New Britain herald., 1930-02-07
RIPLEY DISCOVERS
 REAL SANTA CLAUS
Relieve It or Not" Artist Has
 to Be Shown
BY RICHARD LYMAN

Not' office just before Christmas "Nd startled the man who cntcrtains . readers of the Herald Assistants >'lTyng back and forth. ransackcd . encyclopedias and history hooks. . "oVc into endless archives but no sign of a Yulctidc chief.
 Ripley wanted to either verify o1 dl$rredit the story so was sent to . lh" southwestern corner of Indiana ] where it was said Santa Claus held 1 court. He wanted to believe that | thcTc Was santa Claus. Along | with the writer went bags of mail | Ripley letters for Santa Claus 10 mail. If there really was a Santa | Claus he wanted to convince his l friends and readers. Early one morning wc-thc bags "l mail and I, discmbarked from a tlain in Lincoln City, q town of 100 inhabitants and the burial place ol Nancy Hanks Lincoln, mother of the ioG-splittin' Abe. The mailman took us on six more miles then. sudden ly dropping into a little valley. we found Santa Claus snug and showed ln. Ho wasn't so hard 10 find.
 santa $ Name Is James
 His real name is James r. Mar tin, and he was quite Congcnial. l wanted to shout that there was a santa Claus but my better sense controlled the feelings of one for mcrly disillusioncd.
 James Martin, santa Claus, is postmaster of the village of Santa Claus, Indiana. He is king, presi- dent and board of governors Of this hamlet as well as owner of the gen. rral merchandise store in which is the half hidden post office.
 Once a year Postmaster Martin, n" genial middle-agcd Dutchman. plays the role Of Santa Claus and likes it though it entails lot of work. Children from all about the countryside send in their Christmas letters addressed to santa Claus at santa Claus Indiana. And Martin answers all those that have a two cent stamp enclosed. Quite a role for one man to play.
 l pushed my way through the door of the store, dragging along my bags of Ripley letters and de posted thom in the center.
 Typical Country OniCc
 Santa, Claus Martin glanced in differently at the nailbags as they were brought and went on moving @ barrel of potatoes to one corner. some of tho old timers chewing the cad and smoking smelly pipes about the coal stove were rather proud of the recent arrival of mail and en- JOycd the popularity of their chief Cltizcu-thcir santa Claus.
 l said hello, timidly, not wanting 0 disturb him at his chores, and intmatcd that I had come all the way from New York with a message rom Robert l.. Ripley and bags full of mail. Martin finished his work and walked over to me with out stretched hands and a smile that made me like Santa Claus.
 T often sec Riplcy's work" said Martin, and I am glad 10 greet his messenger as well as his mail.
 "And," he went on, this is q new nne for me. l am used to receiving thousands of letters from children all around Indiana where l am known but not this.'
 Do you mind my sending all ,he5e letters from here?" I asked.
 Three Children Help
 And we went to work with the help of his three children and soon had all the letters stamped and postmarkcd santa Claus, India la.'
 What do l do with all the let 'ers from children? I keep them" said the postmaster, and read them Iuring the winter months"
 When we arrived in Santa Claus snow drifts loomcd up on all sides half hiding tho town. The black saith shop was closed down and only the general store was alive.
 The post office department of the store is hidden in thr rear and com IiSos large table and q wire pro- toctcd of7icr. Overhead smiles Il pie lurc of Herbert Hoover adorned on either side by American flags. The picture stands over the register.
 Martin has been in charge of the post office at santa Claus for 26 years. At Christmas time Martin is Inc busiest man in southern In diana and is the only Santa Claus 10 whom the postal authorities civc official recognition. He was born 52 years ago near Santa Claus and was carly trained 10 play his role under operated the store and post office before him.
 Village of Dutch People
 Santa Claus is q village inhabited by q group of people of Dutch de scent. It was first named Sante Fc but the postal officials did not allow his as there was another town ir he state by that name. It was around Christmas time in 1S46 whel the clan gathered together, dropped the Fc and added Claus. The ham let was founded when one Thomas Smith was called upon 10 plot tho place, originally composed Of lots Seventy six years before that Shad rack Hall had built tanncry il that locality but it was not unt smith came along that the village was developed.
 The hamlet stands 45 miles north east of Evansville, just north of th' Ohio river and six miles iron Nancy Hank Lincoln park. It il near Gentryville. a town of Lincoll stories and the historical count, seat. Rockport. Not far from Sant; Claus is St Meinard, it's academy monastery and shrine of Noun Cassni. St. Meinard is the plac, ! where tho priests wear long boards Nearby, too. is the convent town 0 ! Ferdinand. Not far to the southcas is the town founded by q group 0 Z Swiss cmigraDts, Tell City. and thcl