The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-03
MILLIONS IN STAMPS
DETAILS OF HOW EDNA ROW HAS
BECOME NOTORIOUS.
Her Mail Many Times Heavier than
worEd-s.OOO.OOO stamps In Hand.

With the idea of assisting the crippled
sister Of the young man to whom she was
engaged to be married at that time. Edna
r.. Brown last September began the task
of gathering one million cancelled postage
stamps, to be sold to a Chicago man who
was said to have made an offer Of 500 in
cash for that number.
Miss Brown had no idea that she could
get that number Of stamps. but thought
she would at least make the endeavor. At
the present time she has something more
than eight million stamps. and they are
still coming in at. the rate of 10000 every
day. She has discovered that she cannot
cell the stamps, for the Chicago purchaser
proves to be a myth, and now 1T has been
found impossible to shut off the stamp sup
ply.
Kaneville is literally swanaped with an
celed postage stamps, and nothing remains
to be done but to make a bonfire OF them
as fast as they arrive. 1t has not been
thought best to burn the letters unopened
that are coming in such a flood, for some
of them contain money orders and even
cash.
The Herald made note of the fact at the
time of the inception Of Miss Browns plan,
and this helped her materially in carrying
1t out. for thousands Of readers of the
Herald sent her stamps unsolicited. Day
by day the mail for Kaneville has grown
until 1t Is q burden to everyone. Every
man, woman and child in the township is
opening letters and taking out the hated
stamps. but this force is Inadequate to
rapidly growing pile.
Miss Browns plan was simple, and 1t
the trouble. writing three letters to as
many friends. she asked that each send
her ten or more Cancelled stamps, and also
70 xyrffo fhrnt Intfnrc Zach IN snfhpr nann1a
with the same request. They, in turn, were
to follow the same rule of procedure, thus
making an ever increasing chain of let
tiers that was not to be completed until
fifty persons had written. Possibly Miss
Brown did not stop to 1gure. out her prob
not much of a mathematician, and did not
tire herself. in arriving at the real answer
possessed Of a knowledge sufficient to carry
her through to the end. she -ould have
discovered that the chain she began to
out a single break to the end. would finally
haul, In many times the million stamps she
was so ambitious to collect.
THE INNOCENT LETTER.
The following is a copy OF one Of the let
tiers sent out by a person who had been
written to-the eighth in the chain:
No. 8. Cape Vincent, N. r. Oct. 20. 1894.
Mr.. Robert Angela medical institution
has offered to treat q young lady of Kane
Vile. who has been q cripple since she was
eA ~oA - - oAAS S0okA OAAO OAC
million Cancelled postage stamps, SO we have
started this chain Of letters. in which we
tsr ~ yoqI nave aue' a Mnae on nrre ebs sop,eS tb ol d lnfs a aeu5
put the next highest number on the top,
numbering the three the same, and sign
your name. Return this letter. with ten or
more Cancelled stamps, to Edna r. Brown,
Kaneville, Kane county, Illinois. Also the
You have written. They. in turn. are asked
to do the same. Any one receiving No. so
will please return the letter without making
s,xNsAA A- Al-k <NIn 49, 4L4s~ A-y 49, --k
wishing to write three letters is asked to re-
turn this letter to Miss Brown, that we may
know that the chain is broken. Although
this may seem a small matter. yet any one
breaking the chain will involve serious loss
to the enterprise. Yours sincerely;
ITO Mr.. Robert Angel, Three Mile Bay,
Jefferson County, New York"
The number of letters being received daily
at the present time at Kaneville IS greater
the United States, or any other country in
the world, for that matter, for the letters
dressed to Miss Brown aggregate seventeen
thousand. 1t is predicted that the number
poor country postmaster who is compelled
the lowest depths Of deepest despair. His
imagine what he has done to merit such
punishment: Not, only does he work day
and night himself, but he has been compelled
to hire a clerk. paying him out Of his own
meager allowance. Residents of the village
regularly take turns in assisting the post
both he and his overworked clerk would
be utterly and entirely swamped under the
m Ransv hyala noM made nj ie'' famous throughout
the v'-ti,cd States. is a little crossroads ham
let in Kane county. in the northern portion
of Illinois, and the center of a prosperous
farming community. the entire township
having a population of probably four hum
dred. No railroad touches the place. the
nearest station being Sugar Grove, on the
line of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
railroad. six miles to the southeast. A
stage COACH, OF the primitive pattern, which
carries both mail and passengers. makes
the trip between the two points twice a
Mss ny; s sno prsy acSsnos to v the cd dsvel opnrsnsds Of
In any way. Kaneville boasts Of q church,
q schoolhouse: q blacksmith shop. several
ONCE being located in one Of the latter.
A MODEST BLACKSMITH.
The blacksmith shop is a legitimate point
OF interest at the present time. It's proprie-
tor is John Garnoan. ar honest. hard work.
ing man. who is closely connected with this
postage stamp collection scheme, being now
the husband of Edna Brown. it's originator.
He has a sister, Matte. a gentle girl, nine
teen years old. who is to be the beneficiary
of the scheme If any money comes out of 1t,
for she Is a cripple. An injury to her spine,
received some years ago, has completely
paralyzed the lower part of her body and
renders her practically helpless. Recently
k-tAtf IA IhIS DVO-
nounced her affection durable, but as the
necessary. attendance would cost $500 the
Garman family. being poor in this worlds
goods, could see no way of defraying the
expense.
It was at this ~juncture that Miss Edna
r.. Brown came to the rescue. She was a
bright-eyed, ready-witted girl, and she had
more than a passing interest IN Miss Matte,
for she loved the brawny blacksmith and
was engaged to be married to him. Her
family was not one Of old standing in Kane
vile, having moved to this place only
about three years ago, but in that time
she had learned to love the sooty son of
Vulcan, and hence the pitiable condition
of his sister strongly appealed to her ten
derest sympathies. When Miss Browns
scheme was fairly inaugurated there was a
marriage in Kaneville and blacksmith Car
man and Miss Brown were the principals,
the date of the wedding being Dec. 10.
1t was In September last that the special
list pronounced Miss case durable,
and shortly after that Miss Brown began
TO work at her plan. She had full faith in
the mythical Chicago man, and firmly be-
lieved that when the million stamps We're
gathered he would come forward with the
much needed 500. She did not permit her
self to rest, and by the first day of De-
cember she had the satisfaction of know
ing that the million stamps were safely
slowed away in the garnet of the Garman
mouse. But 1t was loves labor lost. for
tnere was no market for them, and Miss
6rown's heart sank within her. Garman's
HII N0& EfrNnr ArsA.rA- A~l - -