Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1865-01-20
The Trunk Tragedy--What Ii Is, and Where I
Came From-Sentence Of the Woman.
pecial Correspondence Of Philadelphia Press.
NoRFoIK. Va. ,Jannayy 7 1853

u
NoRFoLK, Va, January !, 1865.
The great trunk tragedy. which has so excited
public attention not only In Norfolk but In the en-
tire United States came to final close yesterday
bv the trial. conviction and sentence Of the accused
party Maria Louisa Linder, the alleged perpetra-
tor of the crime, IS tall thin woman, apparently
about forty wears of age. She is a German bybirth
and the Teutohie lisp still elings to her language
Yesterday morning she was brought into court, and
after the trial, which occupied an hour and three
quarters. she was sentenced She was dressed in n
plain black dress and corresponding dark colored
bonnet. Her face evidently showed forth the deep
mental agony that was upheaying her very soul. +
She stood at the bar of the court not exactly in the
prisoners box, but for support, leaned against a
stauneh iron pillar as she gave in her testimony.
The court filed with number Of distinguished
personages, who had been allowed the especial priv
ilege of beiRg in attendance. noticed the ph0n0-
graphic reporters Of both the Norfolk newspapers
and TO the gentleman connected with the Old Do
RsiRio0 / am greatly indebted for transferenee Of
| the woman's testimony. Major Webster, the presi-
ding Judge called the court TO order. and the case
was at once opened give the testimony exactly as
i rendered by the woman, correcting all gram
matical errors which person Of her education and
station in life must be supposed to have made
Maria Louisa LInder sworn-I am the person ae-
cused and guilty Of taking trlnk fotm Norfolk to
Baltimore county containing the body ofJohn Frees
born
Question. Are you a married woman
answer. No sir ! never was married, but kept
common house al the corner Of W Woodside lane and
Little Water street. | lived with this man Free
born. TO whom became attached and we lived to-
q. Did You ever i've with this man after he lad
enlisted
A. Yes, sir /; 1 never knew him before that time
Q. Now state TO the Court all you know about
the trunk affair.
The woman here became greatly affected, and
hIA~arIv short t;pna porffnuad bpr
deRce. John Freeborn told me that he was tired Of
the army and that if | would get him to Chicago
he would give me four hundred dollars. | asked
him how ne would be able to get so much money
He said he was going TO jump the bounty and get a
thousand dollars and then We would both 60 TO Can
ada and get married. ! told him that II would not
know how TO get him away from here, for the Gov
ernment men watched everything SO closely. He
said $50 and buy 8 large trunk and viii get IN
II, and you can do with me just as though as | was
your clothing. You can check me to Baltimore, and
then get IN the cars and go TO Chicago" did not
Ike 70 do It, but he made me and we wenton board
the Baltimore boat.
Q. By Judge Webster. Did he say anything
about smothering7
A. Yes. and he cut a small hole in the trunk
Here the trunk was shown. II is large and hand
some one. about twenty-five inches high, sixteen
inches broad. and thirty-two inches long. Immedi-
atey beneath one of the straps Is seen very small
oriice. through which the deceased gained bis
breath. =bY means OF plpeStem- IL EonAQ De al
most impossible to detect the Orifce unless il was
pointed out. The hole would not admit the passage
of sufficient air to sustain animation IN a rat There
IS plenty of room within the trunk to allow limited
use of the limbs but they would necessarily be con
tracted TO such an extent as TO produce violent
cramp after person had been so subjugated for a
period Of FIVE hours. He did notthink there would
be any difficulty IN breathing through the stem Of
the pipe which he used.
When got to Fortress Monroe went up to the
I Il 10. IL
which / was to know how he was getting on. He
answered Il twice, so that knew it was al right
He had no aor IN his trunk-nothing but q canteen
of water, towel, and piece of chewing tobacco.
When | got 10 Baltimo.e | ordered hackman TO
take me to a hotel. do not know which one it
was, ! was so anxious to get there. When | got to
the hotel went up stairs, and had the trunk brought
up with me. and then when we got into the room j
locked the door l was so glad when | got there
that kicked the trunk with all my might. but got
no answer. ] said, Now, Johny YOU are al right. y
He did not answer me, and thought he foolIng
me- got the key and opened the trunk, and he
laid perfectly still, when said, "Come Jack get up,
you are IN Baltimore now and no one is about here
but me- He said nothing, when put my hand
upon his face and be was dead The woman was
here so overcome with her feelings that it was some
minutes before she could proceed. / dropped the
lid Of the trunk and was crazy in my head. /
saw a card on the mantel-p piece of the room and ]
wrote the word Chicago on 1t, and rang immedi-
ately for a servant. He got me a hackman and !
told him ] wanted to 90 right away to Chicago He
said he would take me to the Calvert Street Station
for two dollars / told him | would give him that,
and handed him a FIVE dollar bill, when he gave me
back three dollars He put the trunk behind the
carriage and when we got to the depot he asked me
if wanted it checked; told him yes. He said, go
and get your ticket andI viii get it checked for you
was scared almost TO death never felt so funny
before in my life wantedit fo4ndout and hadn't
the heart to tell any one. went to get my ticket,
and instead of doing so | walked up the street
do not know what made me, but couldn't help it.
/ saw policeman coming down near me and wan
ted to tell him, but ] did not know how. walked
The streets all night; no one said anything to me,
and did not say word to any one. Thenext NOR
ming heard some say something about trunk, and
thanked God that il had been found out. walked
through the streets during all the morning. and final
" felt bad that went and told on myself This
was all done upon the moment / was perfectly
crazy after found out that the soldier was dead
Judge W ebster, after having consulted with Gen
eraI Shepley upon the sentence, returned TO the
court room and sentenced her to fine of FIVE hun
dred dollars and two years Imprisonment at hard
labor.