davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-05
A Game Loser.
THEY were talking in the 81

THEY were talking i'm the smoking
= room about steamship sharpers. and
"Alf' Hayman. the impresario. said:
'Tli tell you q story about a Chilli
Gotham.
"A Chillicothian. on the way back
home from summer tour of Europe.
shared stateroom with two men who,
he had reason to believe, We're sharpers
"He believed they were sharpers be-
cause they were continually proposing
the most tempting bets to him.-bets where
it seemed impossible for him to lose-and
yet. as soon as he put up his money, the
two men took IL away from him.
$50 he came to believe that the bets
were crooked. Nevertheless, they were
all SO tempting that he couldn't resist
them. and finally his funds got down to
$3.50
ION the last day of the voyage he said
to the two men:
Well, fellows. you've cleaned me out
of everything but my honor and $50.
and I'm willing to risk the $50 on a last
bet with you, provided you'll let me de-
eide what the bet is to be-
They agreed. for they were curious
and there was little to be lost.
Well. fellows, he said. this is the
bet. I'll bet you $3.50 that. as we sail
up the bay I'll yell louder than the ships
steam whistle.
HE looked in their astonished faces
and added:
LOT course I'll lose. but by gosh.
know the whistle can't be fixed.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-05

was built there soon after the war. aDl
for several years and up to recently
was tenanted by Mrs. Anna Z. Bud
dington. who conducted "A dairy. the
cows grazing on the field of the battle
Of Bladensburg and of Fort Lincoln.
This lone house is included in the gov
ernment's purchase. This part OF the
battlefield has been out of the posses
sion of the Veitches and Boyles for
number of years, and Mrs. Buddington
told the Rambler that il has had sew
eral owners.
The sides of the ridge are divided
into fields bounded as a rule by gray
fence posts and strands of barbed wire.
In these fields cows Craze. The land il
strewn with countless pieces of from
stone and in some places are thickets
of small pine. persimmon, gum, wild
cherry and black haw trees Along
some Of the fence lines tall cedars
grow in a row, and where there are no
fences lines OF cedars mark where they
once were
Toward Its north east tip the ridge be-
comes so narrow that one standing on
II surveys the country far to the east
and 10 the west. The view TO the north
extends across the valley of the upper
Eastern branch and passes over the
ridge that rises above Bladensburg. It
is a broad picture OF the District and
neighboring Maryland. which persons
fond of an impressive prospect ought
to be willing to walk far TO see.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-05

a variation of from one cent to five
cents per package. We are now investi-
eating how to deliver goods the most
cheaply.'
The conversation here turned to the
political business of the Post Office De-
partment and of its closeness to the
people. Postmaster General Burleson
said:
i. THE Post Office Department eutranlSs
any other of the executive branches in
its direct value to and connection with
the people. 1t is the department that is
closest to every individual, and il is,
more than anything else. representative
of the national government. In many
communities, 1t is the only representa-
tive of the national government. The
State Department Is a very important
part Of the administration, but there are
millions of our citizens who never come
into contact with it. or have any knowl-
edge of what IL Is doing. The Agricui-
tural Department and the Treasury De-
partment touch hundreds Of thousands or
our citizens, but the Post Office Depart
ment comes into almost daily contact
with every individual in the United States
who is old enough to readsand write. 1t
is a concern that touches the individual,
and that every day. II there is any de-
partment that should not be controlled
by politics, it is this department And
STILL" continued the Postmaster General,
with a smile, "the head of the Post once
Department is the man who is supposed
to keep the executive and legislative de
partments in touch with each other. He
is the intermediary and go-between OF the
two"
but why is that, Mr.. Postmaster Cen
eral?'' / asked.
Zone reason for 1t is that the Post
Office Department Is the one place to
which every congressman must come
from time to time. The senator or rep
resentative may seldom have occasion to
go to the State Department He may
never have occasion to go to the Agri-
cultural Department. but he Is sure to
come to the Post Office Department II
is for this reason that the Postmaster
General has dropped into the business of
keeping harmony between the executive
and legislative branches There is nc
reason why this should be SO, and he
does not always succeed in his job, but il
seems to have devolved upon him, never
theless.
Referring to the political aspects OF
the department, see that you are mink
ing the fourth-class postmasters undergo
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-05

$4,000. 600 600 to 25.OOo, 00O, 600 packages Of
mall year. and we have the largest
TRANSPORTATION service in the world. Our
system of parcel transportation is larger
than that of any express company and It
is just at it's beginning.
Give me some of the details, said l.
"Well, in the first six months we
handled more than 800, eco, 600 parcel post
packages With the increase in the
weight limit and the reduction OF the
rates the increase will be accelerated,
and I estimate that by the time the year
is closed we shall have handled 1Jo.ooo,-
600 packages. We are doing much 70
help the business along. One thing Is
the change as to the stamps 80 that any
kind of postage stamps can be used TO
send parcel-post package. Another
is in the use of pre-cancelled stamps.
1t cost something to put the stamps on
750, coo, 900 packages and to cancel them
by hand is an extremely difficult process:
We can cancel the stamps on letter-mali
by machinery but we cannot do that on
packages, which are of all shapes and
sizes. We have figured that 1t would
cost us about $4,000 to cancel the
stamps on the parcel post packages
We believe this cost can be cut down to
$4,000 by the use of machinery and by
allowing the use of pre-cancelled stamps.
AS 1t is now, pre-cancelled stamps are
permitted where mailers send out 2,OO0
or more packages at one mailing. We
want to fix 1t so that almost any person
can further his business. and at the
same time reduce the cost to the gov
eminent in that way.
You speak of people sending 1900
packages at one mailing. Have We many
firms that do that?"
Yes. The great mail-order houses
send out many times that and there are
small institutions that have heavy
parcel post daily mail The largest num-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-05

was again Theoretically sealed up and
lowered. as above stated, to its final rest
ing place, which event took place April
II, 1887 under my directions, under the
supervision of r. c. Smith. esq.,, the un-
dertaker and at the instance of the Lin
coin Guard of Honor Yours very re-
specially, j. NJ. Rippey." This letter is
on Rippey's letter-head paper, at the top
of which is Steam heating, gas fitting
and plumbing"
In a glass case I'm the death room are
ninety funeral marches and requiems
published during the time of the Lincoln
obsequies and yellowed copies of num-
Der of newspapers some telling of the as
sassination and others Of the funeral OF
Lincoln.
One of the exhibits in this historic room
is a long section of candle. burned at one
end This candle was used by the sur
geons in heating the knife. which lies
close to it, with which the plaster, used
on Lincoln's wound, was spread. On the
wall are framed pieces of the crepe with
which the hearse was draped and a large
piece of the black velvet which covered
the coffin.
One can look OH two old photographs
showing the congressional funeral dele
CATION grouped In front of the Lincoln
residence at Springfield and another
showing large crowd of Springfield cit
liens at the same place.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-05
vEITCH HOUSE, IN RUINS OF OLD FORT

the Avenue. The old war time buildings
at Pennsylvania avenue and 18th street
are shown. There is tall flagstaff in
the right foreground which seems to
stand about where the southeast corner
of the south fence of the Treasury is
now. Another picture is that of Pres
ident Lincoln's Burial Service at Oak
is that of the 'The Catafalque or
Hearse az Seen at the Funeral Process
sion of President Lincoln" 1t is a
woodcut showing the black-plumed
hearse. eight mourning-draped horses
and files of soldiers in dress uniform
with arms reversed. Above where the
head of the bed stood. is steel engrav-
ing of the familiar deathbed scene auto
graphed thus: Painted and engraved by
A. II. Richie"
An interesting relic is Chicago and
Alton Railroad Company Time Table of
the Special Train Conveying the Funeral
President From Chicago to Springfield
The list of stations is given. the distance
of Springfield from Chicago, 1S5 miles,
the time of departure from Chicago, $50
pm, Tuesday. May ., 1865, and the
time of arrival at Springfield. $50 am,
next day. At the foot of the time table
is this: 1.-The following instructions to
be observed for the above train:
.'All other trains on this road must be
kept thirty minutes out of the way of
the time of this train, all telegraph sta
tions must be kept open during the pass
age of this train A guard with one red
and one white light will be stationed at
all road crossings by night, and with a
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-05

bushel of corn. 1t might enable vegeta-
bles and other products to be sent into
the cities direct, and it will be OF great
advantage to the farmer in the exchang-
ing of seeds and in buying tools and
supplies
I'VE had a case the other day of a
man who broke the point Of his plow
telephone and he called up the merchant
il town to send him a new point. The
merchant replied that he had not one on
hand, but that he had telephoned to the
home office, 100 miles away, and ordered
IL to be sent on by mail. That plow
point came to the farmer the next morn
ing through the parcel post. and before
having left the farm. All that was done
at cost of II cents, whereas 1t woulo
have taken at least a half day for
him to have driven to town for the pack
age had it been sent there"
do you think the people appreciate
the value of the parcel post and what
they might do through it?''
They are rapidly learning to do so.
Mr.. Daniel c. Roper. the first assistant
postmaster general. has just returned
from 81 trip throughout the west He
says the people are everywhere begin
ming to send their goods in that way.
The postmaster of a small town in Mon
tana said he was handling fifty packages
day, and among the things sent were
boxes of cigars from the local tobaccon-
ist. while among those received We're
packages of knit underwear from small
town in Utah, which had factory OF
that kind. In one town he found man
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-05
BREsoers PROJECTS FOR IMPROVING

a civil service examination to show their
fitness for office"
THAT is a. result of the executive
order Of May z, 1913. which prescribed
a test for determining the fitness of
fourth-class postmasters under the
civil service law. It was President
Roosevelt who first brought fourth
class postmasters into the classified
civil service. He did that in 1908 as
to certain of them In the northern ana
tober 1912, that President Taft ex-
tended the order to cover the United
States. These orders brought all the
postmasters under the civil service
laws without requiring them to show
that they were fit for such protection.
President Wilson's order requires that
every fcurth-class postmaster whose
compensation is $50 or upward must
submit to a competitive examination.
and 1t is based upon such examina-
lions that the appointments were
made. On March and since then we
have had over $500 fourth-class post
masterships vacant, and OF these l'.op
have been filled through civil service
examinations or on inspectors reports.
We have between two and three thou
sand OF these fourth class postmasters
vet to be disposed of. We are ham
ding them as rapidly as possible.
What are you doing as to the rural
mails?"
I'VE have put on over 200 new routes.
involving an additional expenditure or
something like $4,000 a year. That
branch Of the service steadily grows. II
now has In the neighborhood of 5000
officers and clerks, and it cost something
like S2OGDO,000 a year. The number OF
miles travelled per annum runs high INTO
the millions, and more than 2ooVo people
are now receiving their mail at their
doors instead Of at remote post offices.
How many post offices are there IN
the United States?"
1.-The number is almost $1,000"
"Give ME in nutshell some idea or
Uncle Sans post office business.
at is a big thing to put into nut
shell. In the first place, We have o9.oVo
post offices and about $4,000 employees.
Our gross revenue per annum is in the
neighborhood of s250,O00.Oo0 and our
gross expenditures are a little less. The
department always runs at slight de-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-05

ricir, and this is largely because We do
a great deal of free business for Dnoie
Sam. which ought to be charged "a the
other departments. And the1, TO con
tinue the enumeration of the contents or
the nutshell. we sell every year almost
ten billion postage stamps and enough
stamped envelopes and wrappers 10 give
one 10 every man, woman and child upon
earth and leave some to spare. Last
year we issued more than 9oo.Ooo.ooo pos
tai cards and we sent out registered
letters to the number of almost 44,eoo,0p.
We do an enormous money order
business both at home and abroad
The domestic money orders annually
number eighty or more millions and our
foreign money orders are more than four
millions, representing all told an agSre-
gate value OF something Ike s"ovooo.
In some years we send away to other
countries through the post office almost
Sl0o. 0O0. 600"
What are you doing as TO the postal
savings banks?
1--WE have forty or fifty millions OF dol
lars now on deposit. The system was
established only a little more than two
and one-half years ago, and IL IL now IN
operation In more than 1000 post offices
and at about 200 branches and stations.
The 3Oth OF June last the depositors
numbered 10000. and their deposits then
were approximately sS5.o00Wo. All this
comes from a class OF people who We're
making no effort to economize and save
before the postal savings DankS were es-
tablished II comes from many who
were too timid to put their money into
the regular banks. or who were so
afraid of the banks that they would
not trust them with their savings. They
kept them hid under the hearthstones
or perhaps in a tin can or a stove, and
the result was the loss of hundreds OF
thousands of dollars every year We
have plans to increase the facilities OF
the postal savings banks, and in a short
time we shall have 500. 0OU0o0 OF such
deposits. and that without taking from
the savings banks of the country as
much as ] per cent Of their former re-
turns. The postal savings banks are
patronized largely by foreigners. They
have confidence in their home govern
ments, and therefore have confidence In
ours. A considerable part OF the many
million dollars which has been annually
going to Europe in money orders will
now remain here in the postal savings
banks FRANK @. CARPENTER.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-05

service. / am only a plain. ordinary
man, developed along the common lines
Of American life, in plain, ordinary
way. Besides l have no news instinct.
I do not know a good story when see
IL / have had the newspaper fellows
tell me that L was the best newsmaker
in the government service, but that
the news 1 furnished was sent forth
without any knowledge on my part
that IL was of any news interest what
soever."
These were the words OF the Post
master General, Albert Sidney Burle-
son. as he sat before his big desk In
the Post Office Department. He had
pile of papers before him. and the
room adjoining was filled with callers
waiting for audiences. and each with
his own ak to grind. The time was
half past 3 IN the morning. and
from then on throughout the day. the
business. was told, would increase. 1t
was not a good time for an interview,
and the opening words OF the Post
master General were by no means
propitious Nevertheless put my
questions and the answers came quick
and without hesitation. One OF the
first subjects was the parcel post. and
the trouble that had arisen with Con-
gress as to increasing the size of the
packages and lowering the rates.
The Postmaster General said:
II intend TO do all that the law will
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-05

Der of packages sent out so far i'll any,
one day by single firm was 40.1S6, and
the largest amount of postage used by
any one company in day for the parcel
post service was &c.
THAT sum was paid by one of the
Postmaster General. The mail order
houses were prepared for the parcel
post at the time 1t was inaugurated, and
they have adopted it in their business In
a marvellous manner. The other day
took down statement from the agent
of one of these firms as to its business
during the first seven months of 1918.
In that time it sent out almost 4JO0,O0O
parcel post packages. These houses are
doing so much, that we have tried to
facilitate their parcel post mail in every
possible way. We have put a corps of
clerks in certain establishments of that
kind, and the packages go almost direct
to the consumer, being largely distribute
ed before they are sent to the trains.
Our men show them how to handle the
packages, and how the. wrapping should
be done. In this way they have proved
of great value to, the mail order estab-
lishments, and have also saved the gov
eminent thousands of dollars by not
clogging the mails. The increase in the
weight limit from eleven to twenty
pounds will add to the mail order busi-
ness
What can the parcel post do for the
farmer"
1T can make every farmer a mail
order merchant. 1t has already done that
in other countries. He can send his
goods in small packages to the consum-
er. Twenty pounds is Just about three
pecks of cotton seed, 1t is one-third of a
bushel of wheat and almost a half
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-05

wife flag draped By day or after day
light Wednesday morning. A pilot en-
CINE will run upon this time, which is to
be followed by the funeral car ten min
utes behind. Pilot engine must not pass
telegraph station unless a white flag by
day or one red and one white light by
night shal, be exhibited, which will
the nearest telegraph station. In the
absence of said signals the pilot engine
will stop suntil definite information is re-
ceived in regard to the funeral train
The funeral train will pass all stations
slowly, at which time the bell of the
locomotive must be tolled. BY order of
Brevet Brig. Gen. D. c. McCullum, I'd
Division, I'm charge of military railroads
Robert Hall, general superintendent.
*
Near where the foot of the bed was is
a small rectangular piece of sheet lead
framed with the following letter:
Springfield, Ill.,, June 10, $3.50. Fl.
Oldroyd, custodian Lincoln House: Dear
iSr: herein inclose to you this piece of
sheet lead, the same being part of
larger piece taken from the lead coffin
containing the remains Of Abraham Lin
coin at the time of their removal to their
present resting place beneath the monu-
ment.l
1.-THE lead was removed so as to give
the management an opportunity OF view
ing the remains before their final inter-
ment, and a new piece of lead having
been substituted for the old, the coffin
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-05

permit to better and cheaper the parcel
post service. The post office Is a depart
ment of efficiency, and 1t is the servant of
the people. ] am not here to make the
laws, but II is my duty to enforce and
carry them out, as far as this department
is concerned. That duty ] am trying to
discharge rs regards the parcel post. You
have seen how the first move l made was
resisted. ] then said to the senators and
representatives just what l have said to
you. You have placed this responsibility
upon me. and / am going to carry 1t out.
l shall move forward just as fast as the
law will permit, and l believe that We
shall soon be sending parcels of hun
bred pounds weight through the mails.
When We have established the present
system, / have another move planned 10
follow 1t. We shall go on. step by step.
know just what I am going to do; the
next step will be made at the soonest pos
sible moment and the development will go
right along during the next four years"
But how about the express companies?
Are you going to drive them out of bust
ness?''
ssThe express companies will have
plenty to do in the carrying of packages
of large size and weight. They will have
to give way to the government as to
small packages. There is no individual
concern that can compete with the gov
eminent. There is not the slightest doubt
about that. We are going to do the small
package business of the United States"
here asked as to the prospective in
crease of the parcel post service. The
Postmaster General replied:
That business Is steadily increasing.
and that is so of every department related
to our mails. We are now handling from
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-05

and the soldier, Clark, rented this room
quite number of pictures, mostly prints
decorated the walls One Of these q
large engraving, THE Village Black
smith,, engaged in shoeing a big gray.
horse, is still there. There are several of
the familiar pictures of the deathbed
scene of Lincoln with Mrs. Lincoln bend
ing over the form of her husband, and doc
tors and officers standing at the bedside
The letter of Clark to his sister gives the
genesis of these pictures The parent of
them was drawn from data which he gave
to the artist. the figures and faces of the
men present at the deathbed being filled
in later.
1t is {. room full of great. sad memories.
Nearly all of those who stray into this
solemn chamber are people from distant
cities. The front of the house has become
so familiar to Washington people that few
explore it.
Every foot of wall space of the death
chamber is covered with some memenro.
In the northeast angle of the little room
where the bed stood and on the wall
where was the head of the bed are
numerous pictures made at the moment
of the events they portray One is a
woodcut under which is the faded title
President Lincon's Funeral Procession
IN Washington City, The sketch is
made from the southeast angle of the
Treasury, the favorite place today with
photographers OF processiorls on the
Avenue. In this case the procession is
moving south on 18th and eastward on
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-05

who was advertising his laundry bust
ness through the parcel post. putting 1t
in this way: Our delivery wagon, run
by Uncle Sam, will stop at your home
every morning and will make a delivery
to you every afternoon That kind of
thing is going on all over the country"
But does it not cost the government
a great deal to deliver the packages?"
I'VE have had careful record kept of
fifty of the most important post Offices
of the country for period of six days.
This was last April. The reports from
those offices show a wide range of
methods employed, and just what it
costs by each method. 1t was found that
the cost of delivering by motor vehicles
varied from one and one-half cents to
nearly fifteen cents per package, whereas
delivery by horse-drawn vehicles showed
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-05
At Least.

CENATOR KERN, at dinner in IN
- dianapolis, listened with depreca-
tory smile to the condemnation Of man
who boosted overmuch.
said:
"Oh, Well. when We blow our own horns
We can at least be sure that We are doing
something which would otherwise be left
Nndone."