University of Brattleboro

The first rule of any good historian or biographer, is to not libel the dead. The deceased can't defend themselves, and it's not nice to speak ill of defenseless people. So, let us be clear. The historians at the University of Brattleboro are not saying that T. P. James (whose fame comes from his claim that he channeled Dicken's ghost to write novels in this town, in the 1870s) aren't even saying that he was the arsonist who burned down the the Colony Family's window pane glass factory on Dec 15 1855. We are saying we have a notebook with his signature on it, and this incriminating doggerel, (The University of Brattleboro new chemist, Dr. Rankacu Zation, tested the ink of to determine it's age, and confirmed it is made sometime between 1850 to 1870). They think Tim Colony set the blazebut here I sit in the protective haze.Did I light the matchand leave Keene by train?I leave it to you and your little brain. "Spiral-art windowpane!a solid investment!"The Colony took my moneyand all of it west went. The factory closedbut they "hoped to re-open,"but no one was willingto explain to me when! "Burn!," I sayThe only solution,and one "spiral-art pane"is not absolution!" They fooled me with artThat I threw in a hole.They tricked me with hope,my money they stole. If you want proofI am not a liaryou'll find the box I buriedon the night of the fire. Here is the codethat you must crack.The key you needis on a President's Track. The narrative we derive from this taunting poem, is that T. P. James was induced by the Colony family to invest in their business based on an intriguing product, "Spiral-Art Glass panes." The company failed, T. P. James lost all his money, and in a spiteful night of mischief, he burned down their factory. However, the most intriguing part is that he says he buried "proof" of his guilt. Apparently, he buried an example of the "Spiral-Art Glass pane" somewhere in Keene and left a code you can crack if you can find the key needed. If you want to find this treasure, you need to guess what the key is. You cannot solve this like a cryptogram or some easy to solve word puzzle. If you find the key, cracking the code will still take a little work, but finding the treasure is easy. If you can't find the key, you will never succeed. Now, back to that part about "not libeling the dead." If you find a pane of glass in a box, using information given in a code in notebook signed, "T. P. James," it might seem to be proof of his guilt. The other possibility is that James had nothing to do with any of this business, and some modern-day persons went through all the work of creating the treasure, the code, the story all of it, and buried the treasure in the right location, just so that someone like you could solve the puzzle and find the prize. Does that seem very likely? On the other hand, if T. P. James did write this notebook, but used a code that relies on a physical key that was made after his death, would that mean he really was psychic? Or maybe he used a time machine? Or could he have, while a ghost, authored the whole thing while using a living spiritual medium to channel all the clues to? However the treasure got into the ground in Keene, there is a treasure waiting for you. This treasure hunt is open to children of all ages. Good Luck, and please be sure let us know if you find the treasure, and to send us photos at booksfromvermont@yahoo.com. Be sure to put the word, "FUN" in the subject line or I will never see your email. Good luck! Sincerely,Professor Balderdash,University of Brattleboro The University of Brattleboro is the oldest non-existent university in New England, and is run by Rolf and Cynthia Parker-Houghton. They sell t-shirts to support their hi-jinks, at www.houghtonart. com. You can see what they are up to, or send them a message at www.universityofbrattleboro.com.