Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-09-04
LOST In THE MAIL,
THE CONTENTS OF SOME DEAD
LETTERS.
RattIcsnakes, GIla Monsters, Taran-
tu.aS, and other Unpleasant Mat
ters-A Relic of Murder
Skulls ot Letter Rates.

dangerous things that reach the PostoAic
Department, in Washington, in deac
letter packages. Live centipcdcs an'
tarantulas, horned toads, and Glla mon
sters contribute to this lost freight
Small aligators from Florida not infre
quently turn up, Among other grucsom'
objects similarly received not long age
was human ear, enclosed in a lette
perchance by some ruffian who had made
it his trophy; also the scalp of an In liar
woman with long black hair, and grin
ming skull which a Philadelphia phy
sician refused to receive because lettel
rates were charged upon it.
A mail bag slit with knife bears al
interesting history. At 2P. NJ. on th'
afternoon of July 231, 1885, mail
carrier named F. NJ. Peterson was at
tackled by Apache Indians while on hi
regular route from Lochicl, Ari., to Crit
tenden in the same Territory. The saw
ages, after shooting and cutting him int
pieces, slit open the leather sacks he
carried and tore all the letters to bit: in
search of money, finally leaving behind
them the bag in question, which ever
uow shows the dark stains made by th'
victims blood.
One OF the most curious packages that
have reached the Dca Letter Office was
one addressed to a lady in Springfield,
Ohio, who has never been found. 1t
was a small ix-barreled revolver, with
every chamber loaded, aud set at the full
cock. The wonder is that it did not 60
of when the parcel was opened. A
relic of interest is letter signed by
Charles Guiteau, the murderer of Gar.
field, enclosing a lock Of his own precious
hair. 1t is addressed to a lady who
never received it, asking her to con
tribute $1,000 for his defence. Another
curiosity lost in the mail is crucifx in
\ glass box that vas postmarkcd "Vicks.
burg" and bore on the outside Of its
brown paper wrapper simply the woris,
"Vicksbury is taken"
No brief list could summarize the in
Vulnerable strange things that have
fallen into the hands of the Deal Letter
Office in Washington. There are opium
pipes and packages of refined opium,
bottled specimens of different kinds of
mineral formations thrown uP by the
Charleston earthquake, boxes OF cart
ridges, percussion caps, quantities Of
frccrackers and torpedocs, false teeth,
corn-husking gloves, every imaginable
sort of kitchen utensils, carpenters tools,
horns, tambouriucs, baujos, har nonicas,
gold headed canes, and even "spirit
photographs" in which the persons pic
tured appear with all sorts of spooks
rendered in dim tones at so much a
ghost.
Many of the objects accumulatel come
under the "unmailable" head, being OF
glass or "pointed instruments" which
might damage the mails. Bottles or
surgical tools arc not carried by Uucle
Sam unless enclosed in wood or tin.
One hundred dollars worth OF nuggets
of virgin gold in a box came in while
ago and are awaiting II claimant. There
are some gloves from the steamship Ore
gon which were III days under water,
though they seem to be fairly respecta-
bic now and might be worn at stretch.
Some wedding cake is exhibitc | In the
museum that is fifty years old.
A book is kept at the department of
photographs which was sent by mail
from camps during the war. The soldier
boys commonly had their pictures taken
for sending home, to show the folks
how they looked in the field. Many of
the likencsses thus despatched miscar-
rcd, and even now the Post Office De-
partmeut keeps thousands of them in
albums, ready to be claimed by relatives.
When one of the portraits is properly
identified it Is removed from the album
page and the signature OF the recipient
is inscribed on the paper space that it
occupied. 1t is the same way with corps
medals that were sent home by soldiers
during the war. Dozens Of them are al
present waiting for their owners. There
are starfsh, too, petri6cd frogs, stuffed
gophcrs, Toltec idols, silkworm cocoonS,
and all sorts OF other absurdities. 1t
seems very curious that Benjamin Esauk-
lin, the first Postmaster General OF the
United States, made record during eleven
years service of only 365 valuable PACK
ages sent through the mails. One little
book Of his own make, shown In the
museum, served for such account during
that period.
1t is rather interesting to note the pho
tographic illustrations OF the primitive
manner in which mails are carried even
nowadays in northern Michigan, where
the function Of the United States post is
undertaken by dogs. The latter, in
teams Of six, draw sledges carrying the
letter sacks over the wintry SHOWS
Men York Sun.