The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-08-07

.s Iii 1915 d singular case OF mistaken 5laeii-
'tity occurred In a trial at Lowell, Massaciiii-
seits. Some wretch had assaulted little girls:
engaged III picking berries in the fields near
that city, and q young man was arrested wv. Two
weeks after charged with the offence. a ar.
Houghton and his wife, who had lTii 20 tlie
rescue of the girls on hearing their screams
gwore positively that the prisoner was tile
same man who had run away in the bushes
at the time of the assault. The two giris
were taken separately into roolr, ana c;ici
of them pointed ont the prisoner as the
fellow who committed the assault
upon them Other witnesses, 10 tne
number Of ten in all, swore to his identity
with man whom they had seen on the aa!
before the crime near the spot. On the other
hand. the prisoner brought six unilnpeacnii-
BILE witnesses who testified positively ,hut
they we're with him iii remote town III We"
Hanpshire at the very time the assault gu
the girls was committed. This proven d4ot,
together with the good character OF the young
man charged, secured his acqulttal, the coun.
sci for the Government admitting lne oHot
to have been clearly made out. But the re-
markalle resemblance of the prisoner 10 the
villain who lind committed the crime, ana
thc fact that the witnesses for tie Govern
mcnt who identified him were all mistaken
caused the Judge who tried the case 10 r',
mark that it was almost sufficient to Shake AL
confidence in human testimony.
A case more nearly resembling the Ilcli-
borne claimant, being that of lost son re-
turning TO his parents hollse, ana recos-
nized and believed in rs their true sou. WINE
all the time an impostor, occurred at Ban
cor. Maine, in 1919. The claimant in this
case was Il young man twelitystolr years OF
age, named Luther Hall>e, a wild fellow, son
of Luther Iause, Of Troy, Maine, who had
worked at Bangor for two or three years as
u common laborer. He imposed upon the
family of james Hause Ito whom neither lie
nor his father was relateO by claiming TO be
their long-lost soii, and obtained from them
money and clothing to consdelal le
amount. for which suit was finally bruugi
against him.
On the trial James Hatlsc, Esq, of Co
rinna, Me-, who was an intelligent man, Il
Justice of the peace, and respected by all
who knew him-a man of property nnd
strongly attached to bis children--tcStitied
that he had son by the name of james Row.
lard Hallse, who left home about three years
since in company with a ncighbor of his,
went to New Bedford, and there shipped OH
a whaling voyage in Il vessel by the name OF
Copia. The first he Esqulre Hause) ever
heard of the defendant was tlr0h@h Del9ll'
bors of his, who told him IL few months
before that they had seen his missing son
Rowland III Bangor, and had asked bin II
his name was not James Rowland Hause.
He replied no, he was Luther HauSe.
They Insisted, however, that he must be
Rowland, and urged him to return to
his fathers with them. This he refused
to do. A day or two later MIR. ROD
erts, neigllbor of Mr. Hallsc, went to Ban
cor, and was charged by Mr.. Ilallse IL he saw
his son Rowland to bring him homes Mr..
Roberts found the young man Luther,
brought him to his own house, and sent Tor
Mr.. and Mrs. Hause. On their arrival Luther
addressed the former is father" and then
turned to Mrs. Hause. threw his arms about
her neck and kissed her, saying, How DO
Won do. mother!" Mrs. IIauSe did not ut
first believe that it was her son. His eyes
and hair were different in color, and his COM
plcxion differed still more widely. In speak
ing to- Luther, she said: is it possible
that this is MY long-loSt son RoWland!D
He answered. "Ycs, mother. it Il me-
She then said to him: " If you are my son
YOU have got scar on your knee. He
pulled up his pants and showed scar on
his knee. She then said: My son had
scar on his breast, that was burnt III Mr..
Andrcws's shop" pullcdaway his shirt
bosom and showed scar on his breast. She
then said "My son Rowland had scar on
his neck, under his car lie held up his
neck and showed scar in that place OH his
neck. She then said: . One of my sons
toes lappcd over the other" lie said: " one
III
TO the house of Mr.. lialse: and Mrs. llau>c
asked him to show her the room where lie
used TO sleep. He went up stairs TO the
room where her son slept, and, after some
hesitation, threw himself upon he'd stand
ing in the room and said, "Thi> IL my Ole
bed" Mr.. Hallsc and his wife were then
fully satisfied TINT he was their son, and pro-
yidcd him with clothes, Sc. He rcnaincdat
their house some five months, and the longer
he STAYED the more they were satisfied he was
their son.
A daughter of Mr.. james Hause testified
that she kept school at Brewer (oppo>itc
Bingorj, and that she did not ut first know
the defendant when he called to see her.
Doubling his identity, she said to him 'It
you are my brother, you have scar on the
head. where I hurt you when you were Il
found scar. and became satisfied that nc
was her lost brother. She so testified before
the court.
Several of the ncighbors of Mr.. HallSe took
this young man to be Rowland Hausc. Young
men who had been >choolmtcs with Row
land talked with Luther about past times,
and became convinced that lie was Rowland
IauSc.
On the other side, there were several
doubtful circumstances connected with the
young man which led the father and mother
to feel continual uncertainty about their p,
tative son. And one day there came over to
Curina Il Mr.. Dow, who positively rcco@-
nized the youth as Luther IIause. who he
Iongcd in Tray. Mr.. Thomas Gardiner also
told Mr.. Harse that he recognized the young
man as Luther Hause, having lived near his
fathers seventeen years, and been very ia
miiar with him. Mr. James Hallse now be-
came so stirred up about the matter that he
determined to settle the question OF identity
publicly, and took out a warrant against LII
tier for obtaining goods on false prctcnces.
He was arrested, and Mr.. Seth III luse, of Troy,
being summoned, appeared at the trial, and
there recognized the prisoner as his son.
That was the end Of the cise. But the
trial created uneXampled interest. Over four
hundred persons were present, and appa-
rently the majority of them were in favor Of
Luther, believing him to be the long-lost boy
Rowland. But the judge was too close
sighted not to give its due weight to such
positive evidence of non-identity, and sus-
tanned the warrant. The sovereign mob, on
the adjournment of the court, hustled the
prisoner out of the way, and he was after
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