The Washington times., 1895-04-07
10000 DAILY BLUNDERS.
Dead Letter office curios and Tales That
Hang Thereon.

Dead Letter office Curios and Tales That
Hang Thereon.
This is the average receipt per day at the
Dead Letter Office OF letters and packages
unmaiable, misdirected, short of post
age, without any address, or without the
name of sender.
Think OF the hopes deferred as well as
the great expense necessitated in the
handling OF these results of thoughtless-
ness. Devote an hour or so of your time
i'll examining the conglomeration of relics
in the museum of the Dead Letter Office, a
small room to the right of the corridor
Oh the third floor of the old city postoffice,
southwest corner Seventh and F streets
Some one remained at home from the ball
if his going depended on the arrival of the
masquerade costume that decorates the
show case on your left as you enter the
museum, but perhaps the oddity has
caused as many smiles in it's present To-
cation as If it had filled its intended
purpose.
Beautiful little vases, pressed ferns
Christmas. Easter and birthday cards,
the offspring of loving thought, silently
doomed.
copy of the Lords Prayer, the original
of which is at st. Peters, Rome, in fifty
four languages.
A dainty pair of black kid gloves, res
cued from the Oregon, after bing soaked
i'll the sea for ia days.
Eight little lost Quaker dolls clustered
i'll one corner of the showcase reminded US
of Philadelphia.
Somewhere are the owners of five sets of
false teeth, waiting for them to come by
mail.
Thare are N uurnl,ar of cpales reoaiyod
alive in perforated tin cans, and one little
snake, about three inches long arrived
in a letter from Bigelow, Kas.
On mail pouch is the explanation of the
Indian question, as it applies to the Post
office Department.
About p. m., OH July %, 1895, while
Pos tmaSter Peters OH, mail carrier on
Route No. 40, ,159, Crittendon to Lochial,
PIMA Co., Ariz., was on his return to Lochial
he was killed by the Apache Indians
After numbering the carrier the Indians cut
open the mail pouches and entirely de-
stroyed the mail, tearing it into fragments
and scattering it over the ground. Two
pouches were entirely destroyed or car
ried away. The one now in the museum
was left upon the scene Of the tragedy,
and bears the sanguinafy stains of the
victim
| There is a letter that for twenty five
years has failed to be delivered because
| directed to man deceased
A market basket, two fruit cakes, about
| the size of box loavesIof bread, box of
raisins seem strange articles to wander
| into this place.
A mans old cuff, well written over,
! mailed in 1889, to be returned if not de-
livered in thirty years to Farellon ISL
| ands. This is email group Of rocks off
the coast of California, and the only in
| habitant is the lighthouse keeper. The
| cuff was mailed from Seattle, Wash
| There is an Army bill, % p, from the
| Army Bill Office, Quebec. Bearer is ell
| titled to $25 January, 1889.
Here are photographs meeting the gaze
of strangers, in place of the loved ones in
/ tended
Here is new card decoration; pigs
/ tail decorated with an artistic knot of
] red ribbon tied on to white card.
/ There are many other articles, useful
| and queer, which are too numerous to
| describe.
This collection is sold every two years
| at auction. J. J. WINTERDALE 5