Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-12-10


SCENE AT THE DEAD LETTER OFFIcE-Ven-
due OF Unclaimed ArticleS.-A stranger in the
city would have been puzzled to account for
the furious eagerness displayed last night by
the crowd struggling to get into McGaire's
auction room. The fair sex was lust as crazy
as the men, and not a few ladies brayed the
mud and rain, and jostled at the door for ad-
mission in right good earnest The attraction
was the great "Dead-Letter Office Sale % ad-
Vertlsed for some weeks to take place on this
night.
1t was announced that the catalogue consist
ed OF articles accumulated in the Dead Letter
Office since 1857, 1.-THE Department having
used every effort to find the proper owners, and
being unable to do SOL and they would now
be sold for the postage; the proceeds If any,
alter paying charges, to be deposited in the
United States Treasury, subject 10 order
should the proper owners hereafter be found
The articles came from the post office in sealed
packages, aud no opportunity having thus
been obtained of getting a peep of examina
hon the bidding was somewhat in the dark
but generally spirited. The buyers naturally
supposed that the articles thus sent by mail
as pledges Of affection must be about the cor
rect thing i'll point of value.
The auctioneer said he would warrant moth
ing, as they wanted to close the thing up final
~ II iiC NhStC llliIiS 10 De WOrIDeSS lie
would intimate the fact when it was put up.
very large proportion-perhaps three
quarters-of the articles were pieces of Jewell
ry. vi these again, a large proportion were
finger rings, there being no less than 504
many OF them heavy plain gold wedding rings.
Then there were earrings i'll any quantity, gold
pencils, bracelets, gold and silver watches,
chains, lockets, fruit knives, breast pins, studs,
fob chains, medals, etc., etc
One OF the lockets put up for sale, on being
opened, was found to contain a miniature, and
was Immediately withdrawn, as the Depart
ment reserves all portraits, not being allowed
by law to sell them.
There was quite sprnkling of books -
The Way to Heaven, Life and Speeches of
Henry Clay, vols; Keeping the Heart, Fa-
talist, 100 Catechisms, Forts Medical Prac-
tlce, Stockton's Sermons, Missouri Harmony
African Preacher, Paradise Lost, Alyn's Rit-
ual, Laws of Georgia. dozen Catechisms,
Fred Douglass, Sumner Family, Life of Ere
mont, Danger in tie Dark, Green Book, Hymn
Books, Flowers of Piety, Catholic Missal,
Lvngston's Travels, five German books, Cot
ton is King, Bay State Glee Book, &C., &C.
Among the old things in the miscellany
were an extraordinary pair Of embroidered
suspenders German style), which sold for 81
l regalia, 9th degree, l. 0. o. +. drought 81
foJ patent lnhallng tube, 10 cure conSump-
ton (37 cents) box of dissecting instruments /;
scarificator, half dozen chemises gaffS for
game fowl, l cornfield hoe directed to Queen
Victoria 1.-THE postage on which amounted to
Sl6); German pipes, gold foil, inkstandS, kid
gloves, spectaces, daguerreotype plates, violin
strings, lot of mourning goods, 2 shaws and
sacks, comfort, linen, brads flor colored per
sons), black summer coat, bedquilt, ear trum-
pet, three pairs OF boots, brogans, lot of hard
ware, sign on cotton cloth, Ready Made
Clothing" lot of avis, S dozen watch crystals,
and so on to the number of six or seven hun
dred articles.