The Washington herald., 1907-12-15

small circles measured 20 hold coins. and
each is ftted into its place. These at
tempted frauds are almost invariably de-
tected.
II seems almost incredible that tens
Of thousands Of dollars in actual cash
should be cOnfded 10 letters every year.
and harder still 10 credit that the most
exhaustive efforts fail TO find the owner
Of one-fourth OF the amount thus found.
The envelopes containing this money
and which are addressed are Kept on fle
Tor four years. blank ones for n shorter
period. In either case a liberal margin
of time is allowed for claimants 10 appear
before the money IS finally turned into
the Treasury 70 the credit Of the Post
Office Department.
Money Found Loose.
In addition 10 the money contained In
letters during the year. something like
$4,000 is turned into the Dead letter Of
fee annually. having been found, loose in
the mails. This is officially STYLED loose
money" Loose money is often found
on the tables in post-offices where the
mail pouches are dumped. II is known
10 have dropped from some OF the letters,
but no one can say just which they are
Coin wears through the paper under the
rough handling the pouches receive. and
again the canoeing stamp. striking
hard substance, occasionally tears the
paper The losers of registered letters
are indemniied 70 the value Of SO
Fictitious letters are such as are ad-
dressed 10 fraudulent concerns. which the
department Is exposing every day
Though not so numerous as formerly,
''round-the-world letters" continue 10
crop up at intervals. They always have
a request 10 return 10 the writer, after
they have made the tour OF the world.
list of the principal cities through which
they are desired 10 pass being also given.
coupled with a modest request 10 each
postmaster TO carefully stamp the date Of
arrival at his Office.
\ sharp lookout is kept for smuggling
/ through the mails. About S5e sealed pack
ages are seized annually in the New
York pOst-Office- In an average year,
1900 unsealed parcels are cOnfiscated at
the same Office and released on the pay
ment Of fines which are equivalent 10 the
duties. The cOntraban6 contents Of pack
ages whose address IS insufficient for de-
livery are sent to the Dead Letter Office
where every effort Is made 10 return
them to the sender. or 10 forward them
70 the addressee. who is requested 10 re-
nit the proper amount of stamps 10 pay
for the transportation.
Many Articles Now Sent.
Parcels Of merchandise are kept for
two years, II not sooner returned TO its
sender or addressee, and then the we'll
known auction sale disposes OF them.
Unaddressed parcels and such as are found
| loose in the mails and are received at
the Dead Letter once more than six
months prior 10 the annual sales are also
( included in the lot disposed OF by auction.
IL is not so many years since the province
( or the mail was limited almost entirely
Z 10 letters. newspapers, and magazines
but now II has become a veritable beast
/ OF burden, and parcels miscarry for the
I same reasons that letters do
! The museum in connection with the
! Dead Letter Office in Washington. with
/ its extraordinary assortment OF objects,
each Of which is surrounded with a mys-
| teriOus history, Is one Of the most unique
/ collections Of its kind in the world. Il
/ consists of a variety OF articles which are
| forbidden by law % pass through the
mails and whose owners coulG not be
I found. and so here they are. each en-
4 shrOuded IN a veil OF mystery. which viii
l in all probability never be lifted.
/ The clerks who open the packages do
/ so with the utmost care. as frequently
I bombs. fireworks. and other explosives
/ are sent through the mails. Among the
I grewsome objects 10 be noted upon the
4 shelves OF the museum is a skull fingers.
/ and toes. and a human ear There are
I shorts. teeth. starfsh. lamps, medicine.
dried figs. ornamental alligator with a
\ parasol. a little clay doll. a cruet, wash
boards. and other objects
MementO of Heroic Carrier.
A tragic memento Is a mail pouch. COW
cred with blood. and for which a carriet
in the far West sacrificed his life 90 de-
fend from Indians. A card contains a
lock Of hair from the head Of Guiteau.
the assassin OF Garfield.
There IS also in the museum a COPY o.
a marriage certificate which declares that
Samuel Whitehead. and Jane Miller were
married in the Parish Church. Manches-
ter, England. June l. 1904
The collection Of watches in the mu-
scum contains every variety. from the
lold-fashioned "turnip" 70 the latest style
lchrononeter set with jewels Each watch
is regularly wound every morning.
I AHSie y hAhohS lnc more refnarksi ole
objects a set Of account books kept by
Benjamin Franklin when he was Deputy
Postmaster General for the colonies in
I753, the accounts Of which are kept in
/ British money. One shelf is entirely
given up 10 dolls, they are OF every size
color. and nationality.
Il seems rather strange that some O.
the senders Of the more valuable ob-
jects should never happen upon the mu-
scum and establish a lawful claim 70 the
particular treasure which they unwit-
ungly donated 10 The museum. So far
no such claim has been made and these
queer waits OF the government mail viii
IN all probability continue to crafty the
gaze Of curiosity seekers and suggest "a
imaginative spectators strange and fan
tastic histories.