Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1865-12-15

SENDING MoNEy sY MAIL

| ing money Dy mali. w nave no doubt
! Post-masters and Post-ofice clerks are as
honest as other men; yet there are SO
many contingencies upon which the safe
carriage of money by mail depend, that
no prudent man will risk his money In
the mail bag, unless compelled to do So
Such compulsion seldom exists, for Banks
Bankers, Money Order Post offices, and
Express Companies, place it within the
power of almost every one to secure a
safe means of transit for money
Penuriousness has more to do with this
evil than any other cause A three-cent
stamp is great temptation to risk one S
hard earnings, while very insignificant
sum paid an Express Company, or for a
Bank draft. or for POST office Money
Order, will insure the safety of the treas
ure almost beyond conceivable loss.
Among the safe ways for remitting
money we do not mention the Post office
Registry system, for it is not safe way.
The registration of money letter does
enable the Post-ofice Department to trace
out, more directly, the track of missing
letter. It aids in "spotting' the office
where the theft was committed, but that
is poor satisfaction to the person who has
lost his money, lrrecoverably, when he
reflects that the very fact Of marking his
letter Registered, - afforded the thief the
ey. Registered" on a letter, is proof
positive to thieving clerk thatthat back
age IS what he is seeking; and whereas
that thief might be compelled to spend
hours in overhauling and examining let
ters, to find those containing money, he
has only to read the tell-tale word Reg
istered" and pocket the package, certain
there is money within the envelope. -aae
One fact every person should know
the GOUer7lnlent, Under no circumstances, IS
responsible for money sent by mail. The
impression is quite general that the Post
office Department is responsible, in case
of the loss of registered letter. This IS
not So We have no doubt that the next
reform in our Postal service will be in
abolishing the Registry system, as not
answering the end for which it was Great
ed I eH 2s.r.. ..r..
We wish, in this connection, to call at
tention to the fact that thousands of losses,
and tens Of thousands of delays, laid to
the door of Post masters, and Post-ofice
clerks, are the fault of the letter writer's
themselves. This is demonstrated in the
huge package of unpaid letters sent from
every large office. weekly, or oftner, to
the Dead Letter Office. Those letters
are opened at the Dead Letter Office, and
if found worth returning to the writer's,
are resent to the Office where dated, pro-
vided that the name of the writer is given,
so that he or she can be identified But
if the missive containing bank bill, or
present, is signed, :" Y our affectionate
Father" or flowing Mother" or fond
Sister" or devoted Brother" or con
slant Cousin Sue, or distracted Lover
John, a town crier with bell could not
find the writer, and the letter with its
contents is fled at Washington, where
~ afO Of
ton, the non-receipt of which have part
ed friends and sundered plighted lovers.
The want of a three-cent postage stamp
has caused many sleepless nights, many
oaths, and much heart-burning -1
The valuable letters, as we have said,
are returned to the office at the place
where dated, and notice given to the
writers thereof who are requested to call
and claim their property. And hereby
hang some very funny incidents. Here
is letter returned to a father who en-
closed money te.a daughter in Southern
Ohio. Innumerable have been the
anathemas hurled against the rascals who
plunder the mails, and the ecareless clerks.
Over and over again had that gentleman
asserted that that letter was properly
mailed, postage paid Now it is returned
for lack of stamp. The writer very
generously owned up, and abused himself
for his stupidity.
Next called coal dealer, who had sent
a money letter to a customer. The writer
first and last, had suspected everybody
but himself as being the cause of the loss,
and when he heard of the arrest of a
dishonest clerk, then he knew 'tjustwhere
the money had gone" That letter had
on it revenue stamp. The coal dealer
acknowledged the joke on him.
Now comes in merchant who said he
had wondered why his letter with a
draft in had not been answered. The
secret was revealed. In directing it he
had written ''Pittsburg, Ohio, instead of
PA, F." and his letter having remained un-
called for at the Office Of that name in
this State, had been sent to Washington.
Next appears young lady who had
remltted to her mother, and had been dis
tressed at the loss Of the letter. 1t had
found the Dead Letter Office, instead of
her mother, because bearing a postage
stamp of the kind used before the war
And before she could pocket her lost
money, young man comes in to claim a
letter the contents of which he had given
up for lost That letter had gone astray
because it was enclosed in a stamped en-
velope of the style used before the rebel
lion. That hours work concluded in re-
turning to one of our best business houses
Vafua Die letter addressed TO an lndlYldu-
al Cleveland" whereas it should have
read Buffalo. The writer declared that
nothing but his own eyes would have CON
vinced him that he had blundered like
that A moment after member of one
of our best Superior street houses called
to receive letter, with an enclosure,
which had been directed Buffalo, o., in
stead of N. Y.
We give these as a few of the incidents
connected with lost letters, and as show
! ing that the mail service is not response
Bile for all the missing letters.
| In this connection we would urge all
persons who have frequentcorr
| to procure envelopes having their address,
or business card, printed thereon, with
instructions to return the letter if not
called for within a certain number of
days. Over score of uncalled for let
ters, thus endorsed, are returned weekly,
from the Cleveland Office. Stamped en-
velopes can be procured of the Post office
Dcpartmentthus printed by ordering them
from the Post office, or can be printed at
any printing office.
The Virginia City (Montana) Post OF
November 4th contains glowing descrip-
! tioD of a most extraordinary gold discov-