The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1878-01-10
Washington eOrrSepOpdones /
WAsHINaRON, Jan. 5.l878. :

to tho window to tako q coy peep
through tho lnIf closed blinds. II Knew
Bob wouldn't let another day pass
without sending mo q letter. Oh, yes,
hero it is-thank you aJat3e-,ibhsL it &.
heavy one, though bless. his heart, he
always did write good long letters,
and now that he's in Italy he van have
80 much moro 10 tell mo about hthc
sunny hills and beautiful galleries.
Hotel D'EIora, Florehce, Italy, Det.
4, 1877. My Dear Helen: Hero II am,
ut last in 2thatlecal mecca
to which l have beon journeying for
80 many days, &C., &c.'h .qn .In:d q
Little by little Helen's voice died
away, and soon tho contents not . the
letter from her Bob WAS only tofbe ins
tcrpreted by .the tcll-tule -. blusbes
which came and went on her beautiful
face. She was SO wrapped up in what
sho read that one could havo envied
her happiness. That letter was truly
q sorcerer. 1t has come all the way
acrosss tho seas from faraway Ital y to
tho very house whore Helen lived
without accident. But suppose, IN
stead there had been an error in tho
direction; then Uncle Sam would have
taken it, and first having it pronoun-
ced dead by the trustworthy physi-
clan, would have buried it among the
other dead letters in the great sepul-
chre he keeps for that purpose. Every
day hundreds of precious and impor-
tant letters go astray, and hundreds
of hearts are mado sick by hope. de-
ferred. In tho early colonial times, so
tho old yellow pamphlet in the Dc~
partmcnt archives tells us, great pains
were taken to recover letters which
had been lost. A letter in those days
was an expensive affair; paper cost Il
great deal, and the postage wae cons
siderable, ranging from twenty five
cents even up to one dollar; 10 say
nothing of tho annoyance Of having
TO whittlo out your own pen from the
quill, and-impressine on tho back Of
the mssivc tho immense seal SO Gus
tomary in those days. Some of thaso
remarkable epistles arc, still 70 .be seen
at the Dead Lettor Office. Tboir fad. !.
cd lines and yellow appearance lures
ono into deep rovcrio Of those long
gone days, and lho imagination pc
lures the writers who years ago have
crumbled into dust from which thcy
came.
From November, 1777 TO Dcccmbcr
1889, all tho letters that went astrny
are recorded IN a Eov k Of forty five
pages. This coverst, period Of twelve
years. A marked contrast'is evident
when it is known that for tho year
1877 moro than four millions of d cad
letters were received bv the Post Off
CO Department.. For the handlink' of
this immense number fifty-nipe ladies
and twenty~nino gentlemen are en-.
ploycd. 1t is an easy matter to talk
about millions OF letters, but when it
is understood that each particular one
has to be separated, handled, marked,
inspected, and tho majority opened
and returned to the writer, tho mag>
nitudo Of the work can be imagined
if not appreciated. When d letter IS
misdrcctcd or tho postage has not
been prepaid, it is sent by the post
master Immediately to the Dead Let
ter Office with the other letters which
have not been called for. !Here
they aro opened by tho Gentlemen
who sit at long tables in tho large
cheerful room. If anything valuable
is contained in them they are handed
over to another division, where the
contents are registered and placed in
largo safe for future redemption. If
thore is nothing in them of value, they
are sent up stairs, where the ladies in.
spect them, and If tho address of the
writer is found tho letter is enclosed
to the person by whom ii is written.
If the letter has been hold for postage,
q circular is sent to the person to
whom it is addressed, Informing him