The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-11-28
THE MISSING MAN
By Mart r. P. HATCH, 14uboy Of .7Be Bank 7rage4yn
by Lee apMB Mass

allno It IS SO uncommon DIS TO De re-
markable. Mrs. Hamilton shared in
the feelings of her husband, but could
not explain them. She depressed them,
therefore, as much as possible; but
when her little boy was lost and re-
Edes. as he was called, she allowed
her heart to- rule her hands to the
extent of showing her gratitude by
gifts for his personal comfort and con-,
venience at Mrs. Fry's.
Now, comes the false claimant, Mr..
Hamilton, or Ashley, on the scene,
safe, as he supposes, in his fraudulent
claim, because he thinks his wronged
brother is dead. He is the exact i'm
age of the cashier, as we all know.
and he was received by Grovedale,
people with open arms. His extraor-
binary nerve, ingenuity and fertility
Of resource carried him thru various
tests and examinations, and he was
installed in the place of the true and
lawful owner and tenant Of the Ham
ilton estate. But there was one, gen
tlemen, who did not receive him.
1t was Mrs. Hamilton She could not
believe he was her husband, and what
testimony is better than that Of wife
who for seven years lived with him
and came to know all his ways, his
movements, his tricks Of manner,
everything which goes to make up
personality, which we all know does
not entirely consist of features, height.
voice, complexion? Personality is of
more subtle, elusive nature. 1t may
elude recognition by all except the
more intimate friends. In this case
| it evaded all but that Of the wife, the
true, loving woman who thru all would
not, be cheated by a false resemblance"
Then in q low, impressive voice Mr..
! Morley preached the matter OF phys
jical odor which, exhaled from the
material body, enables dog to dis
tinguish his master from all other per-
sons Lost children, slaves, fugitives
from justice, have been tracked by this
physical odor, SO powerful and unmls-
taxable as to cling to articles of cloth
ing worn by the person. Many people
have the sense Of smell strongly de-
veloped, as other have that of sight,
taste, hearing: and Mrs. Hamilton was
thus highly endowed, he said. Her
children each impressed her by char
acteristic physical odor, or aura. BY
this, bIindfolded, she could tell their
garments apart and without touching
| them, and by this she was enabled to
detect the false claimant. Tho the re-
! semblance was so strong that she
tainted at the sight of him, when he
knelt at her side she felt convinced
| that he was a stranger. to her.
hope I have made the matter plain
to you, gentlemen of the jury, for this
| is most important part Of the trial. :
! During the presentation Of this part
of Mr.. Morley's argument, the extreme
gravity of his manner and delicacy of
words robbed it Of the element of lu-
dicrousness so perilousy near it, and
smiles disappeared on the few counte-
nances where they arose.
Then the plaintiffs counsel went on
to speak of the shot fired at his, client
| in the grounds fraudulently held and
occupied by the defendant, which he
attributed to some person interested in
removing him beyond reach of making
! trouble. 1--WE: will suppose said Mr..
Morley, that Ashley had at last rec
ognized the true claimant in Primus
Edes, and that he realized his own
dangerous position, from which moth
| ing could extricate him but the death
of this man. We will suppose that he
saw him approaching the Hamilton
! house and shoots him from his win
/ dow and then rushes upon the scene
| flinging the pistol one side, and was
| there, as we know he was, before Mr..
Garter could get there. Or, we will
!. suppose that some other person, Sol
ONION Marks, for instance, got posses
sion of Dan Fry's pistol and followed
Edes. shot him, and disappeared down
| the river.
1T is we'll known in Groyedale, and
can be proved by half a score of wit
closeted with the defendant, and that
he went to the Fry house, when it Is
easy to suppose he found an. oppor-
| tunity to get possession of the pistol,
to make it appear that my client COM
mitted suicide--for there is no doubt
but that the shot was fired to kill him.
Now, it is perfectly clear to me, and
must be to you. that the false claim
ant undertook, either by his own hand
or another's to rid himself of a trouble
some person--troublesome because
the true claimant. But did he sue
coed? No; the very shot fired to send
Vane Hamilton out Of the world re-
stored him to the full possession of
his faculties. Strange, yet true! Can
we doubt. after such a manifestation
in the overruling for good of the Di-
vine Providence, which so often says
to crime, Thus far shalt thou go, but
no farther, he recovered to prosecute
his claims to his family and estate ~
/ have given in but fragmentary sem
fences a portion Of Mr.. Morley's able
and eloquent address, which was lis
tened to with great interest turnout.
1t is safe to say no case of more un-
usual aspects ever engaged the judicial
and popular attention Of the country
and it was generally admitted that the
SOu1loSA
plain. careful and painstaking manner.
/ The Hamiltons had commanded SO
much of the popular respect that ad-
| dltlonal interest was lent the affair
and the gigantic results to follow
whichever won the case, were present
in the minds of many who listened to
the exhaustive argument.
/ Chief Justice Mitchell next occupied
J a. quarter of an hour in instructing the
jurors concerning their responsibilities
and various aspects of the case to be
presented, of which the sole issue, he
| said, to be tried was the identity OF
the plaintiff with Vane Hamilton.
It was then o'clock and an ad-
Journment was taken until the next
morning at 8 a. IN.
! When the little courthouse bell be-
gan to ring next day the streets rapid
~ filled and soon the small room
with its curtainless, shutterless WIN
doWs was thronged with eager spec
tators, many of whom had to be
turned out to prevent overcrowdins
The work of the day was entered ,1non
promptly by the calling of the witness
George Barnstead. to the stand.
A fine, square-faced, solid built man
whose keen eagle eye, ample fore
head, and fine chin testified to his
. powers Of observation and good judg-
nent, advanced and gave a straight
forward testimony, corresponding te
Mr.. Morley's presentation of it in his
opening argument.
Il sat in Portland depot, near to the
news stand, waiting for Hurd, who was
. to go on with me to Bethel. saw
standing irresolutely, at a little dis.
lance, a man whom I now know to he
Vane Hamilton. He was dressed ex-