Package: mailx Version: 8.1-5 This looks like (yet another) BSD-vs-SysV signal handling problem. chiark:~> mail ijackson Subject: testing spong wibble ^C (Interrupt -- one more to kill letter) ^C ^C ^C ^Z [2]+ Stopped mail ijackson chiark:~> kill %2 [2]+ Stopped mail ijackson chiark:~> [2]+ Terminated mail ijackson chiark:~> Ian.