The Holly chieftain., 1898-11-04
MANY HISTORIC MISTAKES.
Hen Who Have Been Arrested and
Hanged ms the Result of False
Identification

4 Spurious identiications have for
many years given the police through
cut the world food for serious nedita-
tion. More than one man has been
hanged for murder whose alleged vic.
tim later turned mp alive
| a. j. Smell, a millionaire, II Chicago,
was murdered ten years ago by bur
glar, supposed to have been willie
Tascot. The latter disappeared and a
large reward was offered for his APP
ipreheEsion. No less than ten innocent
men were placed under arrest in dif-
terent parts of the country, each be-
I 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
iEg of teeth and three birthra-ks cor.
lrespond exactly with the description
of the alleged murderer. Yet the man
under arrest succeeded in establish
ing beyond a doubt that he had never
eeen east of the Mississippi river.
forged check WAS cashed so years
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 iden-
titled by several persons, aud, after
being indicted, was placed on trial.
He established complete alibi and
was acquitted.
Capt. John Buckson. a seafaring
man, in 1851 lived with his wife, Nancy.
near Providence. II. l. The two often
quarreled, and after an outbreak more
violent than usual both disappeared.
\ few day later the body of woman
was discovered buried not far from
the Buckson residence. The body was
dressed in Mrs. Buckson's clothes and
wore her .ewelry. 1t seemed impossi-
be that 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 foregone con-
clusion. He would have been hanged
had his wife not appea red just as the
judge was instructing the jury.
She had been visiting friends N Yer
mont and mad not heard of her hus-
bands peri 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. Buckson's
clothes she was murdered by her ac.
completes.
Ada Ricard, woman of great beau.
ty but of dubious standing in society
disappeared from a hotel in this city
in the spring of 1861. A few days ter
nude body was discovered floating in
the North river. Some one identified
the body as being that of Ada Ricard.
From her husband 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,
a female figure tattooed on the back
NAs Shh'A Hal 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-
mained a mystery.
Mrs. Nagle disappeared in 1879 from
her home in Brooklyn. Two days later
a body clothed as was She when last
seen alive was found floating in the
harbor. AT the wake, which was at.
tended by all the woman's friends.
Mrs. Nagle appeared and insisted in
taking part in the proceedings.
Henry Neuman in 1870 was arrested
in this city, charged with the theft OF
a package OF Texas railway bonds.
He was convicted, and served nearl,
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.
tenced to the penitentiary for life 4t
years ago for the murder of police
man in Brooklyn. He had served Is
wears before Superintendent of Police
John Jourdan became convinced of his
innocence. and succeeded in establish
ing the fact that a burglar. name un.
known, had done the murder. The
burglar confessed, completely exoner-
ating Duffy.
Perrin II. Sumner was long known
as the Great American Identifier."
For years he made himself obnoxious
to the police by mixing up in every
mystery case" and furnishing ..iden-
.ihcation" off hand. Sumner has al
ways said that he was actuated by
liSh motives. He asserts that identi-
ications are too quickly accepted, and
lie made it his object in life to make
he police more thorough in their
nethods.-N. Y. Herald.
The Trouble.
The naturalist's wife had gone out
r..