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If you think the stamps that accompany this mystery have tombstones as their subject, examine them more carefully.

You will notice that four of the five stones depicted are marked with post horns, familiar symbols of the postal services of 18th century Europe, particularly in Germany. The resemblance of these postal stones to grave markers served as the inspiration for this All Hallow's Eve story. In 1984, East Germany issued a set of stamps (Scott 2394-97 ) to recognize the importance of these stones to Germany's postal history.

The first postal "milestones" appeared in Saxony about 1695 for the purpose of guiding mail carriers throughout the duchy and providing them with a reference for speed and distance. The original markers were commissioned by Augustus the Strong, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony. The introduction of the stone markers represented an advance over any other method of regulating the mails in Europe. Many of the larger stones erected in the time of Augustus, display his coat of arms and the prominent letters "AR" for Augustus Rex.

King Augustus (1670- 1733) was an enlightened ruler in many respects but he was not well-beloved in Poland, since he kept his hold on power by virtue of his feared Saxon armies. As duke of Saxony, Augustus was also, by tradition, an "elector" of the Holy Roman Emperor, a fantasy title by Augustus' day, for the reincarnation of the Roman empire instituted by Charlemagne in 800 had long ceased to function.

The title of nobility Margrave is also a relic of the Holy Roman Empire. The term means "border lord" and was assigned to German princes loyal to the imperial crown. It fits in well with our Halloween tale, for the grave in margrave is related to the traditional place of interment. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, grave in its original sense meant a burial place not located in the earth, but above it, or a mausoleum for a German graff or lord. It is doubtful that postal horns were buried along with margraves, but I'm not about to start digging at lonely crossroads by night in order to find out.

Note: For more detailed information on Germany's postal stones, the author recommends John P. Mackey's informative monograph, The Postal History of Saxony (1967).

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