New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-30

scription of the brother. SO he took the funeral
in charge and paid all the expenses, and thus the
matter rested until the other day. when 10 the
establishment of all concerned the man VINO
was supposed to have been buried SIX months
before stepped into his brothers home, awe
and well. In this case the remarkable fact was
that the body of the stranger should have re-
sembled that Of James Brown even to the com
cidence of the scar; and yet, strange as TINS
case is, il belongs In by no means meagre cat
egory. Indeed, if it were possible to collect all
the similar authenticated instances or con-
fusion of identity because of close and detailed
resemblances, the world might be disposed 10
relinqush the common suppOsition that no two
human beings are precisely alike and might
conclude that Nature was in the habit OF turn
ing out pairs at least from the same mould, and
perhaps occasionally larger numbers.
But even such theory would not account
for all that is mysterious in this class OF cases,
for it would leave unexplained the not infre-
ouent instances in which identity of blemishes
and defacements occurs. Take the fact OF the
identical scars in the Brown case,and this could
be paralleled without the least difficulty. In
stances have occurred in which the resemblance
mark and popularity on one body has been re-
peatcd on another. Nor are we speaking OF
twins, between whom, as is well known, there
often exists subtle band of union; but OF peo-
pie who are strangers to one another, and VINO
perhaps never met in their lives. Or course
the conventional explanation Is embraced IN
the word coincidence" but unfortunately that
word does not make the phenomena one whit
more comprehensive than they were before.
No doubt there are many cases OF mistaken
identity in which the original assumption OF
identity was not warranted, and when the con-
ditions have been such as to render recognition
difficult. But setting all such cases aside, there
remains long list of others in which, WIN
every opportunity TO make tests, the evidences
have appeared so strong as fully to justify be-
lief, SO strong that sometimes courts OF law
have been In doubt as to the issue. Cases have
been known in which wife was unable to tell
which of two living men was her husband; IN
which mothers have been completely deceived
as to the identity of their offspring; in which
brothers and sisters have been equally Devil
dered and misled.
III IL is Chance alone that creates all these
strange and confusing resemblances, 1t would
seem necessary to pOstulate in Chance certain
purposefulness the mere conception OF when
must neutralize the fortutiOus character OF the
occurrence. But modern Science teaches us that
there Is no such thing as chance; that neces-
sity rules; that Law governs the universe
and it follows, therefore, that there must be
some law governing these apparently caprlc-
ious cases, if only it could be found out. Cali
ban upon Setebos would no doubt reject the
idea of law in the premises altogether, and
attributes the whole affair TO the arbitrary
caprice of the Power which he hated and feared.
II would, however, be an interesting subject for
investigation by some evolutionist of leisure
and means for 1t can scarcely be doubted that
the phenomena, if soluble, would present val
| liable suggestions.