The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1872-03-30
If I be I.

ooifou " ioioA VIC QUESTION OF her
personal identity 70 her little dog at
home -
fl be 1,
He'll was his little tall
Butlt be not l.
He'll bark and wall.
hip Van Wrinkle in the play places
similar rellaIce on his dog Schneider.
put IL wo-dld require more intelligence
. lhan zen dogs possess to determine
'ie questions Of identity which have
recently perplexed the world. They
suggest grave doubts as to whether
man is really himself, and if SO, wheth-
'er he Is not good many other persons
at the same time. The metaphysical
puzzle of the ego and the non ego
assumes a practical form in these
extraordinary incidents of everyday
life.
Even the developments of the Itch
borne case are not more remarkable
than those which, by the strange law of
association, have simultaneously be-
wildered the public mind. The most
curious of these cases has occurred at
the little village of Kirk Langley. few
miles from Derby, in England. Twenty
years ago there lived in this quiet vii
lage young man named Diligence
Kerry. Being of an ambitious turn Of
mind be became weary of the monot-
onous life which opened to him no
prospect of lettering his condition.
and resolved to seek his fortune else
where. He had sought, and obtained
with the aid of friends, an appointment
in India, and just before starting
for that country married a beautiful
girl Of the village. She did not. how
ever, go out with him, but waited till
he could prepare suitable home for
her. Kerry reached his destination
IN safety, but not long afterward re-
ceived the sad news that his young
wife had died of gastric fever. He now
devoted himself earnestly to business,
and IN the course Of years accumulated
fortune. Having accomplished his
object he returned home last summer,
and settled down IN cottage in his
native village, where he now resides.
While enjoying the comforts Of
quiet life, wholly unconscious of the
trials IN store for him, he happened to
be seen soon after his return by Mrs.
Rucktuck of Liverpool. No sooner
had thus lady set eyes on him than she
SAID or thought she saw striking re-
semblance to the husband Of a neigh
Dor of hers. As this man had deserted
his wife and left the country some
years ago, Mrs. Rucktuck, having be-
come convinced that he and the Anglo
Indian were one and the same person,
promptly informed Ler friends of the
fact, and also communicated it to the
n 70 he 10 L.
IN repairing to Kirk Langley, and the
moment she saw Kerry identified him
as her husband. He, however, ind1g-
nantly denied any knowledge of her,
but In spite of his protestations, she
insisted on her claim to his heart and
hand.
This strange dispute naturally
caused great excitement in the quiet
village, and the character and the ante
cedents of the respective parties were
eagerly canvassed. No such develop
ments had ever disturbed the rather
stagnant life of Kirk Langley, and the
qu1dnuncs were of course full of know
ing suggestions aud mysterious sur
mlses. Meanwhile both side were busily
engaged IN preparing evidence to sup
port their respective assertions, when
the affair was complicated by new and
astounding developments 1t seemed
hard enough for the bereaved husband
to be claimed by one strange wo-
man, but his astonishment cannot
easily be imagined when five other
women now came forward each of
whom declared him to be her
own lawful spouse. The idea which
naturally occurred to many persons as
the only reasonable explanation of the
difficulty was that Kerry was an I'M
scrupulous bigamist, and bad really
married all those women one after
another. The hypothesis, however. was
refuted by the allida7its attached to a
commission duly executed in India,
which proved conclusively that he was
living IN that country at the time the
woman swore the marriages took place
IN England
Though the poor man is not extricated
from his dismal position, the mystery
enveloplng the affair is not yet cleared
up. 1t is hard to account for the per-
slstant assaults made upon him by these
half dozen woman Though
his reputed wealth may have stimu-
lated the cupidity of the first, or even
the second claimant, this motive could
hardly have actuated their followers,
Tor the chance of obtaining the fortune
would be IN inverse proportion to the
number of applicants. In fact, it is not
unlikely that the women were deceived,
either through a general resemblance
to type of form and feature common
IN the neighborhood, or an erroneous
estimate of the changes produced by
time IN the appearance of their hus-
bands.
Fortunate as Kerry was in his escape
from his female tormenters, the recent
escape OF the communist Pigerre is even
more remarkable Mistaken identify
IN the former case, if not disproved,
would, at the worst, have doomed its
victim to the hulks; in the latter case,
however, it would have brought an in
noeent man to the guillotine. Pigerre
was tried by the French government
for participation in the massacre of the
hostages of La Roquette. The evidence
against him was so strong that his case
seemed desperate indeed. He was con-
fronted by numerous witnesses who
positively identified him as the leader
of the firing party Some of them
went into minute details of his con
duct. One asserted he was the person
hn bod 81. L L. Il.