Cryptogram Puzzle – Answer: MESSENGER – By Eric LeVine

This puzzle was designed to look like a Cryptogram (a.k.a. a simple substitution cypher) as a red herring. In fact, this is really just three bodies of text intermingled. The bulk of the text below consists of  The Gettysburg Address interwoven with a backwards speech from Macbeth. Careful observation shows that the text at the end is not overlapped, and is in fact plain text from The Gettysburg Address.

Strewn throughout is the answer text:

TELL US WHO ENTERS NEXT

There was a mild error in the puzzle. Teams actually needed to interpret the phrase as if the last MacBeth text was “signifying nothing.” This is a reference to the Macbeth speech which is followed by the statement [Enter a Messenger], so in fact the answer is MESSENGER.

FHOCU URMSS CAOER MERAO NFDTS SEOVD EUNOY

HETTA FRIST AOGNO EORUA RCFIA HTTHO EORSS

EBBRH OCUEG EHPTS FYOHR TTFHI OENET HHTIG

SNCIO LNCTE INNIE MNATF ALNLE IWTNE AVTII

LOANG CNEOA NHCUE OIHVT ETDLI ANHLS LIEBE

ERRTT TYXAE NNDED HETDN IOCPA UTEES DLTAO

FTTHS EKPAR EOPPS OUSOI HTTIF OINET VHOAR

TGAGL NLIMV EONMA ARYEA CSRIE GANTI EMDOE

CQTUI AELEN SOUWO WYEYA ARMEE ELNIL GMAEG

EERDH ITNSA IGHRT ENAIT HCTII VWIOL SWTAO

RNTEE BSTTF IINHG TWAUH REWTR HUEOR YTEHR

AUTDN NAETE IMOTN EOLRE AVNAY LNSAD TNIAO

RNASI OLCEO VNOCM EOITV NEADG AENBD DSOOO

DWSEE DHITC TAHTG EUDOC HATNE LMONN OGNEA

NDDNU ARMEA WNERA IRBED MREAT WOONT ADGKR

OEOAL TIBLA LTITH LEEHW FTINE OLPDU OHFCT

THAAW TYWMA DRNWA ETHSA DVIED CIOSM AERTI

OSDYE ADSIL CLAET WETAI POODR OTTIW HOONH

OTFOT NHWAO TNFKI TEULB DWAAS SAIFY IANSA

ILHRC EISHT WITNA GHPTL TARCO EPFEO RRDTL

HUOOS HESWI HDOOR HOELR YEMGS AUVOE ITCHA

ERIGR YLLIK VCEIS UTQHY ARTOT TEHSA YTHNT

AETUI GONNO MTIYG HHTTE LSIUV OETIT TSIES

MAOLC TUOOG HETTG HNEIR HFTIO TNTGI NNING

YAFNI DNPGR IOSPY ERRUT FHDAN TAWDE NSUHO

OSUFL ODLDL OUTFH TIOSI BDUIT NIANY ABLDA

LROGT EERLS AETNA SSEIW TEICE ARNON MTOOT

NDDER DAIEC HASTI ENWEE HCTAD NNNAO ETGEC

AOTNS SEEHC TRNAO TPEUW REUCO AHNSN IOHTS

HTAEL RLFOD WNTAH SITSU GRRTO SUTNA DHTTH

REEBY RAALV PERMO EONPL AIWVO IDNAG HASNG

DNDIE KALDA WWHAO TSUTB RSUEG FRGIL LEEDL

HDENR AECHF AEVIE RCBOT NUSOE TCURO AHTTE

ADEID TYFTA SRUAD BOOTV YEAOW UERHP TOSOL

ROPOO FWDEE RTTHO GSAID LDEOV RADHE STYRA

ADCRT ETTHS EEWYO RRULO DLWLI ALDLN NLAIE

TMTIL TEDNE ODTRE ONCOE RRLFO ONEGL RBEAM

LELMY BSETE RSWAH LAETH WTEOS TAYYA HDEOR

TEYBA UDTMI OTRCF AENCN AEPVY ETRTF EOPRS

GIEHT TWNHI ASTPT EHEER YCDWI ODRHR EORME

OITTD INSAF WOORR URSOT MHOET LDINV AIWNO

GRRRA OTMHO ETRDT ROOBW XEADH ECDUI SCRAO

TFEED MHIET RAENT EOETB HEEVU ANHFD ILNUT

IOSWH EERDE WHOTR RKEWT HFIAC EHRTE HHEDY

EWIHD OEFVO AUHGD HLTUH OEHRS EEHHA SVETH

USFAR SONOB LYADV ANCED ITISR ATHER FORUS

TOBEH EREDE DICAT EDTOT HEGRE ATTAS KREMA

INING BEFOR EUSTH ATFRO MTHES EHONO REDDE

ADWET AKEIN CREAS EDDEV OTION TOTHA TCAUS

EFORW HICHT HEYGA VETHE LASTF ULLME ASURE

OFDEV OTION THATW EHERE HIGHL YRESO LVETH

ATTHE SEDEA DSHAL LNOTH AVEDI EDINV AINTH

ATTHI SNATI ONUND ERGOD SHALL HAVEA NEWBI

RTHOF FREED OMAND THATG OVERN MENTO FTHEP

EOPLE BYTHE PEOPL EFORT HEPEO PLESH ALLNO

TPERI SHFRO MTHEE ARTH