The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-06-17

slant additions of ten individuals of any
given denomination TO form the next
higher. And what is the foundation of
this system? Why, as everyone knows,
the simple fact that we have ten fingers
c'digits'D on our two hands, and that
fingers are the handiest substitute for
figures, the most ready and natural of
aids to an unready reckoner. A fact as
external and physical as this, and SEEM
ingly SO trivial, has shaped the whole
science of mathematics and, altogether
without his being aware of it, gives form
to all the numerical conceptions of each
new learner. 1t is suggestion of gen.
eral human experience in the past, trans
the government of thought in the future.
--Llfe and Gro,oh Of Language by VIM.
D. Whitney.
Cases of Mistaken Identity in the En-.
glish Courts.
1t is not seldom that even British JUS
tice gets hold of the wrong person.
Cases of mistaken identity are by no
means rare In the courts. A singular in
stance of this happened to London
young woman, who was beguiling the
tedium of life by sojourn at Brighton.
Mrs. Hoddy was, it would appear, en-
ployed in restaurant in the CITY," On
Good Friday she departed for the pleas
ant seaside resort with her mother and
a female friend. 1t was Sunday evening.
The three London ladies had been
sauntering on the pier; and toward
eleven in the evening Mrs. Hoddy was
hylng her to her lodgings in Russell
street. A stranger came up to her
abruptly and accosted her. He went SO
far as to touch her on the shoulder, and
to give her the information that he had
seen her before" She declined to rec
ognize him as anyone she had ever seen,
and, as he persisted in following her, she
appealed to policeman for protection.
She got to her lodgings and retired.
before her landlady reused her with the
intelligence that policeman was wait
ing below to take her into custody.
Unable to credit her senses, the amazed
Mrs. Hoddy dlzzily descended to the
guardian of the law. To her further SIR
prise she found, in company with the
policeman, the young man who had ad
dressed her in the street. What followed
fairly overcame her with astonishment.
In presence of the policeman, the
stranger charged her with having, on the
Sunday night before, caught him round
the waist and robbed him of wallet
with five pounds in it.
In vain did poor Mrs. Hoddy declare
her innocence. She was rudely jostled
out of the house and the policeman
pushed her along" till they reached the
lookup.
The complainant stated to the magis-
trate that he was tailor of New Bur-
lington street, London. He repeated
the charge of theft. Here comes one of
those cruelties of English procedure
which cast a stain On the so much boosted
British justice. The young woman was
refused bail; and not only were there no
inquiries made as to where she had been
on the Sunday evening when the robbery
was alleged to have taken place, but she
was treated as prisoner proved guilty.
She was examined by "female search
err" she was locked up in a cell and
Finally she was committed for trial and,
being consigned to Lewes Jail, the addi-
tional indignlty of riding from Brighton
to Lewes on the outside Of the prison-van
was put upon her. At Lewes she was
forced to put on the Jail garb, placed in
solitary confinement and forced to use
penal bread and water.
Meanwhile it occurred to the prose-
cutor, Mr.. Sydney Landon, that very pos
sibly he had made a mistake. After Mrs.
Hoddy had been immured in Jail several
weeks, and on the very day before her
trial at the assiZcs came on, he withdrew
the charge and rendered an "apology."
This, naturally enough, was not ac-
copied. The outraged Mrs. Hoddy
brought an action for false imprison-
ment and just jury awarded her dam
ages to the extent of 81 400.
Another case of mistaken identity &C.
CURED in London. One Mr.. Chapman
was sitting in his library one day when
his brother came in and handed him q
letter. brought to the door by woman.
The letter professed to be recommen-
dation from clergyman in favor. of
deserving lady named Ridge. The gen.
erous Mr.. Chapman promptly drew a
check for five pounds in favor of this
lady. 1t afterward turned out that the
letter had been forged, and that Mrs.
Ridge denied all knowledge of the trans.
| action. It became necessary to identify
the bearer of the forged letter. Mr..
Chapman's suspicious fell upon Mrs.
Laurens, neighbor of Mrs. Ridge. That
dame was therefore beguiled into paying
MI Sd11s hl. ShdpAAdA DutlCIs
being concealed there, asserted that Mrs.
whereunon she was promptly arrested.
She was brought up in the Police Court,
remanded, locked up for week, and ut
last discharged for want of proof. The
outraged lady at once brought suit for
false imprisonment, clearly proved her
entire innocence, and received twenty
five pounds damages,
A singular blunder came near being
made by the magistrate of the Dublin
Police Court few months ago. Two
hackmen were arraigned before him
charged with having murdered an I'M
known gentleman. The principal witt
ness was woman, who swore that she
saw the victim talking with them one
dark night. They appeared to be de-
manding money of him. Presently he
went off toward the canal, the hackmen
following him; and soon she heard q
splash and shrek and saw the two men
hurrying away. The gentleman had dis.
appeared. Witness ran and caught up
with the hackmen, and charged them
with murder, whereon they felled her
senseless to the earth.
They were arrested, the canal was
dragged in vain, and the prisoners were
brought up for examination. The case
seemed proved beyond doubt. The
magistrate, his mind made up, was about
to commit the murderers tc trial, when
he asked if they had any observations to
make.
To the surprise of everybody one of
the supposed murderers spoke up thus:
"Is it observations, yer Honor? Fax,
then, there's the murthered man this
blessed minute standin' anenst YEP
Sure enough q gentleman stepped
forth, and, giving his name as Robb, de-
clared that be was the person referred to
by the witness, and that the hackmen
"had showed him his way home by the
canal in o most obliging manner
The prisoners were set free, and the
woman took their place in the dock,
charged with neutrality-suspicious. Journal.
| The shad fisheries on the Hudson