The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1889-01-10
Live Man in a Trunk.


vya,,,a~f,. ..,reu.ures OF an FEnstazxler |
while Frying 20 Avoid the F"afee-
Thomas W. Vines for several years was |
EMPLOYED as timekeeper for the Adam;
and Westlake Manufacturing Company o.
Chicago. Once every week he distributed
among the other employees the weekly
stipend to which they were entitled.
Last week he pocketed the money in tiit
envelopes, amounting to 81. eco The en-
bAzzement was soon discovered, and th'
u rsica were given good description OF
Thomas.
I:.s fugitive discovered that The exits
of the city were SO vel! watched that an,
attempt TO escape would be fraught witt
considerable Danger. He called to his as
81 stance confederate. 4 big SaIatog
trunk was purchased ty tie confederate
a ID Thomas and most CT his Doodle VI
a .nosjted ia the trunk. Thomas is siA
feet high, weighs lS0 pounds, and The
INK was pref Y fl ! when Taomas was
% cked in Holes had been bored und,,
i & handles and through these Thomi
hailed air. Tilp Ii, nix was carted to Il e
d not and checked 10 st. Louis.
The conf, derate took the check and WAS
+, have claimed the Saratoga as soon as it
arrived Tie first baggage smasher that
seiza,i It stood Thomas on his bead nd
then with the assistance OF another Smash.
CIR ,iteh.d him twenty feet into Car. Hi.
had swain and swelled but he was game.
;..,,,o. In car md Ia n M,
IL violent conclusion, another pair of truul
thumpers picked him up and tossed bin
half way across the car. In minute
big sample trunk came laundering dow
on him aud shook all The pluck out of him.
Then he was stood on his head and lou.
barGed with and other pieces of baggag
until he was Threatened with apGplexy arc
suffo cation. He says:
They banged and slammed around in
fr;ghtfuI manner and made existence mis-
cradle for me, | Was tossed about in all
manner Of WAYS. Sometimes was stand.
ing on my head and sometimes on my feet.
While the trunk as standing still was
all right. My hands were scratched. My
head was bumped aud badly bruised.
had taken bottla Of water with me anc
had il in the back pocket of my trousers.
a toss of the trunk broke the bottle anG
the water poured down my neck. The
first hund red miles or SO in the car L get
along nicely ard the air was all right.
Then it Became thick, and after golnt
another fifty or seveEty-fye miles | hegaI
to kick and yell. | conlj stand it no Ion
ger, and determined to ge$ out of tht
trunk at all hazards. The noise attracted
the attention Of the men in the car, am
they pulled cut the trunk. which had
another Trunk On top of it, and broke il
open"
When discovered Vines told the aston
isbed baggage manipulators that his name
was Burke and that he took the trunk il
order to beat his way. He won the mtn
over and when the train reached the depot
SO much sympathy was developed for The
poor Young man hat a subscription was
taken up and he was presented with St
and told to get something to eat. Att
restaurant lie told the walters he was Tas
cott the murderer OF Snell. whereupon ht
was promptly arrested. Vines and The
lrunk were taken TO police headquarters
where search of both brought to light
$500. lie was identified as Vines by O. t
OF the detectives and then he. confessed.