Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-01-24
A STAMP SWAMP.
The Chain Which Mrs. Edna
r. Garman Started.
NOW SHE CAN'T STOP IT.

Kaneviile's Postmaster Into a Peck of
Troublc-Rock Island Contributes.
Three letters were sent from Rock
Island to Kaneville, H., last week
containing 10 cancelled postage
stamps each. These letters were
numbered AZ. 10 ard 50, and thew
were to complete the novel chain of
stamps which Mrs. Edna Il. Garman.
of that little place, is getting up for
the benefit of her crippled sister-in-
law. The entire country is1ecom-
ing interested in this small village
because of the astonishing success OF
the now celebrated stamp-collecting
.'chain." 1t has brought into prom
inence two worthy jewellers in Kane
vile. Mrs. Edna X. Garman. better
known to thousands of benevolent
stamp-contributors as Edna Brown.
and the Woodworking third-class
postmaster of Kaneville. Mr.. Shoeil-
horn. Edna Brown became engaged
to Charles Garman. A sister OF her
betrothed is Miss Mettie Garman,
who is a cripple, having been afiiict-
ed with spinal trouble for the last ~
years, or since she was 6 wears old
The sistcr-in-law becoming greatly
attached to the young girl, and hav-
ing heard of Il cripple in Sycamore.
Ill who set out to collect ! .00o. 900
Cancelled stamps, from the sale of
which he hopes to get money to pur-
chase A cork leg, conceived the idea
of making 4 similar collection with
view to getting money to pay for
Miss Garman'S treatment in hos
pital.
The Idea Presented.
Her idea was. in brief. to collect
Cancelled postage stamps for her Grip
pied sister-in-law along the line of
geometrical progression. The next
day after its inception three very in
offensive looking letters left the
kaneville postoilice. addressed to
three different people and signed by
Mrs. Garm ans maiden name, Edna
Brown. The letters went on to state
that she was Il cripple and desired to
collect million cancelled postage
stamps in order to secure treatment
in a medical college. Each Of the
three persons addressed was asked to
send Miss Brown ten or more can
ccled postage stamps and to write
three letters containing similar re-
quests: their correspondents to send
stamps and write other letters, and
so on until the 50th line in the chain
should be forged. Those receiving
letters marked 80 were asked not to
write other letters but to return the
10th letter to Edna Brown. thus end
ing the chain.
The First Onslaught.
To appreciate what happened it
must be remem bered that Kaneville
is n crossroads town on the prairie.
without a railroad. nine miles north
west of Aurora. A few days after the
dauntless three letters went forth the
postmaster began to receive good
many letters for Edna Brown. II
surprised him, knowing every man,
woman, child, and dog in the town
was aware of Miss Browns marriage.
His surprise soon deepened into as
constituent. his astonishment into
CONSERVATION, and his CONSERVATION
into despair. The letters for Miss
Edna Brown kept increasing. They
soon filled bushel basket daily.
Then they filed several baskets. 1t
rained letters. Instead of the usual
small pouch the kaneville mail re-
quired several.
Swamped Out OF Sight.
Miss Brown, who has now become
Mrs Garman. is receiving from TO-
900 TO $4,000 letters n day, and al
ready has on hand millions of can
celed stamps which she does not
want and has no idea how to dispose
of. Her chief wish now is that
stamps would quit coming.
Postmaster Shoellhorn. meanwhile,
has the distinction of handling more
mail daily than any other fourth
class postmaster ever did. One day
recently he turned over 20, 900 letters
to Mrs. Garman.
So far rs is known there has been
no offer for the cancelled stamps.
The whole outbreak seems to have
been the result of a mistaken idea
that there was market somewhere
for these worthless bits of paper.
The total cost for the complete chain
would be S6i, 612, go 900. 900, 000.-
900, 900. Oh course the chain could
not be completed. but if two out of
every three responded. Mrs. Garman
would receive 2.25l 800. 900, 600, 600
letters and "a. 769. 500, 900. 600. 600 can
celed stamps at a cost OF $l55, 10S,-
900. 600, 900.
Around Kaneville everyone is get
ting mad about it. The much
abused postmaster of small fourth
class Office draws about $3.50 a year.
and is obliged to handle 1900 let
tiers day and hire an extra clerk.
The mail carrier is mad because he
has no room in his stage for passen-
gers.
| In Olden Times
peopie overloaded tho irpnortance n.