Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-11
TRYING TO PROVE THAT HE LIVES.
A Task That Has Been Very Dfmcult
for Albert kfrshner.


From the Terre Haute Express
Albert Kirshner, the tailor employed at
]. T. II. Millers clothing store. and wen
known in Terre Haute. is anxiously await
ing an answer to a letter to his parents
In Germany. About twenty-five years ago
Queenstown steamer landed at New York.
and among the may hundred passengers
who walked down the gangplank was .
timid green-looking German boy. He Sc
cured a position in a tailor shop. This boy
was Albert Kirshner. A correspondence
was kept up between the young man and
his parents for several years, he finally
leaving New York and locating In Massa-
chusetts.
During his absence from his former New
York home. a man Of the same name also
tailor, and bearing a very striking re-
semblance. committed suicide by shooting.
The resemblance was close that many
of Mr.. Kirshner's friends attending the fun
eral, who viewed the corpse. had not the
slightest doubt IL was the man they had
formerly known. They, therefore mourn
Cd him as dead, and sent word to the par
ents In Europe that their son was dead In
about a year the Mr. Kirshner of this
sketch returned to New York state He
called upon his former friends who stared
AT MIN In utter amazement. unable to be-
ieve their eyes. He was laughed at as an
impostor by his old companions who de-
ciared they had seen him in his coffin, had
followed his remains 70 the cemetery ana
witnessed his burial
The only way left for Mr.. Kirshner to
make his friends know he had not died ana
been buried was to relate some instances
which mad occurred while he was In their
company and about which no one else
knew. After a long series of stories they
were finally convinced that the man buried
was not their old friend as they had sup
posed. During the next two or three years
I
parents In Fatherland, as they thought him
deceased and would not write. Repeated
letters We're written them but his parents
IKE his old acquaintances at first had done
oeieved him an impostor.
Last summer Mr.. kirshner went east and
at one OF the New York watering places
met lady. an acquaintance OF his parents
The meeting was purely accidental. and
when he disclosed his Identity the lady was
loath TO believe 1t She told him his father
ana mother both though him dead This
woman had for several years corresponded
with the krshner family, and Albert told
her she might write and tell them he was
stu alive and give them his address The
mutual friend wrote to Germany but the
story was given no credence. They believ-
ed MIN dead and we're of the opinion that
the Albert Kirshner who claimed relation
snip with them was not their son.
Thus matters stood for several months
put recently Mr: kirshner received a letter
from brother-in-law. who asked for a de-
tailed account OF his life both in this coun-
try and at his own home In Germany. The
absent son began work on an exceedingly
lengthy letter to his brother-in-law in
which he spoke Of innumerable instances
which his relative could not help bot recog-
nize as coming from the real Albert kirsh-
The letter, which covered nearly fifty
pages. was an interesting document II con-
tained "reminiscences of their school DAVIS
the ages of his father and mother and sis
ter. the date OF her marriage. places of
amusement they had visited together, the
contents OF letters he had formerly written
home; In fact every circumstance that en-
tered his mind. These together with his
photograph. which he had taken especially
Tor the purpose, and one or two little trink-
cts given him by friends in the old country,
which he hoped his parents would recog-
nize. were placed in a package and sent
with the letter.