Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-03-16
A RAILWAY ADVENTURE.

Our Continental railway carriages, with
their closed coupes, afforded pretty adven-
turesses opportunities for blackmailing
schemes which would be impossible in your
open American cars. A specimen operation
of these fair ladies has just been afforded
Dy the adventure which befell merchant
Karl A.-whose full name the police refuse
to make public. He was travelling from
Steyr to this city, and had to change trains
at the little town of St. Valentiu. While
waiting there for the Paris express, which
was to take the passengers TO Vienna, q
friend introduced to him young girl, APP
parently only eighteen years old, who was
also going TO this city. When the train
reached the station Mr.. A. quickly took a
seat in first.class coupe, of which he was
the only occupant. Shortly before the train
started the lady entered the same coupe.
Hardly, however, had she cast look
around her when she remembered that she
had only second-class ticket, but before
she could leave the coupe was locked BY
the guard and the train set itself in motion.
Mr.. A. explained to her that she could
have herself transferred to q second.class
coupe at the next station, Amstetten, or pay
the difference for frst-class ticket. The
lady contented herself with this, and enter
ing into conversation said she was baro
ness, born in Munich and reared in a con-
vent. She was travelling to Poland by way
of Vienna in order to accept a position as
governess in that country.
Instead of changing couDes at Amstetten
she permitted Mr. A. to procure frst,class
ticket for her and continued her converse
ton with her fellow traveller. After the
train had left St. Poelten Mr.. A. desired to
offer the lady cigarette. Hardly, how
ever, had he drawn his his cigarette. case
from his pocket when the lady showed evil
dent signs of uneasiness and begged Mr.. A.
to open the window He readily did so,
and then the governness approached the
half open window. She looked out for q
few seconds, then suddenly pushed down
the window entirely and swung herself on
the sill in order to jump through the open
ing into the depths below. The train was
going at the rate of thirty miles an hour.
Mr.. A. sprang up from his seat and to.
wards the window and managed to catch
the girl by the legs. A struggle ensued be.
tween the strong man and the desperately
resisting girl, who was leaning with the up
per half of her form out of the window and
apparently did not want to be drawn back.
All this time she kept screaming. "He
wants to murder mel"
The struggle lasted over aquarter of an hour.
Persons at stations at which the train did not
stop saw the encounter. Finally tho goVerness'
cries for help dominated even the laundering of
the train Passengers in the adjoining coupe
opened the windows and added their shouts to
the girls until at length, tho conductor heard it
and stopped the train on the open track. Tho
girl was taken into another coupe, Mr.. a. re-
maned alone and the train continued with in
creased speed on its way to this city.
In the meanwhile the police authorities had re-
ceived kilograms from the different staton-keep-
ers Oh the road, describing the scene they had
witnessed st the carriage window When the
train arrived Mr.. A. and his fellow traveller were
arrested and taken to the police station in the
depot, where they were asked to give an e1pla-
nation of tho occurrence. The lady declared that
when Mr.. A. drew out box she feared that it
contained an opate and that he wanted to make
her unconscious Fortunately Mr.. A. was able to
prove on the spot that the little case contained
only Turkish cigarettes. AS there were no grounds
for charge against the merchant, the officials re-
leased him as well as the lady. Mr.. A. left the
station house vowing never to travel alone again
in first class coupe with an interesting young
female passeuger.-Fienna (Austria) Cor. N. Y.
HyoyId