Can Anybody Here Read Shorthand?

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Taylor Harbin

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I’m working on an old murder case. In the folder with an indictment against the prime suspect are several notes written in shorthand, and I’d like to have them translated.
 

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There are lots of different forms of shorthand. Gregs is reasonably common, so is Pitman, and there are others, so you'll need to find out which one you're dealing with before you can get them translated.

Have you worked out which one they are?
 

Taylor Harbin

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There are lots of different forms of shorthand. Gregs is reasonably common, so is Pitman, and there are others, so you'll need to find out which one you're dealing with before you can get them translated.

Have you worked out which one they are?

It’s either Gregg or Pitman but I’m not completely sure which.
 

ironmikezero

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Is this non-fiction, an actual case?

Is your in-hand source an investigative file, or a court-of-record file?

If it's an investigative file, make the effort to contact the lead investigator and ascertain who wrote these shorthand notes.

If it's the court's file, contact the Clerk of Court and ascertain the same information.

The best person to decipher the shorthand is the author--period.

Do your best to get this right; shortcuts will enhance the inherent civil liability upon publication. You needn't take my word for it--consult your attorney.

If you're writing fiction, you can pretty much do as you please . . . within reason.
 

Taylor Harbin

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Is this non-fiction, an actual case?

Is your in-hand source an investigative file, or a court-of-record file?

If it's an investigative file, make the effort to contact the lead investigator and ascertain who wrote these shorthand notes.

If it's the court's file, contact the Clerk of Court and ascertain the same information.

The best person to decipher the shorthand is the author--period.

Do your best to get this right; shortcuts will enhance the inherent civil liability upon publication. You needn't take my word for it--consult your attorney.

If you're writing fiction, you can pretty much do as you please . . . within reason.

This is a real court file from 1910. All parties involved are dead.
 

ironmikezero

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Well, that'll make a difference; you've got considerable leeway. A US case (state)? Did it go to trial? Court records are usually pretty comprehensive. Or is it still an open case (in most jurisdictions, there's no statute of limitations on murder)?
 

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Any chance there is software that can transcribe a scan?

There are also bound to be shorthand enthusiast websites and fora out there. Such as this one. Someone there is bound to be thrilled at the opportunity to read hundred year old detective notes. I know I would be!
 

Taylor Harbin

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Well, that'll make a difference; you've got considerable leeway. A US case (state)? Did it go to trial? Court records are usually pretty comprehensive. Or is it still an open case (in most jurisdictions, there's no statute of limitations on murder)?

Ha ha, I'll give you the short version. This happened in Arkansas. One man was tried and acquitted for the crime. I've been researching it for about six months and only recently discovered the indictment against the prime suspect. Finding these notes were a surprise, as everything is typed out verbatim in other sources.
 

ironmikezero

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I see . . . You gotta love a little mystery popping up in an old murder case. Best of Luck!
 

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Well, some years ago I was told that it changed a lot over the years. I'd go look for a second hand Pitman textbook from that year or earlier - as the person writing the shorthand may have learned it years before the court case.
 

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From what I recall from business class (I was there to learn to type - hah!) the problem with shorthand was that no matter the name of the system originally learned, the actual people making the notes tended to adjust the symbols to suit their own purposes/convenience. After all, if they were the ones transcribing the notes, they knew that they meant.
 

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Gregg was/is the common shorthand in the U.S. I used to use it regularly. Don't know if I could still decipher it. Guess I could give it a look.

- - - Updated - - -

From what I recall from business class (I was there to learn to type - hah!) the problem with shorthand was that no matter the name of the system originally learned, the actual people making the notes tended to adjust the symbols to suit their own purposes/convenience. After all, if they were the ones transcribing the notes, they knew that they meant.
True, but they weren't always the ones doing the transcribing or the only ones who needed to read it.
 
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