The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-12-29
N. w. R. R. CO.
No. II, POI.
Local.

which
was written: This check was found after
thawing of snow on a glacier Dec. g. 1886, on
the top OF Coal Bluff, SO degrees 80 minutes
north latitude, Alaska, near p s. w. Co
station. Found by a sailor on U. 8. S. steam
er Bear.
When the check was received. the
employees Of the road traced it to its
place of issuance and found that Emil
Raepke had checked a trunk from Mar
shalltown, To-. on Feb. %, 1888 to Coun-
Gil Bluffs. The baggage lay unclaimed
at the latter city until May 10, 1885
when it was sent to Chicago, where it
was sold ait public auction for $3.50
That was all that was ever learned How
the little bit of brass was ever lost on
the AlaEkan glacier will probably new
er be known. No one has ever been
found who could tell who Emil Raepke
was, or how he happened to abandon
his baggage. Whether or not he went
to Alaska, or whether the check was
stolen, and found its way to Alaska
after passing through many hands will
never be known.
From a serious matter the affair." as
heretofore stated, has lately taken on
the form of joke. The finding Of the
check again, has started the matter
affesh and the general baggage agents
are having no end of fun out of it. A
couple of months ago a baggage agent
OF the Lake Shore &, Michigan South
ern, who has always had a penchant
for fUnmaking dug up an ancient news
paper clipping about the disappear
ance of Raepke, and attaching the clip
ping to sheet Of paper, addressed a
letter to an official of the Chicago.
Rock Island & Pacific. The letter read
as follows:
Il herewith hand you newspaper clip
ping which has reference to a brass
baggage check, c. & N. w. r. r. Local
No. 17,201, having been found on a
glacier Dec. 6, 1885, on top of Coal Bluff,
Alaska. And owing to the very efficient
system of your road, it was easy to
ascertain that the baggage had been
checked by a man named Emil Raepke.
from. MarshalltoWn To-, to Council
Bluffs. During all these years the mys-
terry as to how the check came to be
found, is nothing compared to what
became Of Raepke, and what was his
fate. AS, in my opinion, the general
baggage agents Of the different lines
should give this matter something more
than passing notice, L beg to advise
you, that, so far as this road is con-
cerned, we have instituted dilligent in
Quiry at all the hotels, cemeteries,
morgues and other places of note on
the line of this company, and our eff
forts have proved futile in locating
the man Raepke Kindly continue
trace over your line and pass papers to
connecting lines"
When the above communication
reached the L. S. & M. the official to
whom it it was addressed was seized
with commissions, but he recovered in
time to see the joke. He, in turn in
dited letter to the proper officials of
the Union Pacific system, and the lat
ter referred the matter to the Michigan
Central road in the following:
&C. b. Agent, Michigan Central. The
letter from the G. B. A., of the Rock
Island referred to you. There is no
question but what the Northwestern
are correct in regard to the location
of this piece of baggage, for [ under
stand that a paper of pins was lost on
that line some twenty-siX years ago
and was located without any trouble
and returned to the owner a few days
since. l am unable to locate this man
Emil Raepke. Perhaps he may be on
the line Of your road in the Northwest
EN- county somewhere"
The Michigan Central in turn also
found itself up a stump in the eager
search for the missing Raepke. The
agent of that road attached his letter
to the fast increasing batch, and wrote
to the agent of the Wabash system
saying:
Papers tracing Emil Raepke here
with. This matter should be cleared
up. / have made trip up both branch
es OF the Chicago river, but so far, no
LIdCS, anu II lids since occurred TO me,
that on or about Nov. 49, 1888 [ saw a
man that looked like that name on
Madison street, near Dearborn Gt was
near Hanna & Hoggs), who asked me
II it was true that the Wabash eX-
tended a friendly hand to all. and on
being assured that it was a fact. he
headed for st. Louis. Did you give
him the glad hand? [ know the gem
eral reputation of your road in such
matters, but since [ have been in
the cattle business find you cannot be
governed by common report. If the
matter is not all straight at ST. Louis
will you have the Mississippi dragged
and pass papers along to the next
connecting line
Then the Wabash took a hand in the
letter writing and indited the following
TO the Terminal Railroad association.
of Chicago:
I'VE agree with the Michigan Cen
trail that this matter should be clear
ed up before entering into the details
incident to a thorough search for the
missing man Raepke. 1 would suggest
that il the baggage agent Of the y. w.
would clean his desk, say once In five
years, it might give us q clue to work
on before the scent was entirely gone
The records at the morgue do not dis
close the fact of Raepke having
useless 10 drag the Mississippi If my
memory serves me right Raepke is the
stage name of a certain well known
st. Paul baggage agent. believe he
made the trip from MarshaltoWn to
Council Bluffs Feb. ~. 1888 AS your
officers are something of sleuths. I