Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-10-18
Post Office repredatious-A sad Affair

For some time past, says the Cincinnati
Times, there have been complaints made br
the Post Office Department at Washington of
the large number Of letters, with money in
them, lost in transmission through Ohio, and
which is said to far exceed that Of any other
State In consequence # these complaints.
the United States Marshal has been unremit-
ting in bis efforts TO ferret out and bring 10
justice the depredatcrs, in which, with the as
sstance of Messrs W. j. Brown and T. p
Shallcross, the mail agents. he has been So far
successful, as TO arrest within the past Eve
months no less than eleven postmasters.
charged with this system of pecuiation. all of
whom have been examined before the United
States Commissioner. and several held 20 bail
to stand their trial at the Ostober term cf the
United States Circuit Court. There Is no
greater evil than dishonest postmasters nd
IN many instances tho suffering they create il
almost incalculsble, an instance Of which came
under our observation few years since In St
Louis.
The head Of family, consisting Of a wife
and i've children, having some business to
transact IN Texas, left for that place, aud
when there, discovering that lac might employ
himself for some time in very profitable man
ner, he wrote 70 his wife In ST. Louis. inform
ing her Of the prospect Of his heightened alb
sence, and at the same time sending her a re-
mlttsnce to defray her expenses, for they we're
comparatively poor. and expecting to return
IN short time, be had left her with but little
money: Time passed, and having finished bis
job In Houston, he went 10 Austin, where he
was proftably employed for two months longer.
Shen he returned TO Houston TO find a letter,
which had been in the post Office there for
some time, from his wife, in which she bitterly
upbralded him for leaving her destitute, and
stated that she was about being turned out Of
her abode In consequence of not being eble 10
pay the rent.
lie immediately went to the post Office TO as
certain If his letter. which contained the money
he had sent (Sl50 upon one of the New Or
leans banks had been forwarded. He was
assured that II had, and with a heavy heart
he sailed for New Orleans on his way home
from which he had been gone for nearly six
months. The sOrrowful sequel is soon told
Arrived Mt st. Louis, he found that his uuf,r-
tunate wife, who had failed Receiving the let
ter containing the money, which was lost be-
tween Texas and that city, and who was i'm
consequence reduced 90 the bittcrcst shifts,
lor they were comparatively strangers in 81.
Louis, turned out Of her once happy home
and heaIt-broken in the belief that the hus-
band of her heart and father Of her children
had basely deserted her, had six weeks pre-
viously taken her youngest child. an infant of
nine months old and in a ft Of desperation,
upon dark and stormy night. had cast her
self and it into the Mississippi, the turbid
waters of which soon stilled in death the un-
quiet throbbings of her ma1dened brain.
The poor mOtherless children were, in the
meantime, taken care IF by public charity
The wrctched husband, who, during his ab-
sence, had beguiled the weary working hours
of the day with happy thoughts Of blessed
reunion with the loved ones, when he should
return successful, and whose visions at night
Wait Him of once again within the blissful cir
cle Of all he held dear, might well envy tho
peaceful slumbering of her who lay in a sui
cide's grave-fOr the body had been found the
day after she had committed the rash act
washed ashore on Bloody Island-but he lived
Tor his children, though broken-spirited and
joyless man.