Mailbox

Carnell Dawkins, manager of a Mail Boxes Etc. branch in midtown Manhattan, remembers when David Russell set up an account to receive his mail there, but Russell was never seen and rarely used the box. "He never received much mail, maybe one piece," said Dawkins, who didn't think that was strange because overseas customers occasionally open accounts to establish a U.S. address. "It was only open for about three months and then he just disappeared." David Russell, federal prosecutors say, never existed.

Nighttime slumbers used to be more restful for Ed Croft. That was until his Ellicott City neighborhood recently suffered from a bout of "mailbox baseball." "I don't sleep," he said. "Every little noise, I would jump out of bed." Croft, his neighbor Tom Donovan and others are taking steps to try to prevent this and other forms of vandalism in their community. Across the country, people have grown accustomed to dealing with the crime, which derives its name from the use of a bat to damage postal units.

LA PLATA - It wasn't only the horror of the dozens of leveled or splintered buildings that struck visitors yesterday, the day after Maryland's worst-ever tornado careened through thetown. It was also the mystery of those things that somehow remained intact, untouched by the mayhem. The platter of fried chicken still waiting behind the counter of the fast-food restaurant with two missing walls and no roof. The red toy firefighter's helmet lying in the cinder blocks and twisted metal of what was once a downtown preschool.

When it comes to fashion, the traditional Thanksgiving turkey has nothing on Rosemarie Zimmer's duck.But the duck doesn't look very appetizing in its dressing.Sporting a black pilgrim's hat, a white dickie and turkey feathers on his tail, the painted wood mailbox ornament invites passing motorists to share in the spirit of the day, as it has done for every holiday since it was erected."That poor duck has been out there for about five or six years," said Mrs. Zimmer, the 58-year-old woman who painted the duck and acts as its fashion consultant.

Two suspects were in custody last night and three others were being sought in the planting of small bombs that destroyed several mailboxes in Dundalk, Baltimore County police reported. In announcing the arrests of a man, 19, and a male juvenile, 17, police said they "believe the acts were random and the motive was thrill seeking." Names of the suspects were not immediately disclosed. Police said they knew of four small bombs placed in mailboxes in Dundalk over several days, but believed that there had been others and asked that people who found them contact the department.

A Harford County teen-ager was arrested in connection with a three-hour rampage in a subdivision near Bel Air early yesterday, in which as many as 75 mailboxes and street signs were destroyed by a minivan, police said. The Bel Air teen was arrested at 3:10 a.m. and charged with driving while intoxicated and malicious destruction of property, said Lt. Edward Hopkins, spokesman for the Harford County sheriff's office. The 17-year-old, whose name was withheld because he is a juvenile, was charged with 35 counts of vandalism, Hopkins said.

Doesn't first-class mail deserve first-class treatment? No longer are homeowners content with the standard black steel mailbox perched on a 4-by-4 at the end of the driveway. These days they're dressing up their address and prettying up their post boxes. "People want to be unique," says Wayne Burwell, owner of Mailbox Factory Inc., a Kirtland, Ohio, mailbox manufacturer. Burwell knows unique. He makes the Golfball Mailbox. For $389. It looks like a giant white golf ball sitting on a tee. Needless to say, it's become a hit. He's thinking about expanding to baseballs, soccer balls and footballs.

There are few things in life that one can completely rely on, making the steady presence of the U.S. Postal Service all the more comforting. The mere sight of those ubiquitous blue post boxes conveys a semblance of order. That all is right in the world. That a man like Eric Dunn can wake up in the morning, cross the street and drop a letter into the box at 3630 Reisterstown Road. Or maybe not. "They're what?" said Dunn, 51, when told that the mailbox was one of 120 across Baltimore City and parts of Baltimore County to be uprooted this month.

Whether a mailbox is shaped like a fish or encased in brick, homeowners willing to invest several hundred dollars in one are offering passers-by a glimpse of their personality or boosting the curb appeal of their home. A largemouth bass has swallowed a standard black mailbox along Mountain Road in Fallston. A brick mailbox on Harford Road near Fork was built to look like the house it serves and to protect the mail from vandals who knocked over its predecessors with baseball bats. "It makes us feel good about the house," said Kelli Dial, who with her boyfriend had a brick mailbox installed last summer because vandals batted down four $8 mailboxes in a year.

A recent spate of canine attacks has prompted the United States Postal Service to issue an ultimatum to 500 Armistead Gardens residents: Move your mailbox to the street, or your mail will not be delivered -- even if you don't own a dog.The new rule, announced March 19, may be the first regulation of its kind to be issued by the Postal Service in Baltimore, postal officials say.The department typically takes action against the owner of a troublesome pet...