The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1898-12-01
MANY HISTORIC MISTAKES.
Men Who Have Been Arrested and
Hanged rs the Result of False
Identification

spurious tILlICatlOIS nave Tor
many years given the police through
cut the world food for serious medita-
ton. More than one man has been
hanged for murder whose alleged vic
tim later turned up alive
\. J. Smell, a millionaire. CT Chicago,
was murdered ten years ago by bur
glar. supposed to have been Willie"
Tascot. The latter disappeared and q
large reward was offered for his ap-
preheEsicn, No less than ten innocent
men were placed under arrest in DIFF
fereut parts q the country. each be
ing ''identified" as Tascot.
In one case the man arrested so
closely resembled the fugitive that no
less than six persons who had known
/ Tascot intimately swore that there
could be no mistake. The height. fill
irg Of teeth and three bir-hnarks cor
respond exactly with the description
Of the alleged murderer. Yet the man
under arrest succeeded in establish
ing beyond doubt that he had never
been east Of the Mississippi river.
y forged check was cashed 50 wears
ago by the Bank Of America of this
city. For days no trace Of the forger
was obtained, and the case was nearly
forgotten, when the teller caused the
arrest of man standing in front Of
the old City hotel, in Broadway. near
Chambers street.
The prisoner was Mr.. Redmond.
proprietor of the hotel He was iGen-
titled by several persons. and. after
being indicted. was placed on trial.
lie established a complete alibi and
was acquitted
Capt. John Buckson. a seafarin-
man, in 1851 lived with his wife, Nancy.
near Providence, r. 7. The two often
quarreled. and after an outbreak more
violent than usual both disappeared.
4 few days later the body Of a woman
was discovered buried not far from
the BucksOn residence. The body was
dressed in Mrs. Buckson's clothes and
wore her jewelry. 1t seemed, imposSi-
bic that a mistake had been made.
Buckson was arrested in this city.
and, though he vigorously protested
his innocence, he was placed on trial
and his conviction was a fOregone con
illusion. He would have been hanged
had his wife not appeared just as the
judge was instructing the jury.
She had been visiting friends N Yer
mont and had not heard OF her hus-
bands peril until his trial was finished.
1t developed that the woman after
ward found dead had with three com
panions visited Buckson's house for
the purpose of robbery. After having
dressed herself in Mrs. BucEson's
clothes she was murdered by her &C
completes
Ada Ricard, a woman of great beau
~ but of dubious standing in society,
disappeared from a hotel in this city
in the spring of 1861. \ few days later
a nude body was discovered floating in
the North river. Some one identified
the body as being that of Ada Ricard.
From her husband a minute descrip-
ton was obtained of certain marks
which convinced the police that they
were on the right track
He told of the loss of a tooth, the
cicatrice of an old wound on her leg,
n female figure tattooed on the back.
and other peculiarities. That same
day Mrs. Ricard reapPeared in her old
haunts. Later the body was identified
by Mrs. Callahan. Of Boston. as that
Of her daughter, but the next day the
girl was found in Bellevue hospital
The identity of the corpse ever re-
manned a mystery.
Mrs. Nagle disappeared in 1879 from
her home in Brooklyn. Two days later
body clothed as was she when last
seen alive was found floating in the
harbor. Vt the wake. which was at
tended by all the wOman's friends.
Mrs. Nagle appeared and insisted in
taking part il the proceedings.
Henry Neumau in lS10 was arrested
in this city. charged with the theft Of
a package of Texas railway bonds
He was convicted. ard served nearly
ten years of his sentence before It was
discovered. quite by accident. that the
real culprit was another man.
\ young man named Duffy was sen
fenced TO the penitentiary for life 40
years ago for the murder Of a police
man in Brooklyn. He had served Is
years before superintendent Of Police
John Jourdan became convinced Of his |
innocence and succeeded in establish |
ing the fact that burglar. name IN |
known. had done the murder. The |
burglar confessed. completely exoner-
ating Duffy.
Perrin II. Sumner was long known |
as the Great American Identifer"
For years he made himself obnoxious |
to the police by mixing up in every |
mystery case" and furnishing ''iden- |
off hand. Sumner has al |
ways said that he was actuated by |
high motives. He asserts that identi- |
fications are too quickly accepted. and |
he made il his object II life 10 make |
the police more thorough in their /
methods-N. Y. Herald.
The Trouble.
The naturalist's wife had gone out /
for few minutes and left tie baby |