Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1883-05-17
Post Office Ouriosities.

Whlcn nave reached the Jeau Letter
Office, either as undelivered because
the proper parties could not be found,
or as "unmailable" articles. The col
lection is certainly a queer one, and
the use to which the mails are put, as
exemplified by the articles here, is
really astonishing. The museum oc.
cupies II good sized room, and the
cases, reaching from floor to ceiling
are full, and might have been so IA
hundred times over. Among the arti.
cles is huge rattlesnnke coiled in a
glass jar, with open mouth and forked
tongue, lie was put into the mails
alive, inclosed in perforated tin can.
Beside him is another snake, perhaps
four feet in length, and next to that a
couple of centipedes equally as poison.
Gus in their bites, and almost invaria'
bly, fatal. They were all put into the
mails alive. On the other side of the
jar containing the rattlesnake is a
baby alligator, and the head of an
other, perhaps n year old Below is a
collection of specimens from various
mines in the west, the value of which
is considerable. One little package
among these contains about 800 worth
of gold
On shelf above is n collection of
coins which would provoke the envy
of the most sclf.denying collector Of
articles of this nature. Some of these
are very rare, several coins dating
back full 1000 years being among the
number. There il locket bearing
on the back the inscription Mrs. Lucy
Randolph, died l7S3," hundred
years ago. The locket contains a
picture of soldier, and it is supposed
that he coni-cated it somewhere IN
the south during the war had his
own picture inserted instead Of the one
whose name it bore, and sent it 10 his
sweetheart, who never called for it at
the office of delivery. Beside it is an
other picture, gentleman and lady,
in gold frame, which has been in the
Department over forty years awaiting
claimant. Beside this is a set Of
false teeth upon gold plate, and just
below is a bottle of beer which some
kind hearted person had sent to beer
drinking friend, but which failed to
reach its destination. There are sew
eral brides, various parts of a saddle,
horseshoes, and light iron hitching-
post-everything, as the lady in charge
of the museum oddly remarked, every.
thing, but a horse"
"a gentleman who was in here the
other day" she said, remarked that
We had everything but a tomahawk
and a Bible. That same day | dis.
covered a tomahawk up there on that
shelf and n day or two later a gentle
man who was looking at the collection
pointed out that book ss being a
Chinese Testament. Over there. on
that piece of parchment-looking paper,
is the Lords Prayer in fifty-four Ian.
guages."
There is some beautiful pen work
in a calender for 1888, accompanied
by a very finely executed sketch Of
summer scene, all Of which must have
taken an immense amount Of work,
and which might have reached its
proper destination or returned to the
owner if little care had been taking
in mailing and registering it. \ ghast.
ly feature of the collection is skull,
and near it human ear. the latter
petrifed and blood red. Some curl.
Gus visitor the other day asked if this
was Guiteau's skull. There is saw,
a chisel, pair Of revolvers, lot of
Continental and Confederate money,
large pound cake" hard and dry, a
box of brides cake. tied with a white
ribbon, a miniature bale Of cotton
nearly foot in length and Of proper
proportions, base ball and catcher's
mask, lot of cigars, fire-crackers and
other explosives, a telegraph instru.
ment, tambourines and an accordion,
dancing dolls, Indian arrows, string
of sleigh bells, cob pipe, couple of
wash boards, a horned toad, a garden
hoe, field hoe, couple Of collars
enclosed in glass jar, three umbrellas
and full-sized valise.
On one shelf was little package or
sachel containing a fine powder and
bearing this inscription Dust collec-
ted around the urn in which at the
end of 1880 was placed the sacred
remains of the seraphic patriarch st.
Francis, which remained there until
1918, at which time they were fortu-
nately discovered, and at present lie
the Patriarchal Basilic and papal
chapel erected and dedicated to the
same most glorious saint, possessed by
the Z. X. Father, Conventuals within
the walls Of the city of Assist
Washington Times Star.