St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-10-22
EXPRESS OFFICE SCENES.
Schemes to Beat the Company
Odd Parcels---Shippin Stiffs.


81 can not help it sir, you can not get
that package from this Office unless you
bring someone whom we know to
identify you," said clerk in the Ameri-
can express Office last evening to a man
who was white in the face, he was so
mad. THAT'S a rule here" continued
the clerk, ''and we can not make all eX-
ception in your favor"
That's all rightly howled the man,
''but want that package. | tell you
my name is --, and that is sui
ficient."
AT this point Mr.. Daniels, the agent
of the company, put in an appearance,
and after long and weary siege sue
ceeded in Quieting the man, who had at
first wanted to completely destroy the
clerks peace of mind. After the work
ingS of the express Office had been fully
explained to HIM, he thought the matter
over, and then set up the cigars all
around.
"You have no idea how much kicking
there is done by persons who do not
fully understand the workings of this
Office" remarked Mr.. Daniels, after the
storm had died away. When packages are
received at the depot they are first taken
directly to the address marked upon
them. Then, if the person is not found,
the packages are returned to this ONCE
and a postal card sent to the address of
each person. This system seems to
annoy some people. and they object to
our taking the packages to the address
first, but for whist reason do not know.
You can see that we have to be very
carefuliiD giving up packages, for SHOULD
-, 49,
are held responsible for it. That is why
we always require person unknown to
US to bring some one whom we know to
identify him. Attempts to swindle the
express company are made every day,
and we have to be constantly on our
guard. l would tell you of some of the
means used but for the reason that
believe that the less said of those things
the better. Then other people can not
use the information so obtained in de-
ViSing new means to SWindle US.
There is one class of men who never
try to beat an express company" con-
tinued Mr.. Daniels, land that is the
men who 60 out to the Dakota prairieS
every summer, and then go South when
winter comes on. About the middle of
October we begin to receive a large
number of grips" containing pair of
shoes, a suit of clothes, and the like,
marked Ito be held until called for"
About a month after we receive these
grips" the owners come Struggling in,
call for their grips and then depart, or
else take out the clothes, put in others,
and then ship the grip to some place
still further South. But speaking of
odd things received at an express office
reminds me of something which hap
pened here this morning. A man came
in, slammed down four bottles, simply
wrapped up in brown paper, and wanted
them sent to New York. On our refus-
ing to send them unless they were bet
ter wrapped up he became indignant
and wanted to smash up the whole
office.
1--WE do quite business in shipping
dead bodies, and sometimes there are
funny scenes for such an occasion.
remember once man came in here
from the West with body which he
wanted sent East. He could not think
of the name of the place where he
wanted the body sent, and was finally
obliged to telegraph back home, to find
out. Then here is the copy of certifi-
cate which accompanied body we re-
ceived here not long ago, and Mr.. Dan
iels produced the following document:
This is to certify that the Diseased
may be moved by train, or other public
conveyance, to place of burial with of
communicating contagious disease, as
he drOpt dead without previous illness
or warning, accept a slight indispOSl-
ton"