The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1888-02-10

! during he eleven Years hen Bcujana,u
| Franklin ess Postmaster General. No
/ where : the ignorance and careless Ness
| OF n Kind 20 exposed a. here Their,
| comes - the offics' every month an aver
/ age oi ia, 600 letters uud irccted. Is ooo
men forget 10 direct their letters. Ol
course this comes of haste and negligence.
| These letters are opened, and either al
dressed 10 the party TO whom they wer,
| Intended, or returned to the writer. TIE
/ Dead Letter proper Is letter which
has been sent TO the party 10 whom it was
and forwarded TO the Dead Letter Office
| Here il is opened, and if the writer has
| given his name and postoflice, il is for
warded To him. In this way many OF the
letters are restored TO their writer's Every
man who writes many letters ought TO
spend half an hour in this Office He will
| be impressed with the carelessness of
letter writers that the remainder of his
life he Will exercise care in directing his
letters that will pay him for his trip
ington, there is the most perfect system,
extending to every detail. To learn To be
careful, methodical, and systematic there
Is no better obiect-le than visit 10
the Dead Letter office.
Not less interesting than the actual
workings of the department is an exami-
hp -,
what Dickens would call The New Curi6si-
ty Shop. They have here large glass cases
in which are a thousand and one rare and
unique things which, in the course of the
mails, have found their way to this last
Court of Appeals. la company with Post
master Boyden, of Salisbury spent half an
hour examining the rare things in this veri
table curio. Every year there is a sale of all
the articles unclaimed, except some curl
osities which are kept because they are
curiosites to add to the Dead Letter Office
Museum. | could fill column of the
CHRONICLE with a list of the different ar
ticles 10 be seen in this museum All sorts
are here it is like the witches caldron:
''Filet of fenny snake,
In the caldron boil and bake:
Eye OF newt and toe of frog.
Wool of bat and tongue of dog
Adder's fork and blind worms sting
Lizards leg and owlet's wing"
Among them | will mention few:
Sixteen snakes, preserved in alcohol
They were put in the mail alive, addressed
to a scientific institution in Germany. OF
course, live snakes are not maiable and
10y fQunH IN IAtfa
office. | opine that, if live snakes were
common article in the mail bags, there
would be fewer applicants for positions in
the post offices.
A copy of the Lords prayer in four
languages. This came to the Office in 1912
Handkerchiefs that were in the steam
ship Oregon. They were under water ia
days.
Guiteau's autograph and lock of his
hair. He sent this to lady who positively
refused to take it from the Office
\ soiled cuff upon which there is drawn
a picture Of a coffin and An orphan asy-
lum, and bearing this writing:
''On and after the first day that l be
come rich | intend to pay all the debts
owe that will not have a tendency to i'm
pair my fortune. He was cas- honest as the
times will allow"-ED.l (SignedD d. F.
Brown. Present available assets-this dir
ty old cuff. Might sell it to Cuff" ee on
credit
Tomahawks. lava from Modoc beds,
skulls of men, can of salmon, pack of
cards printed for the Sandwich Islands, a
human ear, a spiders nest from Califor-
MIA, peacock's breast, birds nests and
eggs, quantities of Xmas. New Year and
Easter cards, a stuffed owl, An imitation
negro baby, opium and opium pipes, a
revolver, hunters axe, pictures innu-
merable, &c, &c. Bric -bracs, all kinds |
of small ornaments and presents, jewelry
and wearing apparel in great abundance.
1t is as surprising as it is wonderful to see
what things people think they can send in
the mails.
Such is the Dead Letter Office-a place |
about which little is known, and which is
among the greatest curiosities in the Cap
ital of the Nation. J. ID.