Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 July 1881 — Inventor of the Postage Stamps. [ARTICLE]

Inventor of the Postage Stamps.

The Hon. E. A. Mitchell, Postmaster at New Haven, Conn., claims to have invented the postage stamp in 1847, and shows several samples of the original. It did not differ’ much in size and form from the present Government stamp, but was of brown color, was printed on ordinary paper, and contained the words, “Paid. New Haven Postoffica. 5 cents. E. A. Mitchell, P. M.” Mr. Mitchell had them printed for the use and convenience of citizens of New Haven, who had complained to him of the delay sometimes occasioned by their being unable to prepay letters except in office hours. The stamps were sold by the Postmaster, and accepted in prepayment when affixed. A high price is put upon specimens of this stamp by the collectors, and the present Postmaster at New Haven has frequent application for them. Death from a lightning stroke is said to be absolutely painless. But we don’t see how they know. We don’t believe any person -who ever died that way had a chance to tell how it felt.— Boston Post. _ In the course of a dozen or so years an editor learns to be a right good farmer —on paper.