The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-08

sauay pafasol, washboard a long-han.
Gled mop, the Lords Prayer in fifty-two
languages, fireworks galore, ana a loaded
revolver, half-cocked, which was address,
ed 10 a New York woman There is a
! caro-, to which is attached lock of hair
cut from the crazy head of Guiteau. the
assassin of President Garfield; several
marriage certificates; deeds of property:
musical instruments; a hack drivers
license; Indian-woven basket; tarantulas
some of them received alive; a delapidatel
Ola poot' enough cheap jewelry to stock a
| shop; door plates and coffin-plate; locks
or marin fact whole bangs and switches
| OF 1t; a Masonic apron; gloves and silk
stockings from France, dried mushrooms
from Italy; and heaven only knows what
not.
sharp lookout is kept for smuggling
through the mails. About 800 sealed pack
| ages are annually seized in the New York
once, ana in an average year 10000 I'M
| scared parcels are confiscated at the same
once and released on the payment of
| nnes that are equivalent to duties Some
| very ingenious methods are employed for
transmitting dutiable articles by post
NOT long ago a package from Germany
was round TO contain a small roll of but
ter. A wire passed through it met with
an obstruction, which proved to be a tin
! poX hed with valuable jewery. Every
|
handkerchiefs wrapped up in newspapers,
ana all manner of small articles are sent
IN the same way from Europe in order 20
avoid the payment of triling duties. The
clerks have become very skiliful in detect
ing contraband enclosures, and few, If
any, pass. One of the dead letter office
| employees told me that people often get
very impatient at what they consider the
| unnecessary delay of the department.
i Sald he: Not long ago We received a
parcel of infants clothing, addressed to
female missionary in Africa, and de
tanned for want of proper postage. The
usual notice was sent to the missionary.
| and in due time came an angry reply
from her. in which she stated the child
for whom the garments were intended has
not yet been eaten by cannibals, but it
had quite out-grown the clothing which
had better be returned to the sender
All parcels of merchandise are kept for
two years, if not sooner delivered; and
then the we'll known auction sale disposes
of most of them to the highest bidders.
The annual sales take place in some
Washington auction room, about the mid
die Of December; and very entertaining
indeed it is to bid off a few packages for
the surprises they may contain. A brief
description is attached to each bundleS
but it is so wrapped that nobody has an
opportunity of examining it beforehand.
The bundle that you buy is seldom an
original package" as received al the
dead-letter office, but is made up by the
statesmen from tons of miscellaneous ar
| ticles The average sum realized per pack
age IS about 70 cents, though sometimes
competition is lively over some coveted
dress-pattern or lot marked "jewelry,"
and then, as at all auctions, prices are
| likely to mount far ahead of the real
value of the articles. There are always
SPECTATORS in the crowd of bidders, who
buy packages that promise well, general
| ly of jewelry, and then sell them again,
piece by piece. AT the last sale 1 in
dulged myself in just one package; and
what do you think 1t contained? Here is
! the complete list: Five yards of muslin
embroidery, six inches wide pair of
| ladies black felt leggins; a conical night
cap. half yard long, knitted of coarse
white yarn; a rubber nail-brush, black
lace fichu; dirty white plume; a lot of
embroidery; cotton and wooden yarn, and
a set of crocheted edging for four
shelves of a linen-closet, on which a Ger
man verse was embroidered in red
paid 50 cents for the whole thing, and
considered it quite speculation.
The wife and daughter of Maj. Gen.
Otis United States commander in the
Philippines, are passing the spring months
in Wash ington, where they have many old
friends and are daily making new ones.
The Duke de Loubet, a distinguished
French scientist who owns one OF the fin
est and most valuable collections of In
dian pottery in the world, having for
many years made a fad of their collection
and study-is here for a few weeks, on
purpose TO study the fine collection in that
line belonging to the Smithsonian Institu-
ton He has accepted invitations TO a
few dinners, but like most scientists, fights
ia1 tai in
Washington society is just now engaged
in a periodical revival of its old-time hob
by-fencing A club, composed of both
sexes has already been organized, and
very swell one il is. The Russian am
bassador has been elected president, and
other well-known society people, male ana
female, fill the various Offices. Although
its name is the Washington Fencing Club,
the organization is to have other feat
ures, such as boxing, gymnasium work,
racket golf and squash" courts. AT va
rious times in the past, when the fencing
fad has ragged at the capital, several Wo-
mon have become fairly clever with the
foiIs: but il seems to be an art with winch
one gets 'out of practice" as easily as
school-girls piano music. AS rule, wheh
women go in for that sort of thing, they
speedily tire of the hard work needed
long before they have mastered the nrst
principles of fencing. The majority con-
tent themselves with dressing tor me part
and looking pretty, posing around in fetca-
ing costumes, while their masculine friends
do the work The idea of women boxing
is new to genteel society, and not likely TO
be seriously taken up.
Among the principal givers or large
dinner parties this week are the minister
from Belgium and Countess de LIGHTER
velde. Admiral and Mrs Higgins, Senator
and Mrs. Mcmillan, the Spanish minister
and Duchess de ARGOS, Mr.. Komura, the
JaDanese minister, and the Baron ana
baroness de Covers. The last named gem
tleman is the new minister from the Neth-
riands and he has taken a furnished
house in the fashionable West End OF
Washington.
GREETING!
To Mrs. Marian NJ. Williams.