The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1873-12-16
A Wonderful Case.

Two years ago farmer started from
this neighborhood to go to Nashville, Tenn.
He took with him several hundred dollars,
trunk of clothing, patent right model |
for spring bed and several letters of in
PRODUCTION to parties in the South. The !
last heard of him he was at Terre Haute,
when he wrote that he was feeling i'll, but
would push on to Evansville, where he had
an old friend named David Weaver, with
whom he intended to spend few days,
after which he would proceed on his jour
ney.
He was never heard of again, OF at least
such is the claim of his wife and two sons,
who are now resisting the claims of
stranger who pretends to be the man, al
though he is eight inches taller than Willis
Peyton, the missing man has brown curly
hair and luxuriant beard, whereas Peyton
had light hair, nearly red, and very scanty
beard. Another radical point of difference
is, the claimant is round-favored and has
an aquiline nose, while Peyton was thin
and had large, arched nose, and closely
resembled William Bedford, Jr., of your
city, except in the color of his hair. So far
the case seems simply specimen of artistic
lying, but the sequel shows the strangeness
of it.
About four months ago this man came
to this neighborhood, and, entering the
house of the widow Peyton, as she is
called, took seat, and looking at Mrs.
Peyton, said: 81 suppose you don't know
me, Addie?" Mrs. Peyton answered "No
sir, do not Who are you? The stranger
burst into tears, and said "You'll not be-
lieve me, know, when tell you, but I'm
Willis Peyton." Mrs. Peyton, who is a
woman of nerve and decision of character,
ordered the fellow out of doors, and he per-
sisting that he was her husband, and caus-
ing trouble, was taken by her sons and
hired man to the nearest Justice, and COM
mitted to Jail as lunatic.
| The question first arose on his sanity by
a commission of lunacy tried before Sur
rogate, and it was decided that he was per-
fectly sane on his own testimony, or rather
on an examination of himself In court,
he related to the Surrogate circumstances
that had occurred in his court years before,
told the lawyers many things of themselves
that a stranger could not know related his
own family history, giving some minute
details well known to all, and even remind
ed Mrs Peyton of words spoken during her
courtship that it seemed utterly impossible
for any one but she and her husband to
know.
| His story, as related under oath, is that
he left Terre Hahte on the train, and after
short time seemed to lose his sense, or
at least lost all consciousness Of what was
transpiring around him, but he thinks he
was taken to a hospital in Evansville where
he was sick with smallpox. From the
hospital he was released in state of semi
consciousness, entirely bald and toothless
his hair and teeth having fallen out. When
he asked for his clothes, they gave him
what appeared to be the clothes Of smaller
man, his legs going through the pants,
and leaving from four to six inches below
unprotected.
He could get no trace of either his mo-
ney, watch or other effects and half crazy |
with modification he sought out his friend
David Weaver, only to be spurned as an
impostsr trying TO SOW pestience. Wea-
ver's remarks to him caused him to ex-
anime himself, and to his astonishment he
found that although forty-two years Of age,
he had grown five inches in eight weeks.
At first he thought he would drown him
4. ~ I,,k IL Ill
to try TO get home.
On his way back he was taken i'll again,
and again the world was blank to him.
Where this sickness took place he cannot
tell, nor is he certain Of any of the events
of the past two years after leaving Terre
Haute, except what occurred during few
days ut Evansville, where, he says,
watchman at an engine-house was kind to
him, and gave him portion of his mid
night lunch, He is now prosecuting his
claim to be recognized as Willis Peyton,
and the best legal and medical talent in the
vicinity is engaged in the case. flias
He has thus far undergone severe scru-
tiny, and, notwithstanding his claims are
most extraordinary, 1t seems probable that
he will establish his identity. The princi-
pal evidence in his favor is that of several
marks and scars on his person. When he
was lad he received severe cut on the
instep, which left bad scar. This scar is
on the claimant, but is longer than the
original He had tattoo mark of an
American shield on his right arm, and this
appears on the claimant but out of pro-
portion, and on his left arm an anchor,
which is also elongated out of due proper
tion. Peyton had also very curious scar
on one Of his fingers, disfgured by being
crushed in cog-wheel. A close and criti-
cal examination of this finger by the ply