The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1855-12-14

On the subject OF the unjust complaints
made against the carelessness or culpabii-
ty Of post Office clerks, Mr.. Eolbrook relates
the following:
THE BITTER nrT.
A lady of very genteel and respectable ap-
pearance called one dav on prominent New
England postmaster, with "A letter IN her
hand, which she insisted had been broken
open and re-sealed. She handed the letter
TO the postmaster. who examined it, and APP
pearances certainly seemed to Justify her as
sertion. She further declared that she kne.
well which clerk in the Office had broken it
open, and that he had previously served sew
eral of her letters in the same way. Upon
hearing this, the postmaster requested her 10
walk inside the Office, and point out the per-
son whom she suspected.
ASuch an unusual phenomenon as the APP
pearanee of a lady inside the office, produced
MS may be supposed, decided sensation
among the clerks there assembled. Nor was
the sensation diminished III intensity when
| the postmaster informed them that the lady
was there for the purpose of identifying the
! person who had been guilty Of breaking open
| her letters.
| "a This announcement "a once excited the
| liveliest feelings of curiosity and solicitude
4
and each one, conscious Of innocence, IN
dulged in conjectures as to who that some
| body else might be, whom the accusing an
| gel was to fix upon as the culprlt.
| All Of their con lectures fell wide Of the
mark. After looking about for moment.
4 the lady pointed ont the last man whom any
one i'll the Office would have suspected Of such
| an offence--one of the eldest and most rela-
| bic Of their number.
| THAT'S the person." said she, indicating
him by slight nod of the head; ''and if he
persists in making so free with my letters,
will certainly have him arrested. Why my
| letters should always be selected for this pur-
pose, | cannot imagine but if any more Of
them are touched, he will wish he had let
them alone.''
This direct charge, and these threats. pro-
duced greater commotion among his fellow
| clerks than in the mind of the gentleman ac-
cused. Waiting for moment after she had
spoken, he broke the breathless silence that
followed her words, by saying, calmly
"Mrs. , believer"
- That is my name, SIR"
1" Have YOU concluded your remarks. mad
am -
:" ! have, sir, for the present.
Then, madam, will take the liberty to
inform you that your husband is the person
on whom you ought to expend your indigna-
ton. He has, at different times. taken sew
cral of your letters from the office, opened
and read them, and after re-scaling, returned
them to the letter box, having made certain
discoveries ia those letters, to which he
forced me to listen, as furnishing sufficient
ground for his course, and justifying former
suspicious He earnestly requested me nev-
er to disclose who opened the letters, and
should have continued to observe secresy. hac
not your accusation forced me TO this disclo
sure in selfdefence. If you wish to have my
statement corroborated, think | can pro,
duce reliable witness
The lady did not reply to this proposition
but made precipitate retreat, leaving tn,
clerk master Of the field. and was never af-
forwards seen at that post Office.