The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-12-04

Cowden to see what the force knew, b
found Assistant Postmaster Mctcalf scrr
tinizing letter, the address on which
In a foreign.like hand, read, as nearl
rs 1t could be made out, like this:
| Mr.. Giacomo Paliglia,
Lnigtt, Ohio.
Mr.. Metcalf had exhausted all tb
directories and guides and found n
Luigee In Ohio. The reporter, remem
bering that many Italians are wo,lin
on the Ohio Valley railway, suggeste,
Wegee, and Mr.. Metcali said he wopl,
try 1t. u. :
The method Of procedure in case o
this kind is to enclose the letter in a,
official envelope to the postmaster of th,
office suspected. II he cannot find tn,
party for whom tho letter is intended
he returns the letter. Where there /,
any clue ut all, however, MIR. Metcalf o.
one OF the clerks about the office nearl,
always guesses correctly.
"fou must strike good many inter.
esting things" the reporter observed.
"Here's one that Just came in" was
the answer, and letter in All insecure.
ly sealed envelope was shown, -'
1t was addressed to "Santa Claus, Fa,
Away" and written in very childish
hand:
"Nov. %.
kris kingel bring ME gum and a
pound OF bullets and q iron engine aud
4 overcoat gum boots track to the engine
the engine TO cost one dollar"
The lads name was signed, and he
doubtless anticipates a fine stockiny.iull,
Lust week four letters addressed to
Santa Claus were dropped iu the box.
A letter was mailed here for "Salyerio,
Mountain" What that might mean
bafiled even Mr., Metcalf.
"Slopville, Ohio" was not found on
the lists, and letter addressed to that
town was cent to the dead letter office.
Not long ago two letters mailed by
prominent business man here in 1854.
with a return request on the enyelops,
were receive d here from New York,
marked returned to writer" Inquiry
naturally arose as to where those unde.
,llvered letters had been for over five
years. When the postmaster at New
York was asked he said they had been
cent to Castle Garden, and with large
number OF others lay there uncalled for
till recently new deal there resulted in
their being returned to the postoflice.
Mr.. Metcalf has curious collection OF
specimens Of phonetic spelling, foreign.
ers' attempts to write American addresses
and other curiosities of ignorance and
carelessness, in addition to which bic
book in which is KEEP: record OF nll the
letters sent to the dead letter Office, is
full OF interesting points.
One OF the funniest specimens OF
phonetic spelling ever seen was the ad.
dress on letter mailed here some time
ago, thus:
John Smith,
Short Ears, Pa.
Mr.: Metcalf guessed Chartiers for this,
and the letter was sent there and found
to be for CHARTERS man. Another ad.
dress which it required some time to
decipher was like this:
Mr.. jasper
StAnton
Scott pAm
WaAu cArOUcO
ohio
This was translated to mean "Mr,
Jasper Stanton Scott, Van Vert, Carroll
county, Ohio" and that proved correct.
Mr.. Pero Farneria
Fonesrille Iresl Werq
Gin Cincinado
asL ". Y. Sanda
was one Which never has been definitely
explained, though it is probable that ali
the places the man was known to have
been were written on the envelope as
best the sender could write them.
A letter addressed to "Pelcivyinya,
Mari Post olic, UntgDan," proved to be
an Italians guess for Merrill, Hunting.
don county, Pa.
;, "Parkersburg. Preston county,"
"Bellaire, W. Va" and "Wellsburs,
Pa" are common kind OF mistakes
that cause good deal OF annoyance.
Kossuths, Marshall county, would
probably be the general way Of spelling
by sound, instead Of Kausooths, as is
correct, but when somebody spelt it
"kaushville, Marshall county, it pug
Zled the whole force for quite a while.
Here is pri1s effort in the way Of
addressing letter: 80 house IRON
the cor Az ct. q at been / and G-alies
Kate Orton-Washington, D. c." That
letter reached the person for whom it
was intended. This similar one was
also properly delivered: 1910 Broad
alley bet 8 to 44 F q: & Miss Jones'"
There was no city address on this, but
1t was sent to Washington City by Mr.,
Metcalf, aud the carriers .here found
Miss Jones.
"saintville, Chic" was tried at St.
Clairsville, and that was right. So
"Partersbird Jenet st, wen. to parkers.
burg, w. Va. Maynard, Ohio, once
turned up "Maindeer," and once as
4 letter addressed 10 "No. Is, Mon
mouth st., near Second, Ky.," was tried
successively at Louisville, Covington
and Newport, and then found it's owner.
A letter addressed in fair hand 10
flames Colquhouu, foreman in foundry
Of new iron and shipbuildipg works,
West Virginia." was received from
abroad last month, and has been sent
all over by guess work, but ''they
haven't found him yet"
Some OF the deciphering done by the
force at the postofiice here is as marvel
GUS rs the reading Of secret cypher
writing or Ph@nician inscription, and
even more difficult, because nothing but
pure guessing can solve sucl, problems
as "short Ears" and "Pelciyvinya."
AN UNIQUE VEHICLE
Picked up by Mr.. Bodlsy Mt Staunton for
the Worlds Fair.