OT -The Dead Man's Toolbox

[MrWhoopee]

When I was an apprentice, Fred bought a Kennedy toolbox full of machinist's tools from a listing in the newspaper classifieds (remember those?). The woman who was selling them said that they had belonged to her husband who had disappeared. He worked the graveyard shift at a local labelling machine manufacturer. One night he left for lunch and never came back.

Fred gave the machinists at the shop first pick of the contents of the box. He then sold me the box with the remaining tools, most notable a 2 in. Starrett mic, B&S precision square and 24 in. scale, along with the usual miscellany and debris.

About six months later there was an article in the local paper about the renovation of a restaurant which had burned. During the demolition, the charred body of a man was found in the crawl space above the ceiling. Our missing machinist had been found. He had apparently found that an hour was more than enough time for lunch and had been filling the extra time by burglarizing nearby businesses, then setting them ablaze to cover his tracks. On this final caper, he apparently saw that the police had responded to a silent alarm after he set the fire. He climbed up into the crawl space to hide and was overcome by smoke.

I later sold the box to one of our weldors, but I still have the dead man's tools.

 

[darkzero]

Wow, that a crazy a story!

 

[C-Bag]

When I was an apprentice, Fred bought a Kennedy toolbox full of machinist's tools from a listing in the newspaper classifieds (remember those?). The woman who was selling them said that they had belonged to her husband who had disappeared. He worked the graveyard shift at a local labelling machine manufacturer. One night he left for lunch and never came back.

Fred gave the machinists at the shop first pick of the contents of the box. He then sold me the box with the remaining tools, most notable a 2 in. Starrett mic, B&S precision square and 24 in. scale, along with the usual miscellany and debris.

About six months later there was an article in the local paper about the renovation of a restaurant which had burned. During the demolition, the charred body of a man was found in the crawl space above the ceiling. Our missing machinist had been found. He had apparently found that an hour was more than enough time for lunch and had been filling the extra time by burglarizing nearby businesses, then setting them ablaze to cover his tracks. On this final caper, he apparently saw that the police had responded to a silent alarm after he set the fire. He climbed up into the crawl space to hide and was overcome by smoke.

I later sold the box to one of our welders, but I still have the dead man's tools.

What a tale. Always wonder what happens to folks that dissapear.

 

[mmcmdl]

Oooh , I have a good one that happened around my house years back ! Let me try and find an article if I can , if not , I,ll wing it .

 

[Cadillac STS]

True story 1950's. Wife was so mean her husband went out for a pack of cigarettes and never returned. Wife had to wait 7 years to declare him dead to get some govt. support. I got some direct information to know this is true..

 

[mmcmdl]

What a tale. Always wonder what happens to folks that dissapear.

Years back . A business man staying at a hotel on the Balto beltway and Cromwell Bridge Rd left one evening to go to dinner at Peerces Plantation located in the Loch Raven Reservior area . The road he took had many hairpin turns and was being worked on which included replacing the guardrails . Anyways , the guardrails were off this particular evening , he drove off the curve , up over the embankment and into the reservoir . The following day of course the rails were replaced . 20-30 years pass ( not sure ) as an unsolved case . All these years later , the police divers acting on a tip that a murder weapon may have been ditched in the lake happened to find a first year Monte Carlo with the man's remains still intact . The car was still in great shape also believe it or not . As a young adult , this area was a well known party spot up until a big block Vega smoked the place out while the LEOs were present . Large boulders were moved in blocking all access the following weekend .

 

[rwm]

I tested my first model sailboat on Lock Raven Reservoir!
Robert

 

[mmcmdl]

I tested my first model sailboat on Lock Raven Reservoir!

Cool Robert . I go thru there every day , I live only a few miles away from it .

 

[Latinrascalrg1]

Sounds like the beginnings of a good crime thriller, add in some paranormal activity around the tool box and you have a made for cable tv travel channel episode of ghost storys!