The Arizona sentinel., 1888-12-08

l " " Whatever name !
might be called. of the younge
Demeerius. wAt was man of som
Strength Of intellect. Demetrius wa
accordingly murdered. A few year
later Theodore died, and it wa
shrewdly suspected by poison admins
tered by Boris. With the death o
Theodore the line of Rurie, which baJ
reigned over Russia for Something lik,
seven hundred years, became extinct
and the ambitious Boris, in the un
settled state of the nation fol
lowing upon the death of Theo
dore, caused himself to be proclaimed
the Gar. Some few Years after
the occurrence of these events, a monk
named Ostrefef, bearing a remarkable
likeness to the murdered Demetrius.
made his appearance and declared thai
he was Demetrius in very person.: thai
ne had the good fortune to escape, and
an individual substituted for him had
been assassinated. This was in 1904
Ihls Ostrefief had all those qualifca.
tons which go to make up d personal
I popularity the people believed in his
story and were with him. Many peo-
pie OF the highest standing, who had
known Demetrius from certain marks.
declared that this pfetender was in
reality the Prince. Some of the
wealthy mobiles encouraged him, and
the King OF Poland supplied him with a
small army, wherewith to assert his
rights. The government of Boris was
greatly disliked by the people, and
thousands flew to the standard of the
supposed pemetrius, who was crowned
in Moscow in 1905, Boris, in the mean
time. having poisoned himself.
Demetrius sent for his widowed
mother, who had been sent into ban
ishment, and with tears in their eyes.
they recogized each other the moment
they met Thus far all went swim
mingly with the monk, and he might
have continued to reign and
founded a dynasty had he
been as prudent as he had
hitherto been fortunate. He married
Polish Princess, and showed so great
partiality to the countrymen of his
wife, and so great desire to establish
the Catholic religion, that shortly a
conspiracy was organized against him.
The dowager Czarina, if she may ke
SO termed, was compelled te fecant her
belief in him a$ her son, and during
the rebeii6h which arose he was as
sassinated. After his death five others
pretended to be the true blue De-
metrius. but not one of them met with
success.
But it is in courts of law that the
question of mistaken identity plays the
largest part, and there the instances
have been numerous and curious. Life
has oft-times hung upon a question of
identity, and decisions as to heritage
and aflliation have depended upon its
In all criminal cases
the greatest caution should be en-
ployed in pronouncing upon cases of
doubtful identity, for the fact has been |
established that several innocent per-
sons have suffered death through |
their identity having been mis-
taken. 1t has been moeted
question as to what degree of |
light is necessary to enable witness
10 swear to identity. The French In
'titute decided, after numerous ex-
oeriments, that the degree of il
furnished by the flashing
)f pistol was not sufficient for the
purpose; yet in 1899 Bow street off,
,er identified robber by this means,
ind lady obtained a sufficient view of
robber during a flash of lightning to
'e enabled to recognize him again.
In New York, in 1904, singular
,ase occurred. A man was tried for
'1gamy under the name of John Hoag.
lie declared that he was not the man
nd that his name was Parker. A
lumber of witnesses swore to his
IDENTIFY as Hoag, and, among others,
he woman Hoag had married and :
eserted. Moreover, Hoag was said to
peak quick and with a lisp, to have a t
car on his forehead and mark on his
eek, all of which were observable in i
nd on the prisoner. There were two
illnesses who distinctly swore that $
Ioag had very visible scar on the q
Die of his foot, produced by treading G
n knife, but this mark did not ap- s
ear on the prisoner. The result was {
a alibi. I,
That was a strange case which was i
rought to trial in Toulouse, in France, Y
| 1860. Martin Guerre had been alb f
mt from his home for eight years, n
hen an adventurer named Arnauld "
utille impersonated him and took pos +,
ssion of his property. He had chill a
'en by Queries wife, but neither she,
'r her sister, nor brother-in-law, sus- y
'cted the deceit for three years, when 9
me suspicious circumstances arising, a
e case was taken before the tribunals.
ID not less than three hundred wit ;,
sses were examined, some of whom =,
sitively declared that the accused T,
Is Guerre, while others as positively l,
serted he was Dutille. Still a third :,
of witnesses declared they could b
It distinguish one from the other. >,
lie judges were in woeful dilemma, .,
hen, as if purposely to oextrieate them if
om their difficulty, the real Guerre n
It In an appearance. Even then the a.,
rontery of Dutille did not desert
L