Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-05-25
Letter Carriers Secrets.


"There is not a letter carrier in the city
but who is the custodian of the secrets OF
some one on his route" said well-knOwn
! postal official Yesterday. ''What a sensa-
ton they would create if what they knew
could be revealed at one timel The di-
vOrce court would be OvercrOwded, and
rivals for maidens' affections would be
parading the streets, armed to the teeth,
looking for the other fellow. But there is
a barrier to these revelations. The postal
laws strictly provide that a carrier must
never tell Of what he sees, repeat what he
hears nor make public in any manner the
address upon a letter. When notified to
deliver letters only to the person to whom
addressed it is enjoined upon him to re-
member this rule, especially as
regards members of the same
family. Well do 1 remember when
was carrier a certain maiden on
Broad street was receiving letters from a
father and son. Whether one knew that
the other was writing to the girl | do not
know, but this saw several times: When
she received "A note from the old gentleman
she was very deliberate in her move
ments, but when l handed her one from
the son she was out Of the house in a
jItfy.
Zone of the most annoying things to the
carriers is the impudence OF 'mashers.' !
have had these fellows intercept me and
offer s. or $40 if would tell who such a
lady was. and whether she were married
or not. | remember one lady in partic-
ular, who came here from a neighbOring
city and stopped at the residence of a
millionaire. She was a magnificent wO-
man. 4 man would hardly pass her
without turning around to take a second
look. The Washers nearly went crazy
over her, and one met me at nearly every
street corner on my route with some
question regarding her. ] came near get
ting into half-a-dOZen fights over her,
and was glad when she went home. But
the devices Of married men and women
who are holding clandstine correspond
ence are ingenious. All such people stand
upon volcano, not knowing the minute
it will begin to send forth fire and a ruined
reputation. One man used. to beg me
every day. for Gods sake don't let my
wife get hold of nv letters The woman
was rs smart as her husband. She was
also holding a secret correspondence, and
[ was in that, too. She did not want her
husband to know of it. l took good care
Of both, and they enjoyed cheating each
other. At one time | have known on my
route half a dozen ladies who were resting
under the belief that their husbands were
holding a correspondence which should
not be carried on. Each one would give
me minute directions that if received a
letter from such and such place to be
sure and hand it her, as it was impor-
tant and interested both. No doubt it
did, but then l didn't think three should
take a hand in the business; only the hus-
bands received thedainty epistles.
but the increased facilities of the new
Office offer the most extended OppOrtuni-
ties for sly work. Boxes are cheap, and
the latest trick now is for husbands to
have their tender epistles sent to these
boxes. They have the key and no else can
get into it. If the wife happens to find
the key, why. she is easily satisfied by
being told it belongs to a door at the store
or the safe, or something Of that sort
You see. only one clerk or SO knows any
thing of your letters. No one has an idea
where you live or anything else. But
then, postal clerks and letter carriers
learn quickly. Travelling statesmen are
becoming heavy patrOnizers of the boxes
since they have become cheap. The eX
cuse for these gentry is that they receive
letters they do not wish to be sent home
So the envelopes are dropped into then
boxes, and when they return from then
tours they find bundles of letters and ne
one to ask questions that might bother
them to answer