Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-29
CHASING A TRUNK THIEF.
HOW RODERICK GOT THE
WRONG MANS BAGGAGE.

WNRfDNG mhN'0 IbANNEANTEs
The story of a Missing Trunk and How
1T Led to Important DiseOverIes-Mr.
ElliOtt's Investigations Solve the
Mystery Of Lost Baggage-The Thief
Traced from Savannah to Columbus
and Back Again-HOw He Escaped.
The cause Of a number Of unaccounta-
bic disappearance Of valuable baggage
from the baggage department Of the
Savannah, Florida and Western Railway,
has been at last discovered. Several
valuable trunks have within short time
mvsteriously disappeared from the
custody Of the company after they had
been placed in charge of its employees.
one Of the trunks was valued at $500 and
another at $500. and others still less. Inc
loss was laid to carelessness in de-
livery and was made good to the
owners of the missing pieces, and
nothing further done about the matter.
CHANGING THE CHECKS.
About TIVE months ago Mr.. ID. H.
Elliott. the Travelling Agent Of the road,
left a large leather trunk containing
valuable articles Of clothing, jewelry. ETC.,
with the cOmpany's agent at Jacksonville
and took a check, &C. x >, 5i4," LOT u.
During Mr.. ElliOtrs absence from Jack
sonvlIle the trunk was, by an oversight,
sent to this city with lot Of unclaimed
baggage, and was stored away IN the
IN GOA re-rOOm at the depot. A week
or so ago Mr.. Elliott wrote TO
Jacksonville for the trunk, and
discovered that it had been sent
ayvav. He at once came to Savannah,
SUIT after a thorough search was unable
To find it. His investigations, however,
developed the fact that the baggage reg
lister had been tempered with, and that
the page which had contained the entry
Of his check had been torn out and new
entry made in which a check "a. & u.
5gf,5 Vas accounted for. 1t was
found that the TRUNK thus checked had
been delivered on an order from the
Central Railroad agent at Columbus 10
Mr.. G. A. Kneller, the Central Railroad
baggage agent in this city, and had been
sbiDped to Columbus and delivered to a
party there holding the duplicate check.
This was the first clue to the whereabouts
Of the missing baggage.
MR.. ELLIOTT's INVESTIGATIONS.
Mr.. Elliott took the first train for
Columbus, and calling on Chief OF
Police Palmer he found that that
officer had already Swallowed the
been aroused sometime before in regard TO
| a man who had lately arrived in the CITY,
He had followed him TO the house
where he lived. and looking through a
window saw him handling the contents
OF a trunk IN a way that showed II was
not his DrOperty. Further investigation
developed the fact that the suspected
party had been dispOsing of valuable arti-
cles about the city. The Chief delayed ar
resting him, hoping to get something
more definite about him. While waiting
Mr.. Elliott called and stated his case.
| Chief Palmer told Mr.. Elliott at once that
he thought he knew the thief. They
went vigorously to work and finally
traced the trunk rObber to Brownsville, a
suburb of Columbus.
FINDING THE TRUNK.
The trunk was found but was emp
tied OF its contents. a few of the
articles, however, were recovered,
among them a cloak belonging to
Mrs. Elliott, and a gOld-headed cane pre-
sented to Mr.. Elliott by the Florida Press
Association. OF which he is secretary.
The cane was in the possession
Of bar keeper, who stated
that Il had been given TO him
| bv L. H.. ROderick, of Savannah. He
| had given him the cane which at the time
was minus its gold head, but had alter
wards sent the head when he returned To
| Savannah, The baTkeeper produced Rod
eTick's letter accompanying the keepsake.
| The thief had also unwittingly distributed
a number of family photographs Whlcn
were i'm the trunk among his friends
i'm Columbus. He gave MI
EIli0tt's photograph TO his landlady
and said il was a picture of his own
/ brother. He haA left the city some time
| before Mr.. Elliott arrived and had come
back to Savannah.
A DISCHARGED wATCHNIAN.
Roderick was for a long time watch
| man at the Savannah, Florida and West
/ ern Railway depot in this city, but was
! discharged several months ago. He was
! we'll known TO people about the railroad
/ ward. who say that he was absent for some
/ length of time and claimed that a sister
/ had died in Boston, Mass, and that he
/ was going on to attend her funeral. lie
| then disappeared for several weeks. lie
/ came to Savannah from New Jersey about
four years ago. He lived corner OF Purse
/ and Walker streets, and had wife anC
| family.
| Before leaving Columbus Mr. Elliott
/ teIegraphed to savannah to arrest Rod
| prick. but for some reason il was not done
1 On Mr. ElliOtt's return to this city on
| Wednesday. he presented his proofs OF the
| guilt of the suspected party 10 the author
/ tiles and the case was given 10 Specla
/ Detective Wetherhorn. Detectives were
| nut on ROderick's tracks and {
| watch was kept on his house
| during the night. but he succeed
ed in Guiding the efforts to capture him
| and got aboard the 80 train on the
| Charleston and Savannah Railroad yester
| day morning at the Central Railroad cross
| Ing. and jumped of somewhere be-
| tween that point and Charleston. Every
| effort Will be made 10 arrest the thief, anC
| it is expected that he will be captured to
/ day. A search Of his house resulted II
| the recovery of a considerable amount o.
stolen property, indicating much more
| extensive depredatiOns than were at tlrs