While the codes shared by Rumrunners originally started as just simple

mono-alphabetic encryption, the arrival of Elizabeth Friedman to the Treasury Department forced them to become a bit more complicated.  

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Below you'll find an example of a coded message between two New Orleans based Rumrunners.  The way that Friedman eventually was able to decipher this message was to first use a mono-alphabetic cipher and then apply the message to a specific code used by businesses for telegrams.  This code, the Adams Cable Codex turned the series of strange words into a longer message, and thus provided Friedman with the information needed.