Dean,
Thanks for the alert to everyone on the Etidorhpa search. Hopefully, Mike
can do a little tap dancing on 42nd Street and locate the original. I think
you will find this original version with the prologue chapters to be very
interesting. As for the murder reference...sorry to be so vague on it, but
that's how I remember it being in the book - a little vague. The writer
indicates that he witnessed two or more men dump a bundled up body in a lake,
but then later acts like he may have known more about it than just being an
accidental witness. The gist of the revelation is that there is a certain
secret combination, or society that will stop at nothing to prevent this
information from being disseminated. But despite this constant threat, the
writer arranges to publish the work (Etidorhpa) anyway. He assures that he
is not doing it for gain, expecting to not make any money on its
distribution, but that he is only doing it for the purpose of exposing the
truth. He also had contact with the faceless man and relates the experiments
which the faceless man shared with him and he passes a description of those
experiments on to the readers for their own application.
Sorry I can't be more specific than this, but it has been over 25 years since
I read this original version. So, Mike, look for a printing that precedes
1975 for starters.
Good luck.
Norlan