Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1873-12-18


NO, sir | do not; who are you9" TIL
man burst into tears and said: "You']
hot'believe mel know, when tell you
but it's got to come some time, ant
might as well now as not. am vii
lis Peyton." -
HIS WIFE sHRINKs FROM HIM.
Mrs Peyton shrank from him, order
ed him out of doors, and two of he,
sons and hired man took him to tie
nearest justice, who sent .,lu, to iail as
lunatic. He was first fred by com
mission OF lunacy, and was adjudged
perfectly sane. He is now being tried
before the SurTos ate on the question of
his pretensions as the husband of Mrs.
feyton and the owner Of. the Peyton
property. He has told his tory, the
main points of which we have given ;
has related In court circumstances that
occurred before the same Judge years be-
fore; told the lawyers m ny things that
q stranger, such as he seems to be. could
not know; related W Ills Peyton's fam
lily history, giving some minute details
which are strictly correct and general
ly known in the neighbofhood and ev-
EN- reminded Mis-. Peyton of words
spoken during her courtship, which she
supposed no one knew but her husband
and herself Ii seems highly probable
he will establish his identity, incredible
as 1t may appear.
The principal evidence in his favor is
that furnished by several marks and
scars on his person. and this is unin
peachable. Willis Peyton, when a lad
received severe cut in the instep, which
left bad scar. The metamorphosed
Willis Peyton has the scar. He had a
tattoo mark of an American shield on
his right arm. The shield is there.
On his left arm an anchor. Anchor
there, but elongated. Peyton also had
a very curious scar on one OF his fingers
which was disfgured by crushing in
cog wheel. 4 critical examination of
this finger by the physician who dress
ed the flesh wound compells the doctor
to say that it is the finger Of Willis
Peyton.
While this examination was making,
the claimant said: doctor, do you
recollect how sick [ was made by the
sight Of that finger, while you and
mother were dressing it one day And
do you recollect how l came to you one
day to know what would take the infa
nation out of my arm where was tat
tooed by Jim Bayne, the sailor?" The
old doctor remembered we'll how sore
Willis Peyton's arm was, and the cir
cumstance OF. his faintipg once from the
dressing Of the sore finger. Another
evidence that the claimant is the simon
pure Willis Peyton is that he singles
out men, who do not know him, calling
them by name and reminding them Of
incidents of a former acquaintance that
leave no doubt in their minds as to his
identity.
And the "Widow Peyton' sits in the
court room, by turns looking at the
CLAIMANT to her bed and board, and
crying as witness after witness .avows
his belief that the strange man is Will
lis Peyton. She has told her friends
that if he really is Peyton he may have
the farm, stock, and everything but
herself. Sometimes during passages
of the trial implores her to look again
aud see if she cannot recognize one
feature and acknowledge him as her
! husband, but she refuses, and his earn
est, appealing face. suddenly becomes
| clouded by despair. He says if the
suit terminates In his favor he will only
ask a living off the farm, and will never
intrude upon his wife and children un-
less they voluntarily recognize him.