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Some observations on the Ramsey 'hostage' note: is it a genuine ransom demand?
My interest in this text is not its authorship — that ground has been covered extensively by others — but, rather, whether the text is genuine or not.
Mr. Ramsey, Listen carefully! We are a group of individuals that represent a small foreign faction. We do respect your bussiness but not the country that it serves. At this time we have your daughter in our posession. She is safe and unharmed and if you want her to see 1997, you must follow our instructions to the letter.
I don't understand the use of 'faction' here. If a group wants to claim to be powerful why the adjective 'small'? Also, the claim to be 'a group of individuals that represent...' makes the noun phrase very long 'a group of individuals...' Even the word 'individuals' is interesting, weird, strange, etc. 'Group of individuals' if you Google it seems to be some kind of business buzz-word, and is an antonym of those much-loved corporate glosses 'team', 'teamwork', etc.
You will withdraw $118,000.00 from your account. $100,000 will be in $100 bills and the remaining $18,000 in $20 bills. Make sure that you bring an adequate size attache to the bank When you get home you will put the money in a brown paper bag. I will call you between 8 and 10 am tomorrow to instruct you on delivery. The delivery will be exhausting so I advise you to be rested. If we monitor you getting the money early, we might call you early to arrange an earlier delivery of the money and hence a earlier pick-up of your daughter.
A very strange amount. I've never seen — in any ransom or blackmail demand — a sum that didn't end in (multiples of ) 5,000, or 10,000 — some of the early blackmail demands were 1,000 or 2,000, but 118,000?
I wonder about the 'brown paper bag'. This is probably an attempt to sound precise, but extortionists are much more precise than this: they will tell you not only exactly what notes they want, but how to wrap them, what size of container to use, etc. They certainly wouldn't want to mess around with a 'brown paper bag': security and control is their usual priority.
Any deviation of my instructions will result in the immediate execution of your daughter. You will also be denied her remains for proper burial. The two gentlemen watching over your daughter do not particularly like you so I advise you not to provoke them.
The bold section is very odd. Why specify the number of people, why call them 'gentlemen', and why say they 'do not particularly like you', having already said 'we respect your bussiness (sic.)'?
Speaking to anyone about your situation, such as Police, F.B.I., etc., will result in your daughter being beheaded. If we catch you talking to a stray dog, she dies. If you alert bank authorities, she dies.
This is the second death threat. Usually, extortion letters try to raise the victim's hopes, rather than to keep repeating that she is going to die, cf. the Lindbergh letters.
If the money is in any way marked or tampered with, she dies. You will be scanned for electronic devices and if any are found, she dies. You can try to deceive us, but be warned that we are familiar with Law enforcement countermeasures and tactics. You stand a 99% chance of killing your daughter if you try to out smart us. Follow our instructions and you stand 100% chance of getting her back. You and your family are under constant scrutiny as well as the authorities. Don't try to grow a brain John. You are not the only fat cat around so don't think that killing will be difficult.
More repetitions of 'she dies'. Again, it is very unlike most extortion letters I've come across.
Don't underestimate us John. Use that good southern common sense of yours. It is up to you now John! Victory!
As you can probably tell by now, my view of this text is that it is not a genuine ransom note. However, this is just my view and the Forensic Linguistics Debate would be interested to learn other views.
NOTES:
The reader will observe that I seem to equate blackmail, extortion and ransom demands. This is because, linguistically, they all do more or less the same thing: they demand money in return for a promise not to harm/injure an individual, a business, a reputation, etc. This letter does none of these things, it threatens 'death' if the recipient does not comply. It does not promise the safe return of the child, only that the recipient 'stands a 100% chance' if the conditions are met. The phrase '100% chance' is contradictory: if chance is 100% it is no longer chance, but certainty.