ESCAPED IN A TRUNK.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3132, 18 February 1889, Page 3

ESCAPED IN A TUNK. R

M fell a Victim to the Mahgbaggage Smasher.

The Wabash train from Chicago that reached tho Union Station in thiii oity r'( 7,25 o'clook on January 1, carried n baggage manipulator that one pnaaoofier is firmly convinced unit .-■whip'Col; Peter Jackson or Col J; L. SiillivAkTliis pajjeneei; is Thomas \W. Timelieqier ofthe Adanis and Westlake Manufacturing Company. Mr Vines, who, : heretofore was a more or less esteemed : member of Chicago society, disappeared suddenly and under somewhatshady circumstances last week. Mr Vlqes, it appears, was accustomed to dtilributo among t'ao other omployces . of the company the weekly wages to ■ which they were entitled, Last week r instead of disttibiitiug the money; be ' organised himself into a trust, took of tho funds amounting to and sent in his resignation to tHfompany. 'jjuhsequeut events indicated that Mr Vines had a confederate who benefitted slightly by the scheme, ■ The Chirngo polico wero quickly .notified of tho action of Mr Vines, and they at once placed a sharp guard at the gates of the city, so sharp that Mr Vines soon discovered that it was impossible for him to attempt to escape without running great danger of changing'his lodging house. Then he and his friend sat down to ruminate and they also cogitated, Between them they evolved a beautiful scheme, a scheme that had somehow escaped the sharp intellects of the great army of individuals who had under similar ur:umstances ruminated and cogitated. The friend went out and ' brought an able-bodied, full-grown trunk of the variety commonly called SarKoga. This was delivered at the reiS&vous, and into' this last night Mr vines olimbed. Mr Vines was ov»r 6ft in height, and weighed 175 pounds. Air holes were bored under tho handles.

. , v Mr Vines climbed in, providing with a bottle of water and a loaf of bread. Then the boodle, amounting to §3,800, wai put in. Adorning llii! ends of the trunk were large placards with this inscription: •'Handle with care." The Saratoga Was locked and roped. An expressman was called nnd Iho big trunk was carefully delivered at the vViibusli station where tho friend received a check, No. 1,713,

'J'hen came the ini«hty bnggago smasher. No suonur wus tho trunk pitched into his car tluin it Jevclojiell Ilia animosity, He looked at it suspiciously, and with a curse ho hurled it 10 feet across the cur, the con-. cug<iou breaking the bottle of water in Vioes'a pocket and nearly breaking Lis head. In a few minutes the dislike of the trunk manipulator manifested itself again, and he tossed n/B|ound sample trunk on top of and bruised and blackoned Vines in a shocking manner. Then he stood Vines on his head for a-change, and kept bombarding him with minor pieces of baggago. He thumped and mopped up the floor with him. The prisoner was nearly dead, His head was swollen from blond ami blows until hajjirenteiied to burst asunder the losof tho trunk.

The bombardment continued until the Saratoga was buried under a sea of luggage. Then Vines cried out in agony. Tho baggageman paused in bis dreadful work and his face grew pale. Again Vines yelled; then the mountain ot baggage was quickly removed, The Saratoga was located. It was forced open, and the prisoner, more dead than alive, was released. Ho told the rescuer that his natno was Burke, and that he was just beatuaa. his way. When the train arriwmt the station tho story was repeated, and excited so much sympathy that a subscription was taken up for him, Then he told some one that he was Tascott, and instantly n vigilant policeman putj him tinder arrest, He and tho trunk

were taken to Police Headquarters, whero they wero searched and §3,800 recovered. A detective identified him as Vines, and he confessed all, His friend and check 1,713 aro atill missing