The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1894-11-01
LAPSES OF IDENTITY,
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES DISAPPEAR
FOR LONG PERIODS.

gave several Instances which the author
--ss hsppenad to parsons and under cir
5 eeanoea veil known to him.
The first case was that Of a man Of
middle age. ''in rugged health and free
from any anheritnd homeopathic faint. !"
he was . piumbsr By trade and lived
In . townRnear Philadelphia He was
prosperous and was neither overworked
I nor tho 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 q conspicuous figure In the
town. and although the streets were
crowded, he yves 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, either 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 clew to the
mans disappearance.
One day two years later number Of
men were working at their trade in q
tinshop In one Of the far southern states.
Suddenly one Of them dropped his work
and olasped his hands to his head.
my Godf' he cried, looking about
dazedly, where am I? How did get
here2 This isn't my shopi Where am 1?
What does 1t meany'
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
the influence Of some great emotion.
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-
~ had been made.
Under q fictitious name,' DR.. o.
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 I had
of him he was at Chicago, living his
normal life. Somewhat mystifed over
his realization Of the strange freak in
which he figured, although feeling we'll
and apparently in mental balance, he
realizes that he has been the central fig
ure in some overstrange mental phenom-
enon quite mysterious enough to make
him at times doubt his sanity"
LIZ O0OOxA0 . 0OCO1U C6bS0 no SU0nA6
Of thus: "A similar case occurred to a
resident Of another town near Philadel-
phia. This man, whom we shall desig-
nate as K. was . lawyer, prominent
politicians former member of con-
Rrees, / believe-a man Of fine orator
ioal powers and Of brilliant attachments.
Zone day he got up from his desk,
leaving his lawbooks open at the pages
he had been consulting, and stepped
outside for few moments He disap-
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 that
money and influence would put into
operation were employed, but in vain.
Not the slightest clew was obtained.
His domestic affairs were well known
to be most happy. He was abstemious
In his habits and more devoted to his
profession than to society. The hue and
cry Of premeditated flight was dispelled
by the disordered state Of his unlocked
desk. over which were scattered papers
and q mass Of unfinished work His 40
counts were all right, and among his
papers were found uncashed checks
amounting to several thousand dollars.
AFTER several months had passed
word came through official channels
that K. was in Australia and had ap-
piled to representative Of our govern
ment there to establish his identity and
procure means for his transportation
home. TWAS some time before his fam
lily were fully satisfied Of his existence
in that faroH country under such star
thing OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES in health,
penniless and unable to give definite
account Of how he got there.
TX. finally established his identity.
His passage money was forwarded, and
IN due season be arrived in this coun-
try. He went direct to his former home,
and after short period for reoupera-
ton took up the practice of his profess
sion and was, az he has continued to
be up to the last information I have had
of him, his former normal self. How he
had disappeared he was unable to say.
lHe knew nothing until he came to
himself aboard steamer nearing an
Australian port
THE LANGUAGE or FINGERS.