The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-04
BOUNDED A MAN BY MAIL.
Play on n Disliked Name That Led to o
Post ONCE Complaint,

fObt uniCc SOHlpihmt.
1T Is amazing the number Of spiteful
people who use the United States mails to
annoy others, and even more amazing the
devices they invent to make their victims
miserable" said a post Office inspector to
a party Of friends at dinner the other even
ing.
THE most persistent 1 ever heard Of
came to the notice Of the department here
in New York a few years ago. At that
time Curry Haverly Bartlett had an Office
in a big building down to wn. He was a
promoter of some sort and had come from
Chicago a year before. 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 a party when
the subject Of unfortunate names came up.
In a burst of confidence, s~uperinduced by
more than enough wine, Bartlett spoke Of his
own name and how detestable 1t had been
to him from boyhood.
sThe next morning his mail included a
letter addressed to Curry Haverly Bartlett.
Opening it, Bartlett found a slip of paper
on which was written, oh, what a namel'
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 envelope
addressed Curry H. Bartlett Inside was
a slip of paper identical with the one re-
ceived the day before and bearing the same
legend: oh, what a namei' The next
mornings letter was addressed to C.
Haverly Bartlett, and inside was the same
sentence.
We'll, Bartlett got a letter every morn
ing, and in every letter the same: oh, what
a name!' The writer made a new play On
the name each day for weeks. The letters
came addressed to Court House Bartlett
Coal Hold Bartlett, Cart Horse Bartlett
City Hall Bartlett, &c.
when the writer ran out OF new names
he repeated the old ones Bartlett finally
reported to the Post Office Department,
and two inspectors were put on the case
We traced the letters to a big office build
ing, not far from the one in which Bartlett
had his Office. The building has a mai,
chute, 80 that we were puzzled to discover
from what floor they we're mailed.
Finally we hit upon a scheme to discover
the writer OF the letters. | went to the
manager OF the building, explained the
situation, and got permission to put the
mailing tube out of commission, so that
all tenants had to carry their mail out &c
street boxes. In two days we had the
Bartlett letters located in a certain box ir
Broadway, and within a week caught
man in the act of mailing one of them.
Il had wondered what we could do about
it even after we had caught him, but | wat
willing to take a chance Of at least threat.
ening him with arrest. Luckily that was
not necessary.
THE writer proved to be a one time
friend of Bartlett. He said he had become
offended at Bartlett's behavior on the night
that Bartlett had confessed ha tired for
Curry Haverly' as a name, and that in a
spirit Of spite he had mailed the first letter,
After mailing it the affair seemed like a good
| joke, and he decided to keep it upfo a few
days. Then somehow he didn't seem able
TO stop.
He declared he was glad he had been
caught. | arranged to go with him and
talk it over with Bartlett. He confessed
to his victim, made such amends as were
possible, and the incident wa declared
closed"