The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1876-12-30
Tho First Hold Heard of it.

tlcmen Of the jury. not so much-not so
much rs horseshoe TO nail upon his
dOorpo,t to keep the witches Oft The
tears came into the blackSmith's eyes ut
this affecting destription One of his
friends, noticing them. said to him,
"Why, Tom. what's the matter with
Won? What are Won blubhcring about?"
IL Lad no idea, was the reply, in n
whimpcriEG tone a had no idea | had
been so much a-a-busel." Nor had he,
till Choate told him.
CCRrosITIEs or THE DEApLETTER Or
FGcE.-Onc can hardly realize that there
is il daily average of 2,eOO or $1,000
dead letters, or about ~, 900 a month
Allowing one person to n letter, there
arc 100 900 person, every month who
undertake. to send letters either without
stamps, without addresses, or with can
cclcd stamps. insufficient postage or
illcgihlc or incorrect addresses. Many
OF them are without either stamp or adj
dress. and often with no signature which
gives the slightest clue to persons send
ing them. There are 400 600 month
received that either lack postage or adj
dress. or else have insufficient or can
ccled stamps, and strange as it may
seem, these arc sometimes the most val
uable letters. often containing currency
or drafts for large amounts of money.
IT is estimated that there is about -. =
900 900 in drafts and SO. 900 in cash
received yearly through dead letters.
This is all returned, if possible, to per
sons sending it; but ii any portion of
it fails to find claimant, it is turned
over to the post-ofico fund.
Very little difficulty is experienced in
restoring the checks and drafts to the
rightful owners, but the money gencr-
ally comes in small sums, and is usually
sent in the most careless. hap hazard
fashion, and the loss OF these small
sums, by the ignorance or carclessness
with which they are launched upon a
Journey. represents deal Of suffering
and disappointment. Some hard work
ing man may send $40 the savings of 4
month's labor, to his wife and little
ones. who he has hal to leave behind
but, alas he is one Of forty thousand
who trust to Providence, without STAMP
and address, or else his writing or O..
biography are beyond mortal ken, and
so the poor wife gets the pittance which
is her all.
1t is very amusing to see letters open
ed, and guess nj their contents. before
they are brought to light Three on
of five from bundle of unaddresse(
letters contained money, one of them {
50 note. Then there are such quaint
ties OF dress samples ia letters. On,
would imagine that all womankind has
discovered Il language in the inter
change of these scraps of dress fabrics
One half SHOW their prosperity in Bit
of silks and satins, and the other half il
bits of six-pennv calico, and it is onl,
IN The dead-letter Office that they NEE
on common grounds. Certainly ever,
fifth letter contains photograph. and
don't imagine that any great care i
taken to return lost photographs hu
any one SO hereaved has the privilege O
rumaging among the forty bushels 0
human " counterfeits which have 40
cumulated here e lerelond Leuier.
HIS NJ rLE.-"S Speaking about mules.
remarked 4 siX-footer from Harnct
County, as he cracked his whip at the
market yesterday morning, I've got I
mule at home which knows as much n.
do, and want to hear somebody ST,
that I'm half fool.
No one said SO and he went on.
I've stood around here and henr
men blow about kicking mules unit