Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1884-03-06
THE DEAD.LETTER OFFICE.


Freaks and Humors Of Those Who Us
tho Mails--The Museum at the Dead
Letter OGce-A Rare and Curious Co,
lectiOn-Droll Franks OF Letter Writers
The greatest attraction to visitors, O
whom there are hundreds daily, is tn,
''museum, where are displayed, il
glass cases, a very large collection O
strange and curious articles that hav,
been taken from the mails. Few O
those who are accustomed to patroniz,
the post-of'ice in the usual way would
Delleve that many of the articles here
shown could ever have found their wa,
into the mails, but we have the assur
ance of the officials that everything in
the museum was sent or tried to- be
sent, by post, and we do not feel at lib.
erty to doubt Their word. Some o
them found permanent resting-place
on these shelves by reason of their be
ing dead matter. others because they
exceeded the limit of weight allowed by
law to be carried in the mails, or fol
non-payment OF postage-not enough
or none at all-while many come under
the class Of articles excluded by the
regulations of the Department. 1t may
be said. in general way, that the
transmission by mail is pl Inhibited OF
anything that is of pershable nature,
or that can in ure other mail matter OF
is liable to harm those who, handle the
mails. Liquids of every kind, anything
that can produce combustion. loaded
weapons and vegetable and animal mat
FOR
ditions, may be cited rs examples of
the excluded class. No one can fail to
see the necessity of strictly enforcing
these regulations. Doubtless many
packages. containing unlawful articles
are daily received and delivered, in all
parts of The country, but if by any ac-
cident or other means the contents of
such parcels become known they are at
once taken from the mail and care July
forwarded to Washington. .EZTg :
A very pleasant lady of fifty five is in
charge Of the museum. She knows the
history OF every article, and answers a
thousand questions day, more or less.
Our attention is first attracted to n
ss1 SEVENTEEN SNAKES
OF different sorts and sizes, one of them
n rattlesnake between two and three
feet long. Although we have been told
in q general way that everything in
sight was taken from the mails, shade
Of doubt as to the snakes invOluntarily
crosses our mind and we inquire: /" Did
those reptiles really come in as mail
matter?'
" Certainly, they did," she replies.
That large RATHER and five or six 9TH
ers arrived in one lot, and they were all
alive, too! They were COLL d in tin
cans. with holes to let in the air. be-
lieve they were mailed in Florida. OF
course if their contents had been known
they would not have been forwarded.
The big one got out of the can into the
mail pouch, and his loud rafting re-
vealed his presence to the man who
was handling the bags. The others
have arrived at different times during
the past three or four years"
The snakes are all picked in alcohol.
1t happened that while We were talking
a clerk came in with a bottle contain
ing . small snake that had just been
found in opening dead packages. 1t
was Immediately placed on the shelf be-
side its fellows. ~ erf- !,
There is also quite large assortment
of tarantulas. centipedes that the bows
in the army used to call Texas bed
fellows -horned toads. lizards and
scorpions, and several juvenile alliga-
tors, nearly all Of which were alive
when they reached Washington. There
are several very fine cards of butterflies
and insects, and an assortment of stuffed
birds and small animals. Near thesa is
a very large
HUMAN SKULL
which was mailed to doctor in Phila-
delphia, but for some reason he refused
to receive it and it was sent here.
Among other curious things on this
shelf are a cows hoof, a petrified hu-
man ear, the talons of an eagle, and,
hanging from . nail. an old "grip-
sack" On another shelf are several
punches of fire crackers and two boxes
OF matches that were all in the same
package. a large specimen from the
once famous Modoc lava beds, the in-
side works of a clock, and q general
variety of pipes, from the primitive
corn-cob to the meerschaum. Among
these are several Indian pipes. very
curiously wrought. Next to these are
several tambourines, accordions and
musical instruments of various kinds.
Above these is IN almost complete
HoRsENAN's OUTFIT,
including bride, curry-comb and
brush. saddle blanket, halter. STIR
rups, Tenders. riding gloves--sll
except the saddle-and q string of
sleigh-bells. These articles arrived at
different times There is also a small
iron hitching post, which was not car
ried to its destination, on account of its
overweight. The other day the Super
intendent of the Dead-Letter Division