The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1894-12-13
The Dead Letter Office.

my study, lOsJ TO the world III ue-
lightful recollection of my recent
ramble in the forest covered noun
tains of Europe. the shrill whistle OF
She postnan was heard, aud a mo-
ment later my attention was con
centrated on curiously-marked
lett or which had been dropped into
my hand. IL was a letter written
dispatched by friend in America
while l was exploring the forest of
Thuringia, and after crossing the
ocean it had followed me from city
TO city, and country to country, only
to return again across the stormy
waters, bearing on its envelope the
postmarks of many principalities.
Close beside that of old Munich,
famous for its act and its beer.
crowded n curious triangular post.
mark, which | at once recognized as
that of the Dead Letter Office.
IAh - | said, Now | know how
that letter was returned to me, and
through what final channel it ar
rived at its destination. And yet,
this associates me with an institu.
tion beside which | have lived all my
life and have never visited -
The next time | was in town.
ran into the Dead Letter Office and
these are a few of the novel attrac-
tions | saw there. One hundred
clerks or more were busily engaged
at various desks handling and dis.
posing of thousands of letters which
sor one reason or another had been
turned over to this department.
Some were occupied in attempting
TO read the odd handwriting shown
on the Inflated letter. There they
would take up. look at steadily, turn
over. show around, hold up one end, =,
and in most cases all of these evolu-
tions resulted in successful decipher-
ing. Then, when IA record had been
made of the truant letter, they
would be dispatched with all haste
TO the point whittier they ought to
go. Other clerks, finding no clue
on the outside of the letter as to
whom it was intended for or from
whom it came, quickly opened the
missive and as quickly sought out
inner address. Thousands of such
letters ms these must be opened here
every year and strange are the
romances of love and the sorrowful
tale of misfortune which now and
then greet the eye Of the examining
clerk.
Aud speaking of their faulty ad-
dresses, which resultin far too many
70 terayyap6eripgs add~p~' sGg-
piled both for / /" of any let
ter and because of the monumental
stupidity of the sender-the in
scription OF an eastern hayseed who
wrote-"FoR MY Son OUT WEST, Hr
DRIVES RED OXEN AND THE RAILROAD
GOES By THAR'--is probably unique
No help could be offered this aged
offender by the Dead Letter Office,
but it is almost surprising that no
solution was forthcoming, consider
ing the extraordinary accomplish
ments OF these sharpwitted, clear
sighted officials. Not long ago II
letter reached its proper destination
through the Dead Letter Office adj
dressed merely "Nlr. james Gum,
Power-loom Shuttle maker, Mass.
America and Il letter sent from
Boston-Boston, the Hub, and the
city of culture bearing the simple
address, "Dr. Weshburn, Roberts
College, was properly forwarded to
Constantinople. Inscriptions in
Greek, Syriac, Chinese, Bohemian
and modern English" both amuse
and worry these long suffering SER
wants of the public.
Naturally, many of the 1000, 900
letters and packages turning up an
nually in the Dead Letter Office
have brought with them no clue 10
the owners, while they have con-
tanned articles of more or less value
and curiosity. Some OF these have
been retained by the department
and now constitute the museum OF
the institution. Here for instance
is New Testament in Chinese, and
near by blood.stained knife used
by Apaches in killing a. western
mailcarrier. Then, there is a COPY
Of the Lon DIS Prayer in the fifty-four
languages, and chips from the floor
Of the room in which Jesse James
was brought to bay and killed
Coins of great historic valne crowd
the shelves AS spread out for dis.