposes of this discussion.

But it is the question of my own "real" identity that I find so fascinating. I wish I could answer it. I wish I could tell you, Plang, just who I am "really." I suspect that if I could, my own life would be much more peaceful, much more complete. But even now, at this late stage of things for me, I still have no easy reply.

Anyway, thanks for asking.

Yours in all good humor,

--John

[plang]

Omlor, fantastic response,but how do you explain your previous comments?

[Omlor]

Huh?

--John

[Graham]

Huh?

--John

Omlor,

Hate to admit it, but I'm with you on this one!!!

Graham

[Maria]

Plang:

I can assure you John Omlor exists ! Peter and I have met him in Florida, met his family been to his home, we have even been to his parents´s home and met all his family there and had dinner with them where we met his brother his sister in-law and sweet nieces, we even met his parents friends, Lucy and her husband ,he is indeed a professor at the university in Florida, what else ? I can even produce a photograph of John with us at John´s favourite restaurant, and his niece took photos of us too.

I could describe you John´s beautiful home for those who are his fans if you like... fortunatelly he is alive so he can confirm that we spent a week together. Oh yes, we also went to John´s favourite pub at the time. So I can tell you he exists !

- Maria

P.S. I can also show you samples of his hand-writing too. And it rather looks like the one in the Ripper diary ! Even though we know he did not penned it.

[Maria]

John Omlor

Plang:

His favourite sport is golf but he also likes to watch American football, bicycle races, some tennis, basketball when his niece plays. Music: Tom Waits. Favourite drink Guinness. I´m sure if you want to know more about him I can help you. But anything else it will come with a charge !

- Maria

[Robert]

Don't forget, John, if you ever find out who you are, you'll still have to become who you are.

The work's piling up, John.

[Omlor]

Well, now that my existence has at least been "virtually" established, I suppose I can rest easy.

But I do have a question.

What are you people doing here? Don't you know that it is the most sacred weekend of the year? Your thoughts, and your computers and television sets, should be turned towards Augusta at least through the rest of the day. I know mine will be.

It's the closest thing to a church there is, for me.

--John

[Doctor X]

. . . waste of a good walk. . . .

--J.D.

[Howard Brown]

Maria:

Thats a very nice mini-biography you put up about Professor Omlor. It sure warms the heart that you and he are such dear friends. Me? My closest friend is my parole officer. I'm not a social butterfly. Seriously, I learned a lot about him from your description. Its good to see how a guy from Pa. could turn out if he applied himself. Me? Oh,shucks...where did I go wrong

Could you ever be so kind and provide me with his PIN number for his credit card and do be a dear and see if you can extricate the card from his wallet upon your next excursion to his hacienda? That would be such a nice way of you and I getting back on the same page, my lovely Maria.

Have a wonderful Cinco de Mayo in three weeks,my dear....and don't forget that PIN number !

Your Howie.

[perrymason]

What are you people doing here? Don't you know that it is the most sacred weekend of the year? Your thoughts, and your computers and television sets, should be turned towards Augusta at least through the rest of the day. I know mine will be.

It's the closest thing to a church there is, for me.

--John

Surprising even myself by appearing on a Diary Thread, just wanted to point out John that you are so right about Bobby Jones baby....it signals the start of the season for all us North American links rats.

Dont count Tiger out either...

Cheers

[Limehouse]

Plang:

His favourite sport is golf but he also likes to watch American football, bicycle races, some tennis, basketball when his niece plays. Music: Tom Waits. Favourite drink Guinness. I´m sure if you want to know more about him I can help you. But anything else it will come with a charge !

- Maria

I don't care whether he faked the diary or not, if he's a Tom Waits fan, he's alright by me!