Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-10-01
The Sturp Teller.
THE COFFIN-SHAPED BOX.
BY F. Z. CHASE.
from the Detroit Free Press
DAPT

drummer. ssand one upon which I used to
pride myself not a little. For time it
worked very we'll, but it finally got me into
what came near being a serious scrape, and
was glad to abandon it.
~ was travelling at that time for crock
cry house, one of the leading concerns in
that line in P. Of course, the samples
photographs, but I was introducing also
line of decorated goods, to illustrate which
photographs were wholly inadequate, and
Of these I was forced to carry actual sam
pies.
age in transportation of goods OF this class
was something enormous, and as their cost
was in many cases high, constituted quite an
item in my expense account. had trunks
especially constructed with compartments
shaped to contain the several articles car
ried, and lined with flannel and other SOFT
materials but all to no purpose. The hand
ling they received on the railways would
have cracked an anvil; and despite every
precaution, I continued to suffer not only
money loss, but serious Inconvenience
from the constant destruction of my samples.
"Things had gone on in this way for sew
eral months before the idea occurred to me
of which 1 spoke. 1 was one day standing
in the Boston & Albany Railroad station in
B enjoying cigar before the starting OF
my train, and experiencing the comfort we
ali get out of seeing some one else work.
They were rushing the baggage on board at
a tremendous rate and with the usual
amount of damage. l had just seen my
sample trunk dropped some seven feet from
the top of heavily laden truck to the plat
form, and was mentally engaged in figuring
up my probable loss by the operation, when
I observed two men wheeling an oblong
box toward the train with exceptional
care. A second glance explained their
remarkable and unusual behavior. 1t was
one of those rough cases in which cottins
are packed for shipment, and probably con-
tanned the body of some poor devil, per-
haps in my own homeless line of busi-
ness, who had died, as 1 had to live, far
away from home and kindred.
The truck that carried the body had by
this time reached the car door where the
demolition of baggage was temporarily
suspended, and with the gentlest of hands
the box was being lifted to its place in the
car. BY jove, I thought, if could only Sc,
cure such treatment for my samples. And
then came the idea.
"What if were to have sample case
made so far as external appearance went,
like one of these boxes. l need not com
NIT myself to any statement of its contents.
Only let the legend This side up be stem
ciled conspicuously on the top, and Head
at one end of the cover, and but one inference
would be possible. I might have to pay
heavy rates for transportation, but that
would be nothing compared to my loss by
breakage. I could see no objection to the
idea save on the score of taste, and heaven
knows if that were made ground of objec-
tion, men in my line would find it pretty
Shedding. was not quite sure as to wheth-
er any penalty might attach, or any legal
bar exist to such proceeding, but resolv-
ed to chance that. .-.. ......
81 gave the matter good deal of thought
at odd times duriug the trip, and finally
communicated the the idea to the house. 1t
took with them immensely, and on my re-
turn found my plans already carried out,
and a sample box, the exterior of which
would have made an undertaker's heart
leap for joy, awaiting me locked in the pri-
vate Office of our senior.
ga certain amount Of secrecy was, Of
course, necessary to insure the success OF my
plan, and was therefore compelled to pack
INV samples after the store had been closed
for the night, and to convey the box away
under cover of the darkness. The aSsocia-
tions of the hour and the almost too convinc-
ing freight made me feel like a resurrection
list; and I am not quite sure whether the
strange expressman whom I employed to
take the box to the depot regarded me as
grave robber or in the light of red hand
ed murderer disposing of the remains of
his victim. He did not formulate his
doubts but charged me double rates, which
amounted to the some thing.
II was little nervous about my first
trip with the new sample box, but the re-
suits far exceeded anything had dared to
hope for. The samples were everywhere
accepted as genuine cdddrer, and treated
accordingly; and for the first time in years
I was enabled to show my customers some
thing besides broken crockery. l was put
to some trouble, it is true, in making ar
rangements and to considerable expense. l
was also forced to dressalways in black while
on the railways and to preserve an appro-
priately dismal expression. This latter,
thanks to the deadly cuisine of most rail
road restaurants, was comparatively easy.
I was somewhat embarrassed, besides, IN
the beginning, by being frequently consult
ed by train hands and others in most
respectful whisper regarding the deceased,
but soon got used to that. The worst Of
all was the isolation from the congenlal
smoking-car set that was forced upon me
by circumstances. Regarded variOusly as
the man in charge of the remains, as the
young man taking his father, brother, aunt
or what not, West for burial, or as the poor
young fellow, only married year, and tax
ing his wife back to the country home they
had left only twelve short months since,
etc.-regarded thus | was eXiled from the
society of men and the more congenial of
the other sex, and only approaced by elder
ly women, Of unattractive exterior and
fearful tendencies, who wasted quarts of
tears and oceans of sympathy over me, re-
garded in various hypothetical lights. Who
originated the several theories of bereave-
ment that were made to connect me with
my samples l never could ascertain, but
every old woman had new one in which
she appeared to implicitly believe, and Of
fered condolences accordingly. All this
was hard to bear, but my samples were
meanwhile intact, and that consoled me.
"Once out of P / found that the risk
of discovery of my trick was practically
nothing. My trips were long ones, never
occupying less than four months, and took
nv trade lay mainly in the large towns, 1
had always choice of routes and, in fact,
during the two years that 1 used my coffin
shaped box I never but once was forced to
make two journeys over the same railway
line. Thus | took no one into my conf
dence except the hotel proprietors, which
was necessity. TO them l was obliged to
explain my trick, but as l was, by virtue
of nv large business connections, good
customer, they kept my secret well. They
used to give me room on the ONCE moor
into which my box was conveyed with due
ceremony and respect, and there was able
to carry away my samples Slngly as requlr-
ed. AS I patronized only the largest hotel,
nv doings usually passed unnoticed in their
hustle and rush Of business. Only once was
1 annoyed by the notice of guest of the
house; and he turned out to be the inventor
Of natant embalming process, who, of