Bisbee daily review., 1916-01-30
STAMP BEARS TRAGIC MESSAGE 0F DEATH
 ID STRICKEN HOMES
Switzerland Assumes Enor- nous Expense without Re turn Payment of Any Sort. Done Without Display.

| BERNE, Switzerland, Jan. 24-There is one small postage stamp with a black border and single word: de 1 cede" (dead); which represents a greater tragedy than any battle in ! the present war. It is the stamp used by the International mail ser vice, conducted by the Swiss govern ment, between the prisoners Of war of all nations and their families. on letters directed to soldiers who have fallen at the front or died in hospitals.
 A large table is piled high with these letters, each bearing the fatal stamp "Decede." This is but one mail, and each days mail piles the table again. They are to families in Eng land, Germany, France, Turkey, Au- stria, Japan-the entire range of fight ing countries-for Switzerland has ta- ken over this entire work of admin istering this mail service between fam lilies and their men at the front.
 For a small country it is an enor- nous work that Switzerland has as- sumed, bearing the entire expense without a penny's charge to any one. Located right in the heart of the car mage, with the fighting nations on every side, Switzerland is peculiarly placed for carrying on this humanitar- ian work. It is like the diplomatic work which the United States has as sumed for the different countries, but the magnitude of the work is probably greater owing to the vastness of the daily mails between all the fighting countries. And yet Switzerland does this work simply and without noise, and few know of the extent of the undertaking.
 Accompanied by Secretary Brenny of the Post Office Department, who IS in direct charge of the work. the Asso- ciated Press representative saw it's many branches of activities in full ope- ration. Even the big general postoffice of Switzerland was not adequate to carry on this international work, and the huge gymnasium was brought into service. Here the trapezes and flying rings have been looped to the side walls along with rows of Indian clubs and dumb bells, giving free open space for the enormous influx of soldier mail. Long trains of mail vans are at the door, and some thirty to fifty wagon loads of mail are handled daily letters to Bombay for turkish prison CTS there by the English, or to Nagas- Ri. Japan, for German prisoners held there by Japan, as well as the near by transmission between France, Ger many, England, Austria, Italy, Bulga- ria, Serbia, Belgium.
 A great pile of German mail had just came in, and the bags were stack ed up on the floor.
 Here is something curious" said one of the officials, turning to he Ger man mail-bags, you will notice they are made of paper-yes, paper mail bags. Usually mail bags are very stout, of leather or heavy canvass. But lately we have noticed the Germans are using paper for their mail bags. It means big saving on their hemy and the bags are strong and service able"
 Taking a knife, one of the paper mail bags was cut, showing great resis- tance. It appeared to be a new quality of paper, with fibre just like the mesh of cloth. But enthusiastically it was paper.
 Tt is remarkable" said an onlooker, "how the Germans get up service able substitute as soon as they run out of any article"
 Here's another curious and sig nificant fact" said the 6ficial in charge of the gymnasium mails. He held up large card a foot square, on which he had placed 21 samples of rope and twine.
 Those show the ingenious substf tute the Germans are now using for ordinary rope and twine," said he.
 The samples were from various mail bundles from Germany. They ranged in size from a small sized rope, about one-eighth inch thick to ordinary string. None of the 21 samples had any hemp. Most of the small strings and twine had a small inner wire, to give tensible strength, wound with paper to give an outer finish and fleX- ibiIity. The heavier ropes were of paper, with strands wound together { into a stout material. But the little inner wire seemed the basis of the strength in these strange German sub- stitutes for hemp rope and cord. re- | auired enormously in ordinary busi- ness and commerce.
 All about long lines of postal em- ployes were at work sorting the sol dier mail-letters, packages and mon ey orders-going to the various coun- tries. Many poor people daily send ] loaf of bread to the son or father away at the front or in prison. One of the wrappings of loaf of bread had bro ken open, and disclosed that the sen der had ingeniously inserted copy of the Paris Matin inside the bread It was doubtless done without malice the officials said by some poor mother who wanter her son to get a glimpse