The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-05-02
P0Sq0FFICE ROMANCES.
PEOPLE WHO BAIL FOR LETTERS
At THE GENERAL DELSVERY.

Carrying on Cinndestlne Correspon-
dence--The Legitimate Business-A
Watch for Criminals In q
While Marriage
"a great deal of the business trans
acted at the general delivery window
In the Brooklyn postoffice is perfectly
legitimate" said a man who has had
twenty years experience there. Then
there is other business which is not le-
Ultimate, but which we can't avoid, and
still other business which we have to
drive away.
Foreigners, among others, use the
general delivery for legitimate purpos-
es. The Poste restante is a great in
stitution in Continental Europe and
Europeans newly come over use it
here. Strangers from American cit
les also put it to legitimate use, and
these two classes are large, but they
don't comprise half of those who re-
ceive the $40 letters daily which the
general delivery now handles.
Many of the others are more or less
giddy men and women of all ages with
scattering Of criminals of both sexes.
There are sometimes curious sikhts
One day recently woman came to the
window and asked for letter under
an assumed name = we'll say Miss
Smith. I knew her very well as a
married woman. She opened the let
ter, read it, and, tearing it to little bits
dropped 1t in the basket at the head of
the hall.
She was just ready to leave when
she saw her husband come in. He
didn't see her, and walking up to the
general delivery window asked for a
letter under an assumed name. While
he was reading 1t his wife sprang upon
him.
I've caught you, she cried. From
whom is that letter?'
"The man was quite bewildered. He
thought his wife had been sleuthing on
his track and he weakened and prom
ised never again to come near the gen.
eral delivery window. To us who wit
messed all sides of the comedy it was
delicious. If the man had been two
minutes earlier he would have caught
the woman.
"some schoolgirls come here and try
to do business, but we shut down on
them. Who's the letter for?' we ask
and In case the girl says For me- we
say Your mother must come for it,
In some cases they give their proper
address and we drop line to the mo-
Their and ask her if she wants her
daughter corresponding through the
general delivery. In most cases that
ends the trouble. Sometimes though
the girls say that they're married wo-
men, One girl who didn't look to be
more than 70 told me that last week.
I couldn't disprove her statement and
she got her letter Often these young
girls say that the letters are for their
elder sisters. You must get a written
order from her. we say
''These schoolgirls begin this sort of
clandestine correspondence in the most
innocent manner. Their heads are full
Of all sorts of romantic notions. Many
hare caught with their letters by indig
nant nlammas and I'm sure I hope they
are spanked. Others get over the fe-
yer like any other ailment
"a few keep on and take a second
correspondent and then a third and
fourth We have women who drive
twelve in hand and never come to
grief. 1t Is bewilderng to think how
they can do it and not get their CORE
spondents mixed. Others, though, who
are less steady Of nerve or who take
more chances do come to grief. Only
few days ago fine motherly looking
woman came here crying and
Doesn't Miss j. get letters here?
why do you ask?' we inquired.
"sOh' she said I'm her mother and
she has disappeared from home.
hear that she has been getting letters
here and want you to stop her when
she comes again and tell her to come
home
zone amusing feature about the very
young girls is the high sounding names
they adopt--Milllcent Falconbridge,
Gwendolyn Montague, Eunice Plantag
enet, and that sort They get them out
of their books. Some of them try to
carry two or three different names at
once, but we draw the line there and
make them stick to one.
Many girls who live in boarding |
houses use the general delivery in pref |
erence to having their letters sent to
their boarding houses, where they are
handled more or less carelessly and |
perhaps examined.
GAS to the married women I think |
idleness Is the chief reason for their
carrying on these clandestine corre-
spondences. They have too much
time on their hands and are seeking
excitement and hange. You'd be sur
prised at the kind of women some of |
them are. They have so much to lose
by misstep and yet they run so many |
risks. doubt If they would come so
to the window and read
letters so openly If they knew that al
most invariably there's a detective in
the passage watching that window to
see who asks for mail
"That of course is the case because
criminals use the general delivery to
such an extent. If a professional GRIM
inal commute crime in one city he
moves to another unless caught and
has his letters sent to him at the gen.
eral delivery. So detectives watch the
delivery as one of the stations
on the criminals runway, and often
those who come to inquire for letters
are quietly arrested.
( II made an arrest myself not so very
ong ago. There was a very wild boy
1f Is, who when ut home lived in nal