The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-10-11
MISTAKEN IDENTITY.
A Curious Case That Ended Happily
Through tho Appearance of u Double.

Through the appearance of u Double.
One of the most curious cases on record
Of mistaken identity is described in a
rare volume Of criminal reports. called
the New York City Hall Recorder"
I'm June, 1904. q man known as Joseph
Parker was trie for bigamy in the court
OF oyer and terminer. The Indictment
charged that on the sth of May, 179S. he
married Susan Parish, who was still
living when on the 25th OF
Secor. The first marriage and the present
existence OF the first wife being admitted.
three witnesses were then produced I'm
court, who testified that the man on trial
as Joseph Parker was In reality Thomas
Hoag. who had come to Rockland county
thirty miles from New York, in Septem-
Der, 1900, and worked there as a laborer
and married Catherine Secor. December
25th. 1900. ard had di~sappearce the fol-
lowing Marci. One Of these witnesses
was the woman who claimed to be his
wife, another was the judge who had
married them and the third was the man
who had worked by Thomas Hoag's side
for five months. They were all positive
the defendant was Hoag. not only by his
features and voice but by various marks
aud scars aud by an impeachment in his
speech.
The defense, however. called six wit
nosses. who swore the prisoner was
Joseph Parker, that on Christmas, 1900,
and previous TO hat time had worked at
his trade as a rigger in New York city.
and that he was not then, aud never had
been in Rockland county.
In rebuttal, the prosecution called seven
witnesses, who swore the prisoner WIS
Thomas Hoag, that they saw him marry
Catherine Secor on Christmas day, $500,
and that they identified him, not only by
the marks on his face and neck, which
the jury could see, but by a deep scar on
the ball Of his foot. which would De APP
parent IL the prisoner exhibited his feet
to the jury. All these wit lesses
were persons Of the utmost
responsibility. There was no
suggestion OF bribery, and the concluding
witness for the d%eleuss, "a police captair,
not only swore that the prisoner wa
Joseph Parker, whom he rad known for
many years. but produced his records,
showing the dates when Parker had been
In his employ, covering the very periods
when the Rockland county wit
nesses swore he had been
up there committing blgamy. There was
the utmost good feeling among all the
witnesses aud the parties TO this strange
case. aud when no jury found Joseph
Parker mot guilty" OF the crimes which
had been laid to his charge, under the
name of Thomas Hong, the wit
nesses for the prosecution went
away as firmly convinced as ever
that justice had been cheated. Even
Hoag's two wives ed Parker was he aud
agreed in the most amiable way that
the wretch ought TO 90 to the peniten-
tiary. Furthermore, IL was not until nov
that Parker's foot was examined,
and behold there WAS no scar.
Now. how could the same man work as
a rigger in New York city and at the
same line rs "a stone mason and carpen-
ter in Rockland county, How could he
be a DIR. Jekyl. in New YORK and a Mr..
Hyde in Rocklandi Assuredly not by
any human agencies that We know Of.
We are forced 70 the conclusion. rs investi-
IA ors have been In hundreds &c c lses
since. that Thomas Hoas aud Joseph
Parker were physical doubles so much
alike that even their own wives could not
tell them apart
The NO I interesting possible pressnta
tion Of this curious question OF m stAkei
identity Is given by the Stuart Robson
company Ina It's ADMIRAL performance Of
S~hakespeare's "a Gus play, the Comedy
e Errors" Mr.. Robsol. the inimiiable
Dromio OF Syracuse. has ia Mr.. Giles
Shine. the Dromio of Ephtsus. not only a
dramatic doub .. but an nc ual physicI
| cpun erl art In real iife.