Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-08-10

ed; he would stand up when told to do
so, and the presence of strangers SEEM
ed to excite him. He was rather dull
and listless when Mrs Houghton sat by
him and talked to him, but would at
times look up quickly, and it could
plainly be seen that he tried to speak.
On the morning after the first night
that she had been in the ward near him,
she babe him good-by, and went to the
door. He rose and followed her; some
thing that he had never done with any
other person. She extended her hand,
and said, Come, Thomas-won't you
go with me?"
He turned to the wall, and trembled
all over.
Mrs. Houghton had no doubt that the
man was her husband.
In January, 1869, the patient seemed
returning to his senses. He said dis
tinctly, in answer to question, Eyes,
sir" He was asked his name, and re-
piled, "1'homas B. HougAtom.
"What is your wife's name?' the
doctor inquired.
He shook his head. Il don't know,
sir" was the answer
Where are you FROM"
"New York, was the reply.
The man had been dumb for three
and half years!
The doctors pronounced the identifi
cation complete. Mrs. Houghton went
home, agreeing with the Superintend-
ent that her husband had better remain
at the hospital till his recovery was
complete, as it would be in time. His
health was good, he did some easy
work, and he improved in his powers of
speech.
One day an attendant addressed him
by the name Of Houghton. He laughed.
That's not my NAME" he said. He
then told what his name was, which the
record does not preserve, but it did not
sound in the least tike Houghton.
"Did you not belong to the One Hun
bred and Fortieth New York Regi-
ment?" was asked.
"No."
A few days later he gave a chuckle,
as if comprehending that there was
mistake here. which was like joke
to him, at least. He then said that he
had never been Yankee soldier, but
that he used to be a negro driver on
Georgia plantation. He stated the
name of the town there where ne had
lived, and the names of persons living
there. One of the doctors wrote to the
persons whom he named and soon re-
ceived replies from them. They rec
ognized the name that the man gave
and said that just such a person as was
described had been an oversea on
neighboring plantation!
And that turned out to be the truth
of it. The man was never in the Union
army; he had many Of the marks and
peculiarities OF Thomas B. Houghton-
but he was not that person. He was q
native Georgian. He explained later
that he had gone to Tallahassee on
business and had been drafted into the
Confederate army there He lost his
mind, probably through fright Gust
such cases are KNOWN, and everything
was blank to him till his faculties
began to return to him in the hospital.
He had no recollection Of Mrs. Hough-
ton being at the hospital!
The reader will wish to know whether
this strange patient intended to de-
ceive when he said that his name was
Thomas B. Houghton, and that he
came from New York.
The doctors never thought that he
did Their theory was that when his
mind and his powers Of speech were
returning to him he would repeat al
most at random words that he had
heard spoken in the hospital The
names Thomas B. Houghton and New
York he had frequently heard, and he
uttered them parrot fashion.
When his recovery was complete he
went back to Georgia. 1t was one of
the strangest cases of mistaken and
lost identity that the way produced
Chicago Ledger
A War Story from Texas.