The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-03-13
RECEIVED UNDER COVER.


A Peculiar Device to Which Some
People Resort In Mailing Letters.
Boston Herald
While in the postmaster's room in
the Boston postoffice, the writer's at
teution was attracted by an impression
which an official was placing on the
back of bunch OF letters in red ink
by means of hand stamp. The inn
preston read: Received under cover
at the postosiice. Boston, Mass, from
- -. TO be forvarded in the mail. "
The official seemed to take great de-
light in placing the telltale stamp on
the back of the envelopes. When his
apparently agreeable task was finished
the reporter began to inquire into the
philosophy OF the thing.
1--WE receive great many letters
under cover" began the official. TO
be forwarded in the mail. Most of
these letters, / suspect. are sent by the
class OF people who indulge In anony-
NOUS communications Ignorant of
the regulation of the postal service.
which requires such letters to be
stamped at the Office from which they
are dispatched to the addresses, the
senders imagine the recipients can be
deceived by resorting to this crafty de-
vice. To be sure, all who send letters
in this way are not prompted by a
malicious purpose. Frequently the
sender incloses note to the postmas-
ter, giving his or her name, and ex-
planning the reason for forwarding the
letter under cover. Many people do
il as joke or for the purpose of mysti-
fying the receiver
do people at whose expense this
stamp is used ever object?'
Quite often. A person in Portland
for instance, who sends letter here
addressed to a friend--or perhaps an
enemy--in the same city Is likely to be
found out when the addressed is put
in possession of the fact that the letter
originated in Portland. In cases of
this character we have received scola-
ing letters from the victims, who in
variably regard the use of the stamp
as shameful outrage. | recolleet the
case OF doctor in q Massachusetts,
city who became so enraged at having
his letter stained in this way that he
threatened to have the postmaster re-
ported at Washington. At short time
ago woman in New York city did a
good deal OF vehement protesting
against the stamping of her letters.
She sent letter and postal card to
this office under cover, and of course
each of them was regularly stamped as
being received foom New York
city. They were both addressed
to persons living in the same
street in New York. The letter
being sealed we knew nothing of the
contents, hut the postal card pur-
| ported 10 have been written by man
to his wife. He wrote his wife that be
had just arrived at a certain hotel in
this city, and this intelligence was fol
lowed by q remark about some old
acquaintance-a woman-whom he
| accidentally met at the hotel. Ii was
plain that the purport of the postal
was 90 create some trouble between q
| man and his wife In d couple OF
days letter of denunciation was re.
| ceived from a person who was eyi-
IDENTIFY the sender. and whose mischief
had evidently been traced home
Nothing dannted by her discontinue
this woman afterward inclosed other
| letters to banking house in this city
with request TO drop them in the
postoifice. A representative of the
| firm brought them 10 the postmaster :
room, when the handwriting was
| readily identified. The CARING house
| returned them to the sender.
Another reason for sending letters
| in this way is that people sometimes
| like 10 make others believe that they
are in places remote from where they
actually are. A man wrote from To
peka. Kan, inclosing six postal cards
addressed to as many young ladies in
Leayenworth. In an explanatory
note the sender stated that he was a
resident OF Ieavenworth, was tempo.
ariiy visiting in Topeka, and that he
wanted his young lady friends TO think
he was in Boston. The postal cards
| bore the information tina: he had as
cended Bunker Hill monument. had
| seen the old state-house and the old
South church. and that he had ac.
| quired fund of knowledge about Bos.
ton the recital OF which would greatly
| interest his friends on his return "a
Kansas. IL must have beeu made
pretty hot for the feliew when hs
| sprung his recollections OF Bunker
Hill on the girls on his return to
Leavenworth. We have some regular
| customers. An individual in Groton,
Eass., sends regularly under cover
letters for the great and mighty Of the
earth. He rarely addresses a letter to
an official ranking lower than q United
states Senator or foreign ambassa.
dor. He is evidently fellow who
gives tips in diplomacy.