The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1900-11-15
ASY-GOING POSTMASTER.
He Let Mail Accumulate In His
ONCE for Twelve Years.
From the Day of His appointment He Let
the Oace Run Itself and Pigeon
Holed tho Commissions of His
Intended Successors.

There is quaint and curious old
town on the Colorado river In Arizona,
situated about one hundred and forty
miles above the town of Yuma, that is
known to the few who are aware of It's
existence by the name of Ehrenburg.
1t now consists only Of few long
streets of crumbling and uninhabited
adobe houses and population of about
twenty MeXicans and Indians with
perhaps half O dozen whites. But, ac-
cording to the st. Louis Globe Demo-
crat, 1t was not always thus In for
mer days, before the advent of the two
transcontinental railways that now
cross the territory, Ehrenburg was a
place of some Importance and boosted
population, transient and permanent,
of near one thousand souls. In those
days, besides being the center Of a
fourishing placer mining district, 1t
was the entry port for all the freight
and passenger traffic between Cali
fornia and northern Arizona, a line Of
river steamboats, from Yuma making q
weekly landing and the overland stage
between San Bernardino, CAL, and
Prescott, Arizona, crossing the river by
ferryboat at this point In 1878, when
the Southern Pacific railway reached
the territory, the glory of Ehrenburg
commenced to decline, and later, when
the Atlantic and Pacific railway built
Its bridge at the Needles, sixty miles
above, tho old town was soon deserted
by all save few miners who held
claims in the vicinity, and since then,
both the town and It's inhabitants have
been enjoying a Rip Van Wrinkle re-
pose. If we are permitted to Judge
from the results of an official investiga-
ton lately conducted at the Ehren-
burg post Office, this statement must be
especially true as regards the post
master Of this forgotten town.
1t seems that one Jesus Daniels, q
Mexican, received the appointment Of
postmaster to the town some twelve
years ago, and has ever since held the
position without the interference Of
postal authorities and without com.
municating with them in any manner
whatever The population Of the dis
trict tributary to the post Office has in.
creased during the last eighteen
months, owing to an awakening inter
est In some of the old mines In the vi
cinity, and the failure OF letters &c
reach their destination through thai
office led to complaints, until the mat
ter eliminated In Inspector George B
Waterbury being sent from Washing
ton to investigate. He arrived there
some weeks ago, and his examination
brought to light curious state of of
fairs In the Office were found one
hundred and flfty-elght letters, som,
Of them postmarked twelve years ago
Among them were seven registered
letters, hfty-seven with requests for 10
tnrn OF them; seven were addressed h
Ellisburg, Wash, and had never bocI
forwarded, and fifty-one were ad
dressed topcrsons living In Ehrenburg
These latter the inspector himself de
livered to the parties to whom the,
were addressed. Laid to one side wer
sixty official letters addressed to tn
postmaster, not one of which had beer
opened, and two full sacks of ncwspa
per mail lay in corner, neither o
which had been opened. 1t was ais
brought to light that since takin,
charge of the office Daniels has neve
made o report or purchased q stam]
! from Washington. Further search re
vealed the fact that three years ag
Thomas J. Goodwin, an old citizen O
Ehrenburg, had been appointed post
master Of the town, and his commi.
, sion had been duly forwarded to hin
, The document was found unopened
Q and of course had not been delivered.