The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-01
A PSYCHOLOGICAL RIDDLE.
TELFAIR. OF ATLANTA, HAS A
MOST CONVENIENT MEMORY.

His Mining Schemes, or Anything
Tbot Has Occurred for More Than
Two Years-OpiniOn Divided rs TO
whether or Not He Is a FaI<ir.
atlanta. Ga, Feb 2S.-David J. Telfair,
the eccentric gentleman, who was brought
from McDonough TO the Grady Hospital
IN an unconscious condition last night
sprung a great story upon an unsuspecting
but sympathetic public when he regained
consciousness this morning.
There are many weird details to his
story. but the one that will strike most
people as the oldest of all is the fact that
he disclaims all knowledge of having re-
Gently taken unto himself a wife, in this
city.
Mrs. Telfair, who was a distant cousin
called at the Grady Hospital this NOR Ans
too see her husband. lie looked at her IN
blank amazement when she approached
him with wifely familiarity, though when
conversation loosened UP the situation
somewhat he agreed that if he had in
fact entered into a state of wedlock he
would abide the consequences.
Mrs. Telfair took the predicament phiio-
sophicaIly. She said she knew ne YVES
suffering with mental arrangement,
which she hoped would soon pass away
when he would be his domestic self again.
Telfair claims that he has no recoiiec-
tion whatever Of events that have trans
pired during the past two years. Wheh
he regained consciousness early TINS morn
ing he said he thought 1t was August, $50
an he had a completely blank memory.
Persons whom he had had dealings with
since his stay in this city were called 20
his bedside but he could not, or would
not, recognize any of them. EVERYBODY
and everything was strange to him. Wnen
he was told that he was in Atlanta ne
laughed and said he had not been there
since ten years ago, before he went TO Al
RIGA to look for diamonds on Barney Bar
nato's preserves. Then, when his career
in this city as the chief promoter of the
hundred million dollar mining corporation
was preached, he declared that he remem-
bered no such thing; he had never been
the promoter of a mining company, and
thought the "epilepsero," as he called MS
invention, was a humbug. Upon being
asked about his wife, whom he married
here last December. he said: Il have got
no wife; l buried my wife in Paris in 1874
We were married in 1868 and my wife died
in "a"
Doesn't Remember His Wife.
Don't you remember marrying recently
IN Atlanta?"
NO; I do not remember anything about
It. If you say 1 have married again, 1t
must be true. But did 1? Tell me who the
lady is. / would like very much TO know"
you were married to your cousin, Miss
Alice Telfair"
Il have no cousin. My father was an only
son, and my mother was an only daugh-
ter. Was she from Savannah? had some
distant relatives there"
Tefair's case is certainly a remarkable
one, whether he has been mentally de-
ranged, or merely a fakir.
He first gained wide notoriety two years
ago at Clean, N. Y, when he wandered
into town and was taken in charge by
the police. He was unable TO tell anything
about HIMSELF not even his name. Soon
he went into a deep sleep, similar 10 the
one a McDonough. After remaining in this
state for days he awoke, just as he did
here this morning. He gave the same ac-
count about his having been assaulted in
Chicago and not remembering anything
since Aug. Is. 1896. His story was believed
by the officials of Olean, and il was 20
them that he first impaired the fact that
he had a wonderful way of mining god.
A stock company was organized with the
Olean people as the chief subscribers and
a newspaper man Of that town was the
secretary.
Telfair was native of Georgia, and ii
occurred to him to come to this state 10
locate his first "epilepsoro' in the United
States. The secretary of the company
prepared a fascinating account of Tel
fairs experiences in the wilds of Africa,
his escape TO this country, and his trouble
al Chicago. His story also told how he
was followed from place to place, after
he left Chicago, by men who had designs
upon his life. Diagrams were presented
to show the practica bility of the "epilep-
soro," and a farm was bought in the
northern part of the state, large amount
of stock being given for it. For some
reason work did not progress satisfactorily.
A stockholders meeting was called at
olean, at which Telfair's right 10 issue
stock and sell it was taken from him.
A Nabob of Corporations.
He withdrew from the company, taking
his supposed secretary with him; and the
Chinese corporation was his next venture
Cornelius Vanderbilt and f. X. Thurber
were said by him to be officers of the
new company, but they denied having any
connection with the concern.
Last December Telfair was arrested on
firm He remained in jail for several days.
as several hundred thousand dollars
worth of stock in one of his companies
was not accepted az collateral After mis-
release he married his cousin in this city.
whom he to-day denied having ever seen
or heard of before.
If you claim me as your husband" he
said to her, when she called al the hospl-
tai, Il suppose l can make no objections;
but / think we will have 10 go through
the courtship again, as l remember moth,
ing of what you say has happened
Telfair's Ghost story.
The doctors are inclined 60 regard Tel
fair as sort of a harmless lunatic When
he first began to talk about himself this
morning ne said, in effect: Il thought
this was Aug. 16, 1896, but you tel. me it
Is February, 1899. 1t seems to me that it
was only last night that l went out 10
Jackson park, Chicago, TO hear the music.
was staying at a lodging house on State
street. l left the place where the band
was playing, and started back
when I arrived at the Cottage Grove
avenue entrance l was met by four men.
They seized me, and before / could make
any cutlery, a plaster of paris cast was