The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-02
VERY STRANGE LETTERS.
The English POstOmce Records Tell
Some Curious Stories.
From the London Chronicle.


From the London Chronicle.
The postmaster generals annual report
was issued the other day, but 1t did not
give us certain items which would have
been very welcome at this time of the
year. one used to be able to count upon
a series Of thrills from reading about
the extraordinary things that had been
consigned to the care of the G. p. o. in
the course of the year. Now these lovely
stories have been damped out, but have
been to st. ln's-le-Grand to see wheth-
er could not revive a taste Of them.
Why in recent reports have the sensa-
lions been left out-the five leeches, the
green frogs, and the rest of them? The
post master general is holiday making. and
so Is the secretary to the postoffice. How
ever / got into communication with q
high official and learned in substance,
that the thrills had been dropped be-
cause the space on the report is needed
for more serious matters.
''You see" / was told, "the report Is
continually getting bigger, as is inevitable,
since the operations of the postofice get
larger and larger. The recounting Of
those curious incidents may have interest
ed the public. but it had little to do with
tuition.
IF the curious Incidents are not to be
grouped into the annual report" ] VEN
tured would her majestys postmaster
general mind my reciting the last batch
Of them?"
"Ah," was the rejoinder, but the sec
rotary does not collect the details now,
and so none could, in any case, be avail
able for publication"
"No doubt though" / suggested, the
postoffice has had all it's old trouble dur
ing the past year with oddly directed let
ters and absurd freghts sent under the
care Of postage stamps?'
THAT you may take for granted" was
the reply, land if you were to spend an
hour i'm looking over previous blue-books
you would necessarily gather a general
picture of our past years experiences.
The oddities change, they take on new
FORM now another, but their general
stream Of romance runs about the same"
That was an inspiration-in default of
the other thing-and so l spent the after
noon among the reports of successive
postmasters general, and ] was much
entertained What, then, are the princi-
pal directions in which thoughtless peo-
ple-to put it mildly-worry the officials
of the postohioe? Live animals. / should
say, form the first one, and after that,
perhaps, dead beasts. A postal parcel
which lives in history, contained thirty
frogs of great croaNing powers. Another
contained over 900 leeches; and there was
the case Of a mouse which was three
weeks in a sealed mail bag, during the
voyage from India, and yet arrived quite
risky.
A kitten, costly built into a cardboard
box, was swept up among a batch of
mails by the letter-catcher OF an express
train, and Al came TO no harm beyond
temporary Illness. The good-hearted
sender Of this package had enclosed n
baby's bottle fun Of milk, but somehow
the kitten neglected to suck the tube.
The story Of Gloucestershire swarm of
bees is different. A tin fun of essence Of
lemon arrived at a wayside postofiice.
Some Of the fluid escaped from the tin,
and presently attracted a swarm Of bees.
The local officials communicated with
headquarters, and every expedient was
used. but the bees could not be disodged
under a fortnight
Two stories only OF dead animals-or
fragments Of them-being sent through
the post. A sucking pig was posted in
at the Bath office, and was duly handed
over TO the person TO whom II was adj
dressed. The sender had evidently care
fully read up the regulations applicable 10
the different rates of postage for the
brown paper wrapped round the sucking
pig was carefully left open at both ends
If this parcel was trying to the nerves Of
an ordinary sorter, what could be said of
a portion Of poisoned dog which the late
owner was forwarding to "a veterinary
surgeon for analysis a human skull with
the crown sawn away, plum pudding
which had wandered three years in Aus
tralia without finding the addresscc. a
series Of Christmas presents packed in
side a recently killed hare--theae are all
10 be read OF at St. Martin s-le-Grand.
one day an Indian gentleman residing IN
London applied TO know whether the par
eel post would allow him 10 send the ere
mated ashes Of his brother home for bur-
ial in the sacred Ganges. lie was inform