New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-08-29
THE POSTMASTER'S MAIL
onn THINGS I'M HIS LETTER BOX.

ODD THINGS IN HIS LETTER BOX.
oryysII oNs ABOUT THE CHARACTER OF woULD-BE
SONS IN-LAw-How TRIcKsTERs ARE FOOLED
APPLICATIONS TO RICH MEN.
awe have dozens and dozens of letters every
day.n said Assistant Postmaster Gayler, switch
may be termed Private Inquiries They nave
become so numerous that we have been compelled
to issue circular answer to such inquiries stating
that they are not connected with any official duties
here and that have no time to attend 10 1heni.
They include all sorts of anxious and all sorts OF
foolish questions If we can conveniently DO so we
make inquiries and send reply, provided there's %
stamp inclosed Some time ago there was a man
wrote to us from California, saying that he wanted
the address of his father whom he had not seen for
fen wears OF course he gave the and last
address and one of carriers on his rounds asked
for the old man at his last address. There 1t was
found he had removed to some other place years
before. Another carrier on the other round then
took mp the thread and inquired at the new address.
Vol. to make long story short. the old man was
found working in 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 happily ever since.
"A clergyman wrote TO us to hunt mp q dis
spated son, and more by accident than otherwise
we found him. But he was a bad one. He had
been in State Prison once or twice. and when ne
was Informed of his fathers search he told us to
reply tnal III was al Ilgut, TIC uttl uld1Ilcu an
heiress was very rich, being in partnership with
Jim Keeno and he would like the old gentleman to
eau and see him."
Many inquiries arc made daily Of the postmaster
respecting business schemes, the virtues of med-
cnes, and as to the character of men who about
to marry in some distant place. These the post
master hardly reply to, except on his own
personal knowledge that of some one of his
trusted subJrdinaes One letter came inquring
elf - 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 go into where the
future happiness of two human beings may have
been at stake.
There is" said Mr.. Gayler, "a big correspon-
dence carried on under cover of the postmaster.
For instance, persons who may want to perpetrate
Joke or start scandal will often write "a letter
from some other town dating it New York and
addressing it to the proposed victim in that town
Then they viii inelo,e the letter. enveloped, adj
dressed and stamped TO the postm aster here, with
request that II VIII be posted That secures he
New-York postmark on it, which is what they want,
and OF course IL stunts suspicion away from the
actual sender while it increases the mystery But
under the regulations all such letters have a
special mark pnt on them which greatly disturbs
the senders expectations. Zach one receives an
extra mark which reads thus: Mailed at - under
cover to Postmaster, New York This" continued
MI GayIer, rather gives away the sender, especi-
any as ne is apt to care little about cOncealng his
so much TO hide him. Some days aGo | sent one of
tHSSo ~, say, JOhn oHlltn, III IouGhkeepSie. with
our special mark ON it, and in less than ihIec DAVIS
L saw that John Smith had been a regular horse
whipping excursion around that beautiful city.
heh tnerc are y great many letters which
come under cover for the very rich men or
noted philanthropists, like Gould Wander
bilt or George L. Seney. The writer
does not know the full address. and requests
the postmaster to fill it in This OF course
is always done if the stamps are on the envelope
Inc letters may he begging letters threatening
letters FOR all we know All we have TO say s has
the envelope got the stamps onY But. of course
these nciOsed letters must also bear our postmark
ana so L suppose Vanderbilt, Gould and Senev are
often perpleXed to find letter postmarked &" New
YORK, aud dated out in California or down in
georgia. Sometimes l suppose very innocent
ietteis are set down frauds by these gentlemen
because there appears to be sham in the date
The postmaster has regular correspondent
VINO sends postal card full of unintelligible non
sense day after day from Essex Junction VT his
screeds reading on like continued story from one
postal 10 the next one. One correspondent strongly
urges That the postmaster send an order tor or |
more mawl king birds" aud another recommends the
Besling stone as the only sure thing"
GOOD morning. gentlemen. i hope You are liy- |
ing under the eve of the Lordn said genteel little
Ola lady as she tripped lightly into the room and |
ripped out again, when the reporter was about !
departing.
:" That" said Mr. Gayler is our little Miss Flite
She owns all the ground the post-ofice stands on
and comes around every day TO see how her pron,
erty Is getting She told me conhdentiallv the
other day that she very much bothered In her
Iilnd 10 Know what sum she should allow the
United States for improvements"
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