PECULIAR PACKETS PEOPLE POST.

Woodville Examiner, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4627, 14 May 1915, Page 3 (Supplement)

PECULIAR PACKETS PEOPLE POST.

STRANGE “ LETTERS ” POSTMEN FIND IN PILLAR BOXES. “ Oh, postman, I’m so glad you’ve come!” exclaimed a young lady when I went to collect the letters from the pil-lar-box at the end of Dash Road. “I’ve dropped my bracelet into the box when I was posting a letter,” she went on; “and I’ve been waiting for you to come to get it for me, please !” Well, there was a bracelet in the box right enough, and I did not doubt that it belonged to the young lady, but it would have been against rules for me tc have handed it over to her for the mere asking—and being a sensible sort of person she saw the force of what I said about it. It was not much trouble to go to the office and make the proper representations to regain possession of her bracelet. But everyone is not so sensible when they drop the wrong thing into a pillar-box. Once 1 found a big bunch of keys amongst the letters when I was emptying a collection box, and ns I looked at them a very irate, middle-aged man came up and tried to snatch thorn away from me. Ho was very angry when I refused to give them up to him, and threatened me witli all manner of things. Then he Cried working on the other tack —but it was not any good. He bad to go to the office for his keys, and after ho had calmed down ho admitted that it would have been “very awkward” if the keys had been given to the wrong person. And that might hr.vo happened'easily had the postman been able to give them up to whoever chose to stand by 'bo pillar-box and a-k for them. JEWELLERY, It is surprising what curious things a postman does lind in letter hoxc-s on and off—if 1 had been able to keep all the strange articles which have been among the letters in the various boxes of my “collecting” it would make a pretty fair miniature museum ! Bracelets and dross-rings are by no means unusual “finds”; if either Imppen to bo a bit loose it is easy for them to slip off when a lady puts up her hands to push her letters well into the box. But such things arc usually claimed quickly—very'often the claims come in before the article is found ! Once I found a regular packet of rings and tilings in a letter-box on tuv round —about a couple of hundred pounds' worth of jewellery twisted up ni a grimy bit of paper. It turned out that "the thing:; bad been stolen from a local jeweller’s .shop, but apparently the thief became frightened before getting very far away, and disposed of the tijnkets in the easiest way be could think of. Indeed, letter boxes arc quite frequently used by thieves for getting rid of inconvenient items. Some years ago a postman found an empty purse in a box from which be was collecting, 'ibat was not a sufficiently unusual occurrence to attract his attention very much, but when be bad found a dozen different empty purses in the box at various limes in a fortnight be began to think it was suspicious. A watch was set, and it led to the discovery of an expert purse-lifter located near by, who bad been using the pillar-box as a receptacle for useless purses when their contents had boon removed. PURSES AND GLOVES. Altogether 1 suppose I must have found at least a dozen pur.scs, more or less well idled, in different letter boxes during the years F have boon collecting. When so many women carry tlicir purses in their hands, it is not a bit difficult to drop the purse into the letter-box instead of, or as wed as, the letters which arc to lie posted —especially if one happens to be a trifle absent-minded! Small parcels of all kinds when carried with letters are easily slipped into the box with the latter—and 1 have found enough handkerelnels to piovido a stall for a bazaar! (1 hives too. ft is usually an odd glove, though, that is found' in a letter-box—apparently the owner removes one glove to stick a stamp on a letter or something, and then unconsciously posts tno glove as wed 1

Once I found a hunch of violets pushed through t!ic .siit into tlie box; tlie (lowers were fresh and so fragrant that they perfumed all the letters, That was one of the 11 funny finds ahont which 1 guessed a lot— though probably all mv guesses went wide of the truth. Children delight in “posting” all sorts iiud conditions of things it they get the chance, and sometimes it is nceesary to keep a strict scrutiny upon the boxes to prevent their “'posting” things which might do harm to the letters. Twigs, loaves, stones, odd scraps of paper, advertisements, sweets, pieces of bread or cake, broken pieces of toys —these arc a few of the tilings which I have “collected” ’ from letter-boxes, and which may he obviously put down to children who wanted “to post” something! It is more serious when hoys stupidly push lighted cigarette ends or matches or pour some liquid through the slit of a letter-box. Of course, people cry “Suffragettes'’ at such a suggestion, but it is of thing which has been done by senseless boys and youths for a lark” as long as pillar-boxes have been in use—ns eveiy postman knows. Some boys, too, find pleasure in putting spiders, worms, and other insects into letter-boxes in the hope of upsetting the postman who collects the letters 5 while once when a pillar-box was opened to find_ out what caused a strange nonso within it. a sparrow flew out. In some extraordinary manner the hircl must have posted itsolf —«md seemed none the worse for the temporary, self - enforced imprisonment!—“ The Weekly Telegraph.”