The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1876-11-17

that Maria Russell was dead-for she
must be dead, OF she would have called
for her letters in the years that had
gone snoe she got the last.
But il may be asked why the un-
known correspondent doesn't send 10
the Dead-letter Office and claim his
money-the money he sent so faithfully
each month 10 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 a variety Of singular
stories have been told 10 account for the
manner in which the correspondence
was conducted.
One man wrote 20 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
tiers he was az once pronounced an i'm
postor.
A man in Sturgis, Mich, has told the
strangest story and put in the strongest
cl,sm. He says that he is one of a fam
lily of five children, four brothers aud
one daughter. In 1885 his father and
mother separated, the father taxing the
boys and the mother the Girl, and the
father agreeing TO pay 30 a month for
his daughters support as long as he
lived, but 70 have no communication
with her in any way whatever. He says,
this man in Michigan, that his father
used % send the money in the manner
described as long as he lived with him.
but having some differences about 1916
they, the father and son, separated, the
latter going West, where he has rcsid
ed ever since, without having heard
once from the rest of his family. He
said he was in no need of the money,
but would like very much 10 know if
tue strange correspondents were his
father and sister. He would identify
the writing, he thought, if they would
send him one of the letters.
Mr.. Russell's letter was strongly in
dOrsed by several prominent residents
of Sturgis, who bore testimony 10 his
good character and general worthiness.
Mr.. Dallas, the superintendent OF the
Dead-letter Office, replied that while he
greatly desired 20 oblige Mr.. Russell, il
was not permitted 10 send any of the
letters out of the Office; but if Mr. Rus
sell was ever in Washington he woald
be glad to give him any information in
his power, and show him any papers in
the department relating To the case.
The law required that these letters and
their contents be reclaimed within three
years. At the end of which time the
money Enclosures revert To the United
States Treasury, from which they can
not De recovered without a special act
Of Congress.
On a recent visit 10 the Dead-letter
Office | saw the silent, inanimate rel |
.cs Of this strange mystery. A pile of /.
plain, yellow envelopes, marked with \
some hieroglyphics peculiar 10 the /
Desd-letter men, indicating their refer 4
ance 10 the books Of the bureau. II
hey could talk what strange story /
hey might tell. What theme for a
are these dead letters-dead in
svery respect. Forlorn, too, the speech
ess wanderers, with neither their writ
y nor their intended recipient % claim
hem. | opened one Of them-there
vas no date, no signature, and written
n the center Of the page Of blue note
PAPER, with pale ink, in an old-fas hion-
d hand that appeared to have been I'M
.ertain with age, were those few I'M
uggestive words:
/" enclose you the money as usual.
will send more the first Of next month.
f0u need not write. ''-Chtcdg0 liner