Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-03-02
CURIOS FOUND IN
DEAD LETTER FILE
Some Amusing Articles Are on
View In the Postofice
Museum.
From the Washington Star.

Dead Letter File" may be found ar
tieles so queer n varied that a curio
seeker would gaze in wonder and Il
dreamer delight in weaving fanciful
stories around them. The contents of
one of these cases varies from chill
dren's toys to Il beautiful specimen OF
IL rattler's skin. But perhaps its most
curious possession is AN old black rub
Der boot. curious for it's i~ncongruitN
in a dead letter file. 1t is Il large,
heavy boot, and without its mate it
would scarcely seem to be worth the
postage necessary for carrying it. An
other article of wearing apparel to be
ound in the collection is Il mans
collar tightly sealed in d fruit jar.
Several articles OF the same make
might be purchased for the price of
mailing it.
Perhaps the most interesting feature
to overs of is am ordinary
pine board. approximately 2 feet long
and 8 inches WIDE. on which a young
man has written in pencil the secrets
of his heart. But his owe letter failed
to reach the one for whom it was in
tended. for when h was notified of
the presence of a package addressed to
her She refused to DAY the postage due.
When the officials of the dead letter
office opened the bundle the following
epistle was reNealed:
I'm consequence of the GARD
Al Ell I4<NI loudN \ nave cOilCiuQcU w
put this letter ABOARD the EN-
PRESS. To let you know he feeling
that exists in me: indeed, since your
absence ! have been constantly think
ing of You. almost being unable to at
tend to my REGULAR ROUTINE of
Business. Now | cannot imagine the
cause of your protracted silence toward
one whom you ALWAYS PROGRESSED
to LOVE. You have written to SAM,
also to MINNIE. and never so much
rs mentioned my NAME. Now was
| this because you did not think of me
or did YOU wish TO keep TALK
DOWN" Now Dearest Rip Van Win
lle, You are aware that L am sincere,
for have I not proven this? l hope
that no better LOOKING FACE has
caught your EYE, for what is a face
without LUCRE? l have been board
| week) ono at the City HallD. and in
my dreams he naturally became ac-
9uainted with our whole proceedings.
Yours until Death Tin anticipation
of an early reply by the American
Rapidly.
"Ham Hefs, alias Dick"
In one case is Il license to belong to
the Ananias club dated 1903. But this
failed to bear the prope amount of
postage and now it reposes in the dead
letter collection next to a comical little
ornament. Il representation of the
tiStI ~ lJl lIIONpIl. NJ ~ Is VIZ w u
up in Il knowing wink and the other is
rolled toward the Liars License"
suggesting some sweet secret under-
standing between the two.
IN another case. containing many
old coins II heirlooms. is an old
of these are in existence. and it is
surely NOT often that they pass
.hrough the mail. but this little gold
coin found its way into Uncle SANS
collection.
One package came all the way from
the Philippines. but failed to reach its
owner in this part of the country. 1t
proved to be a white felt hal. rather
the worse for WEAR. bearing imscrip-
tions such as I'VE are going home"
~. S. Indian" etc. Suspended from
the brim or various colored ribbons
ticket. q pistol, a wine glass and va
rious coins.
Two wooden forks and q spoon, the
handles curiously carved to represent
the figure of a man. found their way
into the dead letter office. 1t is told
that a missionary. upon seeing them.
there, declared them to be the kind
used by the natives of the Cannibal
Islands According to custom they
are used only once and then at a din
ner of human flesh.
Among the many curios may be
OoAA 80 ~ -
i without any postage. n bearing the
following strange address. which is
literally translated from the Persian
on the cover:
IF the Almighty pleases. let this en-
eelOpe. having arrived at the city of
Calcutta. in the neighborhood of Ca
lootolah. at the counting house of Sira-
| joodeen & Ilalldad. merchants. be Of
tered to and read by the happy light
Of my eyes. of virruous and
beloved of the heart-Meean shaikh
lnayut Ally; may his life be long.
Written on the 10th Of this blessed
Ramadzen. Saturday, in the year 1906
IF the hegira of our prophet, and dis
patched at Bearing. Having without
loss of time paid the postage and re-
:eived the letter, YOU will read it: and
having abstained from food or drink,
considering 1t forbidden to you. you
will convey yourself to Jaunpoor. and
you will know this to be a strict in
junction"
Quite a picture gallery has been col
none of them is particularly interest,"
ing. the humorous arrangement of two
IF them attracts the eye. One of the
picture of a little baby with u scared
20 death" expression on its face. and
Beside it lies the photograph Of the
one look at this brave lion hunter has
petrified the babv's face with fear.
Among the articles that the heavy
Christmas mails force into the dead
letter office is a most extraordinary
shaving set. The razor is old and bat
tered and it's blade 80 badly gashed
that scarcely an eighth of an inch Of
cutting surface remains. The handle
If the lather brush is a beer bottle op-
aer and In place OF the customary
soft bristles wisps of straw were tied
n position. In a small wooden box is
l piece of concentrated I've coap and in
nlace of the nSual cake of maonosia