Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-02-09


OF all the Government work done in
Washington, none is more interesting
than that which we saw going on ut
the Dead-Letter Office during recent
mornings visit. Our little party
reached the Office about ten o'clock,
and sent in fortunate note of intro
duction to the head of one of the depart
ments He soon made his appearance.
and constituted himself our intelligent
and trustworthy guide.
Our first pause was made in a room
known as 1.-THE museum" and it GER
tainly looked like museum on a
small scale. No one would have sup
posed it to be any branch of the postal
service. Its walls were lined with
glass cases, containing the most re-
markable conglOmeration of articles,
all of which are classed under the head
of ''confiscated mail-matter. There
were bottles of medicine, Indian dag
gers, cutlery of all kinds, huge new
axe. a loaded pistol, centipede,
horned toads, wedding-cakc, box of
raisins. and, most dreadful of all, a
rattlesnake five feet long! When we
saw the latter he was safely coiled up
in bottle of alcohol, where his six or
seven rattles showed off to fine effect;
but when confiscated by the United
States Government he was alive, and
travelling in state in a perforated tin
box on his way to some London
museum.
We next passed into long apart
ment filled with busy men and women.
At the first tables where we paused sat
eight or ten clerks. opening letters
with sharp. slender little knives,
searching in them for any Enclosures.
and if any are found, placing those let
tiers in different packages from the
rest. Among these clerks was one
aged man. who has occupied his posi-
ton since President Jackson's admin
istration, with the exception of one
term of four years; but even with all
this experience. the rapidity and dex-
terity with which he sorted and ar
ranged his letters was wonderful.
There" laughed a lady in our
party. '.you see the fate of lost letters!
Be careful what you write, my dears."
Our guide smiled.
'.My dear madam said he. 1T is
the safest depository in the world for
secrets! We see and read SO much,
and SO much passes through our hands
unread. that it becomes simply mat
ter of routine.
For instance: yesterday read one
hundred and fifty letters containing
checks. and to-day l can not tell you
SO much as the name of the writer of
one of those hundred and fifty letters.
You see. one days work pushes out
even the memory of the last, and the
labor becomes almost mechanical"
Letters containing cash. checks or
drafts pass through the hands of three
people before being sent back to the
post-office from which they are mailed.
Thus the amount is vouched for as it
leaves the Dead-Letter Office. and the
local postmaster becomes responsible
for the money.
Some months ago a letter contain
ing . small sum was sent back to q
town in Oregon. No receipt return
ing from the postmaster there. inquiry
was sent out, and he replied that he
had never received the letter. He
also suggested that it might have been
destroyed in the postal-car which had
recently been burned while passing
through Minnesota Though the letter
was of insignificant value. it was care
fully traced to that very car. where it
must have been destroyed by fire. I'm
less" added our guide. sit was stolen
from the burning wreck together with
other letters in the registered bag, as
NIL such letters are registered. and con-
sequently supposed to be of value.
How large sum of money have you
ever received in this Office in q dead
letter?" asked /.
Once. believe. six hundred dollars
in cash was received. But / have been
here for twelve years. and in my time
one hundred and fifty or sixty dollars
has been the most Even that is unu-
sual Here is my packet for yesterday.
It is marked on the outside, you see:
One hundred and one dollars, and for
ty-five letters.
quite enough for careless senderA"
laughed [
..Ah." was tho reply. ''but We have
Sums tremendous sums in draftA Only