The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-09-12
TELLS a Good Story About Another
James v. GirVin.
HOW THEIR PICTURES COT MIXED
Another Instance Of the Old Adage
That Truth is Stranger
Than Fiction.

Did | ever look like that? Well,
hardly" said James w. Girvin on Sat
urday, when he was asked about the
picture in the Call of September I'd that
had his name under it.
And yet that is picture of James
w. Girvin all right, for l happen to
know him we'll; to my sorrow, l might
almost say. Do you know that that
man has been the bane of my life, al
most from the day he was born and
was unfortunate enough to be named
James w. Girvin, the same as myself?
l have run across that man every
where, in all sorts of odd ways and
places. He has opened my mail, cashed
my checks, been mistaken for me by
hundreds of people from San Diego to
San Franciso and back again; in fact,
at one time he actually made my life
miserable He was always where l was
expected and generally got there first
and his name, being the same as mine,
people talked to him as the real James
w. Girvin and looked on me as an i'm
postOr. And it was singular fact that
many of the bills he contracted were
presented to me for payment.
you would hardly believe it pos
sible for two men to cross each others
paths as we have done. About the
first time 1 ran across him was in this
way: | owned a lot in Piedmont Gene
terry, Oakland, which had the name
James w. Girvin painted on a post at
the foot. On one of my visits to the
least, not the lot with my name on it.
The lots were all about the same size
and looked very much alike, and as l
had been away some years since the
have mistaken the location. l went to
the same lot several times feeling sure
it was the right one, but somebody
elSe'S name was on the post. l went
to the superintendent of the cemetery
and asked him if James W. Girvin
didn't own a lot there.
oh, yes was the answer, I'll take
you to it, He took me to the Identical
lOI thought was uluS-luo one Will
the other name on it. l showed him
the new name, and then he told me to
go to the Office and we would look up
the records. Now what do suppose was
the result? The other James w. Girvin
had also bought lot in that same
cemetery about the same time l did,
but a few weeks before my last visit
had sold it to his father-in-law, being
in need of funds. He was always in
need of funds, that fellow Girvin-I
mean the other fellow Girvin. Well,
the father-in-law of the other Girvin
showed his bill of sale of the cemetery
lot and had the name changed, but,
owing to the similarity of names, his
name was put on my lot by mistake.
After some trouble. we got the mistake
rectified but it resulted in my getting
acquainted with a man who was con-
tinually crossing my path afterwards.
By some strange fatality we were al
ways meeting, always being mistaken
for one another and always getting in
to trouble over the mistakes
when did you run across him last,
Mr.. Girvin?" was asked.
oh the last time [ was in CalifOr-
MIA. 1 met him one day on Broadway
in Oakland. He was on his uppers and
struck me for loan of $50. l had not
the money in my pocket, but gave him
a check for the money on one OF the
Oakland banks, the cashier of which
was one of my personal friends. | made
the check payable to James w. Girvin
and signed it James w. Girvin with
out thinking of any further trouble.
About an hour after happened to pass
by that particular bank, when my at
tention was attracted by loud alter
cation going on inside. / looked in,
and there was the other James w. Cir
vim and my friend, the cashier, almost
coming to blows. 1t appears that the
other Girvin had endorsed my check
and presented it for payment. The
cashier knew it was not my signature
on the back of the check, and, thinking
[ had drawn it payable TO myself in
stead of the other Girvin, had not only
refused to pay it but had accused the
other Girvin of wrongfully signing my
name to obtain the money. AS soon as
l went in both parties appealed to me.
T cold RI tho sTbe man is right.