The Osceola times., 1880-11-13
Men and Their Doubles,
BROOKLYN Eagle,


The question Of identity is one Of such
vital interest Ill mundane affairs that it
can readily be understood how essential
is the question Of agreement upon 1t. If
Smith sues Brown lor slander and Brown
proves satisfactorily that he is Jones or
Robinson, while the SANDER was actually
uttered by Brown, clearly tehre Is moth
ing to be done with the defendant. In
another view of the case, Brown being
presumably dead, and a man calling
himself Brown enters, for all practical
purposes, into his personality. and be-
gins suit as Brown-surp jse that the de-
fendant claims that this Brown is an
impostcr, and produces evidence that
the person he identifies himself with is
dead, then the question becomes one of
testimony.
There have been many cases not un-
like this hypothetical instance. There
j. one on trial now in New York. Henry
Youngs is being sued by Mrs. Theophilus
Youngs, wife of his brother, upon an
agreement which is not necessary to go
into. Theophilus Youngs quilted his
home some years ago. In February,
1875, the body of a stranger who had
been found dead in Boston was taken to
the Morgue and there identified as that
of Theophilus Youngs. In October. 1877.
Mrs. Youncs obtained letters Of admin
is,ration from Surrogate Calvin and be-
gan suit against her brother.in-law
Meantime, Harry Youngs, the defendant,
had been written to by Theophilus
Youngs, or some person claiming to be
Theophi.us, and prepared, with his
hrother's assistance TO defend the suit.
The claimant and his wife met for the
first time in court. Mrs. Youngs posi-
lively swore that the person calling him
self Theophilus Ioungs was not her
husband. On the other hand, Henry
Youngs, and Sophia Youngs, his sister,
30 ,itively identified Theophilus Ioungs,
as their brother. Mrs. Eunicc Terry,
aunt Of Theophilus, also positively iden.
tilted him. Those who bad identified
the corpse in the Boston MorRue insisted
that the claimant was not Thcophilus
Youngs. There the case stands to-
day.
That blood relations may sometimes
be unable to accurately determine the
question of identity is surprising, but
an example of this inability is furnished
in the famous Tichborne case,
The mother OF Sir Roger Tichborne
positivelv identified Arthur Orton as her
son. and the verdict that sent HIM to
prison formally declared that she was
mistaken. Public opinion, however,
was turned against him by his unmanl
statement as regards his cousin, Kate
Douoherty, and Britons consoled them
selves that even if he was the genuine
Tiehborne, gallantry demanded his pun
ishment as pretender Tor making an
infamous charge.
That a wife should not be able to re-
cornize her husband is not so strange.
A mated pair may live for years together
without obtaining knowledge Of the
actual appearance of each other-ioi
the mere facial and figural entity is the
least part of an identity. There is 4
case in point among the causes celebres o
France.
A returned soldier, whose intimate
companion had been killed, had, in thu
course of long series of campaign
learned the whole history of his com
rode. He presented himself to th'
widow of his chum, and was accepte'
Inv her and her children as the rightiu
claimant. The.yillacers were not behind
hand. and he was suddenly established
Emboldened by his success, however
he went the length of employing hi
companion's bootmaker. Unfortunalel
ior him. this mechanic had kept the las
~ tie original, and an examinat'o
nroyed that a constitutional difference
hot TO be explained away, c.
tween the last and the loot VI