The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1883-11-15
The Story of a Mail Bag.

HundreQS OF inventors eacn year de-
wise some system which they imagine is
the one thing needed to make the postal
service perfect. Sometimes it is lock,
sometimes a pouch, still again a patent
is presented. The bureau of mail equip
ments in the general Postoffice is the
depository of numberless designs OF
more or less ingenious articles original
" intended to revolutionize the postal
service AT the head of the division is
Mr. johnson. who has filled the place
for years He would make an accom-
plished burglar if he chose to adopt that
profession, as he is well up in the art of
lock-picking, and getting into warrant
ed-notto-a -allow-entrance through
the-lock mail bag his equal has not yet
been born. A short time ago san
guine inventor sent a sample bag, de-
signed to carry foreign mails to the de-
partment, and requested that it be adopt
ed. This bag was fastened with strap
and seal which the inventor stated must
be broken before the bag could be enter
ed. johnson sent the bag back next
day. The tie and seal were intact, but
the bag contained piece of straw board
by inches, on which was written,
inserted at Postoffice Department.,
1888. l asked johnson yesterday if he
had received any remarkable or notable
addition to his collection recently. He
said that he had not, but as advertise
ments for new pouches were soon to be
published he expects to have plenty in
the near future. Then he launched into
the usual story. '.There is not much ro-
nance in this branch of the service he
said, ''but there was one romance in
this branch of mail bag which has nev-
er been printed properly. 1t was back
in 1928. A sanguine inventor had a
mailbag; he submitted it; it was reject
ed Then he became angry He went
to the Senate for an interview with Sem
ator Ruggles, who was Chairman of the
Committee on Postoffices at the time.
He urged Ruggles to use his influence to
obtain the adoption of the bag. But
the Senator said that that was a matter
for the Postmaster General to consider,
and he refused to listen to arguments.
The inventor got still more mad. He
went back to his hotel. He was stop
ping at the National, and growled
around there great deal. A friend in
timated to him that he should have offer
ed Ruggles $500. This set the fire.
Mr.. Inventor talked more fully than ev-
er He swore it was an outrage that a
poor man could not obtain hearing
unless he ponied up to Senator. He
swore vengeance. The ubiquitous news
paper man was near by. In this case
his name was Matthew L. Davis; he ask
ed for information and received all the
speaker knew, with a great deal that he
did not know. He wrote the story up
for his paper, the New York Courier
Enquirer, owned by Watson Webb.
''At the time a hot-headed young fell
low from Maine had a seat in the House.
His name was Silly, and he was warm
friend of Senator Ruggles. When the
COuTier-E77quirer arrived here Silly, of
course, saw the article rejecting upon
his friend and colleague. He immedi-
atelv arose from his seat on question
of privilege and poured forth torrent
of invectives against Watson Webb. He
abused him in the choicest parliament
ary billingsgate of the day, and was not
at all choice in his denunciation. Every
body then believed in the CODE and
Webb Immediately sent challenge by
Graves, of Kentucky Silly refused to
accept, stating that he could not fight a
man who was a scoundrel, and one
whom he had publicly denounced as
such. Then Graves took up the quarrel
and requested Silly to fight him. The
matter was arranged. They met at
Bladensburg. Henry A. Wise, of Vir-
ginia, appeared as Graves second, and
George w. Jones, of Iowa stood by Silly.
Every body knows the result. Silly fell,
mortally wounded, and Congress passed
that stringent law against dueling in
the District, which is on the statute
books"
There" said Mr. johnson, ''you
have for the first time the true history
of the celebrated Silly-Graves duel.
Numerous accounts of Ruggles' connec-
ton with the affair have been published
but this is the only true version. -
WaShii1gt0B Cor. BufelO ErDress.