Ten Years Among the Mail Bags: Or, Notes from the Diary of a Special Agent of the Post-Office DepartmentHolbrook, James
History
Ten Years Among the Mail Bags: Or, Notes from the Diary of a Special Agent of the Post-Office Department
Holbrook, James
Postal service -- United States
A letter came to the Cincinnati office from Muscatine, Iowa, addressed
to "P. F. Willard, Cincinnati, Ohio." The Muscatine post-mark was so
placed as to cover the P. in the address in such a manner as to make
it resemble a C. There being a young lawyer in the place by the name
of C. F. Willard, the letter was very naturally placed in his box.
Upon opening and reading the document, he found that its contents were
of the most mysterious character, and totally incomprehensible.
Finding thus that it was not intended for him, he very properly
returned it to the office with the request that it should be handed to
the post master. This gentleman calling to mind the circumstances of
the Arrison case, and being familiar with some of the names connected
therewith, came to the conclusion, after reading the letter, that
Arrison was the writer, and thereupon gave the information which led
to his discovery and arrest.
* * * * *
SUING THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT.
A clerk stationed at the "General Delivery" window of the post-office,
dispensing epistolary favors to the impatient throng without, was
suddenly confronted by a countenance flaming with wrath; which
countenance was part and parcel of the individual, now first known to
fame by the name of Mike Donovan, who had elbowed his way through the
crowd, and now stood before the astonished official, demanding
justice. Handing him a foreign letter, marked "24 cents," Mike
exclaimed in a tone of righteous indignation,
"Here, sir, is a letther that I paid twinty-four cints for, out of me
own pocket, and the letther is from Pat Cosgrove, me cousin in ould
Ireland, and Pat is as honest a boy as iver saw daylight, and Pat, he
says inside of the letther that he paid the postage, and so some
raskill has chated me, and I mane to make him smart for't; and I'd be
obleiged to ye if ye'd tell me who to _sue_. Bedad, it isn't me that's
goin to put up wid such rashcality."
Here he brought down his shillalah on the floor, to the imminent
danger of his neighbor's toes, with an emphasis strongly suggestive of
his fixed determination to exact the uttermost farthing from his
unknown defrauder.
The clerk informed him if any mistake had occurred, the British
Government was the delinquent, and therefore the party to be sued.
"Is it the British Government?" inquired Pat.
"Certainly," was the reply, "that's where you must look for your
twenty-four cents."
Mike settled his hat over his eyes, and walked out of the office with
an air of defiance to the world in general, and the British Government
in particular.
* * * * *
PURSUIT OF A LETTER BOX.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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