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Post by Sue on Jun 27, 2021 10:56:18 GMT -5
The Book of Signs by Rudolph Koch Copyright 1930
(Arthur Koch, in some places)
Was The Book of Signs so rare that there were only 3 copies in the United States?
The New York Public Library had a copy. So did Newark and Princeton University libraries.
Was The Book of Signs behind the animosity that Condon had for Walter Winchell?
Who checked out The Book of Signs from New York Public Library days before March 1, 1932?
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Post by aaron on Jun 27, 2021 11:31:37 GMT -5
John Condax was an art teacher and photographer who checked out the book by Diego Rivera. Rivera was a Mexican artist who wrote a number of books on frescos as well as creating a number of frescos himself. The Koch book was written in German originally. It contains a collection of symbols from several areas since the medieval period to the present and includes Christian symbols as well as symbols from other fields. The book does not appear to have any political intentions. So why would Condon be interested in the Koch book (if he did indeed check the book out)?
John Condon may well have been convinced that the kidnapping gang (not their representatives, of which there might have been several) consisted of a small group of Italians. I have no source for this idea, but let's look at the evidence:
1. During his telephone conversation with the kidnapper or rep. Condon asked where the call was from, and the response was "Westchester." He then said he heard a man in the background say "Shut up" in Italian, and the caller ended the conversation.This detail is included in many sources.
2. Condon said that an "Italian woman" came to speak with him prior to the kidnapping, in particular to ask his advice about starting a boarding school in New Jersey. Condon does say that the woman had an "olive complexion" although this characteristic is shared by many nationalities. Perhaps she had an Italian surname or was married to an Italian. Condon did not want to reveal all he knew about this conversation, and he may have had a good reason for keeping a secret.
3. The hypnotist and medium (Peter and Mary) of the Temple of Divine Power were of Italian descent. They obviously had been approached by a member of the kidnapping gang who wanted to ensure that Breckinridge did not ignore the next ransom note. The name Breckenridge was mispronounced and misspelled (Breckenbridge) at their meeting and also in the note's address. At one time Mary predicted that the intermediary's initials would be JFC.
4. The Scissors Grinder and the Knife Sharpener who stopped at Condon's house for their business purposes were both said to be Italian. According to the account, these two did not stop anywhere else in the neighborhood, and the suggestion has been proposed that they were checking to ensure that Condon actually lived at that address and was a home to receive the note from the kidnappers.
5. One source (sorry I do not recall which one) stated that Condon thought the ransom's "signature" was a Mafia symbol. He may have checked out Koch's book to see if it was illustrated there and so could be identified.
Koch's Book of Signs was translated from German into English and has been copied many times. It is available on-line and easily purchased.
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Post by aaron on Jun 27, 2021 11:47:08 GMT -5
Sorry, the two Italian men who stopped at Condon's house were a Scissors/Knife Sharpener and a Needle Salesman. The men stopped at Condon's house separately.
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Post by Sue on Jun 27, 2021 12:00:54 GMT -5
According to Walter Winchell in his "On Broadway" column for November 19, 1934, there were 3 copies of The Book of Signs by Rudolph Koch: one at NYPL, another at Princeton University, and another in Newark.
The above reference was from the Syracuse Journal, but Winchell's column was printed in newspapers throughout the United States in 1934.
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Post by aaron on Jun 27, 2021 12:41:53 GMT -5
John Condax did not take out the Koch "Book of Signs." He told the Boston Herald that he took out the Diablo Rivera book on frescos from the New York Public Library on Feb. 24 of 1932. His interest was in art. The New York Public Library did have a copy of the Koch book, so it's possible that John Condon did check it out. That possibility should be investigated. Condon was interested in the "signature" and as a teacher and lecturer, it seems reasonable that he would do some research on its origin.
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Post by aaron on Jun 27, 2021 12:59:06 GMT -5
The easiest reference to find the Condax book check-out is actually the Brooklyn Daily Eagle dated Jan. 11, 1935. You can find the article online through the Google under the title "John Condax Borrowed Book on Diego Rivera's frescoes."
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Joe
Lt. Colonel
Posts: 2,640
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Post by Joe on Jun 27, 2021 14:29:17 GMT -5
John Condax did not take out the Koch "Book of Signs." He told the Boston Herald that he took out the Diablo Rivera book on frescos from the New York Public Library on Feb. 24 of 1932. His interest was in art. The New York Public Library did have a copy of the Koch book, so it's possible that John Condon did check it out. That possibility should be investigated. Condon was interested in the "signature" and as a teacher and lecturer, it seems reasonable that he would do some research on its origin. But John Condon did not take out the referenced Koch book a week before, or at any other time before the kidnapping. Could'ves don't really help much here.
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