Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-04-18
Washington
1T Started;

TT was Monday. A big van load OF par
eel post mail had been dumped on the
- long incoming mail" table in the
downtown New York post office. II was
mail that had just arrived from Chicago
and included packages from all across the
country.
Garrison avenue, New York City" said
Wilson, one OF the mail clerks, as he
studied the address on a good sized oblong
package that weighed something more than
ten pounds.
There's no Clark son avenue in Man.
haitian, but there IS in Brooklyn" The CLERK
unused and was about 10 make it try
Brooklyn" when he noticed that one end
OF the package was crushed IN This fact
brought TO bear rule OF the post Office
requiring It 20 be sent 10 the broken par
cell department.
So the package was dumped on the 10 BILE
OF John Marabelia. clerk in charge. and
his practised eye and nose Instantly took
in the damaged portions OF the package
and noted Il slight but unpleasant odor.
coming from ii. He Gu, the string ~ ~
drew off the brown paper wrap. - .sT&
ping. lifted tho lid Of the paste. ~.
board boX-AND PEERED
INTO TIE FACE or :.
NEWLY BORN INFANT!
\ hush iell over that cor.
ncr OF the great busy post
office. Clerks from neigh
boring tables, many OF them 4
fathers, came over silently /
and looked rcvcrcntly upon
that lteless little form. A Il
tear glistcned in The aye OF -
one OF the department chiefs
he had lost a little one
like that, and its mother
passed away at the same
time
But there is nothing In the rules or the
pos, office permitting anything scntimen.
tal. And there is no fund in the post Office
appropriation to pay for the burial OF
human remains which go astray in tho
mails. In all the history OF tie mails no
package like this had ever passed through
the department
The package was inspected more closely
and Clerk Marabclla drew forth n bundle
wrapped in soft figured cloth.
II was dead baby girl. 4 pi,iful little
body that had lived perhaps few hours,
and then, the new soul fleeing. had Leo-
carried thousands OF miles in the care o;
tho Government OF the United States. The
body of an eight pound baby girl, swaddlcd
in fresh, now cloth. packed IN short box,
wrapped in brown paper had been sent
through tho mail on six.day journey to
muddled address i'll Now York,
Marabe!la notified his superintendent.
The superintendent turned the package
over to the police aud notified the superin-
tendcnt OF mails Mt tho main poet.onice In
Thirty-third street. The police depart
mcnt turned the case over to Captain
Carey OF the Homicide Squad at Police
Headquarters. The superintendent of ma lis
assigned inspectors Brown and Reeder, Of
the post office service. Meantime, tho lit
tie body was placed under the Jurisdiction
York City for an autopsy.
Federal Inspectors Brown and Reeder
were somewhat at a loss as to the proper
procedure. Had ;. crime been committed?
Was there an infraction OF postal rules?
They searched the Black Book, the official
volume OF rules and regulations Of the Post
Office Department Of the United States.
They could not find that any Federal sta
tute had been violated in the mailing of n
dead baby. There was no regulation COW
e-lng the case. There Is no postal law for
bidding mailing babies. The only rule pos
sible of application. the inspectors con.
cluded. was parcel post ruling to the. ef-
feet that meat may not he shipped
through moro than two parcel post zones"
This was only a regulation making a
dead body unavailable for more than GER
tain distance. And since the body had been
mailed from the Far West this regulation
had not been violated in their jurisdiction.
Inspectors Brown and Reeder withdrew
their attention from the case. Thereafter
they had no official knowledge OF it.
So the problem fell to Captain Carey of
the New York police who examined the
wrappings and the cover Of the parcel. It
was addressed to "Mr. Otto e. Perry, West
40 Clarkson avenrn, New York City"
Captain Carey sent a detective over to
Clarkson avenue. Brooklyn. There was no
West Clarkson avenue and no 40 on