Holiday mailing tips:
1. Do not use string.
2. Do not reuse boxes that previously contained aerosol cans or any hazardous material.
3. Over fill the container if you are using expanded foam peanuts or popcorn. When you close the box the filler will compress and hold the article in place.
4. Do not use cellophane or masking tape. It might come off.
5. Put a copy of the mailing address inside the package in case of damage to the label.
6. Have a Happy Holiday!
Stagecoach Robberies…
America’s postal service was the major medium of news and information in the nineteenth century. Stagecoach lines that moved the mail, as well as money and minerals, were frequently ambushed and robbed.
In 1857, the Postmaster General began contracting with private stagecoach companies for mail service in the western territories.
Commemorated by Hollywood and pulp fiction as part of the great adventure of the Wild West, stagecoach holds-ups put the mail at risk and endangered the lives of those on board. All too often mail coach robberies ended in tragedy and death.
In 1881 alone, there were 86 stagecoach hold-ups in the United States. Robbers typically were looking for gold shipments, bank transfers and cash being transported in registered mail sacks. Jewelry and other valuables were ususally taken from passengers at gunpoint.
The last stagecoach robbery…
The last stagecoach robbery in the U.S. took place on December 5, 1916 near Jabridge, Nevada. During the holdup, the driver was killed and three to four thousand dollars in gold coins were stolen. A bloody palm print on a letter in one of the registered mail sacks helped identify the robber.
On October 16, 1917, Ben Kuhl, a local miner, was found guilty as charged. The money, however, was never recovered.