The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-01-27
SIGNS OF TIMES.
They Are Read at the Dead
Letter Office.
About Ninety Per Cent of the
Illegal Matter
is NEVER DELIVERED.
Why IT Is Called Uncle Sans
Grabbag.
Is NEVER DELIVERED.

WASHINGTON. D. c., Jan. 27.-TSpecia1-
Cranks are more numerous this winter
than ait any time since the word came into
common use. SO the chief inspector 81 the
posto6ice department says. There is nc
place, he declares, like the dead letter Office
to get a clear and accurate idea of the pulse
Of the people. Mental disorders, like those
of the flesh, come often in epidemic form
and like disease of the body can usually be
traced directly to some unhealthy condition
Of the body polite. The present epidemic
Of cranks now trimming riot all over tine land
is due largely, if not wholly. to scarcity OF
work, which means a scarcity of food and
clothing and much consequent suffering
among the poor of all large cities Accord.
ing to the prophet Of the postal service, the
signs of the times as read by the mail
dumped daily into the dead letter Office
here are quite alarming.
Never in his experience. he declares, have
50 many Internal machines and high es
plosives been detected and destroyed
About 30 per cent of all illegal mail matter
is never delivered To the party addressed
bat instead finds it's wals 10 the postal grab
bag, officially known as zthe dead letter Of
Zee. just how the officials arrive at this
estimate of am altogether unknown guam
tiuy ii is difficult to imagine. but they give
the figure quoted with calmness which
is thoroughly refreshing if not altogether
LovesieIs Epistles.
The dead letter office is one Of the most
interesting places in Washington to visit.
Many a romantic tale is brought to a sue.
cessful finish there. 1T is by no means ia.
frequent chat through the intelligence Of
the employees Of this branch of Uncle SANS
service long separated lovers are brought to
gether The most distasteful work of
clerk in the dead letter Office is reading oven
these lovesick episUles of the forsaken.
They have to read them, and have to read
them carefully, in the hope that some clew
may he found therein by which either the
writer OF the person TO whom st IS all
dressed may be traced An outsider really
has no conception of the diligence exercised
by the postal authorities Of this country tc
reach THE parity 10 whom letter is ad
dressed, and failing ia thas to find the party
who semi il. Tt is this very diligence that
makes the postal service of the United
States the equal If not the superior # amy
in the world.
But the work ii the dead letter Office from
which al the clerks shrink is the opening
Of suspicious packages. IS day or two age
package addressed to Springfield, MIS-
was returned TO Vt ashingtou because no Cne
of the name to which r was addressed could
be found. u was marked dynamite IL
bad most terrible look. So much So, 40
chance OF opening it TO ind what it CON
tanned Finally the Office boy volunteered
10 undertake the Job. The clerks went on
the theory apparently tha6 the loss of
mothers pride more or less meant LITTLE
or nothing AT any rate fhe usher stood at
q safe distance, while tfe lady clerks all
stuffed their ingers in their cars But the
expected explosion did not come, and the
boy life was saved. Tt was not e fake,
however lit was q bona fide internal ma
chine aad WAS evidently constructed to do
harm to some one- But the mechanism svas
faulty, fortunately for the intrepid messeu-
ger lad.
Auction sale OF the Nail.