Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1878-01-23
STRANGER THAN FICTION

I
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STRANGER THAN FICTION.
There is no question about facts il
! the case we are going TO relate, won
1eltul us they may appear 10 the in
credulous. By more than one compe
tent witness who knew the parties an,
the circumstances they can bo authen
ticated. They read like a romance
and would form u capital foundation
for first-class sensational novel. They
remind one forcibly of the trlte adag'
that Truth is stranger than fiction,
and seldom has the truth Of the prov
erb been more slrikingly illustrated
Cases OF mistaken identity are not un
common, bat instances where the de
ception is so complete in oil the minute
details Of voice, features, form, man
ner, &C., are indeed rare There hav,
been many instances where an acci
dental general resemblance has TEN
porarily imposed upon persons Il
whose loss and injury it was used, bu
generally the imposter has been dis
covered and punished. The story W.
are about TO relate is not Of that char
acter 1t is true that the impostel
was at last exposd, but so close wa
the resemblance of the party to the
one he impersonated, in every particu
lar, that even the most intimate rela
tions with him developed no suspicion
that all was not right We believe
that there is but one case Of the kind
on record, of which we shall speak
anon. In the following narrative we
avoid the real names Of the parties re
ierred to, we assure our readers il |;
not because we do not know them
and can not, if we would, verify the
statement at once by the publication
of the names in full, but for the other
and to us sufficient treason, and among
which is the fact that there are Other
incidents OF the story we have beer
unable TO get, and in giving the names
we would inevitably spoil future dc
velopments of the most interesting
character connected with this remark
able case,
Ab0ut seven years ago there lived
in Lewisburg, a suburb OF CoviDgton
u loving wife and a devoted husband
Their little home was happy and com
toriable, but work grew slack, and in
search of better employment in lar
ger and more inviting field, the hus
band babe adieu to his cozy cottage
kissed bis wife a reluctant good bye
aud started for Chicago. He lett with
hopeful heart, and strong in the be
lief that his fortune waited him in th,
Garden City, but what appeared tc
him as the most promising venture o
bis life proved to be his bane and ruin
1t was the most unfortunate journey
he ever took, and he arrived at its enc
at the most unfortunate time he could
have selected. The great conhagra
tion was at the time raging in tn,
doomed city, and everything was il
commotion. People were flying ter
ror-stIicken from homes, and goods o
every description were scattered il
the highways and byways of the city
Falling in with man whose resem
blance impressed and attracted him
the twain went over the scene of de
struction together. Our Covingtoniar
was, in common parlance, "bard up,
all kinds of goods were lying arounC
him in proiusion and apparently neg
lected, and the temptation was toe
strong for him and bis companion
They appropriated some of the article,
to their own use and were discovered
and arrested.
In due time their trial came of, and
they were convicted and sentenced tC
the penitentiary, one for six years, ant
the other, the stranger, Tor four In
pursuance OF their sentence, they wcr,
sent to the State Prison, and, arriving
there together, convicted together, FOL
a crime committed together, they wer,
naturally assigned to the same cell
Here, during the weary months o.
confinement, they solaced each Other
by cultivatlng more intimate friend
ship, and IN the course of time they
became almost as one, family, history
and the secrets of each others life be
ing exchanged, until one knew al
much about the other as though they
had lived all their lives together. Littl,
did the ovingtonian know to whal
this intimacy would lead, or probably
much as he loved his new friend, h,
would have cut out his own toung,
rather than have given him an iota ol
the information that prompted him Il
plan and enabled him TO successfully
carry out his subsequent imposture.
AT the end of four years the stran
ger was released and shortly after
wards appeared at Covington. A singl,
inquiry sufliced to direct him TO Low
isburg, and he soon found the anxious
family Of the man whom he left in tn,
Illinois penitentiary. She had almos
given him up for dead, hot having
heard from him for 30 long o time
when the stranger came before hel
and claimed her for his own. She wa
startled, Of course, but the likeness IN
clined her to admit his claim, and fact,
he mentioned that none bat she anC
her husband could know were still
further proof Of his identity. Still, sh,
was cautious, and was not averso I,
furnishing him little for his neglect
OF her. Her relatives, therefore called
in, and family consultation was held
| The result was what might have beer
expected. Tho wife was told that ah,
ought to know her husband bettel
than anybody else, and, IL she though
the person then laying claim to bcl
wifely duty and love was the one I,
whom she had pledged them Mt tn,
sacred altar, she should 90 with him
unless, indeed, she felt 10 aggrieved b,
bis long absence without communica
ting with her that she felt she coult
no longer love him and live in happi
ness with him. why had he no
written r. The answer was promp
and plausiblc-that be had, during BIZ
entire absence been very sick in Chi
cago hospital. That was reasonabl,
excuse, especially among people o
limited means, aud the wife, ut length
abandoned all of her feminine objec