The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1876-12-28
the mystery, some one brought in a
daily paper which contained the follow


daily paper which contained the follow
ing advertisement:
DERsONAL-ANY PERSON HAVING ANY |
Russell, who has been resident of this city for !
thirty years, will relieve terrible anxiety by |
communicating with c. B. r. Post-ofice.
What a sensation that personal made
In the Post-office Department. Here |
at last was a clew to the unknown cor
respondent who was wondering why he |
had received no acknowledgement to |
his letters for nine months; and to add !
to the excitement another letter, in the
same pale-yellow style of envelope, ad-
dressed in the same similar chirogra-
ply, was tossed with hundreds of others
to the distributors table, where it came
to light. Fifty letters were addressed
to sc. B. R.,'' each of which stated
that they had important information
concerning Maria H. Russell; but be-
fore many of them were mailed it leak
ed out that the personal was put in the
papers by one of the clerks, who hoped
to reach in advance of his fellows clew
to the mystery. But nothing satisfac-
tory resulted even from the personal.
Several Maria Russell's turned up to
answer it, and were very much disgust
ed to find they weren' It the person want
ed; but it brought no clew to the Curl
Gus old lady and her curious correspond
ent.
Four. five, six years went by, and
each month brought as regularly as the
month came round letter for Maria
H. Russell. The reverence with which
these letters were treated was new
| feature in the Post-office Department.
| 1t was satisfaction even to handle
them, and feel of the thin, lmpsy en-
closure, and with what agony of inter-
est they were advertised, and finally
sent away to the Dead-letter Office each
| thirty days to be deposited with the
others just like them that had gone be-
fore. elt#
One day nearly two years ago clerk
in the post-office told friend who was
connected with newspaper OF the cir
cumstances, and brief statement of
facts was published. The paragraph
was widely quoted d-republished in al
most every paper in the United States.
And with this publication the letters
stopped coming. The last one was post
marked March 4, 1875. It is thought
that the mysterious correspondent saw
the paragraph, and knew in that way
that Maria Russell was dead-for she
must be dead, or she would have called
for her letters in the years that had
gone since she got the last. A
But it may be asked why the un-
known correspondent doesn't send to
the Dead-letter Office and claim his
money-the money he sent so faithfully
each month to Maria Russell, even for
ten years after she was dead and gone.
, A large number of claims have been
made for the money since the publica-
ton last year, and variety of singular
stories have been told to account for the
manner in which the correspondence
: was conducted.
One man wrote to inform the Post
office Department that he was the per.
son who had been sending the money
to Maria Russell these forty years agone
but as his manuscript was in every way
,, dissimilar from that in the original let
ters he was at once pronounced an i'm
postor.
A man in Sturgis, Mich, has told thu
| strangest story and put in the stronges
claim. He says that he is one of a fam
: : lily of five children, four brothers ant
. one daughter. In 1885 his father ant
, mother separated, the father taking thu
: boys and the mother the girl, and tn
: father agreeing to pay SIS month to
. his daughters support as long as b
lived, but to have no communication
5 with her in any way whatever. He says
= = this man in Michigan, that his fathe
: used to send the money in the manne
: described as long as he lived with him
: but having some differences about 184
!, they, the father and son, separated, tn
latter going West, where he has resid
ed ever since, without having hear
,f once from the rest of his family. II
i said he was in no need of the money
!. but would like very much to know
t. the strange correspondents were hl
= father and sister. He would identif
n the writing, he thought, if they woul
ia send him one of the letters.
te Mr.. Russell's 8 letter was strongly II
s. dorsed by several prominent resident
of Sturgis, who bore testimony to h
,e good character and general worthines
D. Mr.. Dallas, the Superintendent OF t.
e, Dead-letter Office, replied that while
90 greatly desired to oblige Mr.. Russell,
n was not permitted to send any OF Il
ia letters out of the Office; but il MIR. Ru
if sell was ever in Washington he wou
Q. be glad to give him any information
i'd his power, and show him any papers
u. the department relating to the cas-
10 The law required that these letters al
to their contents be reclaimed within thr
IN wears. At the end Of which time &
re money Enclosures revert to the Unit
at States Treasury, from which they G.
ut not be recovered without a special