The Hickman courier., 1872-08-24
NrIstaken IdeniifY.

- ~ANA~NS~ SeyS1 RNSRaS
iued that they heard the last Of the Tich-
borne case, In which a vulgar butcher
laid claim to one of the largest estates
aud noblest titles in England, have been
recently uDdeceived. The claimant, so
far from being crushed out by the evi-
deuce at the protracted trial, the result
of which was to bind the so called Ro-
ger Itch borne over to stand his trial for
perjury, he has DOW taken new role.
II has been for monthssdkSsSsd in the
donation business on q large fcale, and
the Tichborne claimants fund has been
steadily swelling from the -prefuse con-
| tributions of the credulous, running all
the way from six pence each 20 City
pounds sterling. This prodigaf bestoWaf
of funds is 10 aid the claimant in defend:
lug the suit against him for perjury, and
in proving his titles to the Tichborne
estates.
Aside from the romantic elements in
this case, and the always really popular
sympathy for one in humble life who
claims to be kept out of his owp, and is
sueiug for il, the notable point is that it
furnishes one of the most remarkable
cases of disputed personal identity on
record, Such cases always possess an
interest for the public. The annals of
crime furnish many instances in which
the identity of persons arrested and
charged with offense has been proved by
apparently conclusive testimony, yet the
persons so proved guilty have afterwards
been found wholly innocent, aud the
witnesses all mistaken in the man. Ia
the year 1896 gentleman named Le-
surques was tried, convicted and hung at
Paris for highway robbery no less than
than four witnesses testifying to his
identity. Other witnesses were brought
| forward to prove an abb, but one Of
these having been detected in falsity in
his evidence, the jury refused TO believe
all of them, and brought the prisoner iu
guilty. The unfortunate young man
went to the scaffold protesting his inno-
cence. -Four years afterward the real
criminal, one Dubosco, was arrested, and
found to possess a remarkable personal
likeness to Lesurques. Evidence of
conclusive character was produced against
him. and he was executed, an accomplice
testifying to his guilt aud to the entire
innocence of Le4urquee,
In 1845 a singular case Of mistaken
identity occurred in trial at Lowell,
Mass. Some wretch had assaulted little
gifls, engaged in picking berries 10 the
field near that city. and man was ar
rested two weeks after charged with the
offeuse. A Mr.. Houghton and his wife,
who had run to the rescue of the girls
on hearing their screams, swore positive
ly that the prisoner was the same man
who run away in the bushes at the time
of the ASSAULT. The two girls were sep
arately put into a room, aud each of
them pointed out the prisoner as the fell
| low who had committed the assault upon
them. Other witnesses, 70 the number
of ten 10 all. swore 10 his identity as the
man whom they had seen on the day be-
fore the crime near the spot On the
other hand, the prisoner brought six un-
impeachable witnesses who testified posi-
itively that they were with him ia a re-
mote town in New Hampshire at the very
time the assault on the girls was commit
ted. This proved an abb, together with
the good character Of the young man
charged, secured his acquittal, the couu-
sci for the Govergment admitting the
abb to have been clearly made out.
But the remarkable resemblance of the
prisoner to the william who committed the
crime, andfhe fact that the witnesses for
the Government who identified him were
all mistaken, caused the Judge who tried
the case to remark that it was almost suf-
fcient to shake all confidence in human
testimony.