Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-10-29
Curious Giistskss in Identity.

Curious Mistskss tn Identity.
Among the mysteries of the late
"trunk murder" in New York occurs
that peculiar, but not unfamiliar one,
that the deceased is sworn TO by so
many different persons. From the
volumes of law reports, and from the
records of detectives offices we might
compile page after page Of fascinating
narrative upon this single theme, but
our limited space permits us to give
but a few examples. Those that we
note, however, will be found upon
examination to throw q shade even of
Tidicule upon that sublime reasoning
through consistency" upon that Sun
erring" calculus Of probabilities
through which Kepler arrived at the
laws OF matter, Newton deduced their
formula, and without which we would
be to-day almost as ignorant as in the
time when Moses called the moon the
second in magnitude of the heavenly
lights. For some interesting psrticu-
lars, on the subject we are indebted
to Eugene Crapsey, who has made
the mysteries of New York q speciality
in journalistic writing.
In 1851, Captain John BueksOn,
master of a sailing YES ,el, lived with
his wife Nancy in a beautiful little
/ cottage in the village of SeckoDk, near
Providence, Rhode Island. He was
a lnan ofspOtless character, religious
almost to Puritanism, but also very
passionate, and that Nancy, being
greatly younger than himself, and
very fair to look upon, should have
grown fretful and uDruly, did not ado
much q%uietness 10 his temper. They
quarreled often, and late q evening
a neighbOr passing the cottage saw
through the open window the hus-
band standing over the wife in a
threatening attitude, with 9 long
whip-cOrd in his cienched hand, and
heard also an uncomfortable burst of
rage and many threats Of violence.
The next morning the cottage was
closed and deserted. This, however,
excited no attention, as John was
supposed to have left on a sailing trip, !
and Nancy was accustomed to depart
frequently, without announcement, |
to visit relatives in a neighboring
town. But that afternoon a little dog
accompanying a picnic party in the
adjacent woods, paved and hOwled
at a heap of sand, until the merry
party examined il and found there
the corpse of Nancy BucksOn.
The people Of the town focked
around the horror, recognizing the
deceased, her clothes and her jewelry.
She had been strangled with a cord,
and chloride OF lime had been sprink-
led over her body TO hasten decOmpo-
sition. The cottage was searched,
and a whipeord was found upon the
floor which fitted exactly to the mark
the victims neck; and in the eel
lar was q box of chloride oflime like
that scattered upon the body.
BucksOn was arrested. indicted,
and on the day Of the trail that would
have sent him to the galloWs, Nancy
Buckson, alive and well, though cross
as ever. walked into the village, fresh
from a visit to distant relatives. The
mystery of the murder was never
The articles OF dress and
on the corpse were recognized
by Nancy as taken from the bureau in
her cottage.
One morning in 1861, a New Jersey
complained TO his "boss"
that a barrel OF pitch had been stolen
rom the pier. The same morning the
clerk ola New York hotel complained
to his proprietor that Mrs. Ada Ricard
once well known to Cincinnati I'M
der another name-a woman of
marvellous beauty Of form and no
small charm of feature, but sensuols
Is Lola MOntez, and as lrail of charac- |
.er-hsd suddenly and inexplieably
without paying her bill. The
next day there was found floating in
he North River a barrel of pitch, and
led to it by a rope around the waist
vas the corpse Of a beautiful woman, :
only in a night dress and a
Jsir of stockings. A gag fastened in
he mouth was the only mark Of VIC
ence, but that was sufficient to evil
lence murder. The form was of won !
leriul beauty-such vOluptous beauty :
s must have served for the model to y
itan's Venus. IL was noticed, though, !
he stockings were almost too large |
Or the foot. Upon n of the lower )
was the cicatrice OF an old
Z
The body was inferred without rec q
gnition, but the head preserved. A !
Nv days after, a gentleman intimate .
Y acquainted with Ada Ricard recog {
lied the face as hers beyond the I
hsdOw of a doubt. The police then 5
Interview ed her quasi husband, ChRs I
cautiously ~cOncealing from d
i'm her supposed death. He freely 4
ntered into a description Of her bis a
DRY and person, spoke with some
ride OF her being obliged to wear b
tockings too large for her foot in or {
er to ft the well rounded limb, men D
loned the mark OF an old wound and {
g position, regretted the ipjary to 5
er beautiful teeth by the loss of one on C
be left side,and laughed at her having
1Orn earrings so heavy as to cut her d
ars and necessitate a second piercing y
cry high up. The stockings, tbs d
the lost tooth, and the marks >
q the ears, conceded exactly with s.
he corpse. Ricard was then shown O
ne preserved head and fell back in n
ne utter horror ofsudden recognition. A
he mystery was sOlved-bUt only @
)r a day. Ola sudden; Ada Ricard, b
eautitul as ever, returned from a il
lCnth's wandering among the sol 6
iers at New Orleans. No further v
i%seoverles have ever been made. q
Our third and last case occurred ia o
summer OF 1856, in LuEerne Val d
", Pennsylvania. Marx Wilson and Il
Iiss Wallsee, alOvely girl of eighteen, e,
ad been engaged for some months, 81
hen she suddenly fitted him, and OF
ithout explanation forbade him 10 OF
tier her house. Wilson plunged "
to dissipation, and rapidly lost his G.
laracter, his business, and his small "
cans. He was frequently heard, IA
it'll iervered energy, to lay ruin at CT
sr door, and to vow revenge with &C
ost determined bitterness. Shortly B
ter he made preparations 10 leave Al
r Europe, but, before doing so BY 90
means persuaded the girl to take
drive with him. lie gave cut at In
q livery stable that he was going to eF
occasional picnic resort, in 4 wild al
among the neighbOring hills. of
either Of them returned and two tn
lys after the body OF the girl, stabb d 10
death with pocket knife sworn to
Wilson's, was found in the turbld
alters OF q brook that threatened Dc
Picnic Gorge" She was buried, In ID
l agony OF sorrow, by her loving A
lrents, and the day after the funeral ID
rs. Wilson, nee Miss Wallace, re- III
rned from New York with her new te
welded husband. Who was the W
ordered girl, and how a knife like tr'
at Of Marx Wilson's came in her be
art, the most rigid investigation tn
could discover ga
sh
-