The Republican journal., 1875-08-12
A Letter Containing $4,000 lost
for Six Months.

he First National Bank Of this rllN has
had 4 curious and somewhat troublesome
experience with "lost letter" On Feb
ruary + last a letter containing checks,
&c, to the amount Of SO 900 WAS mailed
from the First National Bank 1t Paterson
Post-oilice to the Importers and Traders
National Bank of New York, the New
York agent OF the bank here. Tho Nrw
York bank failed to receive the letter. and
of course there was much anxiety about
it on the part OF the officers Of the First
National Bank. which would have been
the loser, if the vouchers were not made
good. An exhaustive search was made in
the Paterson and New York posr-olljces,
aS we'll a. in both the banks, the search
extending over days, bat no trace Of the
missing package could he found NOW
strong approximations OF 4 mail robbery
We're entertained, and the Government
official We're impressed with this idea. The
First National Bank meanwhile proceeded
to make the best arrangement II could tOr
avoiding loss. An extensive correspond
cnce-tho package containing thirty ac-
counts OF sundry paltlcs-Was necessary,
and indemnity bonds had 20 be prepared
and given by the bank to All these par
ties Finally all was provided for except
about 500 Of pension checks Oi the MD
ed States Government, it taking much
longer to arrange that matter, through
the dlatory processes Of the circumlocu-
ton office, than it did the private ones.
Now comes the curious denoucment
On July G-eNactly five months to = day
from the time the letter was lost, the clerks
in the Post-ollice in this city had to poke
under their stamping table for something
that had dropped on the floor and there,
Snu@lv lying in small crack between the
bottom Of the table and the floor, wa the
missing letter. with its $4,000 intact, 1t
was the only letter ever lost at this Office,
and ii is u little remarkable that it should
have been 50 valuable 4 ono and should
have caused such extraordinary trouble
and anxiety.
There is story related Of Jarvis, the
distinguished painter, to the effect that,
walking down Broadway one day, he saw
before him dark-lookmg foreigner bear
ING under his arm a small red cedar cigar
box He stepped immediately INTO his
''wake,n and whenever he met friend
(Which was once in two or three minutes.
for the popular artist knew everybody he
would beckon to him with Il wink to "tall
into line behind BY and by the man
turned down one Of the cross streets FOL
lowed close by Jarvis and his ''tail.' At
tracted by the measured tread of 50 many
feet, he turned round abruptly, and see
inc the procession that followed in his
footsteps, he exclaimed: "What for de
debbil is dis? What for you take me, eh?
What for you 80 much come atterme. eh ''
Sir exclaimed Jarvis, with an air of
profound respect, ''We saw YOU gong to
the grave alone with the body OF you.
dead infant, and we took the opportunity
to offer you our sympathy, and TO tolloW
your babe to the tomb y The man explain
ed, in his broken manner. that the box
contained only cigars, and he evinced his
gratitude for the interest which had been
manifested in his behalf. by breaking it
open and dispensing them very literally
to the mourners. Scrbner for August.
WHY He DIDN'T BEAT THE DRUM. Dur
ing the early part of the late war, in the
wear 1861, shortly after our army moved
from Washington out beyond Arlington
Gen. Levi S. Chatfeld of New York went
out to visit some Ohio regiments, when
| the following incident OF the movement
was related to him. AS they went along
on their way some Of the soldiers stepped
ont of the ranks and ''contiscateun a couple
Of geese, and at the suggestion of an in
genious fellow and q natural hummer,
one of the drummcrs unheaded his instru-
ment and put the captured birds in.
Shortly afterward the colonel came along
and noticed that the boy shirked his usual
drum whacks, rode up to him and said F.:
"Why don't you beat that drum?' "Col-
onel,' said the startled musician, 81 want
to speak to you" The colonel drew still
closer to him, and, bending down his
head, said "Well what have you to
say?'' The drummer whispered: " Col
onel, I've got q couple of geese in here" "
The colonel Strengthened up and gravely
said 'Well if you're sick and can't play,
YOU needn't" and then rode on. 1t is
needless to add that the colonel had roast
goose that night
An exchange says, '.formerly when man got
tired of the world he went into Il caye and
dwelt alone; now he accomplishes the same -
suit by opening store and neglecting to adVer-
| tise."