, 1873-11-30


aoalded men in Whito Nlvos> uo received nono from
tho brutal, Lalf-clvilzed Oubana "Tho mills Of to
gods grind slowly" etc.
HOW TO BE TWO PERSONS AT THE SALE
TIME,
Tho old adago that truth ia stranger than hc- |
tion onco moro finds exempliacation in tho atory
Of tho life Of tho Nav York merchant, George
Hardin, Which waH givon in detail In our inauo
Of yesterday. Hore Was o caso In which mill
lonairo led double life. In one part OF tho
city, he WAS known as ono poraon in tho other,
aa another. This duality ho maintained for
twenty-five yoars, without Its being discovered
By those who wore acquainted With him socially
or did business With him. It would bo hard to
given us tho picture Of tho " Two Dromios, with
tho ludicrous situations into which mistaken
Identity led thom, but they we're distinct
persons. Tho mc1o-dramatio "Ooralcan Broth
era, which waB tho delight OF thoatre-goers In
Noalo's day, reats upon tho aamo basie. Edward
Evorott Halo has wrltton very charmiugly upon
"N1y Double and How Ho Undld No." Wo
have also Ind Potter schlomi1, who could novor
get rid OF Ills shadow, and thore arc numerous
psychological romanccs Of horoos and heroinos
who aro troubled with their other nolvcs. But
tlts chapter Of cur real lifo Is moro remarkable
than ar Of thoua, both in Its novel surroundings
and it's roality. George Hardin, whose will
is now in dispute in tic New Yorl Courts, lod in
n A1rh n hn
George Hardin up torn, 1o Was George Walk
er. Down town ho WAS bachelor up town ho
was married nun. Down town, ho Lad ono
act Of social acquaintancea up town, ho lad
another, aud tho TWO aetH know nothing Of each
other. Down town; 10 did business as George
Hardin; up town, aH George Walkor. Down
town, he Avod III surnptuous style as bachelor;
up town, he lived with Ais wife in plain,
oil. l.faBhioned wooden house. This style
Of double life WAS kopt up for twenty-hyo
ycars No ono rho know George Hardiu know
George Walker, and r,ce uersa, and had 1t not
been that ha death brought Aia largo fortune
into the courts, the identity Of tho two Georges
might havo remained n secret forever.
There aro two surprising facts connected With
this strange story. First, thero docs not aoom
to DO any apecal reason why ho should have
| indulged in this freak. Ths wife OF Hardin,
| or Walker, Was Elizabeth Steel, Scotch
girl, who had boon previously mar-
ried to man nnmed Robert Walker, o
drunken yagabond, who may still be aliyo for all
Tint il known to tho contrary. Ho deserted hor
t however, and as ut that time ho was gutter
| dr7lnkard, aud had not been heard Of for yeats,
she married Hardin, and thoy lived ever after as
h1r. and Mrs. George Walker. Nov, If HRS.
Walker were his MISTRESS. as the contestants
claim, there might have boon good reason why
ho should not wish to bo known as Hardin in hia
association with her; but the evidence all goes
to show that thoy wore lawfully married. and
that as George Walker ho alwaya nc.
knowledgod hor as his vito; as George
Hardin, ho WAS bachelor aud mono Of George
Hardin'a down-town friends know anything oi
George Walker, who lived up town. Tie sec
ond Btrprieing faot WAS, that even in Now Yorl
City le should hayo been able to prosoryc rhii
dual identity so perfectly. The chaneeH Of sue
cess III d largo city were, Of course, in hia favor
IN ylllago It would havo been impossible tt
maintain such condition Of things for a woek
for thoro every ono knows his neighbor, and the
gozsips oxtoud their prylng investigation down tt
worry small detaia.' In tho great crowds Of th
city, however, whore cyery ono Is fighting for
living, and one scarcely knows tho nauo Of hi
ncghbor; wheso tho surgng crowds pass epcl
other in tho street without recognition, and th
ripples Ut tho soclal oirolos can hardly adyauc,
beyond their Immediate centres botoro thoy art
intornsctod and broken up hy other nipples, /
might be possible to maintain sucA ze!atson
: without tho knowledge Of tho rcst Of til
city. 1t would bo comparatively oasy t.
10 this It ono wore III unknown pei
son, and not opgaged IN any wor
oalou1ated to bring him into public notice. Du
l George Hardin was prominent business ma,
30 lad beou heayy importer Of liueng. and til
y agent Of one Of tho largest housos In Europe
During the liat few years Of Lis lite, ho had boo
u capitallst, waswcll known on tho Btocl-E,
!, change, Ind largo dealings With tho banls ar
brokers, and Aal also IN extensive circle Of bug
, ness acquaintance, to whom he was known I
20 George Hardin, tho rich bachelor, while U
u town ho also had q large ctrolo Of aoqualnt
= aucoB, 10 whom he waa known aa aoore
N Walker, a married man Of only moderate moan
J. With such IN extensive business as ho carrie
1 on, ranifying In every direction, 1t Ia amaz[l
10 that In all thoao ycara tho respective friends
George Hardin aud George Walkor did NOT r.
over each other md discover tho Identity Of Il
X two, Or that Lo h!msolf did not In an unluol
If ,uonont mako somo slip which would lot out u
N secret.
h Whatever may have been ths mott1s Of tn