Richland beacon., 1877-02-03
A CANADA ROMANCE.
Curious Case Of Mistaken
Identity.

One 80 lie most singular cases at mistaken
IDENTITY ever br,ughj to high; ir Canada ha'
just taken place at Ottawa. o.. HE ai,ernn n
Of the 2"ih of September last, 4 dying nar
was found by "A farmer living at Edwards.
burg, lying on the roadside, about seven mile.
from Prescott. The ftnner brought Ian to
the latter piare where he died. evidently
from sheer Starvation, having trrn lying
around the conn;ry SHE wiihou, any vsibir
means oe support tr several days An in-
quest having been HEAD, verdic, wa rer
tered in accordance with the facts. aud he
was bnrie': AT the public expense. Mean
while, the Pre- |aiiing opinion was that the
unfortunate man had been Resident Of Orta-
wa, and many people there who had friends
iIom Lone, they knew not where ;urai.d
grew anxious, aud CO... pa,el Tie description
gwen OF the drceascd with ,al Of him ON
whose =, coant they we:e a"Ninus
Now M: Hughes, who resi.:..- on Nicholas
street, hetween Rld-au ard ST i'an!, IN that
CITY. had husband who left ih- city ia Jn,y
1873, that Is 10 say. fouItssn Months before
the sal event. but he NaS mo:t;iy certain.
from the description gwen ia ;lr papers iha,
it was her husband 10 had beef buried in
Prescott. Acting III her apprehensions. she
started for that Town 1n the iiiII day after the
burial. and, after very great difficulty, sue
ceet!ed in having ihc grave opened. the lad
of the coffin iaA IN II, and TIE body cXhGmcd.
Ii was a di-a-rrrai!e task, AMI Mrs Hughes
Vas requested >rvr,a times 10 de>i>t and
rest satisfied w..h the de>c..; non that had
been given IA the Ottawa Tmcs bat she per
severed.
if.nf vark fl.f A far m .
ton, and She found that tar as tue stale of
the body wOu!d permit, every mark CORES
ponded, ev"n Ia ,iie most minnie particular,
with those she knew tu have been OF her hus-
hand. The iIe;chi an.. apparent aye cores
pOndri in a marked dr-:-r. aGi - Hughes
had >-rvcd la the !Ol,iI Regiment of Foot,
Mrs. iu.h,.- LrougIt h.s discharge with her,
aud the description cd his person therein
given exactly curre>ponded with the body
lying before them when in lie. Such was
the opinion Of all present at the examination.
10 add To tie proof Of tue identity she men,
toned before the ccilin was opened all these
particulars and in addition that her husband
wore n long black coat, which, on inspection,
proved 10 be the case. Thoroughly satisfied
that she was q itiow in the land, the relict
Of Mr.. Hughes had The body reinterrcd. and
came back to Ottawa, where, acting on the
advice o Major Bacsley. she had afdav.;s
prepared for ner Icy Mr. J J. kehoe, embody-
ing the facts OF the case.
The days and weeks rolled on, and the
first grief was beginning to wear off the
edge OF Mrs Hughes sorrow for her lost
husband, when to her astonishment, amuse
mert and delight, he, whom she thought she
had seen buried under the earth, walked into
her presence on Wedncs sday morning. We
pass over the first transports Of Joy and the
mutua! explanations that cnsu~d, merely re-
markins that Hughes was in profound igno.
raNee o; all that had haPrencd. and had HIM
self undergoUe strange reverse OF fortune
while away from Ottawa. Ii. had Two very
pretty little girls, ami when the elder saw
him erter yesterday she exclaimed: ANA, has
papa come up out df the grolird?" 4 Il the
friends Of James Hughes except onr, agreed
with his wifi. thar il was the body of her hus.
band which was buried in Prescott and that
was his mother, who, Ly some strange insnct,
could never be brought 10 believe il. though
why she could not very well explain. Hughes
had vety narrow escape from death during
his sojnurn on the ether side He was one Of
lne sufferers 10y TIE oil train taking fire ia
prnn>y' vania, AMI causing the death Of seven
and t' irj1ry of a'ou, fly He was taken
manned there three months, between life aud
death. but ultimately recovered He is by no
means like dead man at present, nor even
Ike one who las been dead. lie j. rs bale
and hearty as any man III th. civ Of Ottawa