Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-26

come in the mails and cannot be returned
to owners are placed on exhibition. In the
cabinets. which extend round the room, are
shown articles innumerahle and varied,
many OF which have histories. There are
pictures and toys and jewelry without num-
Der. Several Indian hatchets which were
unclaimed give to one of the cabinets an
archaeological appearance, and a pair of In
dian pipes of red sandstone cross each other
in truly peaceful style. One of the rare
curiosities is a sheet of parchment on which
is penned the Lords prayer in 81 languages.
1t is said 10 be a duplicate of a parchment
which hangs in ST. Peters at Rome. 1t
came to this country IN the mail from
Europe in 1912, and as there was no trace of
its origin and no owner for it was discovered
here it was sent to the Dead Letter Office
and has been there ever since.
One OF the prettiest things is lady's fan
made of stork feathers. the plumes being
rarer and richer than the finest ostrich
plumes. 1t is most magnificent in appear
ance and doubtless graced the costume of
some court beauty in the Old World. 1t
came TO this country from Europe many
years ago, but no clew to its owner or origin
was ever obtained. in one of the cases there
is u box of wedding cake, which came to the
dead letter Office six years ago as "un-
claimed" 1t is getting little old and dis
colored and by this time would probably be
pretty dry eating. Considering its present
characteristics, it might be excellent wed
ding cake to dream on" 1t certainly has
all the elements necessary to produce
fanciful nightmare. Rosarics are quite
common in the cabinet and crucifxes are
also plentiful.
A Pious Mothers Gift
A most beautiful crucifx of solid gold
rests in q carnelian case. 1t was found in
one of the Southern potoffices at the close OF
the war, and was marked unclaimed" 1t
had been sent, probably, by some pious
mother to her son who perished on the field
OF battle or in the hospital. There was no
name attached, and nothing to tell the story.
Near it, partially concealed in little en-
velope, is lock of dark-brOwn hair. An
inscription, in a nervous hand. reads: "This
contains my hair. Charles Guiteau." 1t
was put into the mails by the murderer of
President Garfield, without any address,
just as it appeared in the cabinet.
A few years ago there came to the Dead
Letter Office a TIN can on which no address
was found. The can was opened and 16
lively looking rattlesnakes made their es-
cape. There was scene in the Dead Letter
Office for few minutes. Everybody got on
the chairs and tables and the rattlers were
they were dispatched and 15 of them were
picked in alcohol One was missing, but
nobody knew it. 1t was supposed that Is
were enough and that none had escaped. A
few days later, one sunny afternoon, a long.
sleek-looking rattlesnake crawled from
among the papers in the chief clerks desk,
and, unobserved, made his way to where a
young lady visitor was sitting. His snake
ship silly crawled to her feet, and gracefully
winding himself about her slender ankles
frightened his folds. The young lady noticed
the intrusion, and hastily looking down saw
the willy serpent, was Mortified and very
properly. tainted. The rattlesnake offered
no further insult nor injury, but fled in
alarm. He was killed, and, artistically
incased in a glass jar. He now adorns the
cabinet
Not Very Pleasant Feature.
From one of the cases grins a human
skull. 1t is brown with aye, having appar-
emily lain under the clay for long time be-
fore its resurrection and its journey through
the mails. There was no address nor post
mark when 1t came. All that it bore was
the inscription, Jimmy McDuf," carved
on the frontal bone. Jimmy McDuff is the
name OF a murderer who perished on the
seaffold ont West few years ago; but the
skull is not believed to be Jimmy's. Some
body evidently sent it as a joke to some
friend acquainted with the circumstances of
Jimmy's taking of.
A rather novel letter on exhibition is in
the form OF pretty pink shell, on which is
inscribed tender message. There was q
cents postage due when it reached the
owner, but she declined to pay that much,
even for q novelty in the way of letter,
and it had to be sent to the Dead Letter
A - Nf
brilliant plumsge hang in one corner of 9
case and are there because they were un-
claimed. They are stuffed with sawdust,
and are finished in the highest style Of the
taxidermist's art
A negro doll baby, black as II. Rider
Haggard's African chief, Umsiopogass, leers
at the visitor from one of the cabinets. It
was addressed year or SO ago to young
society lady in New York, but ascertaining
the contents of the package, she declined to
nay the postage ard it came back to the
Dead Letter Office.
Some of the Other Curiosities.
A bootblack's outfit. q wood saw, hat
box, gold-headed cane. snuff boxes, gold,
silver and bronze medals, coins of all kinds,
countries and ages are among the curiosities
collected. The metal basis for set OF false
teeth is in one of the cases. 1t was uu-
claimed and came to the Dead Letter Office
several years ago. A short time since an
old gentleman who visited the museum
recognized the remains of his former set of
false teeth. He had sent them to dentist,
he said, for repairs, but lost track of them
entirely. AS he had bought a new pair be
said he had no use for the old ones, so they
remain in the Dead Letter Office.
A huge az, such as is used by fremen,
came in the mails a short time ago and
landed in the Dead Letter Office because it
was unmailable for three ressons-it ssharp
pointed, it is overweight and oversize. Axes
are not allowed in the mails, although some
people seem to think there is no limit pre-
scribed. There are persons who would start
a thrashing machine or sawmill through
the mails if a postmaster could be found
reckless enough to give it start.