The times., 1899-03-12
STUPID and ILLEGAL
LETTER ADDRESSES
Directions That Lead to the
POstOiiice MOrgue.
What Is Unlawful TO Write on
Mailed Envelopes.
The Had Debt Collection Agency and
the Humorist as Nioint"r>
of Statutes.

Letter writer's should observe caution in
the manner OF addressing their communica-
tions. 1t is not difficult to find some pos
tai regulation which may bring the writ
er TO grief.
1t has become n more or less widespread
practice among epistolary authors TO dis
play their funny tendencies on the front
side of the envelope. The postal officials
wink at this indiscreet and obtrusive hu-
NOR. and continue TO wink until receiv-
er of one Of these letters makes complaint.
Then a Postoffice inspector turns 20 sec
ton 3S2 of the Postal Laws and Regula-
tions and reads as follows:
S.tIrrilous MItter-That all matter otherwise
Inailable by law, upon the envelope or outside
cover or wrapper OF which. or ans postal card
luan which amy delineatiUns. cpithcts. terms, or
language Of an indecent. lewd, iaSciyious, oh
ssrnr, lihcioUS, scuriious dcfamaioFY, or of
threatening character or calculated 10y tAe terms
u- manner Of style OF display and obviously III
tended 10 reflect injuriou-lE upon the character
or the conduct Of another, may he written. or
printed. or otherwise irpre--ed or lnIHr AiidE-
cut are hereby declared non nml3!ahc matter,
and shall rot hc conveyed IN the mails nor de
liyrred from any po>iotice nor 10y ans letter
t-l-tier. and shall he withdrawn fIorn Tia" mans
under such regulations IS the Postmaster Gen
cGal may prescribe And any pcrsHr WHO sliil
knowingly deposit or cause 10 be deposited i.T
mailing or delivery anything declared by i4i-
section to be umuailIhle Tor the purpose pi CIR
r.latinE. or diSp0sing oi. or Of aiding IN Inc
circulation disposition of the sa'i'e 7'ial inr
each and every offence. upon convlciiot thereof
H.. fined not mcrr than $500 or imprisoned at
Lard labor not mere than five yeIIs, o. b0.i!, Il
IHr discretion ot tie court.
This is pretty comprehensive, and If a
man violates the spirit Of the regulation
/; IS 4 pretty hard matter for him TO es-
cape because Ct n techaieality.
The reason for this sweeping law was
TO head of collection agencies and black
mail concerns which operated under the
guise of collection agencies. There are
on file at the Postoffice Department many
specimens of the ingenuity of the men
engaged in this business. There are dis
play envelopes of various kinds. TheTs
are black envelopes, bearing the words dis.
played in huge white letters: Bad Bill
Collection Agency" Some of the envelopes
are green. red. blue, and yellow. bearing
in conspicuous type such legends as Pay
up Settle" Last Demand, etc.
Devices of Collection Agents.
One style of envelope which was taken
from the mails bears q skull and cross
bones and a red beet, signifyins. of course,
dead beat" Another bears the picture
OF a decaying beet with dropping tops.
All these devices are prescribed, nut the
postal authorities now permit collection
agency to print its title and office number
in small type in the left hand upper
corner of the envelope. This concession is
made that the letter may be returned 10
the sender in the event that il is not de-
liyered.
IL has been suspected by the Postoffice
Department that many of the alleged col
lection agencies we're simple blackmailing
schemes. and it is believed that many men
have paid bills the! did not owe rather
.han 10 submit TO the annoyance OF these
collection communications.
Some Of these concerns have gone TO the
extreme of printing forms in imitation of
legal processes. such as subponas and 9TH
er writs. A false bill would be sent TO a
man in a distant part Of the country. The
Office Of the agency" might be in New
York and the man to whom the bill was
sent might reside in Arkansas. The man
in the Southwest would reply that he did
not owe the bill. Then the agency,
through its attorney" would send him a
copy of the papers in the suit instituted
against him. He would probably receive
in the same mail a notice of suit and q
summons to appear in such court on
such a day. etc. The prospect Of becom-
ing entangled in New York law with New
York lawyers would alarm the alleged
debtor and rather than consult lawyer al
the county seat, he would pay the bill to
avoid trouble.
The Postofice Department has caused
the arrest and prosecution of a number oi
persons engaged in this business" and
has laid a heavy hand upon them.
The Postofice Department is the judge
IS TO what is and what is not mailable
natter. II can throw out of the mails
any matter at its pleasure. The man
whose mail is thus rejected can apply 10
the courts for a writ of nandamus to com
pei the Postmaster General to cause the
Transmission Of his mail. but the vast ma
jurity of the decisions have sustained the
department.
The main reason put forth for refusing
10 permit collectors 20 use the mails o},-
trusiyely. is that if a man has a lust debt
the presumption is that the law provides
a remedy and that the debt may be col.
leCted through legal procedure
Many persons find it difficult to properl;
address letter. Faulty addresses caus,
almost endless trouble to the handlers o.
letters in the pOsyofIice establishment. L
takes as much time to dispose Of 4 hundred
iuaccurately directed letters as to deliver
a thousand properly addressed ones.
Contributors 30 Dead Letter OGicc
The carelessness. Ignorance, and blum
ders OF men and women keep the Dead Let
ter Office running on full time year in ant
out. Every carrier takes missiyes from
the drop-boxes that bear no address at all
They have been sealed and stamped will
care. but the front of the envelope is blank
On some envelopes may be written the
name Of a small town without the State
and sometimes the State without the name
OF the town. Sometimes there is a street
number without town or State and il fre.
quently occurs that only the name of ths
person for whom the letter is intended I.
written on the cover. Mailmen are nov
and then called on 10 handle properly ad
dressed envelopes which have been mailed
unsealed and which contain no letter.
II often occurs that letters pass through
the mails directed to The President" Of
Ills Honorableness the President"
Here IS a specimen which Travelled al
over the country and found resting plac,
in the Dead Letter Office. "Wilfred Smith
Boston; If not there try New York, or Phil
adelphia. or jacksonville"
Another letter lies in the Dead Letter
Office addressed ITO My Aunt Hannaf
Wetherall who lived in Massachusetts. bu
moved West"
Work of the Puzs:I- Eicnd.
Envelopes sometimes contain puzzles
This is one which was turned over to tho
postal morgue:
+. II. CSccond President).
Seventh President.
IO-S-C.
This perpleXed the mail men for a while
but the chief puzzle worker translated it in
this way: #. II. Adams. Jackson, Tenn
The letter was delivered in due time.