Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1894-11-08
LAPSES OF IDENTITY.
PEOPLE WHO STRANGELY DISAPPEAR
FOR LONG PERIODS.


derings-Cases of Tlnsmith and Law
yer Related by DIR. Osborne.
A paper entitled People Who Drop
Out Of Sight" by DR.. A. E. Osborne,
superintendent Of homo for children
at Glen Ellen, Cal, was read at a re.
cent meeting of the Medico-Legal SO
ciety at the Academy of Medicine, New
York. After speaking Of mysterious dis
appearances in general and the usual
inability to account for them the paper
gave several instances which the author
says happened to persons and under Cir
cumstances well known to him.
The first case was that of man of
middle age, ''in rugged health and free
from any Inherited homeopathic faint"
He was plumber by trade and lived
in town near Philadelphia. He was
prosperous and was neither overworked
nor the victim of business troubles. His
family life was harmonious, and he had
no bad habits. The Sunday ON which he
disappeared he had been in the house all
day, reading and playing with his chill
dren. About 4 o'clock he got up from
the lounge on which he lay, changed his
house jacket for an ordinary business
coat and told his wife he was going out
for short walk. He stepped into the
street and suddenly disappeared, as if
he had vanished into air.
Although conspicuous figure in the
town, and although the streets were
crowded, he was seen by nobody. His
absence continuing, the next day an ex-
haustive search was made for him. But
nothing could be learned. There was
absolutely no trace of him, eS5her in the
town or in the surrounding country. In
due course the business was disposed of
and the family moved to Chicago, Civ
ing up all hope of finding a clew to the
mans disappearance
One day two years later a number of
men were working at their trade in a
tinshop in one of the far southern states.
Suddenly one of them dropped his work
and clasped his hands to his head.
''My God!' he cried, looking about
dazedly, where am l? How did / get
here? This isn't my shop Where am 1?
What does it mean?"
His companions were at first disposed
to laugh, but when they saw the mans
changed expression, the beads of sweat
on his brow and his nervous twitchings
they knew he was not drunk, but under
hn inf Of
They spoke to him, but he insisted that
the name they called him by was not
his. At last he made his way to the boss
of the shop and tried to explain about
his family and his business in the north.
The boss was incredulous. He knew the
man as wandering tinsmith who had
drifted into the town seeking work at
his trade and whom he had employed.
He had proved to be trustworthy and
skilled workman, and no further inqui-
ry had been made.
under fictitious name" DR.. Os-
borne says in his paper, "the man had
been known to his companions and had
been paid. He remembered nothing OF
the past during his period of employ
ment, but at last dim recollection had
come to him of that fateful Sunday-his
rising to go out his promise to return
soon-and then all was blank He
had no money, although he had worked
steadily in his shop and had received
good wages. At the last accounts | had
of him he was at Chicago, living his
normal life. Somewhat mystitied over
his realization of the strange freak in
which he figured, although feeling well
and apparently in mental balance, be
realizes that he has been thocentral fig
ure in some ovcrstrange mental phenon
enon quite mysterious enough to rlak5
him at times doubt his sanity"
DR.. Osborne's second case he speaks
of thus: "A similar case occurred to {
resident of another town near Philadol
phia This man, whom we shall desig
nate as x, was a lawyer, prominen'
politician--a. former member of con
gress, I believe-a man of fine orator
ical powers and of brilliant attainments
Zone day he got up from his desk
leaving his lawbooks open at the page
he had been consulting, and stepped
outside for few moments. He dlsap
peared. In due course vigorous search
was instituted, reservoirs and streams
were dragged for his body on the pre-
sumption that he had committed sui
eide, and, in short. all the means tina
money and influence would put int
operation were employed, but in vain
Not the slig ghtest clew was obtained
His domestic affairs were well know
to be most happy He was abstemiou
in his habits and more devoted to hi
profession than to society. The hue an
cry of premeditated fight was dispelle
by the disordered state of his unlocke
desk, over which were scattered paper
and a mass Of unfinished work. His &C
counts were all right, and among hi
papers were found uncashed check
amounting to several thousand dollars
''After several months had passe
word came through official channel
that x. was in Australia and had az
piled to a representative of our govern
ment there to establish his identity an
procure means for his transportatio
home. 1t was some time before his fan
lily were fully satisfied Of r., 'stenc
in that faroff country under ehch sta,
tling circumstances-br in health
penniless and unable to give detinit
account of how he got there.
''X. finally established his identit.
His passage money was forwarded, an
in due season he arrived in this coul