Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1893-11-04

IN the capital city Is the museum in
the dcad-letter office. II is full of
queer things shat have Travelled
through the mail and at last found a
permanent resting place Whenever
II is possible articles that reach the
dead-letter Office owing to failure OF
delivery are returned 20 the sender.
but it often happens that not even
the sender can be found.
Then the unclaimed article, II ii
be curious or interesting. Is placed
on exhibition in the cabinets that
line the walls OF the museum There
are pictures and toys and jewelry
in profusion.
Several Indian hatchets give to a
section Of the cabinet an archaolog-
zeal appearance. and a pair of Indian
pipes Of red sandstone cross each
other in peaceful style. A rare Curl
osity is piece Of parchment on
which is penned the Lords prayer in
fifty-four languages. II is said 10 be
duplicate OF a parchment which
hangs in ST. Peters at Rome.
1t came 70 this country in the mail
from Europe In 1912. and. as ii was
never claimed and its origin could
not be traced, IL was sent TO the
dead-letter office, where il has been
on exhibition ever since. One OF the
prettiest things in the cabinet is a
lady's fan made OF stork feathers, the
plumes being rarer and richer than
the finest ostrich plumes
It is most significant In appear
ance. and doubtless graced the cos
tune Of some court beauty ia the
old world. II came 10 this country
from Europe many years ago. but no
clew 70 its owner or It's sender was
ever found.
On one Of tho shelves II box OF
wedding cake. which came To the
d,ad-letter office ten years ago as
unclaimed. Il IL getting a little
old and discolored, and would doubt
less be pretty dry eating. Consider
ing its present characteristics, ii
might DO excellent wedding cake 10
dream on
Certainly II has all the elements
necessary 10 produce fancifui
nightmare. Rosaries are quite com
mon IN the cabinet, and crucifxcs
are also plentiful.
i Resting In carnclian case in one
corner Of the cabinet Il a pretty
crucidx Of solid gold. II was found
~ one Of the Southern postoiiices at
the close o. the war and WAS marked
Unclaimed. II had been sent
probably BY some pious mother 10
her son. who persisted on the field OF
3 battle or in the hospital
There was no name attached and
nothing 10 tell It's story. Near II IN
an envelope Is lock OF dark brown
hair An inscription on the en-
vclope, in nervous hand. reads:
This contains my hair. Charles
Gultcau. II was put into the mails
by the murderer Of President Gar
tlcld, without any address, just as IL
appears in the cabinet.
Il A few years ago there came to the
dcad-letter Office tin can upon which
no address could be found. The can
was opened and sixteen lively-look-
ing rattlesnakes made their escape.
There was a stirring scene in the
dead-lettcr office for few minutes.
Everybody got upon the chairs and
tables. aud the rattlcrs were left in
fun possession of the floor. Finally
the snakes were dispatched. and III.
teen Of them were picked IN alcohol
ono was missing, though nobody
knew IL
One sunny afternoon a few days
later big, sleck-looking rattlcsnake
crawlcd from among the papers in
the CHIEF clerks desk. and unobserved
made his way To where a young lady
visitor was sitting.
His snakeship slyly crawled to her
feet and gracefully twining himself
about her slender ankle frightened
his folds. The young lady noticed
the intrusion, and hastily looking
down saw the willy serpent, was hor.
rifed and properly tainted.
The rattlesnake offered no further
insult or INJURY, hut fled in alarm.
He was killed and artistically in
cased in glass jar which now adorns
the cabinet
From one OF the cases grins a hu
man skull II Is brown with age,
having apparently lain under the clay
for long time before its resurrec
tion and its journey through tho
mails. There was no address or post
mark when Il came. All that il bore
was tho inscription Jimmy McDun.
carved on the frontal bone.
Jimmy McDuf is the name Of 1
murderer who persisted on the scat
fold out West some years ago, bu'
the skull is not believed to be Jim
my's Somebody evidently sent it al
joke to some friend acquainted
with the circumstances of Jimmy
taking of.
One OF the most curious exhibits Il
collection OF envelopes showing
the desperate but futile efforts mad,
by various persons to address then