The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-10-31
4 Letters Journey to Palestine.
 IGalyeston Nevs.1


 Some years ago 1t was common thing among those interested in securing curi- osities to send postal cards around the world, with the view of securing the post office stamps of different nations and preserving them as relics. This custom became so prevalent that the Post-ofice department was forced to call halt and put stop to thus burdening the postal service for the mere sake of gratifying a whim of the curiosity-seeker. But with out any intention of violating this now established postal regulation, and by a strange combination of circumstances, a letter that was mailed at the Galveston office some time in July by H. M. True. heart & Co.,, directed to Royall & Gilbert, Palestine, Tex, really found its way to the Holy Land and came back with the postal stamps of Egypt upon the envel- ope. The letter was enclosed in a gov ernment stamped envelope of the denom- lnation of two cents, and the superscrip- ton was plain and legible. What seems strange is that the envelope contains no evidences of having been sent from the Galveston office; that is, it contains no forwarding stamp, and the two cent post age stamp comes back as clean as when the letter was mailed, the custom being to obliterate the face of all stamps at the mailing office by stamping them over with black Ink, to prevent their being used again. Postmaster Griffin explains this by advancing theory which seems to be the only plausible solution of the strange wandering of this fugitive epistle. Oa unaccustomed to the business methods of correspondence, have the envelopes frequently sealed with extra mucilage, presumably to make them doubly secure. 1t is possible, and, in fact, probabl. ,, from subsequent developments, that this letter, directed to Royall & Gilbert, Palestine, Tex, had its face stuck on to the back of one of these foreign letters, sealed with a superabundance of mucilage, and fitted with nicety that prevented detection.
 Thus is explained how the letter could have gotten out of the Galveston office without the forwarding stamps. New York IS the general relay office for foreign mail, and the two letters must have ad- hered so closely as to pass muster at that office, as on the back of the letter is the New York receiving stamp of date July 20, showing that the letter was received there at that time and forwarded without being separated from its companion that carried 1t over the ocean, for had it been alone the su prescription would have been visible, and the letter would have been sent back to it's proper destination from New York. From the nature of things, and Tn further corroboration of the theory advanced by Postmaster Griffin, all the imprint stamps are on the back of the en- velope. Alter leaving New York, it next saw the light at Anvers, Belgium, of which 1t bears the stamp of August I. Here is where it must have become sep arated from its travelling companion, and in all likelihood was stuck to letter that had Anvers, Belgium, for its destination. Postal clerks ia Belgium have doubtless never heard of Palestine, Tex particu. larly as Texas was abbreviated to Tex, and the Palestine in the Holy Land being familiar to them, they sent Mir. True. hearts letter speeding into Egypt, where 1t was stamped at Port Said en August 8, at Alexandria August 27. and at Affa. the date of stamping here being obIlterated. It also bears the stamp of Jerusalem, showing that it also went to that ancient city. It was here probably that some shrewd ew had heard of his rich friend Solomon, down in Texas, and knew enough of the geography of the country to send the letter back to America, for it IS discovered by tracing the stamps that the truant letter was again in New York in September, the date being blurred Here the superscription was scratched, and the word returned" written across the face of the envelope put an end to its wanderings and sent it back to Calves ton, the envelope bearing the printed in. Junction ;" If not called for, etc. return to Il. M. Trueheart & Co, Galveston" The very remarkable let CT reached home few days ago, and Messrs. Trueheart & Co. will doubtless preserve the envelope as an interesting relic.