The San Francisco call., 1906-03-25
Uses Mails
to Hound a
New Yorker
((IT is amazing the number of
spiteful people who use the Unit

SS Is amazing the numDer OA
spiteful people who use the Unit
ed States mail TO annoy others.
and even more amazing the devices they
invent to mako their victims miser-
able" said postofice inspector to
party OF friends at dinner the other
evening.
THE most persistent I ever heard Of
came to the notice of the department
here in New York few years ago.
At that time Curry Haverly Bartlett
had an office in a big building down
town. He was a promoter Of some sort.
and had come from Chicago a year be-
fore. He didn't like his name. so he
used only the initials. c. H.
"One night, according to the story he
told me later. he was one of party
when the subject of unfortunate names
came up. In a burst of confidence. SUI
perinduced by more than enough wine,
Bartlett spoke OF his own name and
how detestable it had been to him from
boyhood.
The next morning the mail included
a letter addressed to Curry Haverly
Bartlett Opening 1t, Bartlett found
slip of paper. on which was written.
oh. what name!
He recalled his declaration Of the
night before and dismissed the matter
as the joke of one OF the party.
Next morning his mail contained an
other letter in the same sort OF en-
velope addressed Curry H. Bartlett In
side was slip of paper Identical with
the one received the day before and
bearing the same legend. oh. what
name" The next mornings letter was
addressed to C. Haverly Bartlett. and
inside was the same sentence.
We'll. Bartlett got a letter every
morning, and in every letter the same
oh, what namer The writer made
new play on the name each day for
weeks. The letters came addressed to
Court House Bartlett. Coal Hod Bart
lett, Cart Horse Bartlett, City Hall
Bartlett, etc.
When the writer ran out of new
names he repeated the old ones. Bart
lett finally reported to the Postoffice
Department, and two inspectors were
put on the case. We traced the let
ters to big Office building not far from
the one in which Bartlett had his Of
so that we were puzzled to discover
from what floor they were mailed
Finally we hit upon a scheme to dis
cover the writer of the letters. Invent
10 the manager of the building, ex-
planned the situation and got pernnis-
sion to put the mailing tube out of
commission. that all tenants had TO
carry their mail out to street boxes
In two days we had the Bartlett let
ters located in certain box on Broad
way, ard within week caught a man
in the act of mailing one of them.
Il had wondered what we could do
about 1T even after we had caught him,
but I was willing to take a chance OF
at least threatening him with arrest.
Luckily that was not necessary.
The writer proved to be a one-tfme
friend of Bartlett. He said he had be-
come offended mt Bartlett's behavior
on the night that Bartlett had con-
fessed hatred for Curry Haverly' as a
name, and that in spirit of spite. he
had mailed the first letter. After mail
ing it the affair seemed like a good
joke, and he decided to keep it up for
a few days. Then somehow he didn't
seem able to stop.
He declared he was glad he had been
caught. I arranged to go with him and
talk it over with Bartlett. He con-
fessed to his victim, made such amends
as were possible and the incident was
declared closed New York Sun.