The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-04-28
FREAKS OF BLIND FATE.

rev tHlHSS III l1fe are more STIFF
prising, says the San Francisco Call,
than its condolences, some of which
are so startling and improbable as to
assume the appearance of fate.
Charles Dickens was logged
throughout his life by the most per-
picking condolences, and his death
completed one of the most remarka-
bic of them all. On the 9th day of
June, 1855, he escaped death by
railroad accident as by miracle, and
in commenting upon his escape he
wrote: II can never be much near
er parting company with my readers
forever than 1 was then until there
shall be written against my life the
two words-'the end. >" These two
words were written by death five
wears later, on the same dav nf the
A more remarkable coincidence
still was noticed in the death of Mr..
Potter, the free trade champion and
friend of Golden, who died on the
same day and month as his wife, who
had preceded him by twelve years.
1t was strange coincidence that
led to the Identification of one of the
most skillful burglars of recent years.
The criminal had been arrested on
suspicion of having committed several
daring burglaries in the Midlands, and
was lodged in Holloway prison. AL
though it was clear that the man was
a practiced burglar, it was found i'm
possible to. identify him, and thus
trace his career IL crime.
Fate or coincidence, however, did
what Scotland Yard was powerless to
do. One of the wardens of Worm
wood Scrubs, who had served in the
Scottish Borderers in India, saw the
prisoner and recognized in him an old
soldier comrade named Hely, who
had been imprisoned for felony in
Calcutta. This clew was followed
up, and led to the disclosure of a
long list of crimes and convictions.
An almost incredible triple coin
cidence was noted in France few
years ago. In 1894 the deputy for
the Ardennes was M. Ferry for Loir
ct Cher, M. Brisson and for the
Vosges, M. Hugo. In 1898, 1oI
years earlier, each district had been
represented in the Chamber by a
man of exactly the same name.
By happy coincidence the three
sons of a Birmingham man named
Howes all returned from different
parts Of the world unknown to each
other on the same day.
One son, wi1o-~as in the Cape
Mounted Rifles, had Started home
without his fathers knowledge, AID
to the latter's intense surprise met
him on his return from business in
the evening. Father and son had
barely reached their home when a
knock at the door hera1ded a second
son, who had unexpectedly come from
India, and later in the evening thd
familSacircle was made complete by
the arrival of a third son from Lon
don.
In no case had either the father or
SONS any suspicion of the strange
chance that was bringing them all to-
gether from the corners Of the earth.
A very touching coincidence re-
Gently brought his two long lost
daughters to the death bed of man
named Nails, in the Bloomfield Hos
pital, New Jersey During the Civil
War Nails had fallen into the hands
of the Confederates, and, after long
term of imprisonment, had been SEN
fenced to be shot.
At the last moment he escaped and
for several years wandered about the
States in fruitless search for his wife
and daughters. He finally settled
down at Bloomfield, broken hearted
man, and lived there for many years,
until serious ice accident took him
to the hospital to die.
He had not been in the hospital
day when he recognized in lady Wis
itor an old Virginia neighbor of his
who knew the whereabouts of his
daughters. Within a few days the
daughters were at his bedside, min
istering to the father they had lost
for thirty-fve years.