SANTA ANA, Calif., Dec. 12, 1999 -- Without thinking much about it,
Valerie Blackholly put a blank, unsealed envelope brimming with cash and
endorsed checks next to some outgoing mail.
Next thing you know the envelope is in her
mailbox. Gone forever, you say?
Not at all, even though checks and cash
came streaming out as the envelope made its way through the postal
system. In fact, before Blackholly even knew anything was amiss,
the lost loot was making its way back to her.
The very next day, the post office called
and said a couple of checks had turned up. By week's end, the
entire cache -- all 20 $20 bills and all 17 checks had been found and
returned.
Blackholly was in "total shock,"
the Los Angeles Times reported. But post officials took it
in stride.
Happens all the time, they said.
Carol Samaniego, manager of consumer
affairs and claims for Orange County, just wishes more people would
inquire about their lost mail. She has a bulging file of photos,
keys and just about everything else that's popped out of envelopes and
packages.
Nothing ever really gets lost, she
said. Just misplaced. |
