Mailman's death shrouded in mystery of mail he left behind BROOKLINE, Mass. - For 20 years, Alan Gagne delivered mail to a tree- lined neighborhood here - but not all of it.
The postal service said Tuesday he tucked away thousands of circulars and hundreds of letters in drawers and closets in his apartment. The authorities discovered the mail Friday when a supervisor, who worried when Gagne did not show up for work, found him dead in his apartment on the same street where he made his rounds in this affluent suburb. The Boston Globe reported the discovery Tuesday. Some of the mail dates from the 1980s, said Robert Cannon, a spokesman for the postal service, and about 90 percent of it was circulars flagged as undeliverable because of an address change. The postal service is trying to deliver the first-class letters and cards, none of which were opened, to their rightful recipients, but is having trouble because the letters are so old. Cannon said officials do not know why Gagne kept the mail, and probably never would. "There appeared to be no rhyme or reason as to how, when, or where he took the mail or why he was holding onto it," Cannon said. Stealing mail is a federal offense, but the death voids all charges, he said. "It's tragic, unfortunate and bizarre." Gagne, 54, lived on the bottom floor of a yellow duplex on a quiet tree-lined street filled with parents pushing strollers. A bachelor, he moved from an apartment around the corner a few years ago, neighbors said, and apparently took the mail with him. He was occasionally spotted at a nearby coffee shop and the grocery store, but he and his habits were as much of a mystery in life as they are in death. Neighbors said Gagne was somewhat of an enigma, barely looking people in the eye but seemingly obsessed with getting the mail to them properly and on time, leaving them all the more baffled as to how and why he took the mail. "When you went away on vacation he would leave photocopied notes in his unusual, hard-to-read scrawl that you should check your mail carefully because there might be a problem," said Jonathan Sandler, 35, who was walking by Gagne's Linden Street apartment with his wife and 20-month-old son. He said Gagne was the best, most thorough mailman he had ever had. "Al was the mail." Gagne was, by many accounts, socially awkward and had problems striking up even casual conversations. He was often heard mumbling to himself along the route and complained about how heavy the mailbag was. "Being social was extremely difficult for him, said Jeff Kline, who lives on the street. "He would answer if I spoke to him, but he wouldn't strike up a conversation." "It was even difficult to tip him," Kline added. "I would sort of press a twenty into his hand and he'd look away. It was very hard for him to look you in the eye." Rebecca Scudiere, 25, a medical student who lives in the street's only large apartment building, said she and her roommates often found their mail was late and, Thursday, received a large bundle of unsorted mail. She said she had been "creeped out" by a conversation with Gagne, whom she saw every day but only acknowledged her once. "I was getting my mail at the same time he came and he said, Who's your mail from, your boyfriend? I'd take you out,'" she said. "Aside from that he was never friendly." Neighbors said they are more sad than angry about the situation. "I should be rightfully angry, but I'm surprised. I'd be surprised if anything of value was taken," Kline said. "I find myself being much more sad that he could have done this and his life had to be that way than mad that he took circulars." _______________________________________________ IRCA mailing list IRCA@hard-core-dx.com http://arizona.hard-core-dx.com/mailman/listinfo/irca Opinions expressed in messages on this mailing list are those of the original contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the IRCA, its editors, publishing staff, or officers For more information: http://www.ircaonline.org To Post a message: irca@hard-core-dx.com