Year: 1874

tectiyes.


The st. Louis Republican, of tn,
18th, says:


There was great activity among the
detectives yesterday morning in conse
quence of dispatch received by Capt
Burgess, acting Chief of Police, from
the conductor of the train comins
west on the Vandalia road, from In,
dianapolis. The dispatch stated thai


A MYSTERIOUS TRUNK,


checked through to st. Louis. was in
the baggage-car, and smelled so often.
sively as to induce the belief that il
contained dead and decomposing
body. The dispatch gave the number
of the check, $50, stating that the
owner of the trunk was on board, and
suggesting that somebody should be at
the depot to attend to the matter.
Capt. Burgess promptly communicated
with Detective Sergeant Harrigan, who
at once detailed Detectives Eggs, Arm
strong and Stiles to work up the case.


1t will be remembered that from
time to time trunks containing the
DISCOUNTED REMAINS OF MURDERED


PERSONS


have been checked over the various
roads of the country. and forwarded
from point to point. so as to battle the
vigilance of the police. Prominent
among these, we may refer to the hor-
rible case in which the body of the
unfortunate girl was slowed away in
trunk by the infamous abortioDist
Rosensweig, recently released from
Sing Sing, and that other instance,
many years ago in New York, in which
Colt was proven to have been the
murderer, and to have packed the re-
mains Of his victim, Adams, in large
case and shipped them by the New
York Central Railroad. These and
similar cases we'll known to the police,
added to the positive language of the
telegram from the train on its way
here, melted the detailed officers to
great activity and vigilance, and pro-
dueed no little excitement among those
in the police force who were admitted
to the secret.


The train being due over the river
at 1;30, the detectives were assigned to
their several duties. One was to pipe"
the owner to his stopping place, while
the others were to identify the trunk
and follow it to its destination, and
connect it beyond allquestion with the
man who held the check. Immediate
ly on the arrival of the train, the de-
tectives boarded it and found the mys-
terious trunk in the baggage-car. The
stencil proceeding from it was of that
sickening character which overcomes
the stoutest stomach, and defies de-
scription. Indeed, it had been so Of
fensive that the baggage master of the
train had been compelled to put out
his stove fire. Nothing but the conf
dence in the commission of


ADARK AND BLOODY CRIME,
of which that trunk held the horrible
proof, could have induced him to per-
init it to remain there. The owner
was at once pointed out to the officer,
and from that moment he was ''shad-
owed" to his hotel. The detective got
into the omnibus with him and rode
by his side to the Southern, where he
was to wait until the trunk and its con-
tents had been examined and the order
came to make the arrest


The man of apparent responsibility
having surrendered his check, the
trunk was not placed in the transfer
wagon, but was taken in a small bag
gage-wagon to the Vandalia Office on
the northeast corner of Fourth and
Chestnut, where it was at once taken
to a private room for the purpose of
being opened. The stencil was almost
insupportable; indeed, Detective Stiles
became so affected with the nauseating
effluvia that he had to leave the room.
Capt. Burgess, Sergt ONeill and De-
tective Armstrong were present and
attempted to open the trunk with
skeleton keys, but none of the many
they had with them would work. They
then procured a jimmy, which in a
few trials under the skillful hands of
the officers, pried the lid of the trunk
open, and


SIGHT REVEALED ITSELF
which caused the stoutest man there
to fall back in astonishment, with his
hands over his nostrils 1t was a sight
never to forget, and an odor never to
find the equal of. No bloody remains
of mangled corpse were there, but
instead = half q dozen Linsburger
cheeses.


The respectable man at the South
ern HOtel-who is brewer or saloon
keeper on his way home-was not ar
rested.