Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1884-12-23
LOST HIS IDENTITY.
Singular Experience Of q Denver
Man.
The Romance. Mystery and Extraordinary
Incident Which An Attempt 70 Coma
lnit suieids Rsysaled--A MysteFi-
Gus Case OF Mental Disease.


A few nights ago an event is known 70
have transpired in this city which turns
out 20 possess an interest full Of romance,
mystery, and extraordinary incident. A
young man, whose real name is withheld
attempted suicide BY morphine. He waa
IN very good circumstances, with a young
and beautiful wife and several children,
and il seemed hard 10 assign any reason
for the act 10 those who did not know his
history. Under strict promise of secrecy
as TO names, however, the police got the
main facts ia the case, and they have at
length come under the watchful eye OF a re-
porter.
Some years ago the young man whose
attempt at self-destruction alarmed his
family the other evening was one of the
parties injured IN great railroad accident
in Iowa. Taken TO Omaha, he was brought
back TO life and consciousness, but beyond
a saehel marked with the initials -. C. b.
there seemed no way at Identifying him.
No card or other mark of Identification
was found in either the lining of the bag
or any part of the yalise. 1t was to be
presumed that the young man would, on
regaining consciousness, be able to identify
himself, but this did not prove TO be the
case. On the contrary, he was unable to
tell who he was or where he came from.
His railroad ticket had been taken up
and his sleeping car ticket had evidently
been left ia the care of the porter He
was alive, but so for as his past life, was
dead 10 all practical intents and purposes
In all other respects he was bright enough,
and as soon as he recovered health went to
work as day laborer and gradually get
ting money ahead came to Denve or-
tune prosperedhim here and in other parts
of Colorado. Adopting name of his own
selection he grew rich, and somehow never
seemed to trouble himself in regard to his
past life.
He fell in love with beautiful Denver
girl, and after six months courtshiI
they were married. She bore to him sew.
eral children. AS they grew wealthier and
they moved into better house and began
to entertain people, he happened to meet
one day, at one of his little social parties, q
man whose face and voice attracted his at
tention. Soon after the gentleman's visits
70 his house ceased unaccountably, and
the young man rather worried himself over
the circumstance, but soon forgot it in the
press of other matters.
Some six months ago the young man
having business engagement, started for
Chicago. Arriving in that city he hap
pened to meet the very man who had called
at his house in Denver. The man called
on him at his hotel and asked him why he
was living in Denver under false name,
telling him his real name and reveal
ing TO him the fact that young girl to
whom the young man had been engaged in
in the States had recently died broken
hearted with watching and waiting for tid-
ings of lover that came not. His parents,
too, had both died, and the old farm
where he had formerly lived was made the
subject of much litigation. The young man
slowly awoke to what he had
been and returned to New York
State, where he recovered and put
in shape the old homestead, but he
felt that his family required his presence
West again, and returned to Denver. But
here the memory of his past life returned
so vividly and the thought of the changes
which his lost identity had wrought in his
life worried him so much that he could
scarcely eat or sleep.
But, remarkable as had been his expert
ences, a more remarkable one was to follow
He was recently thrown from his buggy in
runaway accident, and since that time
he has lost consciousness Of the new life,
and he was found one night not long ago
to have left the city for the East. Detec-
tives were set on his trail and he was
brought back. In this city he still denies
that his wife or children belong to him,
and declares that he will go back to his old
love, who waits for him in the East. Ex-
plantations are unavailing, and it is feared
that the las. accident he met with deprived
him of reason. His melancholy attempt at
suicide strengthens this belief. Some of HE
physicians, however, believe that If his
brain, already put to so much tension, is
strong enough. an operation may be per-
formed on it which may restore his mental
balance. An intense mental shock is, how
ever, more TO be desired, and in some way
or other this mysterious case of mental dis
ease may yet find satisfactory remedy.