The New York herald., 1870-09-17
A QUESTION OF IDENTITY.
An Unfortunate COuntryman in San Fran
cisco Fails Into TrOuble-Is Mistaken for
Lunatic and Confined in the Asylum.

An Unfortunate Countryman in San Fran
cisco Fails Into TrOuble-Is Mistaken for
Lunatic and Confined in the Asylum.
From the San Francisco Chronicle, Sept. 81
In the month OF November last citizen OF one of
the cow counties resolved in his mind that he would
pay the Cosmopolitan city OF San Francisco a visit.
ne ad nSard tne Wonaers o. & he mesopos dated
wards and the City Gardens presented to an nqulr-
ing bucoc mind, Iaint rumors came waited DER the
bay OF "Black Cr0okc leg-acies, and fain would he
look upon the curlOsities OF nature nature
formed them dyested Of extraneous drapery.
Having finally resolved the question In his own
mind, he HE'D himself of from sweetheart and
friend and was soon ensconced In fashionable
hotel; for as he had never been here before and
scarcely ever expected to come again he determined
to the elephant in all his gorgeous hues. He
came, he saw, was conquered, for in the course
OF his wanderlngs he meandered into u "deadfall,n
where he underwent the usual process that leaves
the victim cash, sense, everything,
except disgust and remorse. In the early down,
ing upon the vcissitudes Of fortune. he became sud-
denly immersed IN the scented debris Of the sewers
that discharged themselves In that vicinity While
in this plight he was taken into custody by one of
the city guardians and from the effect Of mis- noctur
nal Indications and extraordinary bath was in
state Of mental bewllderment. He could give no
coherent account Of himself and was locked up In
the station house for safe keeping until called for.
against him. He therefore remained in his cell for
some three days uncalled and uncared for. In the
meantime an tnqulsti0n had been held upon one
Day, VINO was declared insane by the county Judge
and ordered TO Stockton. The officer III charge
not being acquainted with Days person
pOunced upon unfortunate bucOic
friend, and without more ado hurried
him of to Stockton, and turned him over to the
tender merces OF the custOdans Of the insane asy.
lum as lunatic. Great and natural was the amaze
ment Of our victim and OF the presiding genius Of
the asylum. Alternate explosions of rage and ap-
peals to reason were alike of no avail Protesta-
ti0ns were useless proofs of identity were treated
with derlsl0n or as the cunning vagares and de.
vices OF a madman. Great was the grief of the
friends Of the missing man. Inquiries new in every
direction over the wires. Advertisements crowded
the columns Of newspapers. Even the temptation
Of large rewards failed to elicit any information as
his probable fate His friends and relatives finally
resigned themselves TO the belief that he had come
TO an untimely end, He had either been shang-
haed drowned or was the victim OF Barbary coast
rangers The mystery was, however, solved in May
last, some six months after his supposed demise,
when the same carefu officer discovered Day in the
county jail, and that he was the person whom he
should have taken TO StocktOn-in fact that it was
q case of mistaken identity. Day was taken to the
asylum the circumstances explained, exchange Of
bOarders made, and our friend released to roam
again in freedom and ponder on the mystery and
uncertainty OF human events.