American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-05-25
MISTAKEN IDENTITY.

case, which has so recently come to an
untimely end, show how easily persons
may be deceived as to the identity of
friends or acquaintance of long ago 1t
is difficult, however, to realize the extent
of the misconception existing in such
| cases, even when it is attested by a multi
tude of witnesses. Mistakes like these
are not to be attributed wholly to lapse
of time. Though the human body changes
every seven years, individuals are not
rendered unacceptable in consequence.
Nor do we repudiate our tailors' bills or
other evidences of Indebtedness of long
standing on the ground that they were
contracted by somebody else. Neither
bodily nor mental changes are ordinarily
sufficient to account for these perplexing
| contradictions
1t is natural that imposture should be
| frequently connected with cases of mis-
taken identity, for INSCRIPTIONS tricksters
are thus assisted in accomplishing their
designs by those fallacies of observation
and memory to which so many people are
liable. Few persons, however, have such
natural facilities for this kind of deception
as were possessed by the famous Bam-
| fylde Moore Carew, the liking of the
beggars." He could so change the ex-
preston of his features, the curve of his
| shoulders, the shape of his legs, the
| apparent size of his person, his gait, and
general appearance, as to deceive the
most accurate observers. Once being in
danger of impressment as a seaman, he
| pricked his hands and face, and rubbed
in gunpowder and bay salt, which gave
him the desired appearance of suffering
severely with smallpox, and thereby in
sured his liberty. When in this country,
| he so successfully initiated the dress and
manners of Quakers as to be welcomed
as brother in Philadelphia. He
| certainly more adroit than the hackman
| in a bar ho Il !, taI
were visiting in large numbers, who, by
an appropriate dress and lucky use of
Hees and MOus, succeeded in getting con-
siderable custom till he unwittingly
exposed himself by asking a venerable
Friend
Where's thou's baggage?"
On one occasion, while Carew was
visiting Colonel Strangeways, as a gentle
man unknown in the neighborhood, the
conversation turned upon his own motor
ious powers of deception. The colonel
said he knew him well, and could never
be victimized by his trickery, as so many
others had been. A few hours afterward
Bamfylde went to a gypsy haunt in the
neighborhood, and made an entire change
in his appearance. The coloners SYM
pathies were soon after excited by a lame
beggar who hobbled up to the house,
utterIng plteous means, and exhibiting
an ugly wound on his leg. This wretched
object in rags and tatters, who received
charity from the colonel, was Carew, who
again appeared as a guest at mis- table
that evening and announced what he had
done. On one occasion, while eXhib-
iting his skill as rat-catcher, at gentle
mans house, he was addressed by Mr..
lleydell, who expressed pleasure at meet
ing the celebrated Mr.. Carew, whom he
had never seen before. "Yes, you have"
said Bamfylde, who announced that he
t.i
Mr. Pleydell had given aims a few days
previously. As that gentleman declared
he could not be deceived second time,
Carew accepted the challenge. Next day
an old bcggar woman, leaning on
! cruich, and dragging along three miser-
able children, knocked at Mr.. Pleydell's
gate. The servants came out, but did
not succeed in satisfying her demands.
At last their master, disturbed by her
opportunities and the children's noise
came out, spoke to her, gave her some
money, and sent her away. No one sus-
pected that Bamfylde and the old woman
were one person, and the first knowledge
of the fact was communicated by him at
| Mr.. PlcydclPs table that same evening.
! Carew's skill was shown, not only in the
adaptation of his dress to the character
/ he assumed, but in the more difficult task
| OF making his words and actions CORES
| pom with its requirements. This YER
| satllity was remarkable, for, whether
appearing as shipwrecked mariner n
| kcntiSh farmer impoverished by floods,
or II clergyman reduced to distress by :.
series of calamities, his disguise was al
most impenctrable.
| Mistaken identity, however, often re
suits from a certain similarity of form
and feature without any attempt at de
| ception. An amusing illustration of tins
| IS given in Shakspcarc's COMEDY of
| Errors" 1t is wcllcstablished fact
however, that persons who when seen
/ apart are thought To have Il remarkable
/ likeness, usually turn out when brought
I together To he very little alike, or much
| less so than was honestly supposed. In
/ fact, persons who have II general rcscm-
| blance Of form and feature are less likely
to be mistaken for each other than thos,
/ who have some striking peculiarly in
, common. The reason is, that the ordi-
nary observers attention is at once ar
| rested by this distinguishing feature and
does not dwell upon the points of differ
l encc.
! Il curious instance of this was shown
nj the trial of Professor Webster for the
murder of DIR. Parkbam, where witness
for the defense, in testifying that she saw
the latter after the time when he was al
! legged to have been murdered, said She
| identified him by his prominent chin.
Tho ease with which people are deceived
in these matters was strikingly illustrated
| mt this trial; for, although Pr. Park
| mans personal appearance was so peculiar
! that no one in he city resembled him,