St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-07-16
SHE MARRIED THE BROTHER.
Strange Case That Has just Been
Brought to Light in MARYLAND.

Strange Case That Has just Been
Brought to Light in Maryland.
A remarkable romance of real life has
just come to light in Westminster coun-
ty, Maryland, writes a correspondent.
1t is as follows: Twenty-Five years ago
Edmund Davies was a young man in his
twentieth year. He had a younger
brother, just eighteen. His name was
Frank, and he was an exact double of
Edmund. 1t was early in 1864 that Ed
mund Davies began paying attention to
FANNIE Forbes the young daughter of a
neighbOrlng farmer. The brothers were
very much attached to each other, and
Frank, also, was frequent visitor to
the Forbes dwelling. The girl often
took the one for the other, and some
time afterward agreed upon a signal
with Edmund, so that she could readily
know TO whom she was talking. The
neighbors could not identify the
brothers, land they were known only and
referred to as the Davies boys. 1t was
the girl that suggested that when he
came to her he was to use the Latin
word ''idem'' (the same). Time passed,
and after courtship of six or seven
months, Edmund proposed marriage.
he did not have some mark on his arm
or hand by which she could readily dis
tinguish him in case of sudden death or
serious accident. He told the girl that
on his next visit he would disclose a
mark by which she could recognize him
in any case. Edmund went home. and.
meeting his younger brother, intrusted
the secret to him. Frank in his inner
most heart, too, loved Fannie Forbes.
and the confession of his brother
stirred his jealousy. He proposed
a trip to Baltimore, persuading
Edmund to dispatch a messenger
to his sweetheart that they had
gone to the Monumental city for the
placed between the first and second
fingers of the right hand. While in
Baltimore they met an old friend of
their father, Capt. Aker, of the ocean
steamer Franklin. The captain said he
would sail the next day for Australia,
and was very solicitous that the name
sake of his deceased friend should ac-
company him. 1t was Edmund. He
hesitated. The captain told him of the
pleasures of the trip and the fine coun-
try to which he would sail, and being
urged by Frank, he yielded to the in
fluence and consented. That evening
AC WlOIC d ldICNCu lCJtcG W Ills III
tended wife, bidding her to await his
coming, and that he was hopeful of
gaining fortune in the distant coun-
try. Remember Idem" were the last
words. The next morning, Friday,
Aug. "a, the Franklin started on the
trip. Now Frank had an open field, and
he improved the time wonderfully well.
His first work was to read the letter
The word ''idem" seemed to puzzle him,
but he remembered hearing his brother
use it when approaching the girl, and he
hit upon the correct meaning of it.
Next he had his right hand tattooed.
He would marry the girl he loved, he
thought, and assumed the name of Ed
mund. His return alone caused some
talk, but when the mail brought the
weekly newspaper announcing the de-
parture of one OF the Davies bows. of
Carroll county, for Australia i'm the
Franklin, all was well. Even though
he gave the correct word signal Fannie
Forbes seemed to doubt his identity.
but after the marriage had been post
poned for month she felt assured he
was Edmund and they were married.
The union was happy one. Years
went by and they prOSpered, and by
strict economy saved good amount of
money. Ten years after they had been
married the husband WAS in Baltimore,
and there ascertained that his brother
had died in Australia and had willed all
his earnings to Frank. This knowledge
the husband impaired to his wife. The
woman never knew until the day before
he died that her husband was Frank
Davies. But she had loved him lust as
dearly as if he had been Edmund. and
forgave him freely. He died apparently
happy