Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-10-20
Disputed Identity.

In the course Of an interesting article
upon the various cases of disputed idcn-
tity. which, from time to time, have sorely
puzzled iucarnate Justice, and imperilled
borh material md moral interests, pro-
miuent English periodical recalls an in-
stance, bearing date of not quito two
years ago, by which the public of London
gaiutd pointed illustration of the fallibil-
ity Of all post-mortem evidence. Going
back i'll the spring to work upon some
new houses nenr the Victoria Park station
of the North London Railroad, which had
been left unfinished through the winter,
the builder found in an obscure closet of
one of the crude tenemeuts the body of a
man who had evidently been dead for
some time. 4 slight scar over one eye,
an additional odd boot near the feet and
some triflpg blood stains upon the decent
clothes, were at first the appearances sug-
costing foul play; out the subsequent find
ing of bottle, still containing some
laudanum, near the corpse, and the final
medical inquest gave a greater plausible
ity to the hypothesis of suicide. Although
the man had apparently been dead for at
least two months, the body was in a CON
dition of sufficient preservation for per
HOlAAA AISVS DltipLiS ahL "lth0tsCS "GLt
summoned to establish an identity A car
penter who had visited the buildings in
the proceeding February, positively re-
cognzed the remains as those Of gentle
manly looking but seemingly insane per-
son, whom he had seen childishly cutting
up bits of wood upon heap of building
materials before one of the houses, and
who had responded incoherently to the
questions of the witness. In stature, fea-
lures, beard, clothing, and whole physical
aspect, the dead body was exactly that of
the apparent maniac or imbecie afore-
said. But now came female witness,
who, without seeing the body, exactly de-
sCribed it in a description OF brother of
hers who had been missing for
three months and, upon viewing it pos
itively identified it with the lost relative
in question. This testimony did not
necessarily conflict with that of the car
penter; though a complication was yet to
come. A lady and gentleman brought
forward a photograph of relative of theirs
who, eighteen months previously, had de-
serted his family mysteriously, taking a
large amount of property with him and,
by their recognition and the evidence of
the picture the dead man was identified"
again, Next appeared DR., Ellis, physician
to ST. Luke's Hospital, who testified that
on the 1st of February a lunatic named
Heasman made an extraordinary escape
from st. Luke's. The extra boot found
near the body had the name of Harnett
written upon upon the lining. And the
name of another patient, through whose
room Heasman must have passed in max
ing his escape, was Harnett.
brother of Heasman's also recognized
the body as that of his brother, who
he said, was insane upon the subject of
poisoning. This Identification, it will be
seen, did not conflict with that of the car
penter, but put the latter at immediate
variance from that of the girl who had
lost her brother. Then appeared Mrs.
Mary Ann Banks, who, after carefully OBJ
serving the corpse, distinctly swore that
it was her husbands; and to substantiate
what she said, produced photograph of
still more startling resemblance than all
before. Her two sisters fully sustained
her in the Identification. Strong as this
testimony was, still another bereaved wife
insisted that it was her husband upon
whom the inquest was holding, and point
ed to peculiar mark on one of the fin
gers as final proof. Nearly every one of
these witnesses was corroborated by thel