The Washington herald., 1911-08-13

lmaglnabe character and descT1ptt0n,
and each year, when the annual sale
comes around, an intending purchaser. look
ing over the catalogs. might almost be in
clined to think that he had the nightmare.
But the dead letter clerks are never aston
ished at anything. When they open pack
age it Is nothing unusual for them &c, find
horned toad, centipede, q chameleon, q
baby alligator, stuffed gopher, petrihed
frog or set of false teeth.
Packages addressed to people who cannot
be found are always kept for two years be-
fore they sold. Sometimes an owner Is
found for them, although this does not hap
pen often. Occasionally, too, articles are re-
covered in very strange. way.
Once upon time girl bought pecu-
liary shaped moss-agate ring, and sent It by
mail to friend as a Christmas present, but
it never reached its destination. Three years
afterward, when on visit to certain city,
and while at dinner in a hotel one day, there
sat on the opposite side of the table man
who wore his necktie through the missing
moss agate. She asked him where he got it,
and he explained that he had bought it at
Dead Letter Office sale in Washington.
The. travels of letters through the mails are
sometimes very strange. On April 23, 1880,
letter was mailed at Jacksonville, Florida.
It's destination was Little Rock, Arkansas,
and it did not reach there until October 20,
1893. Why it should have taken three years
and six months to travel the distance has
never been ascertained. ~
A few weeks ago letter reached the Post
office Department at Washington addressed
to Marshall 4 Sons, Ltd, Gainsborough." !"
draft for $4,000. 1t had travelled through
Asia, then to San Francisco by steamship
and thence to Washington.
The abbreviation LTD" showed that IL
was intended for firm in Gainsborough,
England, as business concerns in that coun-
try are often called limited So the letter
was sent across the Atlantic to complete its
. journey around the world
In April a letter was mailed in New York
city, addressed to Mrs. Jones, Ludno Lodge,
"A Church Walk, Llandudno." That place Is
in Wales but the word "Llandudno" was so
illegible that it was mistaken for Hon
duras."
The letter was sent TO Tegueigalpa, Hon
duras, and 1t was found that there had once
lived there doctor named Philip VI. Jones,
but that he had gone to Santa Clara, Cal
The letter was forwarded to him, and, singu.
larly enough, it had been intended for his
,, dead wife.
Among the things which are preserved fol
exhibition In the museum OF the Dead LetteI
Office are some sets of false teeth. Some
, time ago an old man and his wife, on a visit
to Washington, were one day examining thu
curiosities. After looking at the teeth, thu
4 man went to an official and asserted tina,
!, one Of the sets belonged to him and that j
! had been lost in the mail. He was allowet
: TO put the teeth in his mouth and they &c
) ted it perfectly. They were handed over Il
him and he went proudly away.
J, Thousands Of articles are found each yea
g in the mails without wrappers. These ais,
! go to the Dead Letter Office. Each year NJ
less than forty thousand packages accumu
late. The merchandise which they contain
is put into six thousand packages and sol
at auction.
i, The articles are bought 'sight unseen,
and often they bring more than their valne
They form queer collection and includ
dolls, artificial whiskers, coffin plates, hand
kerchiefs, cheap jeweiry, razors, glass eyea
neckties, etc, etc.
Thousands of magazines Incorrectly direc
ed or with insufficient postage are sent
the Dead Letter Office They are distril
uted among the charitable institutions Q
Washington.
Thousands Of letters also come at Chris
mas addressed to kris Krngie, down tn
chimney" or "Santa Claus, North Pole
They are sent by children in good faith an
there must be much disappointment whe
the gifts asked for are not received.