The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-08-09
A Card from DR.. Detmers.

To the Editor Of THE EVENING LIGHT:
In reply to a card Of Postmaster Manning IN
the San Antonio Express Of Sunday, July ~
have to say, Postmaster Manning not only
mistates facts. but tells falsehood, or, in
plain English, is guilty of lying.
The facts in the case are as follows: Some
what over year ago, mailed at the Cham
paign, ILL.,, postofice. letter to the department
OF agriculture, addressed precisely as the one
sent by Postmaster Manning to the dead letter
Office. The letter mailed at Champaign was
heavy one, and had pvt on as many stamps
as happened to have in my possession, but
knew that its weight would require one or two
more stamps. therefore asked Mr.. McAllls-
ter, the postmaster of Champaign, to weigh
the letter and to tell me how many more
stamps were required. Mr.. McAllister smiled
and informed me that the letter, being ofhclal,
and bearing my signature on the envelope,
would not need any stamps and 60 without
any stamps at all. Mr.. McAllister, it may be
here mentioned, has been in the postal service
since 1851, and been postmaster since 1901,
and there is probably no postmaster IN the
whole United States who is better acquainted
with the postal laws, rules and regulations. or
more strict in the performance OF his duties.
| therefore, in order TO avoid collecting vouch-
ers for unnecessary postal stamps, addressed
ever since all my official letters to the depart,
ment precisely as the one in question, and
mailed every one OF them without stamps, ana
although large number have been mailed at
various postofices and in different states, every
one, as far as know, has reached its destina-
.. rSf
of May last mailed my first official letter,
addressed the same as all others, my name
plainly signed in the left hand upper corner OF
the envelope, at theSan Antonio postofiice. The
clerk in the office, when the letter was mailed,
remarked it had no stamps. answered i,
mad not been my intention to put on any
stamps, as the letter was official, and would
90 without stamps. He then, not disputnP
nv assertion, remarked it ought to be print
ed envelope. replied that writing was often
better than printing, because not as easily
forged, and told him that the letter would ar
rive ali right if he would send it as it was. ii.
did send it, and it must have arrived all right,
because in due time received an answer.
On or about the 18th of May, LIST of June
and 18th Of June | sent three more letters,
addressed in the same way, and without
stamps, and everyone it seems reached IT.
destination in due time, but during all thai
lime, understand. Postmaster Manning was
not at his post, but in Washington. On the
lst of July l again mailed, at the
IAN Antonio postofice, an important and rath-
er heavy official letter to the department. The
same also had no stamps, but was addressed
like those mailed before, and had my sigma
:ure plainly written in the left hand upptl
corner of the envelope. An anwer to tina,
letter was due at the 18th, 18th, or latest
The I4th Of July, but no answer arrived, so }
vent to the postottice at the arrival of every
.astern mail till the 2Ist OF July, when asked
the clerk at the window, if he had sent my
etter Of the Ist of July. He answered, ht
mad not, and when asked what he had done
Nth it, replied, he had sent it to the dead
letter Office. This statement was confirmed
~ P. NJ. Manning himself, who also threat
sned to send every subsequent letter OF mine
to the dead letter Office. But the letter at that
time had not been sent to the dead lette,
,fice; it had been withheld, and was yet il
the San Antonio postoffice, as will be proved
Immediately. As the following from the Third
Assistant P. M. General will show, the lettel
in question arrived in the dead letter Office u
the 18th of July, consequently, as letter from
san Antonio reaches Washington within foul
laws, the statement Of P. M. Manning, made
IN the forenoon OF July 21st that the letter IN
question hat been forwarded to the dead lettel
,ffce, must be branded as a malicious lie.