The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-02-21
A Strange Story. fLondon TeleRranh.f


 A startling and mysterious robbery is reported from Linz, the particulars of which read like a page from one of the novels of Alexander Dumas the elder. Last week Herr Peszl, postmaster of Neuzeug, a small locality in the district of Linz; had to take a sum of 900 |6cEins, together with some papers of |yalue, to the tewn of 6teyr. In the train he entered into conversation with a re. dressed individual, who gave himself out to be an insurance broker, land was evidently well acquainted with |Steyr and the surrounding country. They travelled together as far as Linz, when the |stranger, announcing his intention of putting up at the same hotel as his com |panion, suggested that they should drive |thither from the station together. To this the postmaster agreed, and accord- |ingly they both got into a tw0-horse |closed conveyance that was waiting out side. Shortly after starting the pseudo insurance broker offered the unsuspect- |ing postmaster his snu6-box, and no boomer had Herr Peszl partaken of its |contents than he lost consciousness, When he began to recover his senses he was being driven at furious speed |across the open country. While still in A confused state Herr Pesxl asked his companion whither they were bound, but Instead of replying the latter applied a damp cloth to Herr PeszFs face, which caused the postmaster to relapse into his Former unconscious condition.
 He has no recollection of what oc- cured for some time afterward, but in the morning he once more revived and
 ound himself in a small open trap. beated next to man he had never seen before. Another man in a peasants dress, was leading the horse. Herr Peszl ht once remarked that his bag of valu- lbles had disappeared, together with his
 ur coat, which had been replaced by
 thinner one made ot kind of Tyrolese homespun cloth. They were driving hlong valley unknosn to Herr Peszl.
 h the course of half an hour they stopped n front of dilapidated peasant house. built of rough gray stone. The post. master was bidden to alight, and was conducted to large, bare room on the ground floor, where he was kept prisoner or four days. Food was brought to him by the man dressed as a peasant.
 Last Tuesday, toward three o'clock in he morning, Herr Peszl was reused from bis sleep by the same individual, and kfter dressing himself was led about two hundred paces from the house, where a
 led was waiting for them. It was snow- Ing hard and almost pitch dark. As they hrove along Herr Peszl pressed his taller with questions but all the answer he |rould get was that he was being driven home. About an hour and half from fhe time of their start they pulled up within forty yards of a railway ststion. |On alighting Herr Peszl found himself lace to face with the man who had travelled with him to Linz. That mysteri- bus individual handed to Herr Peszl his Fur coat and money bag, together with 3 ticket for Steyr, whither he urged him 10 return at once, as he was wanted by khe police. All this was the work of a foaple of minutes the train was in he station, and Herr Peszl had only just lime to take his seat without asking further questions. On examining his money bag he found it empty, which can- hot have caused him much surprise. On reaching home he was shown the follow Ing telegram received at the Neuzeug Post-office during his absence: "Thank God am alive, and hope to return in two days. Let them know in Steyr. A thousand greetings. Signed Peszl." The hero of this extraordinary adventure is a han of such excellent character that, so far, his narrative does not seem to have excited any suspicion on the part of the local authorities.