Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-04-24
UNLAWFUL USE OFF MAILS.
The Government After Foreign Lot
terry Scheme.

Il. . d b. : =
Accompanying the April number of
the Postal Guide are orders from the
postoffice department relating to
things of interest to the general pub
lie, among the things touched upon be-
ing lotteries, the Transmission of
skunk hides thru the mails and that
which it seems snperfuous to call at
tention 1o--she proper place to put a
stamp on an envelope or package.
A lottery scheme has fascination
for a great many people who are al
ways keeping a sharp lockout for any
thing that promises something for
comparatively nothing. The postoffice
department usually nips things OF this
kind in the bud and is always watch
full that the mails are not used to fur
Their scheme of this kind even when
the headquarters are in 4 foreign coun-
| try. Among the orders received from
| the department at the Ottumwa post
| office, is one relating to a lottery in
| Buda Pesth, Hungary. Postmaster
| General Smith says that one Karl Fee
kete OF that place, is engaged in the
business of conducting lottery for the
| distribution of prizes by lot or chance
thru the mails in violation of law. He
especially forbids postn.asters to GER
| tify any postal money order drawn to
the order of said Fekete ard he urges
them to inform the remitter of any
such money order that payment there
of has been forbidden, and that the
amouns thereof will be returned upon
the presentation of duplicate money
order applied for and obtained under
| the regulations of the department
lPostmasters are also instructed to re
| turn all letters and adyices, whether
| registered or not, and other mail mat
ter which shall arrive at the postoffict
4 directed TO Fekete to the postmaste.
at the office at which they We're orig
inally mailed, to be delivered to tn,
i senders thereof, With the word fraud
ulent'' plainly written or stamped up
on the outside of such letters or mat
ter, provided, however. that there i
nothing to indicate who are the send
ers of letters not registered or othe
matter to the dead letter office witt
the word fraudulent plainly writtel
or stamped thereon, to be disposed O
as other dead matter under the law
!; and regulations applicable thereto.
\ Complaint has been entered agains
, some parties who have been sendin,
skunk pelts thru the mails, which CAV
out and transmitted to the mail whicl
, was in the sack with them a very OF
!, fensive odor, making it impossible 70
!. the clerks in the office of destinatio
, to distribute it until it had been eS
: posed to the air for some time. Super
! intenden1 White says any article en-
haling bad odor is prohibited fror
being transmitted thru the mails.
1t seems superfuous that the de
: partment has to call attention to tn
! fact that the only place TO af1ix
j stamp is at the upper. right hand col
ner of the addressed side of the enve
, lope, but it is done. Third Assistan
Madden says this ENSURES cancellario
) and distribution. Stamps placed els,
, where are liable to be overlooked an
the matter mistreated as unpaid, Q
otherwise, and perhaps delayed in di'
i patch; therefore. unless impracticabl
: stamps should be affixed on the fac
of all mail matter. Postmasters al
5 asked to advise patrons that the d.
partment does not hold postal otficia
: responsible for delay in dispatch Q
! wrong treatment resulting from th
| improper placing of postage stamps.