The Daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1845-1850, 1848-10-11
THE DEAD.LETTER OFFICE.

The story of Adele Barron, published in re-
cent number of the Knickerbocker, which turns
upon some missing letters, has brought to mind
incident related by Frank Granger, as having
occurred when he was at the head of the post
office department. A letter was one day recei-
we'd from postmaster OF town in New JERSEY
enclosing letter very old and dingy, and cover.
ed with fly specks in every part except where
a tape had passed over it, indicating that it had
been for long time placed in the paper or card
rack OF some barroom or shop The superscrip-
ton, ii there had ever been any, had entirely
faded away. The postmaster wrote that he had
found ii in his letter. box. and had tried in vain to
discover who had deposited it there, in order that
it might receive proper direction, as it appa-
rently contained money. AS it had not been ad-
vertised, 1t was lo, In strictness, a dead letter:
but he sent it to the department in order that
they might dispose OF it. The Postmaster Cen
eral took the responsibility of opening it, and
found that it was dated at Philadelphia, in the
year 1921, (twenty years betore,) and enclosed a
twenty dollar bill of the United States Bank 1t
was addressed by man TO his wife, at a small
village not far from the post off e where the let
ter was found, informing her that he .lhe writer
should start for home in two or three DAYS but
that, as his brother was about to leave for home
he took advantage of the opportunity 10 send he's
by him the enclosed sum OF money where with to
The Postmaster-General caused a letter to be
written to the address OF the writer, informing
him OF the circumstances. In the course OF a
week reply was received from a female who
stated that the writer of the letter was her father
and the one to whom it was addressed was her
mother, both of whom were dead that, twenty
J""' H~t"-n- on tho of her wedding, she
rene mbered that her father and uncle had ouar-
relied the former having been led, from some
suspicious circumstances, to discredt the latters
assertion that he had lost letter containing money
entrusted to his care, and to sinuate that he had
appropriated the amount to his own use.
The consequence was that all intercourse no..
tween the families had from that time been sus
pended, and that she should Immediately write
to her uncle and cousins, who W ere still living AZ
distance, to beg that the intercourse and friend
snip so long interrupted might be resumed. tine
discovery OF this letter having satisfied her of
what she long suspected, that her father wae
wrong, and relieved her mind from weight ot
painful anxiety.
whether any further clue to the manner in
which the letter had arrived at the Office ~ en-
late period was ever ascertained, is not known.
the probability is that the letter had been picked
up at or near some country tavern on the road
and was placed with the variety ofbusness cards
ana miscellaneous papers which usually fill the
tapes over the mantle piece of such place, and
mere 1t mad remained from year to year, perhaps
concealed from notice by other papers and letters.
until, by change of landlord, or an imnrove'
ment OF the house, the landlord had disposed OF II
by depositing in the nearest post-office.
Home Journal.