The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-10-08
The New York Postmaster's Queer Cor.
respondents.

'rrlvate INQUIRIES. Ihey have become
SO numerous that We have been com.
PEELED to issue circular answer to such
Inquiries stating that they are not con.
nected with any official duties here and
that We have no time to attend to them.
They include all sorts of anxious and all
sorts Of foolish questions. If we can
conveniently do SO we make inquiries
and send a reply, provided there's a
stamp inclOsed. Some time ago there
was man wrote to us from California
saying that he wanted the address of his
father, whom he had not seen for ten
years. Of course he gave the name and
last address, and one Of our carriers on
his rounds asked for the old man at his
last address. There it was found he had
removed to some other place years be-
fore. Another carrier on the other
round then took up the thread and in
quired at the new address. Well, to
make a long story short, the old man
was found working in a Bowery shoe
shop, and his son, who, of course, had
grown rich and prosperous, sent him
money to come out to California, where
he has lived happy ever since.
"A clergyman once wrote to us to
hunt up dissipated son, and more by
accident than otherwise we found him.
But he was bad one. He had been in
State-prison once or twice, and when he
was informed Of his fathers search he
told US to reply that it was all right, he
had married an heiress, was very rich,
being in partnership with Jim Keene,
and he would like the old gentleman to
call and see him."
Many inquiries are made daily of the
Postmaster respecting business schemes,
the virtues of medicines, and as to the
character of men who are about to mar
~ in some distant place. These the
Postmaster can hardly reply to, except
on his own personal knowledge or that
Of some one Of his trusted subordinates.
One letter came inquiring ''if - had
. good paying gambling.saloon, as he
is counting my daughter, and says he
has," The Postmaster responded
mildly that he didn't know. 1t was too
delicate an inquiry to 90 into, where the
future happiness Of two human beings
may have been at stake.
'There is" said Mr.. Gayler, "a bic
correspondence carried on under cover
of the Postmaster. For instance, per-
sons who may want to perpetrate ioi;e
or start q scandal will often write a let
ter from some other town dating it New
York and addressing it to the proposed
victim in that town., Then they will in
close the letter, enveloped, addressed.
and stamped, to the Postmaster. here
with o request that it will be posted.
That secures the New York postmark
on it, which is what they want, and of
course IL shunts suspicion away from the
original sender, while it increases the
mystery. But, under the regulations,
all such letters have q special mark nut
on them which greatly disturbs the send.
er's expectations. Each one receives an
extra mark which reads thus: Mailed
at under cover to Postmaster, New
York. This" continued Mr.. Gayler.
''rather gives away the sender, especial.
ly IS he is apt to care little about con.
cealing his handwriting when the SUB.
posed postmark will help so much to
hide him. Some days ago sent one Of
these to, say, John Smith, in POUCH.
keepsie, with our special mark on it.
and in less than three days saw that
John Smith had been on regular horse.
whipping excursion around that beauti.
full city.
'sThen there are q great many letters
which come under cover for the very
rich men or noted philanthropists, like
Gould, Vanderbilt, or George 1. Seney.
fhGwriter does not know the full ad.
dress, and requests the Postmaster to
I'LL it in. This, of course, is always done
II the stamps are on the envelope. The
letters may be begging letters or threat
ening letters for all we know. All we
have to say is, Has the envelope got the
stamps on? But of course these inclosed
letters must also bear our postmark, and
so l suppose Vanderbilt, Gould and
Seney are often perplexed to find let
ter postmarked New York and dated
out In California or down in Georgia.
Sometimes, l suppose, very innocent let.
tiers are set down rs frauds by these
gentlemen because there appears to be
some sham in the date"
The Postmaster has one regular cor.
respondent who sends postal card full
Of unintelligible nonsense day after day
from Essex Junction, VT, his screeds
reading on like continued story from
ono postal to the next one. One CORE.
spondent strongly urges that the Post.
master send an order for ~ or more
hawking BIRDS" and another recon.
Mends the ''Besling stone As the only
sure thing"
''Good morning, gentlemen. I hone
you are living under the eye of the
Lord" said genteel little old ladv. A
she tripped lightly into the room and
tripped out again, when the reporter
was about departing.
"That," said Mr.. Gayler, sis our lit.
tie Miss Elite. She owns al the GROUND
the post-ohice stands on, and comes
around every day to go how her prop.
erty y getting on. She told me conf.
denaally the other day that she was very
much bothered In her mind to know
what sum she should allow the United
states tor improvements. w. Y. 7tib.