Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1891-01-01
A BAGGAGE MANS YARN.
kIE WORRIED OVER 4 COFFIN He
WAS CARRYING N MS CAR.

WAS CARRYING N HIS CAR.
ThsssSs tho Box Contained Tasrott. tho
>Alsss.ed Murderer. and Had 1t OpnneA.
The Discovery C.~s..a His Surprise asa
CraeI-ys Was Ills sIseiasr.
I'VE are net s4perstNSoss set yener-
crafty" remarked a Eriz1sed baggage mas
ter Il the PittshRrg, Fort Wayne and Chi
caxo ~cnas the other day as he lighted
cigar in the Grand Pacific and sat down
tor a talk
I'VE AIRS hot saiperstitious, but becohle
accustomed asssre or less to tbs presence OF
death in TIE corpses that arc transported
In the 1ssXage cars, for day scarcely goes
by &n,t We have from one t. three Stiffs,'
AZ the boys call them, On bca+d Yet there
r. always a check held Oh eAeAs impulses.
A fellow don't feel ike settinx hiDself out
NATURALLY when he knsews that corpse is
In tho same room with him, or at least I
can't, and I'm hesely as tough rs they
grow, Tor I've been On this road for fifteen
years..
What wanted to tell you about hap
pencd several years ago. At Fort Wayne,
kR boz. on the trucks ready to be loaded
Ene-o the car. It was marked for Denver,
and we were to carry it rs far as Chicago.
BY the side Of the trucks, with one tAnu
upon the box, stood young and well
dressed man, with band OF Grape tightly
pinned around his silk hat, and known ut
a glance to be In charge of the remains
Whenever any one accompanies the corpse
we always handle it silently and gently
out of respect for their feelings, for there's
few Of Ills but have buried our own, and
know how to feel for a fellow who sorrows
for loved one
THE SAD FACED STRANGER
After showing tickets the young man
asked permission to ride In the baggage
car and was refused, of course. He went
away hurricdly and disappeared in the
depot. We saw no more OF him until tho
train WIS ready to pull out, when he ap-
REARED ut the door with a permit to ride In
the car signed by the superintendent.
That settled it with us. His box was part
" covered with trunks, as the car was
crowded aud the run unusually heavy.
"'ple.,se remove those trunks was the
Hrst thing the gentleman said.
"We complied with the request, and the
messenger rat down beside tho box on
grip. resting his elbow upon the cover
toward the head. He never stirred from
that position, unless it WAS to lay his
cheek against the rough pine boards, and
saw tears trickEe down his handsome
face. Who was it covered theref
essay, Tom,' said my mate On the run,
that fellows either mighty soft on the
stiff or else he's got epal in there what
he's gettin' away with
THAT was sumner. The papers were
full of just such happenings, and possibly
this fellow had Tascott cOoped up there
and was spiriting him ont to the mount
aims didn't propose to allow anything
like that to get by me, and so l laid a
plan TO trap the fellow and turn him and
his charge over to the police. The more |
thought over the matter the stronger was
convinced that the attention paid to the
remains WAS unnatural and put on.
OPENING THE Dox.
xviii you wish lunch at Valparaiso'
inquired Of the stranger when we reached
Plymouth.
"'Will they bring it to the carp said the
young man.
"'No, replied, but II you want to
order dinner we will send one for three in
stead of two
"'Will everything be safe in herer anx-
iousiy asked the faithful watcher.
"Oh, yes; we'll lock the car
"'All right, wish you would make an
order for me- and without another word
he turned back to his charge, and don't
believe he stirred in that forty milo run.
"Instead of sending an order for dinner
I telcpboncd the sheriff Of Porter county
to be at the depot with tools to open
coffin box and coffin, for thought had
prize. Then instructed the young man
who was helping me to jump out Of the
car as soon as we had loaded the baggage,
and to 60 into the eating house with the
stranger and keep an eye on him.
when we reached Valparaiso there
were twenty minutes for dinner, and it took
us but few minutes to load up the trunks.
The sheriff stepped up and asked ME if |
was the baggage man. gave him the wink
and said:
"'Yon will find the baggage man here
after dinner and swung out on the plat
form, followed by my assistant and the
westerner. The sheriff, who caught the
cue was persistent. and so, calling to the
others that would be in in minute,
went into the baggage room and around
the other side of the train, gaining ell
trance to the baggage car through the op-
posite door from which we had left, and
which | bad purposely opened. All WAS
clear sailing now, and it took but Sec
ond to run the screws up and lift of the
lid.
DlsCovERED MS DEAD PARENT.
"There rested rich coffin, and we both
drew back aghast as our eyes fell upon the
plate which bore the inscription