The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1867-04-17
Truth Stranger than Fiction.

story has just come to light in Glasgow
which, IN the mystery, complication, and curl
Gus coincidence of circumstances, throws the
most deliberately constructed of modern novels
wholly into the shade This true romance
has in it every element which goes to the ma
king up of a genuine " sensatlon,'' as will be
seen by the following outline of the principal
facts.
The commencement Of the story takes us
back to 1853 In March of that year man
was found drowned in the Clyde. The body,
not being recognised, was taken into the HUI
name Society's recevng-house, and there
laid out, that all who had reason to think
they might know the man should come and
look at him. Among the people who visited
this morgue was gentleman who, after care
full inspection, came to the conclusion that the
deceased was certain Mr. T., who had re-
Gently been missing This gentleman was so
convinced of the identity that he informed
Mrs. T. Of the loss of her husband but she
SC have met his death, refrained from visiting
the dead house. Now, at this very time,
Mr.. s. was also missing and this mans wife
or widow, having seen the corpse in the HUI
name Societys house, recognised or fancled
she recognised, in it the person of her hus-
band, Mrs s. claimed and received the dead
body; the funeral took place. and Mrs. S. as
widow, obtained from a funeral society of
| which her husband had been member, the
amount of money which was due to her on
his death. When Mrs. T., therefore, came to
inquire about the corpse, she found it gone on
the suppostion that it was that of Mr.. S. A
short time afterwards, however Mr.. S. walked
into his house, and confronted the poor woman
who had fancied she had buried him. This
appartion SO frightened Mrs. S., who then
happened to be in i'll health, that the popular
voice attributed her death. which speedily fol-
lowed, to the sudden shock she had received.
Sngularly enough, Mr.. S. himself died soon
after, his neighbors limiting that the malady
which killed him was sort of Providential
retrbution for his previous wrong doing.
The return of Mr. S. put the matter in a
new light as regards Mrs 7. There were now
strong reasons for supposing that the drowned
man Was the husband of the latter though
the circumstances on which this suppositon
was based were in most particulars convertible
to any theory. We fear, indeed, that the re-
markable series Of condolences which we are
about to mention may owe their sngularlty
chiefly to the mag NATIVE procllyities of Mrs.
rs neighbors. The drowned man, Mr. t.,
and Mr. S. were of the same con6guratlon.
The drowned man wore particular sort OF
scarf, similar to that which both Mr.. T. and
Mr. S. were in the habit Of wearing. The
/, drowned man had boot patched in an unusual
!, way. So had Mr.. S., so had Mr.. L. The
drowned man had a thumb of peculiar form
alton; SO had Mr.. S., so had Mr. T. Rumor,
in fact, gives US only one particular to distin-
eush between the three Dromios. Mr.. T.
was a regular reader of Reynolds Miscellany
I'VE do not learn that Mr. S. was-and copy
of that magazine was found in the pocket OF
the drowned man. In these circumstances,
bewilderng enough without the exaggerations
which have probably grown as the story passed
, from mouth to mouth, Mrs. T. slowl y came 10
believe that it was indeed her husband whom
: Mrs. S. had buried. That conviction, how
ever, took years to confirm, during which time
; Mrs. T., having been left with no means OF
subsistence, fell into pecuniary difficulties and
consequent distress. Her two children died,
and she found herself alone in the world. In
t spite, nevertheless, Of the continued assever-
f atoms of the gentlemen who had seen the
corpse lyingin the dead house that the drowned
man was her husband, she hoped against hope
for years and it was not until this spring that
she finally satisfied her mind as to the sup.
; posek identity. During this long interval she
had received and refused several offers O.
marriage but now-having previously visited
her former husbands relatives in Ayrshire tc
5 ascertain whether they, too, believed him dead
. she married a second time, and from Apr
f Of this year until few weeks ago was living
e comfortably with her new mate. One car
t have but poor idea Of her horror on behold
t inc her former husband make his appearance
/ apparently returning to life in as abrupt {
d manner as Mr.. S. had done. Mr.. t., wanting
= either the self-renunciation OF the Favorable
e opportunity of Enocb Arden, must have beer
/, worse than spectre to the poor woman whom
y he had deserted for over eight years. Her
e the romance breaks off. We are not tol'
whether Mr.. T., on being informed of hi
d wife's second marriage, disappeared as swiftl
e as he had come, or whether he insisted on hl
II rights and turned out the unfortunate ma
who had supposed himself bound in legal mar
t, rage to Mrs T. But this is trlt1ing matte
l. compared with the mystery which hangs owe
II the burial of the drowned man-the man VIII
had the peculiar scarf, boot, thumb, &C., an
It. whom nobody has since missed OF spoken 0
The Glasgow Herald is our authority for th
whole story. If it is true, it is probably tn
Il. most singular case of mistaken identity tina
y has been known of late years.