The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-22

two children were born both boys. one
was the son Of wealthy planter, whose
life was to be one Of ease and luxury.
The other was the offspring of a slave
woman, born into slavery end destined to
be a newer Of wood and a drawer for his
more fortunate companion; and compan-
ions they were for the slave mother was
the nurse Of both her own child and that
of her mistress. The father Of the slave
child was white man, the mother only
one-siXteenth negress, and 1t would be
difficult to distinguish any difference Of
color between the two babies. And when
the white baby was to be christened his
sponsor, the sister of 'Puddn' head Will
SON." made the awful blunier of carrying
the wrong baby to the church. In mo-
nent through the mistake Of an excited
woman, the positions were reversed, and
life of honor, ease and luxury was as
sured the slave child while the son Of the
wealthy planter was doomed to live in
slavery and bondage.
The children grew to manhood the
slave child carefully nurtured and reared
with all the loving tenderness and fond
parents hearts could give, the other de-
voting his life to the service of the bow
whom he believes to be his master and
being called Chambers. This name is
given him through "Pudd 'nhead's, sug-
gestion that, being the body-servant Of
young Tom Driscoll he should be called
Valet de Chambre. Chambers Is strong
and active, and, though gentle by nature
fights all the battles Of his master, who
is a coward, a bully and a thief. The
strain of slave blood shows itself in the
instincts and habits Of the false Tom
Driscoll; his tastes are low and perverted
and through association with a pack. of
gamblers he loses a great deal of money
and Is driven to theft. Roxy, the negress,
his mother, had been given her freedom
when Tom grew to boyhood. Later, when
she tells him that he is not the son of
white parents, and that she herself Is
his mother, he becomes terrified at her
power over him, and secretly sells her as
slave to pay gambling debt.
Dave Wilson is a native of New York,
who came to the village of Dawson the
same month Tom Driscoll was born: oW-
ing to remark of his, whose wit was
too delicate for the hard-headed villagers,
he is put down as a sort of fool Dis
turbed at the barking of cur he ex-
pressed desire to own half of the dog.
and When the byStanders asked why he
said so he said he could kill his half To
the sober-minded peasants the only view
of the question was that Wilson would be
responsible if the other half died, which
naturally it would. So, as he didn't wish
for the whole dog, while he was Wishing
they dubbed him puddinghead, and
''Pudd 'nhead'' Wilson he remained to the
day Of his death.
Another thing that marked him as soft
in the opinions of the people was his
fad of taking impressions of the thumbs
Of other folks, which he named and dated.
and preserved on strips of glass; he had,
In fact, taken the. Impressions of the
thumbs of the two babies before the
change was made, and repeated the ex-
pertinent at different times during their
boyhood, and these Impressions finally
led to the discovery that the false Tom
Driscoll is changeling
The truth comes out in most drama tic
manner; Tom plans to rob his uncle, at
tempts to do so, and, being discovered by
Judge Driscoll, kills him with an italian
dagger which he had previously stolen
from foreign-born resident of the town.
His blood-stained thumb forms his au-
| tograph on the handle of the knife, and
being traced by "Pudd nhead" leads to
| the discovery of his guilt. AS he grovels,
| covering at the feet of his accuser.
Roxy, his mother, enraged at his coward
ice, confesses her share in the substitu-
| ton of her child for the real Tom Dris-
| coll. The criminals guilt is established.
.'Pudd nhead's' theory is INDICATED
| and the unfortunate Chambers is re-
stored to his rightful inheritance.
Edwin Mayo plays the title role with a
simplicity and sincerity that preserves all
its humor without ever losing the dig
nifty of Its underlying seriousness. One
of the great hits, too, is always scored
by William r. Mickey, as the sheriff.
his 'Od-ah in the Cote" will long be re-
| membered by those who have ever heard
it. The engagement of "Pudd nhead