Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1876-12-14

fee and claim his money-the money he sent
80 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 publication 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.oftice de-
partmeut that he was the person 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 orig
inal letters he was at once pronounced an i'm
postor. y j.,@
A man in Sturgis. Mich, has told the
strangest story and put in the strongest
claim. He says that he is one of a family of
Eve children, four brothers and one daughter.
In 1885 his father and mother separated, the
father taking the boys, and the mother the
girl, and the father agreeing to pay FIVE dol.
lara month for his daug ghter's support as
long as he lived, but to have no communica-
ton with her in any way whatever. He
says, this man in Michigan, that his father
used to send the money in the manner descrlb-
ed as long as he lived with him, but having
some differences about 1846 they, the father
and sou, separated, the latter going West,
where he has resided ever since, without hav-
ing heard once from the rest of his family.
he said he was in no need Of money, but
would like very much to know if the strange
correspondents were his father and sister. He
would identify the writing, he thought, if they
would send him one of the letters.
Mr.. Russells letter was strongly indorsed
by several prominent residents of fSturgis who
bore testimony to his good. character and
general worthiness.
J Mr.. Dallas, the Superintendent of the
Dead Letter Office, replied that while be de-
sired to oblige Mr.. Russell, it was not permit
ted to send any Of the letters out Of the Office;
but if Mr. Russell was ever in Washington
he would be glad to give any information in
his power and show him papers in the depart.
ment relating to the case. The law required
that these letters and their contents be re.
claimed within three years, at the end OF
which time the money Enclosures revert to the
United States Treasury, from which they can
not be recovered without special act of Con-
gress. s,a.".u .'
,Ou TeceuG FlSlt " tue Leou'AoHoi OiASo
I saw the silent. nanimate relics of this strange
mystery. A pile Of plain, yellow envelopes,
marked with some hieroglyphics peculiar to
the dead.lett men, indicating their reference
to the books of the bureau. If they could
talk what story they might tell What
theme for romance are these dead letters
dead in every respect Forlorn, too, the
speecbless wanderers, with neither their wri-
tiers nor their intended recipients to reclaim
them. I opened one of them-there was no
date no signature and written in the centre
of the page of blue note paper, with pale ink,
10 an old fashioned hand that appeared to
have been uncertain with age, we're these few
suggestive words: ''".'. '.s:.".
81 enclose you the money as usual. l will
send more the first of next month. You need
not write"