Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-12-07
DEAD MAIL FOR SALE.
Curious Buyers OF Curious Merchan-
disc I'm an Auction shop.

WASHINGTON, December 6.-The dead-let
ter office is doing lucrative piece Of house
cleaning now from day to day at the auc-
ton rooms of Duncanson Bros, southeast
corner of Ninth and d streets. From mis-
directions and the neglect of the sender to
put his name on the outside of the wrap
per or envelope, Uncle Sam finds himself
in possession this year of 1851 parcels of
goods of every conceivable description,
each weighing less than four pounds. These
he is anxious to dispose Of to the best az: !:
vantage, and is doing so at the place named
by auction. The articles are carefully done
up, 50 that the eye OF the curious cannot
penetrate them, but.each package is num-
bered, and buyers are furnished with free
catalogues giving the number of each
package and vague description OF its con-
tents. In bidding for them there IS
The Element Of Gambling
which is so fascinating to weak human ma
ture The description given in the Cata-
logue merely names the article, without
limiting at its quality. Frequently pack
age will contain more articles than is stated
in their catalogue, but never less, unless an
error is made. The auctioneer takes each
package up in the regular order of its
number and starts it at twenty-five cents,
Uncle Sam taking the position that every
package contains more than that value in
goods. No time is lost, the swivel-hung,
5000 revolutiOns-per minute tOngued auc-
tioneer puts up, knocks down, and declares
sold half-dozen articles all in the same
breath A bidder to get just the par
ticular package he wants must keep one
eve on his catalogue, the other on the auc-
tioneer and. his lungs constantly Inflated
in order to get his bid out quick enough.
In last evenings sales il was rarely pack
age sold above 81, and when one of Senator
Bayard's constituents bid s. for package
Catalogued to contain "a pair of lady's cot
ton hose, pair infants cotton hose, pair
misses cotton hose, a handkerchief and
dress shields" the laughter at and guy
ing Of the purchaser suspended the auc-
tioneer's vOlubility for full two minutes.
The average price paid per package is
about 60 cents, and the auCtioneer aver
ages three sales a minute, keeping half a
dozen clerks delivering packages and max
ing chapge-all sales being for cash. Some
of the packages contain
Queer COmbinR lions,
such as a "lady's soilcd skirt and q pound
of Young hyson tea" 1t was when pack
age 752. schedule A, containing five sets
COW mixers was put up that the winning
words of the auctiOneer failed to get a bid.
der. Not a soul seemed to have any use for
cow mixers. Packages containing jewelry
OF any kind always secured lively bids and
good prices, but il is safe to say that on the
average they were the least valuable OF any.
Ever and anon the auctioneer,. in serio-
comic tone would caution buyers not
to open their packages in the room.
Taking the testers words in earnest,
coy maidens and bashful young
men would edge of in the corner and Sc
cretly pick open their packages, unable to
withstand the temptation to learn at once
whether or not they had struck it rich.
The number of soiled shirts, socks and
other garments in the packages would lead
one to believe that many poor wretches got
so hard up that they had to send to wash
erwomen in distant parts of the country,
where their credit was good, to get their
duds purified. But there are
Sad stories
connected with some of these packages.
One contained infants soiled lace cap,
psir infants hose, pair infants knit
Shoes" A. middle-aged lady bought
these, and, opening the package, found
them, though soiled, done up in tissue
paper, a curl of beautiful silken hair, tied
with delicate pink ribbon, rolled up in
the cap. Could more impressive sermon
have been preached? Some mother, broken.
hearted over the death OF her child, had
done up portion of its tiny apparel, in
closed curl cut from its head after death,
and sent them by mail to dear friend who
grieyed with her over the death OF the
loved one. In the poignancy of her sorrow
she had misdirected the package, and in