Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-05-07
WHO IS YOUR DOUBLE?
Does de Do You Credit or Set the Police on
Your Trafle

Does He Do You Credit or Set the Police ON
Your Trail:
We were chatting in the reading
room of the Lindell Hotel, st. Louis,
when a man who looked the detective
all over slowly approached the group
and quietly said to the man with the
flowing whiskers:
They want you at headquarters.
Will you come along without any fuss.
or must have row and put the hand
cuffs on?"
Gentlemen" replied the man ad-
dressed, as a smile came to his face
1.-THE chief of police does me the honor
to request an audience, and you viii
kindly excuse me for an hour or so"
He offered the detective cigar, sent
him with a check for his overcoat, and
when ready to depart started off as if
anticipating an agreeable interview on
business matter. In about an hour
and half he returned without COM
pany, and as we gathered around him
he sat down and said:
"Ycu see, I've got used to it and
take it as part of the routine 1t has
been said that every man who lives
has his double. This double doesn't
always SO closely resemble you that
people take you for twins, but the cas-
ual observer finds the similarity in
facial expression, build, gait, dress or
voice. No man can travel hundred
miles without seeing a face which re-
minds him of some acquaintance. Lis
ten to half dozen people talking, and
though you cannot see any one of them
there will be one voice with a familiar
ring. In perhaps one case out of five
hundred your double bears such close
resemblance that your acquaintance
address him by mistake. 1t is only
when they hear his voice, notice his
gestures or catch some peculiar ex-
preston OF his eyes or mouth that they
discover their mistake. This is the
preface of stating that I have a double.
and that his course of life has caused
me to be arrested about twenty differ
ent times.
This business goes back about ten
years. At that time I received State
appointment from the Governor of Ohio
which necessitated that l travel about
the State good deal. was in Cleve-
land one day when a detective walked
me to headquarters on the charge of
jumping board bill. had documents
in my pocket to prove l was no such
man. Indeed, could show l was not
in Cleveland at the time. At the first
go-off | was identified by the landlady
and others, but when they came to hear
my voice and notice my teeth and eyes
they decided that / was not the man
wanted. l was not wearing whiskers
then, but only a moustache. A week
later | was collared at Dayton for
passing a worthless check on a hotel.
When l had established my innocence
and my identity and realized that my
double was a bad mani shaved my
and began to grow chin
whiskers. The fellow was wearing a
and everybody agreed that
he looked near enough like me to be
4 twin brother. 1 think he got on to
me through the papers after that sec
ond arrest. 1t was stated that l had
shaved off my moustache, and that
gave him the idea of shaving off his
and taking my name. At any rate ne
lid it, and I can't begin to tell you of
he many scrapes he got me into. At
Cincinnati he beat a hotel out of
weeks board and passed a worthless
sheck on a clothing house. When I
got around there l was arrested at the
depot. AT UIbana my double signed
my name to a $50 check on Toledo
bank. They telegraphed and found
that | had an account and was all right.
At Clyde he bought a valuable watch
Of a jeweler and checked on my ac-
count again. l put a detective on his
trail, and he was run up to Toledo and
lost. Two days later my own detec-
tive arrested me on the streets of Ham
ilton as the man he was after 1t was
a humorous situation. of course, but I
didn't do much laughing over it. 1 had
transferred my bank account and
my style of dress and hat, but
that fellow kept tab on me through the
papers. They kept giving me away,
and so he could keep track of my
changes.
7 never met him but once. though
was often on his heels. l landed Ia the
union depot at Cleveland one afternoon
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