The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1896-03-06

Curious Blunders Made in Sending
Death Notices.
Illiteracy and Absent indedness Respou-
stble for Many OF the Funny Mes
sages That Are Sent Over
the Wires.

1t pay seem sacrilegioUs to say Tat
many of the death tciegrams'' sent
over the wires have a gro.csque side,
yet it is so. Illiteracv accounts for
many of these grewsomcly amusing
announcements; the mental agitation
accompanying the loss OF relatives or
friends accounts for more. bat there is
undoubtedly certain percentage
which are ridiculous in 4 ghastlv fash
on because of actual hard
On the part of the sender To tle last
class, thinks the Philadelphia Times,
belongs the telegram sent by Il l2ugh-
ter to announce, with cheerful levity,
that Mamma kicked 1880 last night.
We will try to make burial on Mon
day." 1t was illiteracy, together with
a solemn sense that the occasion de-
manded something extra in the way of
emotional expression, That prompted
sorrowing man to struggle over tele-
graph form for fifteen minutes and IL
nally to hand to the receiving clerk
message which briefly read: "lIy wife is
laing pointed at death" From another
afflicted benedict went out the cry: My
white is wherry i'll. Come now" and the
news that MA is very bad with
amonia" must have carried sorrow with
it in spite of it's decidedly doubtful
photography and etymology. One of
the commOnest stumbling blocks IN
spelling with the unlettered is illus
trated by the message which said SIM
ply: "Our little boy died--cholerain
phantom" and the difficulties of rhe-
torical construction are plainly marked
in the telegram which read: George
is dying in haste answer
Serene trust in the hereafter was
carried to an almost ludicrous extent
by the mOurners, who telegraphed to
friends that Grandpa Jones peace
fully left for his Heavenly home this
morning." following it up by the ver1
practical remark that Any sugges-
lions about the interment will be
thankfully received. ''Polly is dead
she ate Matches" left the curious OBJ
orator in doubt as to whether Polly
was the infant daughter of the house
or the beloved family parrot. and the
Geographic instruction to Give the
dear one decent burial and send bill'
was a judicious mixture of properly
controlled feelings and truly Yankee
thrift.
Authorizations are dangerous arti-
cles of commerce at all times. but par
ticularly so in the case Of kilograms.
One individual failed to realize this,
and probably from a mistaken desire
to economic, telegraphed to reIa-
tives: ''Jane died yesterday Fun at
two o'clock Sunday" 1t took some
time to realize that FUN" was a con-
traction for ''ffsneral.'' One might al
most be forgiven for a spasm of I'm
canny terror at telegram reading:
"Your mother is dead and wants you
to come home,'' and the anti-cli1nax
OF seriousness seems to have been
reached by the man who telegraphed:
"Ann Smith is dead Not able to bury
herself"
Not many years ago prominent
citizen of a southern town died sudden
ly. The thoughts of northern friend
turned with sympathy toward the sur
viving members of the family, and it
entered his heart to telegraph his con-
dolences at once to the widow. I'm
fortunately he was an absent-minded
man. and being accustomed to commu.
nicate with his dead friend on mat.
tiers of business, the message as it
reached its destination read: 'sTo
John Smith. Please accept assurances
OF my sincere sympathy in your fiery
trial" Another lazy yet condolent
friend wired to grief-stricken fam
lily: ''You all have my profound sym
pathy, but my presence would not add
any mitigation to your grief, the old
lady having departed.