The times., 1900-04-01
mail LAID ON THE SHELF
Various Contents of Packages in
the Dead Letter Office.
>ome sent Through the PoSf in Or
der to ENadr the Laws aud Others
Because of Neglect Ignorance
Lace> and other Fine Material
SmuGEIed From Foreign Countries.


The museum in connection with the
Dead Letter Office in this city. with its
extraordinary assortment OF objects. each
Of which is surrounded with a mysterious
history. is one Of the most unique collee
tions Of its kind in the world. lt consists
Of variety of articles which are forbid
den by Law 10 pass through the mails and
whose owners could not be found and so
here they are, each one enshruuded in a
veil OF mystery which will. in all proba
bility. never be lifted. Il seems rather
strange that some Of the senders Of thess
queer things should never happen upon
the museum and establish a lawful claim
tc the particular treasure which they un-
Willingly donated TO the museum but SO
far. no such claim has been made and
these queer waits Of the Government mail
will in all probability continue to crafty
the gaze of curiosity seekers and suggest
TO imaginative spectators strange and fan
tastic histories One of the most startling
objects received by the Department OF the
Postuffce was i perforated tin can con-
raining three rattlesuakes alive ard in
fghtiug condition Upon their receipt
the Superintendent sent to the Smith
souian institution for some one accustomed
to handling such reptiles TO come and
chloroform them. The operation was per-
formed successfully, as was thought, and
the dead snakes left in the open can under
the Superintendent desk Two days
later a lady happened to be standing near
talking to the Superintendent. when she
heard a peculiar sound which she uncon-
sciously associated with danger. SLe
turned her eyes to the spot from where
the sound proceeded and started in terror
as she saw a rattlesnake coiled ready 20
spring. A carrier who chanCed to be just
entering the room took in the situation at
a glance. and with considerable presence
Of mind threw his full mail pouch upOl
the snake. and trampled upon il until
some one appeared with poker and lied
the reptile. This one and its two COM
pauions were put into alcohol, and are
now to ue seen on a shelf in the museum.
Dnnger in Opening Packages.
The clerks who open the packages re-
ceived by the office do so with the utmost
care. as frequently bombs and other eX-
| plosives are sent through the mails
/ Among the grewsome objects to be noted
| upon the shelves OF the museum is skull,
/ fingers, and toes, and a human ear.
| Whether these are mementos Cf crime
| a CHASTITY hoax. OF gifts sent to an impe-
cuuicus medical student will doubtless re-
main forever a mystery.
/ Among the miscellaneous articles sent
through the mails and never called for.
/ thereby getting a niche in the museum
are shirts teeth skulls. startishes lamps,
( medicine dried figs. and various other
! things which might suggest the contents
I Of the witches CauldrOu in the tragedy Of
( Macbeth 4 considerable amount Of ianci-
full if somewhat eccentric taste is dis
played in many Of the articles on the
museum shelves. There is an ornamental
1 alligator with q gaudy parasOl. a little
/ clay doll. a cruet and a remarkable con-
1 Ception Of an animal the like OF which
/ is totally unknown to biologists. There
/ are also several kinds Of explosives rep
/ resented from the usually harmless but
I sometimes dangerous Fourth Of July ire
I cracker TO the dynamite bomb Of the
Z anarchist and wholesale murderer 4
loaded revolver. half cooked. is also dis
played It was addressed to a woman in
New York Among the other and more
{ harmless objects is a washhOard, a new
! long handled mop. punches of Easter can
dies. "a c0coanut. and a card. upon which
Z is inscribed the Lords Prayer i'm hfty-tWO
languages.
a tragic memento is a mail pOunch, Gov
/ cred with blood and for which carrier
. in the Far West had given his life TO de-
[ feud from Indians. \ card contains lock
Of hair cut from the head of Guiteau. the
/ assassin Of President Garfield. There is
also i'm the museum a copy Of marriage
certificate. which declares that samuel
. Whitehead and Jane Miller were married
i'm the Parish Church. Manchester Eng
land. June T. 1904 There are deeds Of
/ property. musical instruments, corn pep
/ pies. cups and saueers. horns OF animals.
a hack drivers license. a taraHtula ire
ceived alive. bottle claiming to contain
sure cure for consumption. Chinese
curios. canvas needles. and a potato bug
/ eytermiuator.
Among the eccentric, artistic effects, too.
( is "a figure Of a negro parson delivering a
sermon from a pulpit all Of which is made
Of feathers Beneath this art is a little
work basket woven by Indians. and this is
I supported by d figure Of a bear. whose size.
d0.ilitv. and general expression Of almost
idiotic good humor robs him Of all terror.
Near this bear which is formed of clay.
is a sea urchin, which is attached to a
piece Of string while adjacent TO these
attractions is an Old and dilapidated boot
and q beautiful glass flower holder.
The Dead Letter Office receives a multi
. tude Of articles. of which those in the
museum are representative specimens.
every day in the year The labor involved
in handling such mass Is something euOT-
nous. Many OF these articles" said an
/ emuloye Of the office. ARE marked
/ through ignorance of the postal reguia-
! lions. others are sent through malice 10
. avoid express charges or customs duty