Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-10-13
STORY SPOILED.
Mystery Of Travelling Case at
Maine Central Station
Solved by Investigators, Who Scent a
Deep, Dark Crime
But Find Only Mess of Grub, Fast
Spelling.

There was good story spoiled at the
Maine Central baggage room, last
night, and this is the way it came
about. About 4 week ago a party
called at the baggage room with a
travelling case, and requested that
they might leave it until they should
be ready to take the train. There was
nothing strange in the request, as grips
and travelling cases are often left in
that way, and the one in question was
put up on the shelf, with others.
Sunday, the habitutes of the place
noticed that there was a faint odor
about the room which suggested that
decomposition was going on, but did
not think much about it. But, yester-
day, the smell became so pronounced
that a search was made for the cause.
Last night, the smell was found to
emanate from the travelling case, and
was coming from beneath its lid in
such volumes that it was a wonder
that the case did not walk off.
1t was set outside the baggage room.
where it filled the air with a fra GRANGE
that drove everyone from the vicinity.
Finally q policeman wandered into the
smell zone and was so effected by it
that he Immediately notified the board
of health.
BY the time that he returned, those
who were wise in the mystery had ar
gued that the case contained the victim
of some gruesOme crime, and suggested
that the policeman call the coroner,
which he did.
In the course of a few minutes, Mr..
Bean arrived, and after viewing the
case. decided that the only way to dis
cover the origin of such an intensity Of
atmosphere was to break open the case
1t was thought that the case was lock-
ed, and Mr.. Bean sent after a hammer
to break the lock.
1t was a touching sight to see the
group which stood out behind the bag
gage room waiting to see a horror dis
closed with the opening of that case.
The policeman stood off at one side, so
that if he had to look at anything UNI
canny he might be able to do so gradu
ally.
Finally someone suggested that perhaps
the case was not locked, and the coroner,
swapping back the clasps, tried the lid
and it flew up. There was a craning of
necks on the part of the group as they
peered over each others shoulders. eX-
pecting to see-but they didn't. What they
did sec was mixed up mess of pea beans,
cranberries, paper bags, hair brushes,
small articles of clothing, and in the cen
ter of the collection was a piece of salt
pork.
That pork was the cause of it all The
baggage room is steam heated and during
the weeks sojourn of that pork change
had gone through it. 1t was no longer the
close associate of the toothsome baked
bean, but had become an active genera
tor of an odor beside which assafoedida
is frank incense, and which was growing
stronger every minute. The bag was left
outside the building and the owner can
have it by calling for 1.-THE sooner the
better.
1t would do to say that the group We're
disappointed. for they We're relieved that
things We're not so bad as they had APP
peared On the outside, but there were re-
grets on the part of several. The coroner
regretted that he had been called from, a
warm tireside for nothing, the reporter
that he had missed a good story. and as
for the policeman, he was so disturbed
by not seeing something that he had
braced himself to see, that he started
down the track in the rain trying to Whis
tie "Hiawa tha