Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-03-27

THE SINGULAR ARrIcLEs SENT THROUGH
THE MAILS AND NEVER CALLED FOR.

THE MAILS AND NEVER CALLED ron.
The packages which sre examined At
the dead.letter Office are made up again.
sometimes the contents OF two or three
mt in one. sometimes bundled together
aoain az they were received. wrapped in
brown paper and sent to some auctioneef
to be sold. The sale is advertised and
usually draws q pretty large attendance.
Nobody is permitted to examine the con-
tents of the package being sold. The
printed catalogue tells briefly the contents
of each. but not with sufficient detail to
give much idea of what they really con-
tain. And the catalogue is not consulted
by al the bidders. So the buying of these
packages, numbering thousands as they
do. is much like lottery venture. Indeed,
it is largely 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 in
teresting 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 when they are opened. AS
a rule, buyers do not open the packages
at the auction rooms, tor they know that
thew run a risk of making themselves
a laughing stock. There are usually
enough who run this risk. however, to
keep the crowd in a good natured roar.
and show the funny uses that are made OF
the mails One purchaser, at the sale just
closed, got in one of the packages which
he bought black wool hat. an old fife,
and pair of old red drawers. His
amusement and chagrin were no greater.
however, than that Of man who found
the contents of his package to be lot of
damaged and soiled Undertaking for
the gentler sex, four lady's linen
collars. and small feather for
a lady's hat. Still another lot
turned out on examination to be a child's
bib, pair of cheap tingerrings two
spools of thread and rubber diaper
Another got as his prize seventeen papers
of tine-cut tobacco, button-hook and
pair of socks. One package which ex
cited roars of laughter from everybody
but the purchaser contained some cheap
jewelry, butter-knIfe, sugar-spoon,
eleven old toothbrushes, and button
hook. Still another had two pairs OF chill
dren's shoes. two handkerchiefs, a worn
apron and four old nightcaps.
One purchaser was made happy by find
ing in his very heavy package Gaskell's
Compendium and an old jelly glass. One
individual, presumably government
clerk got in his package book entitled
"Wby We Are Democrats" another
bought handsomely bound Bible. and
another copy of 'Hovle's Games" There
were large numbers of corsets. large num-
bers of "harmonicas," and hundreds of
packages containing both mems and wo
mems underwear and overwear in all
stages of cleanliness and otherwise. and
all conditions as to wear and wearing pos
sibilities. False teeth, worn rubber shoes,
a circular saw. a pound of tea, bottles of
tooth wash, electric batteries, suits of
clothing, several watches. and quantities
of jewelry were among the curious articles
intrusred to the mails. The postotfice de-
partment accompanies the catalogue of
articles with brief suggestion to the pub
lie that if those sending packages would
see that they are we'll wrapped, carefully
addressed, and bearing on the corner the
name and address of the sender, the losses
would not be one-tenth what they are now,
for if they were uncalled for and unde-
livered they would be returned to the
senders.- Washington Correspondent Gin
ctnnnti Times Star.