The daily gazette., 1878-05-16
SECOND EDITION
Our Washington Letter.

TRlBUTIoN TO THE SILVER QUESTION
SOME CURIOUS "DEAD LETTBRs"-How
HALLERMEIER LOST S215-A MORAL
FOR FARMERS.
From Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, May 10, 1873.
The presence of Russian naval officers
in Washington during the past few days,
has renewed the interest III the so-called
"Cimbria Mystery" Count Shobelinsky,
accompanied by two other officers whose
names terminate in "sky," are staying at
the Russian Legation here, but persis-
t-ntly decline to be interviewed, answer
ing all interrogatories with shrug
| That, of course, increases the mystery
which hangs over these foreigners, and
reporters of our local press may be seen
standing guard at the Shiskin mansion,
on + street, from morning till night, in
the vain endeavor of entrapping some Of
its inmates, from the Minister himself to
his colored butler, to say something that
can be turned into an 'interview." Last
week, Baron Shiskin sold large quanti-
ty of his paintings, statury, and other
articles, at auction, preparatory to leav-
ing for New York, which will be his Off
| cial headquarters after the first OF June
| next, as he will have better opportuni-
ty of watching Russian preparations in
the "Cimbria" line from that city, than
| from here.
I Up al the State Department, ,everybo
is very taciturn on this subject; and when
asked Assistant Secretary Seward,
what action would be taken regarding
these Russian cruisers in our waters in
the event of the breaking out of hostili-
ties, he bl.ndly replied that Bret Harte
had been appointed Consul at Crefeldt
| Prussia. That is the sort of informa-
ton you get out of diplomats Poor
Bret Harte! He had set his "hole hart"
on the China Mission, with Its thirteen
thousand dollars salary, and then they
i stow him away in an obscure manufac-
turing town in Rhenish Prussia, lat twelve
hundred year, where there. is not a
heather Chinee or Euchre deck with
in a thousand mills. such is fame.
| In Congress, the bill which provides
for the repeal of the Bankrupt Act Is
still hanging fire, in the Senate Judi
ciary Committee, although there can be
little doubt that it will ultimately pass
The bill for the reorganization and re-
vamping of the fern of government for
the District of Columbia is also under
consideration by the Senate District
Committee, it having been promptly
passed by the House. Several measures
providing for the retrenchment of the
army, and more economical manage
ment of the Government departments
generally, are also pending, meeting
with strong opposition from the republi-
can side of the House. As Congress will
idoubtless adjourn next month, 1t will re-
tquire hard work and several night ses-
sions to get through in time.
The latest contri button to the silver
controversy is a pamphlet from Mr.
Henri Cernuschl on the "Bland Bill,
as he calls the Silver Bill as passed; sits
+ grounds, its alleged dishonesty, its i'm.
perfections, and its future" Somebody
has taken pains to pay for the free cir.
culation of this brochure among Senators
and members evidently. 1t is sufficient
Il ly well written to be interesting; but il
in places too dithyrambic for argume mt
The author has adopted the exploded
| Western story about the secret passage
of the coinage act of 1873, but has slight
ly improved upon it by saying "that il
is even alleged not to have been regu'
larly voted"
| A letter has b-en received at the Dead
Letter Office here, returned from Japan
with its envelope profusely decorated
with post Office and carrier stamps, and
with nine slips of rice paper attached to
, | IL, on which the unsuccessful carriers and
: persons to whose houses the letter has
been sent, have written brief statements
? of what they know or don't know aboIt
Mr.. X. Omuja, the person to whom the
letter is addressed.
The Japanese carriers showed consid
? cradle persistence in their search for Mr.
Omuja, bus were entirely surpassed b!
seventeen German carriers, who endeav
! ored in succession, with commendablt
perseverance,, to deliver letter address
sd"S Santa Claus ,on the Hartz Mountains
Germany" The joke did not pierce the
German official head, and the letter wa,
. returned to this country with the names
OF the seventeen unsuccessful carrier
pasted conspiouously on the back OF Sht
envelope. The Germans do not seem tt
recognize Santa Claus Another lsttel
sent to him at Berlin was also treated Sc
riouSly, and returned to the Dead-Lsttel
Gfrice, peppered all over with stamps
printed statements and written senten
ces in which the postnasterB and carriers
have given vent to their feelings. The
| 1dEne OF Ine sdIIle III uVluual QOeS no
even seem to have reached soms portions
of the United States. A letter addressed
. TO "Sauntis Chlause, North Platte
Neb., was strangely enough unclaimed
1t was thereupon duly advertised bu
: no response being received it came here
and now makes up the trio Of curiou,
Christmas dead letters.
Yesterday Joseph Hallermeir, an Aus
tran about 80 years old, as brown as a
nut, poorly-clad and travel-stained, walk
cd into Treasurer Giltillian's office. He
, was from Pulaski county, Mo-, about
thirty miles below st. Louis, and has
: walked all the way to Washington. He
had in his hands an envelope containing
fragments of masticated greenbacks,
which he wanted. if posi- Bile, to have re.
deemed. Sons time ago he dug a. hole
near a tree at home, and for safekeeping
plac-d therein S2i5 in S5 greenbacks and
uational bank notes, all the money he
had. The hogs, in roofing around the
spot, unearthed the pocket-oook con-
tanning the money and chewed and tore
the notes into little bits. Upon discov-
ering this, Hallermeier gathered together
the pieces and tried to dispose of them
in his ueighborhood and in St. Louis
Unsuccessful there, he took up his march
for Washington to see what he could do
here. Treasurer Gilfllian examined the