The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-12-20
THE BLACE LETTER.
The Courts Say This Sinister Dun
mimg MISSiNc MmSf Go.

The sign OF the black letter is to pass
away. and many a man will he delighted
to know 1t. This is no mystical sign Of
n secret order, as one might surmiSe
with n name written across 1t in white
ink. In one seeing an envelope of this
sort for the first time there Is aroused
feeling of curiosity; but there are
those who have seen them so often
that they came to be n source of deep
displeasure and dismay; for 1t was the
fatal and never TO be forgotten sign
that money was owing which must be
paid at once or there would be trouble.
But now the United States Govern
ment has decided that the black letter
Is mark of ignomy that can no longer
be countenanced. The postoffice au-
thorties throughout the country have
been notified from Washington that no
more black letters can go through the
mails and all are warned that a heavy
penalty awaits the person who tries to
use the mail in this manner as a COL
Letting agency.
The sign OF the black letter was the
latest idea of the people who make q
business of collecting bad debts. In
( former wears there were many other
devices. One enterprising man started
1t by sending to people who owed bills
postal cards on the back of which was
printed a skull and cross bones. These
poStnls. with their grewsome symbols,
became so numerous that Congress de-
cided to make it unlawful to send
through the, mail any postal card
bearing dun in such a way that ii
may be read by others than those for
whom it is intended After that the
dun" man used an envelope, but put
various fantastic devices on the outside
which We're assumed to be understood
by the guilty conscience of the person
who owed bills and refused to pay them
lut in the course of time the postof-
flee officials discovered the intent of
these new envelopes and the letter car
lrlerS could recognize dunning letter at
a glance. Congress then took further
action and made 1t unlawful for any
envelope to bear words or designs which
suggested that the person to whom il
was addressed was regarded as a pro-
fesSional beat
Then came the sign of the black
letter. The man who originated it
made great success. Before it becam>
generally understood 1t merely looked
like n sign Of death. But when two or
three OF these letters had been received
by single person, and the servants,
neighbors, lettes carriers and trades
men began TO see exactly what 1t
meant. the man was usually willing to
pay his debts rather than have the
black sign come near his house. So
the time came very quickly when the
black letter answered all the purposes
mat the postal cards and strangely
marked envelopes had done before
they were suppressed. and the law
makers found their legislation futile.
The doom Of the black letter was
sounded by Judge John L. Thomas, as
sistant attorney general for the post
ofAce deparement, who ordered that all
matter Of this description be excluded
from the mail. He gets his authority
from a decision rendered by n United
States district Judge, in which II was
held That all persons connected with the
postal service understand that the
meaning and object of such procedure
IS TO coerce payment of money by thus
exposing the person addressed And
now that the order has gone out that
all black letters shall be thrown out as
unmaiiable matter, 1t only remains TO
/ be seen what will be the next method
adopted by the professional collector.
Emile Olivier, Napoleon Ills last
minister. is about to publish a novel
called Marie Madeline" which is be-
iieved to be autobiographical
| on the Duke OF ArSyie's estate on
Loeb F'yne is an avenue of trees. each
Of which was planted by some d!stin-