The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1902-02-06

| was worse than If doctor had told
me was IL lunafic. 1t was as ii some
one had died and | had been suddenly
called on to take his place without
knowing anything about him. hadn't
lost my reason. and | could see hear.
taste. smell and feel. ! could also re-
member as far back as walking into
the hotel. Beyond that all was dark
ness. When went down to the clerk,
he saw that | was still troubled. He
must have been good natured man,
for be left his duties to say to me:
| "Still cropping. eh? Well don't get
| flurried. Go out on the street and see
If the sight of some particular object
| won't bring it all back"
| AS a matter OF fact. | had been in
Philadelphia dozen times, and there
was no sight had not seen twice over.
hut when | stepped out on the street
things were as strange to me as il i
had been SET down in Picking | read
| the signs on the street corners, on the
| ears and over the doors. but they re-
called nothing. wandered up to
Wanamaker's. ~,und the city hall and
over to the Chestnut street depot. but
| it was as 1t had never seen them be-
fore. A sort OF panic seized me. be-
| came afraid OF myself and broke into
run and gave no heed to the pedes-
| TRANS. AS a consequence was ar
rested by q patrolman and taken to the
police station.
The charge against me was disorder
~ conduct. and I was locked up for the
night. and 1t was owing to the police
surgeon that I was set at liberty by the
judge next morning. The surgeon came
down to the cells to see man who
was i'll. and I stated my case to him.
He came back at later hour and
| talked with me for a long time. [
think he was perfectly satisfied that
was off in some manner. but the case
was beyond him and not in his prov
ince. He spoke to the judge in my
favor, however. and after warning
was set at liberty. had $21 in money
and was free to go where willed. but
where should | go? One place was
the same as another to me, as I had
no name and no business. l finally de-
cided to go back to the clerk Of the
hotel and get his advice.
Don't try to rush things" he said
in a kindly way. Hang around the
Office for a day or two, and perhaps
you'll see some face you'll remember"
For three long days l scanned the
face of every man who entered the
hotel. but all were strangers. Then the
clerk called in reporter who talked
to me for an hour The result was
that my case was widely circulated
in the newspapers. That was before
the days of illustrated daily Journal
ism. and no picture accompanied the
sketch. Friends who had known me
from childhood read the story, but did
not connect me with it. Several doc
tors came to see me, and it was gen.
orally agreed that / ought to 60 out
into the country for rest and quiet.
When / had but So left and no hope Of
discovering my own identity, set out
for the country and finally hired out
to a farmer 80 miles away to assist In
the haying. When the haying was
over, l staid on. | staid because did
not know where else to go or what
else to do. They gave me name, and
/ answered to it because all names
were alike to me.
! had been with the farmer nearly
two months when memory came back,
and 1t came as suddenly as 1t depart
ed. We had been digging potatoes
during the day. and my mind had been
worried more than usual When we
reached the house. half an hour before
sunset, we washed up and were about
to sit down to the table when my name
came to my tongue, and shouted It
out and began dancing around the
room. No shock took it away, and no
shock brought it back. There was no
breaking of a dish or other accident,
but the steam was quietly turned on,
and the wheels of memory began to re-
yolve again. In my exultation / ran
out and shouted my name to the cows
in the barnyard and the pigs in the
pen. and with chalk and pencil wrote
it down wherever | could reach. The
name came first. and then remember
ell where | lived and my journey to
Philadelphia. | could clearly recall
my arrival and everything up to the
moment started to write my name on
the register. l left the farm next
morning for home with memory as
clear as bell. and they said my facial
expression had so changed in single
night that they could not recognize me
as rhe hired man John.
had been advertised for, hunted for
and given up for dead, and you may
guess that my return created sensa.
ton. AS a matter of fact, l had been
dead. | had lost my own identity and
taken that of stranger. do not
know the feelings of mailman. but IL
they can be stranger than the night
mare expressing Il man who has lost
himself and been blotted out do not
wonder that they humble and curse
and cry out in their despair.