The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-11-02
DRIVEN FROM HOME
BY TAUNTS IN MAIL
Donkey Correspondence Al
most Makes High School
Teacher Insane.

NEW YORK, Nov. 2-Complaint
clerks at the Dostonice tell of many
queer methods Of persecution through
the mails.
One Of the most novel and effective re-
Gently drove a teacher in a local nigh
school to change his place of residence
simply to avoid an avalanche Of pos
tails, insulting mail, and express mat
ter and kilograms that rained in upon
him for several long ard wretched
months.
The teacher never discovered who It
was that was prosecuting him. His sus-
picions at first fell upon several mem
bers of his class. whom he suspected OF
trying to take revenge upon him
But soon the extremely personal tenor
OF some Of the prosecuting pictures and
communications convinced him that the
author of them must be some one far
more familiar with his past than any OF
his pupils possibly could be. He never
learned the identity Of this person, and
vas obliged to move without leaving
forwarding address.
Plague Begins.
The plague began with a single neatly
written note that came 70 him one
morning. reading simply;
You are an ass
The next morning there were three
more notes, each mailed in a different
city. and each reading merely:
Yes, you are"
Daily thereafter notes rolled in with
MS morning mail. Sometimes he would
mo as many as six pictures Of asses,
mules, or dOnkeys, clipped from country
papers or StOck-breederS' magazines. At
other times IL would be an assortment of
long-eared heads on picture poStals.
Again It would be merely a neat penciled
reference to the particular chapter in
the Bible an which the beaten beast re-
ouked the prophet.
Once. on his birthday, he received A
telegram bearing the single four-foOted.
long-eared, stubborn abbreviation:
'DOnk"
Sometimes his prosecutor varied things
oy sending merely a collection Of small
mirrors rs, In a little box neatly stuffed
with hay and oats Again the method
was varied in a telegram reading:
How are your ears2''
Thereafter came list of nearly fifty
veterinary surgeons, at the bottom OF
which was scrubbed.
ANY one Of EN- will cure you. Old
SPAWN 80
Wears on Mind.
The victim at first tried to annihi-
late the jolester by paying no atten-
ton Then he tried a look Of superior
contempt on all whom he met. But
presently the endless monotony of the
thing wore upon his mind. and he
showed his misery plainly. Sometimes
mule would come sandwiched I'm be
tween a doctors bill and an envelope
containing a note or acceptance from
his best girl to an invitation 20 the
theater
The result began to show in HIS tenn
Fer. He grew fretfuI in his classes, and
once almost came TO blows with a
young pupil whom he found sketching
burro on the cover of a textbook He
grew - hate the whole genus, ire
spective Of whether tney were burros.
mules, jacks. dOnkeys. or zebras-
In despair he resolved 10 tear ND nm
read every envelope he found on his
table in the morning. The first morn
ing he destroyed his pay check for the
previous month Then ne appealed. as
q last resort, TO the postal authorities
Three months after the beginning OF
his torment, however. Il still ragged as
herCely as ever. Finally. one dav ne
received a communication from an nm
State farmer, who said that he had
been requested by an anonymous cor
respondent to send him a young don
key, pay for which had accompanied
the letter. The donkey, the farmer add
Cd. was on the way.
Then the young man pulled I'D stakes,
left his burden behind him, and moved.