Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1895-01-26
LAPSES OF IDENTITY.

superintendent OF nome Tor children
at Glen Ellen, Cal. was read at 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 taint" :"
He was plumber by trade and lived
in town near Philadelphia. He was
prosperous antSwas 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 a short walk. He stepped into the
street and suddenly disappeared, as if
he had vanished into air.
Although a conspicuous figure in the
town, and although the streets were
crowded, he was seen by nobody. His
absence continuing, the next day an ex-
haustlve 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
ri,,n +I,N I u
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
tinshop i'll one of the far southern states.
Suddenly one of them dropped his work
and clasped his hands to his head.
"My Godp' he cried, looking about
dazedly, 'where am |? How did | get
here? This isn't my shop! Where am l?
What does it mean?''
His companions were at first disposed
to laugh bat when they saw the mans
changed expression, the beads of sweat
Oh 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 incrCdulous 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 a trustworthy and
skilled workman, and no further inqui-
ry had been made
"Under a fictitious name," DR.. Os-
borne says i'll his paper, "the man bad
been known to his companions and had
been paid. lie remembered nothing Of
the past during his period of employ
ment, but at last a 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 mystified over
his realization of the strange freak i'll
which he figured, although feeling well
and apparently i'll mental balance, he
realizes that he has been the central fig
ure i'll some overstrange mental phenom-
enon quito mysterious enough to make
him at times doubt his sanity"
DR.. Osborne's second case he speaks
of thus: "A similar case occurred to u
resident of another town near Philadel-
phia. This man, whom we shall desig-
nate as X, was lawyer, prominent
politician--a former member of con-
gress, l 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 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, i'll 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 We're we'll 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 We're scattered papers
and mass Of unfinished work. His ac-
counts were all right, and among his
papers We're found uncashed checks
amounting to several thousand dollars.
''After several months had passed
word came through official channels
that X. was in Australia and had ap-
piled to a representative of our govern
ment there to establish his identity and
procure means for his transportation
home. 1t was some time before his FAM
| lily We're fully satisfied of his existence
in that faroff country under such star
tling circumstances-brO in health,
penniless and unable to give definite
account of how he got there.
tx finally established his identity,
His passage money was forwarded ard
in due season he arrived in this coun.
try. He went direct to his former home,
and after short period for recupera-
ton took up the practice of his profess
sion and was, as he has continued to
be up to the last information have had
of him, his former normal self. How he
had disappeared he was unable to say.
He knew nothing until he came to
himself aboard steamer nearing an
Australian port"