Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1901-04-18

Ah6AJ lOl lllCOliC vi ll'
Orsini type-"was found underneath
the seat of railway carriage in +;
London to Edinburg express On be
ing opened it was found to contain
nothing more deadly than copy OF
a weekly periodical, The proprietors
of the journal in question were just
then Offering a prize to the competitor
who should best advertise it, and a
couple of very foolish readers inclosed
copies in bombs and left them lying
about in various public places"
Thus spoke the writer in Tit
Bits, one day recently, the curator
of the Black Museum" attached TO
the Midland Railway company's offices
at Derby.
Relics of some of the most startling
and sensational railway tragedies of
modern times are here enshrined, as
well as quite a large collection of
those even more observation-disclosures
more mysterious-ones, which have to
do with attempted crimes, concern
ing which the general public has never
heard.
For instance, sImple-looking
bundle OF parti-colored flags, of the
regulation size and color used by rail
way signalmen, was captured one
summer evening, after a desperate
struggle, from a mysterious American,
who was found lettering on the main
line far from station or signal box.
He was let go free by the magistrate
before whom he was brought, as moth
ing definite could be proved against
him; but the railway authorities have
a grim theory that he belonged to
gang OF transatlantic train robbers,
who contemplated tagging" the
north-bound express and "holding-up'
the passengers In true wild West"
style.
Queen Weapons in View.
Another queer exhibit is a fowling
piece of elegant design, captured from
a man who one night in midwinter in
vaded lonely signal box at remote
junction and invited the occupant to
throw up his hands. The desperate
himself escaped, and to this day the
exact motive which inspired his act
That it was something sinister, how
ever, they entertain not the slightest
shadow of doubt.
dainty little revolver, ivory
handled and gold-mounted, was found
on the body of an unknown lady, who
not long since committed suicide in a
first-class railway carriage near Scar
borough, on what should have been
her wedding morning. Another mys-
FERROUS railway carriage tragedy, one
which was the talk of England for
days, is recalled by a pair of lady's
kid gloves about which there still
fingers the faint sweet odor of step.
hanotis-and a longbladed, stilett ,
like knife.
A fragment of ordinary notified
soap, reposing upon a worn and rusty
pocketbook, is reminiscent of the
career of Tomlinson, the would-be
train-wrecker, whose exploits caused
something very like a panic among
the company's servants in the autumn
OF 1898.
ctHuldtt az
tempts at derailing trains took place
within week, in the vicinity, respect.
lively, of Northampton (two). Peter
borough and Bedford The latter 1t
was that proved the miscreant's un-
doing, A man was seen washing iron
rust off his hands near the place
where the train dashed into the oh.
struction. and on Tomlinson's arrest
on suspicion, some days afterward a
cake of soap was found on him stained
with iron rust. Also, concealed in the
lining of his great coat was the pocket
book in question, wherein were noted
down the exact times of arrival of the
trains upon which the attempts had
been made at the points where the OBJ.
structions had been placed. That piece
of soap and that pocket book sutliced
to send their owner into penal servi.
tude for twenty years.
The robbery of railway trucks in
transit, and when left temporarily un-
guarded in sidings, has OF late years
been reduced to something very like
a science among the peculiar brand OF
professional criminals who make a
specially of this class of work, and
very varied and interesting is the col
lection of tools which has been ac-
cumulated at the expense of the fra.
ternity.
One specimen is shown. for instance,
which might be described as a regular
truck robbers wade mecum, compris-
ing as IL does in one instrument a
jimmy, wrench, saw. screwdriver,
yimlet, wedge. centre bit and pincers.
Other single mmies there are,
made to unscrew into several parts.
SO as to be conveniently slowed away
about the person; and side by side
with these latter are several queer
looking lengths of rubber tubing and
metal siphons. used by wine and
spirit thieves for tapping the contents
OF casks.
Hundreds of gallons of costly liquor
ave often distracted while in transit
by the aid of these pieces of appar-
atus. by organized gangs of clever ras-
cals some of whom even go so far as