The weekly echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1868-1876, 1870-05-21
Communicated.

Communicated.
Editor Weekly Echo
] notice ia your issue Of the 7thI
instant an article entitled "TheI
Mails" rejecting very severity on
our mail-oarier, from the Mermen-|
tau river to Lake Charles, accusing
him of repeated negligence and re-.
missness ID his duty. / have no
doubt, Mr.. Editor, that when you
inserted that article in your paper,
you were actuated by good and
honest motives to serve the COM
munity. The mail that week had
been an hour or two behind time;
and, ais our citizens had been lately
so well accustomed to see the mail
served very regularly, and being
spoiled thereby, they Of course
grumbled little at this unusual
delay. Such is almost always in
variably the case. Grant people
favors for some time and they will
get accustomed to them, and ex-
pect continuance as a matter of
right.
Now these are the simple facts
of this case: and / hope, Mr.. Edi-
tor, you will give these lines a
place in your paper, in justification
of our mail-carrier, who is one of
our respectable and honest citi-
zens, at the request of one other
citizen, a subscriber of your paper,
who is entirely disinterested in the
matter; except in this, that it is g
matter of consequence to him that
the mail be served punctually and
faithfully:
The schedule time for the mail
to arrive OF Lake Charles is on
Thursday Of each week at four
O'Clock p. m. Now when was this
ever deviated from except when
the mail arrived an hour or two
before that time. Let me answer
that question-on two occasions
only, the first was some time last
winter, in terrible stormy and
rainy weather. 1T had been rain
ing all day Thursday, and in fact
for several days previously. No
body expected that the mail could
possibly come that day; the coun-
try was overfowed, all the bayous
and creeks were swimming, and
the postmaster himself had an
nounced that, in view Of these facts,
he did not expect the mil at all.
Contrary to all expectations, how
ever, the mail DID arrive that day,
having surmounted all difficulties,
at half-past seven o'clock p. M;
only three and a-half hours be-
hind time. Surely this deserved
well. The second time is that which
called the severe remarks in your
paper, referred to, which I am as
sured by the mail-carrier himself,
and which / believe, was caused
by bis missing his horses on
the morning Of lnail-day, and
consequent loss of time in hunting
them up. This brought the mail
as I am informed, one and a-halI
or two hours behind time.
Now, Mr.. Editor, if we consider
that the mail was, with those two
exceptions, always brought in, a.
least an hour or two within SEIZED
ule time, since last July, when oul
present mail-carrier was appointed
{, nearly q year ago, surely not only
ought we make allowances for m
foreseen accidents and unavoidabl,
causes, but we ought to give ful
credit for that very rare thing il
3 our parish, punctuality and faith
fulness in the service Of the mail
! Even when the service Of the mai
was made by regular stages, som,
D two years since, ! venture to sar
that it was never better done, ~
I probably as well, as II il at pres
Q ont. AS a general thing Ell gu
e eIti1ans leave their hnuae ond ~