Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 January 1877 — Postoffice Curiosities. [ARTICLE]

Postoffice Curiosities.

A Journ'd reporter experienced the pleasure, this morning, of a Walk through tke “ Old Curiosity Shop” attachment to the Chicago Postoffice, known in the parlance of the employes of the institution as the “Dead Department.” Through the courtesy of the Superintendent of Mails, and the kindness of Mr. F. S. Blaine, who has charge of the institution, the reporter was admitted into the room, notwithstanding the warning pasted up over the main entrance, “No admittance except to sworn agents.” And then the scribe saw a sight. In niches ranged one above the other lay the condemned goods. Some were there because there was not sufficient postage upon them; others were there because they had none at all; and others because there was a total innocence of any address upon them. The first thing shown to the visitor was a package containing an Irish poplin dress, fairly covered with stamps, but the foolish sender, in his absence of mind, had forgotten to address it. In the niche farthest away from the one that contained the' dress was a leather spectacle case, taken out of a letter-box where it had been dropped. In another hole were five bags of wheat intended for samples. In another a gun-lock and two combination Yale locks. But by far the most dangerous article in the collection was a box of gun caps, which were promptly dropped out of the mail when their contents were discovered. Mr. Blaine informed the reporter that the great wonder was, that when the man who canceled the stamp hit'with the steel canceler that it did not explode. There is a package of cake, and another of brown sugar, both addressed to girls in a Rockford seminary. A box of jewelry lies there awaiting an owner, no address having been affixed to it. Right beside it lays a box, also without any address, which contains an elegant coral necklace with a gold locket attached. Every conceivable article is stored away there, from a gold watch to a piece of limburger cheese. A piece of the latter was thrown out only the other day. During 1876, 61,000 articles were sent to the Dead-Letter Office at Washington from the Chicago Postoffice.— Chicago Journal. ■ m?.' —Mr. 8. B. Blackburn, Of New Orleans, fell in love with a young lady and was betrothed; he also fell desperately in love with drink and got betrothed to his cups. The young lady refused to marry him unless he would give up his dissipation; she had no ideaof being wife No. 2, especially when wife No. 1 was a devil making a beast of her spouse, and told him so. Ahd then he shot himself. Young men should be careful how they fall in love.e’*; —.——l«' - —One of the Spragues fell down on a mill-pond, and jarred the whole State of Rhode Island, the other day. Light man, too. * > ■' .4-