Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-07-02
Turks and the American Mail.

The crusaders of old, from Peter the
Hermit to Prince Methusalem, would
grid up their loips anew and raise
again the tsttered banner of the cross,
writes a Washington correspondent
to the st. Louis Globe Democrat, II
they could but know of the war now
in progress between United States
Consul Selah Merrill, OF Palestine,
and the Turkish government, auent
the mail service Of Syria. In one of
his reports 10 the state department last
fall, Mr.. Merrill took occasion to say
that Turkey is in the postal union,
and in Europe and America it is sup
posed she is sufficiently civilized to
deserve to be thus admitted, but those
Europeans and Americans who reside
here realize to their sorrow often that
letters in the Turkish post are com
mon property when they see them
scattered promiscuously about the
single room of the posto flee, on win
dow lodges, tables and the tops Of
boxes, on divans and on the floor. -
This was worse than charge Of "of-
fensiye partisanship" against the post
master at Jerusalem, and the state de-
partment of this country made up is
mind to investigate him. This it did
by requesting of Cousul Merrill q bill
of particulars.
The consul has made lengthy re-
p5rt, bringing extensive and alarming
allegations against the whole postal
service of Turkey, but particularly
that of Palestine. 1t seems that in
Jerusalem there are two mail services,
the Turkish and the Austrian, but no
complaint is made as to the latter.
The only seaport of Jerusalem is Jsffa
(the ancient Joppa) forty miles dis
tant, and the mail is conveyed across
the country by almost anybody who
will consent to carry It, The Austrian
mail arrives in Jerusalem about
eighteen OF twenty hours after its re
ception at Jaffs, and is distributed by
z o'clock in the morning. while the
Turkish mail is seldom open until six
hours later The consul SAYS that on
one occasion the bag containing the
mail was given by the Turkish off
cial at Jatfa TO a common peasant,
who agreed TO carry it to Jerusalem
for mediidi, or about ST. The man
took the bag, disappeared, and has
never since been heard Of, the author.
tiles claiming they could not be ex-
pected to find man of whose name
and residence they were ignorant.
The consul declares the mail bag ID
sometimes taken from Jaffa and left
for hours by the side of the street out
side the gates of Jerusalem, where
crowds of men and animals are con
stantly passing. Near this point there
is a large khan, where mules and
donkeys are kept, and here the mail
bag is often dumped on its arrival
from Jaffa, remaining for the night
or day, or until some official from the
postofiice sends for it. In the mean
time anybody and everybody takes
the liberty of opening the bag and
getting out his mail. 1t frequently
happens, says the consul, that during
RamAdan the great Moh8mmedan
feasts. which continues for a month";
the mudi Tolls down to the postofice
at nooa, opens the bag to give out
government mail 10 some official mess
senper, and then deliberately sits down
to smoke, leaving the European pats
ron to cool his heel on the stone floor.
When the mail is finally distributed,
the Christian is quietly told there is
nothing for him, when the fact is the
letters are scattered all over the room,