Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1877-07-24

PpiNhIi iIipA iiihtlbu mug MAJ IN IL
Russell; but before many Of them WEI,
mailed ii leaked out that the persona
was put ia the papers by ono OF the clerks
who hoped to reach in advance of hi
fellows clue 10 tho mystery. But moth
ing satisfactory resulted from the por
sonsl. Several Maria Rnssells turned ~
to answer it, and were very much dis.
gusted 10 find that they weren't the por
son wanted; but it brought no clue tC
the curious Old lady and her carious cor
respondert..
-Four, i've, six years went by. and caci
month brought as regularly as The monll
came around . letter for Maria II. Rus.
sell. Tue reverence with which these
letters were treated was q new feature il
the psf clli,c Department. l. was q
satisfaction even to haLd.e them and fee
oi the thin. limpsy enclosure, and with
what agony oi interest they were adver-
tised. ard finally sent away to the Dead
Letter Ollice each thirty days to he de-
posted with the others Just like them
that had gone before.
One day nearly two years ago clerk
in the PJs,-clli:e told a friend who was
connected with newspaper OF the cir
cumstances, aud brei statement OF
facts was published. The paragraph was
widely qI.ted repubished in almost
every paper in The United States. And
with this publication the letters stopped
coming. the last one was pos,marked
March T. 1873. /: is thought that the
ny slcrious correspondent saw the para
graph, and knew in that way Maria Rus
sell was dead-ior she mnst be dead, OF
she would have called for her letters in
the years that had gone since she got the
last
Bat it may be asked why the unknown
correspondent doesn't send to tho Dead
Letter Olice and claim his monoy-the
money he sent so faithfully each month
t) Maria Russell, oven for ten years after
she was dead and gone. A large num-
Der OF claims have been made for the
money siuce the publication last year,
and variety of singular stories have
| been tod TO account Tor the manner in
which the correspondence was conducted
Onc man wrote to inform the Post Cllice
! Department that he WAS the person WHO
had been sending the money to Malta
Russell these forty years agone, but as
his manuscript was in every way dis
sin llay from that in the original letters be
was NJ once pronounced an imposior.
A man in S.urgis. Men. has told The
s'raDgCst story and put in the strongest
claim. lie SAYS that he il one Of d
lamiy II five children. four brothers and
one daughter. In 1888 his father and
mother separated, the father taking The
hogs and The mother the girl, and the
father agreeing to pay live dollars "
month Tor bis daughters support as long
as hc lived, bu. 10 have no commUuicl-
ton with her il any way whatever. lie
says. this nan in Michigan, that bis father
used 90 send tho money in the manner
described as long rs he lived with him
on, having some dilfsrences about 1916,
they, The father and son, separated, the
latter going West, where he has resided
ever since, without having heard onct
from the rest of his family. lie said HI
was in 10 need of money, but would lik'
very much to know if the strange cor
respondents we're his father and sister
lie would identity the writing he thought
# they would send him one of the letters
Mr.. RGSsel's letter was strongly in
dersed by several prominent residents G
Sturgis, who bore testimony to his goot
character and general worthiness.
Mr.. Dallas, the Superintendent of th'
Dead Letter Office. replied that while HI
greatly desired to oblige Mr.. Russell,
was not permitted to send any OF the let
ters out of the office; but il Mr.. Russell
was ever in Washington he would b.
glad to give any information in his powe
and show him papers in the department
relating 10 the case. The law require'
that these letters and their contents b
reclaimed within three years, at the en'
of which time the money enclosures re
vert TO the United States Treasury. iron
which they cannot be recovered withou
a special act of Congress.
Ga a recent visit to the Dead Lette
Office saw The silent, inanimate relic
OF this strange mystery. A pile OF plain
yellow envelopes, marked with som
hieroglyphics peculiar to the dead leite
man, indicating their reference TO IN
books OF the bureau. If they could tai
what story they might tell. What
theme for romance are these dead letters
dead in every respect. FOrlorn. toe
the speechless wanderers, with neithe
their writer nor their intended recipier
to claim them. l opened one OF them
) there was no date, no signature; an
written in the centre of the page OF bll
note paper, with pale ink. in an old fast
, ioned hand that appeared to have bee
uncertain with age. were these few III
suggestive words: