Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1885-02-28
PEszL's STRANGE STORY.
GentIeman's Queer Experience in
Austria

A GentIeman's Queer Experience in
Austria
A startling and mysterious robbery is
reported from Linz, says a Vienna dis
patch to The London Standard, the par
ticulars of which read like a page from
one of the novels Of Alexander Dumas,
the elder. Last week Herr Peszl, post
master of Neuzeug, a small locality in
the district of Linz, had to take sum of
1000 forms, together with some papers
Of value, to the town Of Steyr. In the
train he entered into conversation with
a Representatives, individual, who
gave himself out to be an insurance
broker, and was evidently well acQuaint-
ed with Steyr and the surrounding cOun-
try. They travelled together as far as
Linz, when the stranger, announcing his
intention Of putting up at the same hotel
as his companion, suggested that they
should drive there from the station to-
gether. To this the postmaster agreed,
and accordingly they both got into q
tWO-hOFse closed conveyance that was
waiting outside. Shortly after starting
the pseudO-insurance broker offered the
unsuspecting postmaster his snuff box,
and no sooner had Herr Peszl partaken
of its contents than he lost consciousness.
When he began to recover his senses he
was being driven at a furious speed
across the open country. While still in
a confused state Herr Peszl asked his
companion whittier they were bound,
but instead of replying the latter applied
a damp cloth to Herr PesZPs face, which
caused the postmaster to relapse into his
former unconscious condition. He has
no recollection of what occurred for some
time afterWard, but in the morning he
once more revived and found himself in
small open trap, seated next to a man
he had never seen before. Another
man, in PEASANTS dress, was leading the
horse. Herr PeEzl at once remarked
that his bag Of valCables had disappear
ed, together with his fur coat, which had
been replaced by a thinner one made of a
kind of TyrOlese hOmespun cloth. They
were driving along a valley unknown to
Herr Peszl. In the course of half an
hour they stopped in front Of a dilapi-
dated peasant house built Of rough grey
stone. The postmaster was to alight,
and was conducted to a large bare room
on the grOung floor, where he was kept
prisoner for four days. Food was
brought to him by the man dressed as a
peasant. Last Tuesday, toward 8 o'clock
in the morning, Herr PesZl was reused
from his sleep by the same individual,
and, after dressing himself, was led about
two hundred PAGES from the house,
where q sledg6 was IN waiting for them
IL was showing 4aEu ana almost JlLCu
dark. AS they drove along Herr Peszi
pressed his Tailor with questions, but ali
the answer he could get was that he was
being driven home. About an hour and
a half from the time Of their start they
pulled up within forty yards of a small
station. On aliehting Herr Peszl found
himself face to face with the man who
had travelled with him to Linz. That
mysterious individual handed to Herr
Peszl his fur coat and money bag, to-
gether with a ticket for Steyr, whittier
he urged him to return at once, as he
was wanted by the police. All this was
the work Of q couple Of minutes; the
train was in the station, and Herr Peszl
had only Just time to take his seat with
out asking further questions. On eXamiD-
ing his money bag he found it empty,
which can not have caused him much
surprise. On reaching home he was
shown the following telegram. received
at the NeuZeug pOstOfiice during his alb
sence: ''Thank Cod 1 am alive, and
hope to return. A thousand greetings.
Peszl." The hero of this extraordinary
adventure is q man Of such excellent
character that, so far, his narrative does
not seem to have excited any suspicion
on the part of the local authorities.