Los Angeles herald., 1905-10-15


advertised characters before the Amer
lean public today. The reputed pos
SCISSOR of a gold mine of fabulous rich
ness in mysterious Death valley, his
many eccentric sayings and doings as
well as his shrewdness and his
picturesque appearance have attracted
attention to him wherever he has gone.
His record breaking run over the
Santa Fe to Chicago procured him
columns of space in newspapers all
over the United States and Europe,
and he has been the subject of the
speculations of thousands of people all
over the world.
Like all men who are in the lime
light of publicity, Scott is deluged by
letters from all parts of the world. de
is followed wherever he goes by per-
feet blizzard of letters, post cards ana
newspapers. Three clerks might easily
spend all their time in opening, reading
and answering the communications
that are sent to him on all kinds of
subjects.
The majority of these letters are
never answered because of the physical
inpossibility of answering them.
People write to him for information re-
garding all sorts of subjects. from lost
relatives to the best way to make a
flying machine. Some ask him to stake
out claims for them in Death valley
others beg him to loan them money on
which to marry, to have an operation
performed, to buy a house and lot, to
get an education, to have a good time
with, or for a thousand other things
Every phase of human misery, cupidity
and ambition as well as every phase of
affection, self sacrifice and unselfish
aspiration is exemplified by the letters
that he receives.
OF Every Kind
Some are typewriter and from the
heads of large corporations. others are
badly scrawled in lead pencil and not
infrequently blurred by tears. Some
consist of voluminous narratives of
family history and private affection
covering endless pages, while others
are short and curt. Some are harrow
ing in their wretchedness, others are
amusing in their simplicity. And
very, very few of the many writer's
ever have the thoughtfulness to enclose
a stamp to pay for a reply.
The addresses on the enevelopes are
as varied as their contents. Some are
addressed in the conventional way,
others are addressed to 'Scotty, Death
Valley" or "The Death Valley Million
aire," or "Scotty, the California
Croesus." Some come to him from the
dead letter office after months of delay.
Letters addressed in German from
First avenue, New York, or Hamburg,
Germany, are received in the same
mail with letters written by West
Virginia mountaineers or travellers in
Siberia. Some envelopes are scrawled
over with requests to postmasters to
forward them for various reasons
stated. Every variety of stationery is
used and every possible style of
writing employed.
Missive From Congressman
A New York letter written in Ger
man asks for help to bring a relative
from Germany to this country. The
next letter is from a congressman at
Washington enclosing an extract from
a speech he has made on the deadll-
ness of the beer habit. A young girl
in Southern California is soliciting
subscriptions to a country newspaper
that she may go to Honolulu. She
asks a subscription. A man in Oak
land wants to be "Scotty's" valet or
LriVate waiter. A Los Angeles boy
asks an interview that he may ex-
plain his need of an education. An
eastern mind reader wishes to give
test of her powers, and woman
whose husband is in the insane
asylum in Iowa says she has never had
a chance TO study as she wishes and
asks an opportunity, that she may
take her mind off her troubles.
Another correspondent in Dakota
wishes to borrow $4,000 without interest
because he has had hard luck. A men,
ber of Sunshine society in Minnesota
asks money to build a. home for in
valids. A free lance newspaper
woman wishes to have an interview
because she admires "SCotty" for his
self-reliant manliness. A man in
Alabama says that if he cannot have
the $4,000 he asked for. he will try to
get along with a. thousand or two, but
he is getting tired of waiting for an
answer.
To Pay Mortgage
A poor woman In New Jersey asks
for $50 to pay a mortgage on her fur
niture. A country store keeper in
Minnesota. is going to the wall because
he has trusted neighbors and asks for
help at once. A station master in Ari-
Zona sends tract on eternity, and an
old woman in Kansas sends newspaper
clippings and desires to open a cores
pondenCe.
A boy in the northwest makes a
pathetic appeal for money to save his
mothers life. A woman at Dawson,
Alaska, says she and her husband want
transportation to get out of the coun-
try.
An inventor in wisconsin has per-
fected a process for deodorizing toilets
and will give half the profits to have
the invention patented.
A California man says that he does
not know whether 'Scotty" is inter
ested in flying machines or not. He
then proceeds to give a history of the
way in which he came to build flying
machines, recounts his many blunders,
criticises the efforts of other inventors
and winds up with a request for money
to build his new machine.
This is only a small part of the cor
respondence received in a few days. 1t
covers pages and pages of manuscript
and in a majority of cases the letter
writer's begin with such long prelimin-
airy explanations and excuses that it
is difficult to get at the meat Of the
letter.
Call Him Dear Brother
Some letters are very devout in tone
and begin Dear Brother in the
Lord" Others begin with Dear
Scotty," or "Mr. Millionaire Scott"
One correspondent begins with Dear
Old Boy" and another says "Kind Sir"
One letter ends with the superscription
yours in Christ" Another closes with
eta, Ia, old boy" Women usually