The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-09
GREAT POST OFFICE WAR.
A FIGHT IN WINsTED, CONN, THAI
ANTEDATES THE REBELLION.

One Post once Run bJ the Government ana
Another by tho Citiseus-h Quarrel That
Hns necn Handed Down from Father 10 son
IL Now In n Fair Way OF set''o"eh''
WASHINGTON, Dec. s.--By an agreement be-
tween Representatives Hill and Sperry OF Con-
~necticut and the Post Office Department, the
case Of tho winstcd and West Winsted Post
Offices was to-day left TO a committee consisting
of Superintendent Machem Of the FREQ delivery
system and Mi. Beavers, chief of tho division Of
salaries and allowances. These two will go to
Winsted and West Winsted after the holidays
and cndeavor to straightcn out the tanEle that
exists there, and, by the agreement, their report
will be accepted rs final. This will close q most
interesting and vexatious case that has Goth
cred the department for years..
The trouble began before the civil war, and
the residents Of the two towns have been fight
ing over the matter for forty years. About the
time the war broke out the case became so hot
that tho Postmaster at winstod enlisted for tho
war. preferring to meet the enemy on the
battlefield than to fight his neiRhbors ut home.
President Lincoln sent for Mr.. N. ID. Sperry, now
n Congressman, who was then Postmaster at
New Haven, and told him that this case was
giving him moro trouble than the civil war and
promised to last o great deal longer He re-
quested Mr.. Sperry to make q personal survey
of the ground and see II he could straighten the
matter out. Mr.. Sperry know Of the hard
feeling which existed in tho town, which
was arrayed into two parties, and made
his plans accordingly. Ho laid in a supply of
went to Wlnstcd. lest il ho should be seen ac-
c%epting, even a cigar from any one there no
favor one side or the other.
When he reached the depot he took n cab and
ihmSitllufhr e came one af tn' So 70 tb he. hf he s Sns ID s 1iS hr no
one. During the time he stayed In Winsted ne
never entered n house or store without in.
ieneed' TO-. so that he should make no breaks.
He made his. investigation and his report, but
The beginning Of the contest is so far back
that no one knows Just what brought it about;
Wiinstte dee WAS I not a spe TtsibMIaS TO c ePp4ins of tho he
citizens. At any rate, another Post Office was
started, a Postmastcr put in charge: and he has
since been paid by the citizens, while the regu-
Residents of Winsted, realized how foolish it
made. Something has always stood in tho
again without results. Delegation after dele.
cation came to Washington. to see what
could be done, but the case remained the same,
neither the department nor the people would
give in. The fight was handed down from
father to son. and although few to-day know
fathers had favored it and they must Keep up
tho contest. The lines arc sharply drawn, and
faction was disinhcrited because she married
the son OF a member of the other faction.
But within tho past few years a change came
over the situation. Both parties wanted free
for it. A petition bearing The names of LOO
residents was presented to the department.
and it is still there. Tho department
was shrewd enough to realize that at
last there appeared to DO n way OF ending
the quarrel and declined to notice the petition.
United there was every reason to believe that
the town could have free delivery, but with two
Post Offices. neither ono was strong enough to
obtain free delivery.
The case languished for six months until to-
tday. when Mr.. Spcrry and Mr.. Hill, accom-
panied by Mr.. Hunt, who represented the citi.
zens of ,Winsted. called at the depart
ment and made overtures of peace. First
Assistant Postmaster-General Heath suggested
that the best way to settle the difficulty
would be to call in some outside parties who had
no local interests whatever and let them decide
it.. This was agreed to, and Mr.. Heath APP
pointed Mr.. Machem and Mr.. Beavers as ref.
erees. 1t was decided that they should
spend two weeks in Winsted and that
follow Mr.. Sperry's example of thirty-ive years
ago and carry with them their own liquors and
cigars. and they informed Mr.. He'll that they
would not accept even a match from any one on
their trip. so that it would be certain that they
were unintiucnced in their decision.