The New York herald., 1877-12-01
A STOLEN TRUNK.

HOW MRS. PEMBERToN's BAGGAGE DIsAP-
PEARED-A CANAL BoATMAN's CURIOUS DIS
covERY AND WHAT CAME OF 1T.
On tho iorty-one minutes past eleven train OF the
New Jersey Southern Railroad Mrs. Caroline Pcmbcr-
ton left Long Branch Monday ias.. sho COM
ing with her daughter New York 10 spend The WIN
ter in the CITY, and she had thought proper to bring
with thcm from their country abode, iu addition 10
wardrobe and vauables, q lot OF the trinkcts
ana bricabrac. tho possession OF which ladies' deem
necessary 10 fill up the Of human happiness.
She had besides number of papers Of much moro i'm
portance-valuable deeds, bank notes and bank
shares--which she had packed In trunk with some
cherished family souvenirs and private correspond
once Tho baggage consisted Of three trunks-portly
all OF them-the one containing tho
papers, however, beng by odds tho largest
and heaviest On reaching tho depot at about
two o'clock tho ladies found that tho rain
was coming dow ana the place damp AMI dis
agreeable that they resolved 10 90 10 the boarding
house they had chosen before presenting tncir bag.
gage checks or at all inquring about The trunks.
cab conveyed them to their destination, No ~ West
Seventeenth street. and once indoors they bethought
them OF their baggage, and inquired ABOUT the bost
method OF transporting II from tho depot Dir. Brau
ley. an cxpressman, who had his business IN
the eiehborhood, suggested a q person by the
lady OF tho house. and accordingly one Of bis EN-
ployes was despatched to the depot for the ,runks
1
cas- ness the minds OF the owners winch was much
intensified whom they learned that one OF tho trunks
had been stolen from the express wagon apd the one
too, which contained the papers and vai0ablea
THE DRiyER's STORY.
Tho driver oi the wagon stated nrst that he had
gone TO the depot had placed two trunks upon his
Vehicle and was briugpg The third 10 IL when one Of
them stolen. Later on, though, stated that ho
had been misunderstood in his excitement, and
went on 10 say that he was driving along
West street when a truckman behind hailed
him and asked him u he had not lost q
was missing. and his informant told him II had been
lifted out Of tho wagon BY some one and carried oil.
The driver at once repaired to tho Fifth precinct
tion house 10 report his l2ss and thcn carried tho
news 70 Mrs. PemDerton. Almost Simultaneous with
his arrival al the house came notification from
Fifth precinct officials that the trunk was found
and the tnievcs wore In custody. Investigation,
however, showed that tho police, driven to
excessive vigilance by the alarm which had
ada who, to Icssen their travelling expenses, had
concuded 10 do their own expressage anu carry their
truck between them
The THEFT was later reported nj the Central ONCE,
and Sergeant Keay uDderook with one OF ms dctoc-
tivcs, a quest Tor the missing trunk A sche-
dule OF iis contents was supplied tnem, which
showed that among the papers were $4,000
worth or mortgages, two notes, one ior
Long Branch Banking Company, Dcs'dos number Of
costly silk dresses shawis and some articles Of
jswcIry. wnie the detectives we're carrying Oh their
Investigations, Odiccr Mulrooney, OF The western
Steamboat squad chanced upon man, hand on a
canal boat wnom he learned was IN possession ol
bauk bank checks which he had beon trsssur e
as prizes, out the vaiuclcss nature OF winch
he had been rudcly awakened 10 appreciate.
This was sought out, indeed nc
was trying to find out the OF the checks him.
self, and no At produced red box containing
lot oil blank bank checks and private correspondence
In this way he accounted for his possession o.
them He had been sitting thc side OF the canal
boat when he noticed rcd box floating with the tide
Hc drew the captains attention TO H. and tho latter
nshed y out Then, when y was found 70 contain ~
what was thought to valuable papers, the boat hands
scrambled for thcm and every ono carried on part
Of the booty The box and man wcrc produced ~ I'M
Central Office yesterday, whcro the owner idcntned
the properly. Tho story OF the canaDoat hand -,
however, open to suspicion, as the papers found on
him were not placed IN the red box, which be said
had contained tnc, but in another receptacle, which
had been stored with IL In corner oi the trunk.
clew, IL is thought, had In TINS way been supplied,
which win enable tho police 10 csDturo the thieves
and secure the stolen goods.