The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1885-09-12

these two men positively had sears of the
same SIZE in similar positions. Little
wonder, then, that such a fact, coupled
with their resemblance, caused them to
be mist aiken one for the other.
About Tie middle Of the last century Il
certain Mr.. kiliet WAS convicted and cX-
ecuted on the positive oath of man
mined Jackson, no Swore lie had been
robbed, Kilet's innocence being alter
ward proved. Another tragical case WAS
that of two men named Mackle" and
Clinch, no were executed for the muir
der of q; Mr.. Fryer in Iolingt"n in 1874,
their identity being positively Sworn t"
by Miss Ann Fryer, the cousin Of tie
murdered man, who was with him at the
time. Yet years aittr"ar'i two oliinl
mails scvrraliy confessed To the crime for
which Macklcy and tlinch had lnn"-
Gently suffered. Another uni"r;unatn
man, named Coleman. was executed III
17l9 for the murder oi u girl, sarah
Green, WHO swore positively To Tim rs
one of her ASSISTANTS, the real criminals
being discoytlod aiterwari through one
Of them tuning kings evidence, as 1t
Was called in those DAYS.
Turning from these tragedies 70 cases
within the accused persons escaped, we
shall find equally remarkable instances
of resemblance between different per-
sons. a certain Mr. Frank Douglas, a
man of f: sllipu in the last century, was
arrested on a charge of highway rob
berry, much to the. horror Of his friends,
and would certainly have been hanged
but for the following providential cir
camstancc. A notorious criminal named
Page happened to be caught and brought
to Newgate at the same time, and when
the victim of the robbery saw hjm he
recognized his zeal assailant, the extra
ordinary resemblance between the two
men amply explaining his former testi-
mony. A similar case occurred in New
York some forty years ago, OF there
abouts, which created much excitement
in that city. A hotelkccper was charged
with presenting a forged check, and the
bank clerk swearing to his identity, he
was convicted. \ new trial was, how
ever obtained, and after the uHfortu innate
mans business and reputation were
gone, a notorious frrger happened to be
arrested, who turned ont to be The real
criminal, a remarkable res 'in''lIncc c.
tween the two being once more the eau e
of mach misery To an innocent man.
Scores of such cases, indeed, might be
quoted and testimony based on reSeT-
blancc has, says il great authority, been
proved to be utterly uncertain. even
when given by the most conscientious
Witnesses, who dc sire to tell the truth,
the whole TRUTH and nothing but the
truth" DR.. Gilman, in his edition of
Beck'5 MdicM Jnrixprnlemco, says on
this point: "The wife has been mistaken
as to her husband, the father as to his
child, the sister as to her sister. the life
long friend rs to his friend. Such mis-
takes have been made, and | suppose
will be made, on such evidence. Lives
have been sacrificed, judicial murders
have been committed, and what the law
has once done we all know it will (for
that sole reason) do again"
Fully as interesting as the foregoing
eases, though not ending, or nearly end
ing, SO tragically, are the cases i'll which
individual is the person he pretends
to be.
Let us go back to 1890, to French
case, that of Martin Guerre, which came
before the Parliament of Toulouse in
that year, and certainly sounds more like
fiction than a true story. Martin Guerre,
foolish mar, left his home and his wife
for eight years. Thereupon one Arnanld
Dutilla made his appearance, bearing n
great rese:n blance to the errant Martin,
was received by the wife as her husband
AMI took possession of the property.
thee years Arnauld Ddtile was accepted
by Madame Guerre, and Martins four
sisters and two brothers-in-l law, as her
lawful husband. Tie matter, however,
fell into dispute, and then came the tug
of war. Hundreds of witnesses were
examined, and of those some forty swore
that the impostor was Martin Gucrre,
while as many were equally positive that
he was Arnauld Dutille, and, again, a
that tie two men were SO much alike
that they could not decide which was
before them. The judges were natur-
ally very much puzzled, and Arnauld
Dutillc brazening the matter out with
effrontery, they were posi-
lively on the point of deciding in his
pearcd on the scene. Martin t!uerre
claimed his own, and the lmposturc coli
lapsed.
Equally curious in its way was the
claim of Pierre Acgc, a soldier, to be
the son of a certain Sicuy dc Caillc who
had fled to Savoy, being Il Protestant, on
the revocation of the Ehict of Nantes
His sou died in d. Cables presence at
Vevay, but nevertheless the impostor
was, after trial, declared to he the said
son, in spite of documentary csilcnce
from Switzerland of the mans death
The wife of Mcgc, however, let out the
secret, and on an appeal the Pau Lament
of Paris decided against him. This i'm
posture, as has been point, ii ont, was i'll
many respects like the Tichborne case,
for there seem to have been no points of
at all between the two mon.
Women as school ON GERS.
From The Phiiddciphia Times.
Among the newfanglcd notions of the
present day may be mentioned that of
selecting women to act as mem pcrs of