New-York tribune., 1903-11-08
WRECK HELPS CAPTURE.
Il Railroad Adventure an a CurLed
MaDIe WardrOb6.

San Francisco. Oct "A (speciaD-"One OF the
most remarkable cases Of detective work, which
I shall call the adventure OF the curled maple
wardrobe. that ever came to my notice. rivalling
in it's exciting adventure the most thrilling Of
Sherlock Holiness cases." said the railroad presi-
dent at the club the other night. was recalled TO
to-day by seeing a large WARDROBE Icing car
ried into a moving 1t when l was
braking on the Santa Fe We were Just getting
ready take a through freight cut of the yard
night when a well dressed, prosperous looking
chap came into the cabOose and asked II he might
be allowed to make the with US. He was
only too willing TO pay his fare. and had a big
roll Of money and plenty Of cigars and the con-
ductor said he guessed 1t would be all right He
was a close mouthed chap. and seemed pretty
nervous over something. but hs volunteered no
information and asked questions He sat
on a stool in one while we were whizzing
along and trying to figure out what his game was
We had covered about twenty-five miles when
there crash and we began humping over
ties and roadbed. When came 70 a stop ana
could get out 10 see what had happened we found
that the last four had left the track and
become detached from the rest OF the train The
fourth car from the end had broken away from the
third and rolled down embankment some nve
feet below. turning completely over. and was
lying bottom up
'Our caboose passenger had been one Of the
first to jump out. and when he saw that car lying
on its side in the gully he acted like crazy man
"Quck! Get him out He's IN there? he shouted.
Who's in there?' we asked. amazed What
are you talking about? He must be insane
"Burdock Bloom. the Reformed DetectiveF he
cried Out with your axes before 1t IS too late
He seized an axe and slid down the bank, and
after him
Are you there Burdock BlOomT he cried
Yes I am here and rather cramped. we heard
a mufied voice say. II you will kindly open the
door I will give you the answer 70 a most in
he To
already know
Il never was so astonished in my life. We had
gone through every car just before starting. and,
of course. locked and sealed the doors. and how
could have got in there completely nonplused
us We set to work and soon had the door open
Holding a lantern down inco the car, we saw
curled maple wardrobe Of two compartments fiat
its back. from the interior OF which voice
necesaTy i's sccompanment A To nv exit We put
a short ladder down the side of the ear, and our
ments and pulled out a short fat German Look
ing chap who was wedeed inside .Fne caboose
passenger fell on this chaps neck and wept tears
al aIlvsE 5s% An 7u'o0'A 000m' ne cried, You are
door of that other compartment you Will find
something to surprise you
wonderment knew no bounds when he who was
called Burdock Bloom hauled out tail thin
1T was not U9til m ~ we were going ahead with the
crew to look for the section off the track that
We learned the circumstances leading the
climax mad just witnessed Then seated on
the top OF car. with the tail chap handcuffed to
Burdock BInom we heard the story. Our caboose
passenger started II.
a. AS was going by the home OF LostaH the
banker, whose death according to the daily papers
had followed his failure. the day after he
had supposedly been buried. saw the cIred ma pIe
wardrobe being let down by block and tackle from
the fourth story As pedestrians often do IN such
cases. | stopped to watch the descent and heard
the moving men remark il came slowly down
that il so heavy IL must contain funk When
Il rested on the sidewalk, and as I was about TO
resume my walk. heard voice saying in a
whisper:
fist! Follow the curled maple wardrobe wher-
ever Il may lead. 'Tts I. BCrdoCk Bloom the Re-
formed Detecttvel There's time to explain
" Gentlemen you can imagine my astOnlshment
could hardly believe my ears. but W
all right and had not tasted liquor. so I followed
the van when II conveyed the curled maple ward
robe 20 the freight yard. and loaded into the
freight car which we have left behind As to the
reformed detective Is the only that can en-
sF,xceedIngly simple began Burdock Bloom as
wha he had 10 tell were a trihe OF little
quence I formed a suspicion from the first that
Lostau was not dead but bent on cheating
the company which had Insured his life FOR 500
A slip made by undertaker's assistant confirmed
uninterestlng details. | may say that | found a
woman and learned from her lips how the doctor
who had attended her husband in his last illness
had bought body for dissection In the interests
OF science he told her She told me OF a peculiar
mark her husbands shoulder and by imper-
sonating a physician sent by the insurance COM
pany was abls to see tia body and find the mark