New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1885-04-01
DEAD-LETTER SALES.

DEAD-LETTER SALES.
The Singular Articles Sent Through the Mails
and Never Called For.
A most remarkable government sale
has just closed here, writes Washing
ton correspondent to The Cincinnati,
Times Star, remarkable because it
shows the curious uses to which the
mails are put, and interesting in the
hint it conveys to those who use them.
1t is a sale of ''dead letters Atleast
it is so termed, though in point of fact
it is not sale of letters at all. Let
tiers, themselves, which are sent to the
dead-letter office, are not made public.
But there is a large accumulation of
articles of greater or less value, usual
~ less, which arrive at the dead-letter
office, which are never called for bv
those to whom they are addressed, and
whose owners or senders can neither of
them be found. When these articles
and packages of articles have accumu-
lated in sufficient quantity to warrant
it there is sale, by auction. Former
ly there was one in every two or three
years; now the accumulation is so
great that it is found necessary to have
the sale every year.
The packages which are examined
at the des,d-letter Office are made up
again, sometimes the contents of two
or three put in one, sometimes bum
died together again as they were re-
ceived, wrapped in brown paper, and
sent to some auctioneer to be sold.
The sale is advertised, and usually
draws pretty large attendance. No.
body is permitted to examine the con-
tents of the package being sold. The
printed catalogue tells briefly the con-
tents of each, but not with sufficient
detail to give much idea of what they
really contain. And the catalogue is
not consulted by all the bidders. So
the buying of these packages, number
ing thousands as they do, is much like
a lottery venture. Indeed, it is large
ly because of this that the sale attracts
SO large number of people. The
auction-rooms where it is conducted
are usually crowded, and the sale is
very interesting and sometimes
amusing.
The class of articles making up these
mysterious packages is so varied and
so ludicrously combined as to cause
shouts of laughter where they are
opened. AS rule buyers do not open
the packages at the auction-reoms, for
they know that they run risk of max
ing themselves laughing stock. There
are usually enough who run this risk,
however, to keep the crowd in good
natured roar, and show the funny uses
that are made of the mails. One pur-
chaser at the sale just closed got in
one of the packages which he bought
black wool hat, an ola fife, and a
pair of old red drawers. His amuse-
ment and chagrin were no greater,
however, than that of man who
found the contents of his package to
be lot of damaged and soiled under
clothing for the :gentler sex, four
lady's linen collars, and small feath.
er for ladN's hat. Still another lot
turned out on examination to be a
child's bib, aspair Of cheap 6nger-rings.
two spools of thread and rubber
diaper. Another got as his prize sew
enteen papers of fine-cut tobacco, q
button-hook, and pair of socks. One
package which excited roars of laughs
er from every body but the purchaser
contained some cheap jewelry, a but
ter-knlfe, ~sugar-spoon, eleven old
toothbrvshes, and a button-hook. Still
another had two pairs of children
shoes, two handkerchiefs, worn
apron, and four old nightcaps. One
purchaser was made happy by finding
in his very heavy package Gaskell's
Compendium and an old jelly glass.
One individual, presumably a govern
anent clerk, got in his package a book
entitled'"Why We Are Democrats, !"
another bought handsomely bound
bible, and another copy OF +1Hoyle's
SGames," whatever that is. There
were large numbers of corsets, large
numbers CT ''harmonicas," and hun
sdreds Of packages containing aboth
mems and women's underwear and
and overwear in all stages of cleanli-
ness and otherwise, and all conditions
as to wear and wearing possibilities.
False teeth, worn rubber shoes, a cir
'culer saw, pound of tea, bottles of
tooth wash, electric batteries, suits of
'olothing, several watches, and yquanti-
ties OF jcwelry were among the curious
articles Entrusted to the mails. The
Postotfice department accompanies the
catalogue of articles with a brief sug-
gestion -to'the public that If these send
1nglpackases would see that they are
well wrapped, carefully addressed, and
bearing on the corner the name and
address of the sender, the loses would
mot be one tenth what they are now,
for If they.were uncalled for and un-
delivered they would be returned to
THE ,sendefs. &e&
Cookery as Home Art.
A writer in recent English paper
complains that, with the general ad-
Vance in the useful arts, that of ecook-
cry has remained in the hands ofscare
less and .;uns21illed workers, almost
entirely 'undeveloped. ..If It were not
so. y he says they would not have
a .o1 N a Foo