St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1858-08-26
Misttllann.
THE DEAD LETTER OFFICE,

a female correspondent of Life H.
lustrated gives the following account
of visit to the dead letter Office at
Washington:
We had been fortunate enough to
procure the entrsc to this place through
special favor and influence, although.
as a general thing, no visitors are ad-
mitted 1t was a light large room,
with two or three desks, at which
were seated aged officials in silent oc-
cupation among literal d,itts of letters.
The walls were lined on every side
with huge mail sacks that had been
returned full of uncleancd epistles
from myriads of post-officcs there
might have been fifty or hundred of
these sacks, and each probably con-
tanned thousands on thousands of
letters.
How rapidly you dispose of them !"
said |, watching the lightning speed
with which the clerks tore open the
cpistles, glancing over them to see
that no drafts, checks, or other I'M
portant documents were incloScd and
then throw them upon an immense
heap of opened letters at their feet.
at is all in habit, ma'am," said the
gentleman nearest me. We are ac-
customed to open certain number
daily, and to those who do not under
stand the expedition ard accuracy
with which we work, would seem al
most Incredible"
AS he spoke, tiny gold ring rolled
from the folds of rose tinted letter,
whose pages were evidently written
over by a delicate female hand.
a child's ring" he said, taking it
up would you like to look at it
ma'am 2"
took it in my hand--it was a fairy
circlet of virgin gold, with the words,
"Mary, To T.. w." engraved within
and wondered who Mary" was, and
whether the little "E. w." who never
received the tiny gift, was dead or
living.
Meanwhile the clerk had been taking
rapid note of the signature, direc-
ton, etc. What will you do with
it?" | inquired, returning the ring to
his care.
ave lay all such things aside, in
case they should be called for
"And are they often rcdeemed?"
"Not often-not once in hundred
instances" he replied, taking little
gold dollar from beneath the seal Of
another letter, and laying it carefully
on the desk.
We stood in silence, regarding the
pile of opened letters, which was
growing higher every moment. 1t
was strange medley of styles and
handwriting Some were inscribed
on huge sheets of foolscap, in man.
ner that conveyed the impression to
your mind that the writer must have
grasped his pen with both hands and
gone at the paper as he would dig a
spade into the earth, and folded with
glorious disregard to all geometricaI
precision /; others, again, were daintily
written on colored tissue paper, and
some were in that easy, flowing hand
that bespeaks energy and refinement
of character in the caligrapher.
"Oh, how | should like to read
these letters |" said |, involuntarily
The official smiled. That is what
the ladies say. 1t would be almost
impossible to preserve our charge
from the curiosity of the female sex if
fortunately, our rules did not protec,
us from many visitors"
But do you never read them?"
Never, unless they seem very i'm
portant, or contain Enclosures of value
1t is all we can do to keep up will
the arrival of the dead mails now. |
we should stop and read one letter il
ahundred,we should be lamentably be
hind hand besides, the privacy o
these letters is point of honor will
us. We have no more right to reat
them here, unless it is necessary, thar
to pry into any personal secrets"
Here one of the clerks leaned owe
and handed our companion a tin,
package.
From one of the letters" he said
81 thought the lady might feel inter
csted in it,"
1t was single curl of golden hail
tied with bit Of pink ribbon an,