The Box From Hell (BFH) - #1

[Skully]

I think the "Isr" refers to Israel, as it comes just after the Italian reference. Possibly they were needing pass ports to these places.

Also I was thinking that if you wanted to appear married, you might bring a photo of someone you would carry in your wallet. Or if this woman was still alive at the time, he may have needed to show someone what she looked like for a future meeting for the other party ( a contact if you will ).

Also the hair dye is noted for G, so I think it was for him. Was this a trip that was being planned?

 

[OzzieMum]

It may also be worth noting that for quite some time in 1971-72 we were on the road on our big bus trip, having our mail forwarded to my mother's, so they couldn't have acted on any abduction plan at that time, not knowing where we were.

Hi Annasmom,

I have been re-reading this thread and the squib notes and find it very interesting that there are a lot of notes dated 1970/71. I have always thought that they had been planning this for a long time, I'm now wondering if they planned to abduct her in 1971 and you going on your bus trip in 1971 foiled their plan and they had to wait until after your return in 1972. Can you remember the date you left and the date you returned? They would probably have needed to "brush up" on their plan before abducting Anna in Jan 1973.

I find it really interesting that GW was keeping track of his mileage between 9/5/70 and 9/20/70 (see below) but it wasn't an ongoing thing.

Post 142, page 6 on this thread.

9/5/70 7542
9/8/70 7754 9.4 (st) 22.5 mi/gal
9/11/70 7912 7.5 (st) 21.0
9/14/70 8060 7.3 (st) 20.3
9/16/70 8241 8.5 (mobil) 21.3
9/20/70 8422 9.3 ( " ) 19.4 (3-4 hrs idling)

That's quite a few miles in such a short time. Why would GW be siting in his car idling for 3-4 hrs unless he was watching something or someone?

Was GW in the habit of checking his mileage?

When did all the insurance policies start? If they also started in 1970 it would make it even more interesting.

The other interesting thing I came across is in post 117, page 5, "Renew boxes" (plural). I think it was assumed that these were P O boxes, but I'm thinking they might be safety deposit boxes. We know GB had a safety deposit box but they might have had more than one. I can't think of any reason they would have more than one P O box but I can understand more than one SD box, money in one and private documents in another.

Has anyone ever done a search on unclaimed deceased estates/money? I would think unclaimed safety deposit boxes would be included.

Ozziemum

 

[Annasmom]

Hi Annasmom,

I have been re-reading this thread and the squib notes and find it very interesting that there are a lot of notes dated 1970/71. I have always thought that they had been planning this for a long time, I'm now wondering if they planned to abduct her in 1971 and you going on your bus trip in 1971 foiled their plan and they had to wait until after your return in 1972. Can you remember the date you left and the date you returned? They would probably have needed to "brush up" on their plan before abducting Anna in Jan 1973.

I find it really interesting that GW was keeping track of his mileage between 9/5/70 and 9/20/70 (see below) but it wasn't an ongoing thing.

Post 142, page 6 on this thread.

9/5/70 7542
9/8/70 7754 9.4 (st) 22.5 mi/gal
9/11/70 7912 7.5 (st) 21.0
9/14/70 8060 7.3 (st) 20.3
9/16/70 8241 8.5 (mobil) 21.3
9/20/70 8422 9.3 ( " ) 19.4 (3-4 hrs idling)

That's quite a few miles in such a short time. Why would GW be siting in his car idling for 3-4 hrs unless he was watching something or someone?

Was GW in the habit of checking his mileage?

When did all the insurance policies start? If they also started in 1970 it would make it even more interesting.

The other interesting thing I came across is in post 117, page 5, "Renew boxes" (plural). I think it was assumed that these were P O boxes, but I'm thinking they might be safety deposit boxes. We know GB had a safety deposit box but they might have had more than one. I can't think of any reason they would have more than one P O box but I can understand more than one SD box, money in one and private documents in another.

Has anyone ever done a search on unclaimed deceased estates/money? I would think unclaimed safety deposit boxes would be included.

Ozziemum

We left San Francisco on our bus trip June 25, 1971 and finished Nov. 12, 1971 in Half Moon Bay. GW had a PO box and a Safety Deposit box, which we found. GB also had a safety deposit box, and while we had the key, we couldn't find where the box itself was. However, quite a large sum of money later turned up in GB's name from an Oakland bank. Either Doogie or Sherlock has the insurance policies now, so I can't help with this (though I thought Sherlock posted the details somewhere on the forum.) If GW was in the habit of checking mileage, I was not aware of it.

I think you may be on to something here, Ozziemum. Add to "opportunity" the fact that the neighbors in the big house had just moved and with them the only dog which barked at strangers, the fact that Joe Ford and I had been married just three months before, and that I was not accompanying Anna home from school as I did on Mondays. (She disappeared on a Tuesday.)

 

[SarahR]

Dont think this will be of any real value but i thought i'd put it out there, from 1967/68 onwards past the early seventies at least i think, there was a comic called Mr Natural not a very good one from what i can find out, But one i can for some reason see GB reading, heres part of a wee review from wiki about it. Also the authour Robert Crumb did a biography which is also mentioned in the wiki link, the person in this biography also just made me think of GB

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Natural_(comics)
comic review
Part wise man, part conman, Mr. Natural has strange, magical powers and possesses cosmic insight; but he is also moody, cynical, self-pitying, and suffers from various strange sexual obsessions. He is endlessly being accosted by would-be disciples seeking the truth (among them such long-running Crumb characters as Flakey Foont and Shuman the Human). He typically regards them with amused condescension and a certain grudging affection, although his patience often wears thin and he takes sadistic pleasure in making them feel like idiots. While he is typically very cool and in control, he sometimes ends up in humiliating predicaments like getting tossed in jail for child molestation or languishing for years in a mental institution. In recent years he has entered into a tempestuous relationship with Devil Girl, another popular Crumb character. Enormously popular during the underground comics fad of the '60s and '70s and still enjoying a cult following today, Mr. Natural has been endlessly merchandised -- as a decorative plastic statue and on bumper stickers, posters, T-shirts, etc

 

[SarahR]

Part of review about Robert Crumbs biography

In the "biography", "Fred Natural" leaves America and travels for many years in Asia, which is where he picks up his unique combination of wisdom and chicanery. For a time he worked a taxicab driver in Afghanistan.[4] He returns to America during the Beat era of the 1960s, and is drawn to the San Francisco Bay area by nubile girls and people willing to listen and pay for his improvisational spirituality. He exhorts his disciples to eat only his own line of "Mr. Natural Brand Foods", and to listen to his broadcasts on WZAP Radio.

 

[SarahR]

ISR was also a treatment for semantic dementia and aphasia stroke, not sure what the treatment is or if it was used in 70's, but will try to find out, in the morning, 2.30am here off to bed night, god bless

 

[OzzieMum]

I don't know about this "Mr Natural", I mean, if there was any deep meaning behind it. In Australia, not sure if it means the same in the US, if you are wearing your birthday suit, it means you are naked. Maybe GB liked to walk around naked at home (it wouldn't surprise me, he thought he was God's gift to women) and GW might have made a joke about "A birthday suit for G" and called GB "Mr Natural" GW might have thought this funny enough to write it in his book.

I guess we look for the sinister reason behind everything he wrote (which we should) but I find it a bit strange that this is the only time GW referred to GB as "Mr Natural", normally GW wrote G or Geo.

JMO

Ozziemum

 

[Annasmom]

Dont think this will be of any real value but i thought i'd put it out there, from 1967/68 onwards past the early seventies at least i think, there was a comic called Mr Natural not a very good one from what i can find out, But one i can for some reason see GB reading, heres part of a wee review from wiki about it. Also the authour Robert Crumb did a biography which is also mentioned in the wiki link, the person in this biography also just made me think of GB

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Natural_(comics)
comic review
Part wise man, part conman, Mr. Natural has strange, magical powers and possesses cosmic insight; but he is also moody, cynical, self-pitying, and suffers from various strange sexual obsessions. He is endlessly being accosted by would-be disciples seeking the truth (among them such long-running Crumb characters as Flakey Foont and Shuman the Human). He typically regards them with amused condescension and a certain grudging affection, although his patience often wears thin and he takes sadistic pleasure in making them feel like idiots. While he is typically very cool and in control, he sometimes ends up in humiliating predicaments like getting tossed in jail for child molestation or languishing for years in a mental institution. In recent years he has entered into a tempestuous relationship with Devil Girl, another popular Crumb character. Enormously popular during the underground comics fad of the '60s and '70s and still enjoying a cult following today, Mr. Natural has been endlessly merchandised -- as a decorative plastic statue and on bumper stickers, posters, T-shirts, etc

I can't believe I've never heard of this, since I am a fan of R. Crumb. Do you think he met Brody?

 

[Dr. Doogie]

Mr. Natural was a cartoon character created by R. Crumb. The description above is of the character, not an actual person. R. Crumb published his cartoons in underground "comix" such as "Zap Comix" and also several of his characters had their own titles, including Mr. Natural.

Crumb lived in Marin County and also played in a bluegrass band called "The Cheap Suit Serenaders". I actually saw them in concert in the late 1970's - they opened a SF show for folk singer U. Utah Phillips.

Crumb was one wierd dude and he may have known Brody, but it seems more likely that the two Georges probably heard of the Mr. Natural character through exposure to the counter-culture that existed in SF at the time.

 

[SarahR]

Drdoogie thanks for clearing up the biography review, it was 2.30am when i was looking at it, and i just couldnt get my head around it, my brain just couldnt work out who it was based on as in the review they mentioned it possibly being based loosely on Crumb, like i said didnt think it was of any value, just wanted it to be out there, save someone else coming across it and posting it, and deep down inside i was hoping that a storyline in this comic from that time might throw up a clue, i know its far fetched but if i didnt look deeper, my mind wouldnt rest, so here i am looking online for a synopsis of his comic editions.

 

[SherlockJr]

About the insurance policies... I have them saved on my pc at home on Excel. I have been in Florida for over a week settling an estate and not sure how long I will be here. Sometime today I will ask one of the many who are still living at home if they will email the file to me and I will post later on today.

I will also have them send the photo of GW holding Anna about the time she was a year old.

 

[SherlockJr]

I think GW only kept the mileage on his car while on vacation. There are notes about taking "M's" picture on vacation. Can someone total the miles driven and get an idea how far he would have driven from San Francisco?