The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1876-09-08
LAD LETTERS.
Pathetie and Ridiculous Array OF
Stray Nail Mattsr-IoNc Mtsstves, Alli-
gators, Locks OF Hair and Snakes.


The paradise of fools, $50 few I'M
known i the mental comment as one
sees the many evidences of peoples
carelessness, fOolishness and stupidity
which are displayed at the Dead-Letter
Z Office Museum. Arranged in glass
7 cases on the four sides of the room are
I all these waits Of travel, displayed with
a view TO their respective attractions,
and suggestive Of the treaehery Of post
age-stamps and the adverse fate which
sometimes overtaSes even mail-bags
. There is every thing known TO the useful
and ornamental; every thing not smaller
than thimble or larger than a stove
I pipe hat.
Such a pathetic array of might-have-
beens, so eloquent Of disappOintments
and blighted hopes Locks of hair
there are whole switches Of them-and
as for photographs, We are told that
there are forty bushels of them in the
basement OF the building But fancy
yourself the recipient of a nice parcel
from the hands OF the postman some
morning, which, upon being opened,
disclOses n live snakei Whether one
would 60 into raptures or Mysteries NJ
such a treasure would be matter of
taste, l suppose. But, then, people do
send snakes through the mail, and
sometimes they come back 10 the Dead
Letter Office for want of a claimant,
and we see them leading a serenely
spiritual existence in glass jar among
other stray postal curiOsities. II Is
tact that 4 postmaster once found a
small live alligator disporting among
the letters and papers in a mailbag.
There was also bouquet of fresh I
flowers, which had slipped out Of It's I
box: and 4 couple Of empty boxes, very .
similar in size and shape, aud both adj /
dressed 20 ladies, left the poor man in .
doubt as 10 which the alligator belong
ed. and 10 which the flowers. Imagine
the fair recipient of the flowers finding
a monster in her box. instead Of the .
delicate Offering which she had expect
ed. But the postmaster made no blum .
der; be pu, The flowers into one box,
the alligator into the other; notified 4
the ladies Of the slight confusion OF
property which had taken place, and
directed each TO exchange with the .
other II she should receive the wrong
article But he was gratiied TO learn,
shortly afterwards, that there had been
no mistake made. Jewelry Is one Of
the articles most commonly iutrusted 20
letters and postal packages.
One can hardly realize that there j. a
daily average Of 1900 or 1880 dead
letters, OF about 4UO,O a month. Al
lowing one person TO letter. there are
10000 persons every month who I'M
dertake 10 send letters either without
stamps, without addresses, or with can
celed stamps, insufficient postage. or
niegible or Incorrect addresses. Many
Of them are without either stamp or al
dress, and often with no signature
which gives the slightest clew 10 per-
sons sending them There are 10000
month received that either lack postage
or address, OF else have insufficient or
cancelled stamps; aud. strange as il
may seem, these are sometime, the
most valuable letters, often containing
currency OF drafts for large amounts Of
money. II is estimated that there Is
about 500. 600 in drafts and $500
I'm cash received yearly through dead
! .;ters. This j. All returned, il posi- .
be, 10 the persons sending IL; but If
any portion Of II fails 10 nd q claimant,
il !, turned over 20 the POst-office fund. ]
Very little difficulty i experienced in :
restoring the CHECKS and drafts 10 the ;
rightful owners, but the money gener-
ally comes in small sums, and is usually '
sent in the most careless, haphazard .
fashion, and the loss Of these small
sums and the ignorance or carelessness
with which they are launched upon .
a journey represents a deal Of suffering
and disappointment. Some hard work
ing man may send so, the savings of (
months labor, to his wife and little
ones, whom be has had to leave behind
him; but, alas, he is one Of forty thou !
sand who trust 70 Providence, without
stamp or address, or else his writing or
are beyond mortal ken,
and so the poor wife never gets the pit
lance, which is her all.
IL ! very amusing 20 see the letters ,
opened, and guess At their contents be- :
fore they are brought TO light. Three ,
out Of five from bundle Of unsddressed
letters contained money, one Of them a '
- note. Then there are such quanti- r
ties Of dress samples in letters. One {
would imagine that all womankind had
discovered 4 language in the inter- i
change Of these scraps Of dress fabrics.
One-half show their prosperity in bits !
Of silks and satins, and the other half {
in slips os six-penny calico, and it is
only in the Dead-letter Office that they
meet or common ground. Certainly
every fifth letter contains a photograph,
and don't imagine that any great care \
IS taken 20 return lost photographs; but
any one so bereaved has the privilege 5
q