Sir Francis Head, giving an account of the contents of the Lost Luggage
Office, at Euston Station, observes:—“But there were a few articles that
certainly we were not prepared to meet with, and which but too clearly
proved that the extraordinary terminus-excitement which had suddenly
caused so many virtuous ladies to elope from their red shawls—in short,
to be all of a sudden not only in ‘a bustle’ behind, but all over—had
equally affected men of all sorts and conditions.
“One gentleman had left behind him a pair of leather hunting breeches!
another his boot-jacks! A soldier of the 22nd regiment had left his
knapsack containing his kit. Another soldier of the 10th, poor fellow,
had left his scarlet regimental coat! Some cripple, probably overjoyed
at the sight of his family, had left behind him his crutches!! But what
astonished us above all was, that some honest Scotchman, probably in the
ecstasy of suddenly seeing among the crowd the face of his faithful
_Jeanie_, had actually left behind him the best portion of his
bagpipes!!!
“Some little time ago the superintendent, on breaking open, previous to a
general sale, a locked leather hat-box, which had lain in this dungeon
two years, found in it, under the hat, £65 in Bank of England notes, with
one or two private letters, which enabled him to restore the money to the
owner, who, it turned out, had been so positive that had left his hat-box
at an hotel at Birmingham that he made no inquiry for it at the railway
office.”