Semi-weekly herald., 1912-10-07

most notable identity case ever tried
in an American court. 1t rivals in
interest and resembles in many re-
spects the famous Tichborne case,
which ran for ITO days before Lord
Chief Justice Cockburn in England
some thirty years ago.
In the first trial Judge Lawton de-
cided against Dakota Dan," who
claims to be Daniel Blake Russell,
son of the late Daniel Russell of Mel
rose, and who also claims his share
of the 100000 estate now held by
William C. Russell, another son Of
Daniel Russell. Apparently not in the
least discouraged over this decision,
the Dakota claimant went to work
to have the case reopened and, though
without funds or the help of coursel.
he succeeded in securing another trial
of his case.
Persons in daily attendance at the
present hearing in the East Cam
bridge court have been much impress
ed by the story told by Dakota Dan"
and the evidence of the witnesses who
have testified in his behalf. In his
| fight for recognition the claimant has
told on the stand, in simple way
and with remarkable memory, of the
events which took place in the home
which he says he left in Melrose a
quarter of century ago. For time
he lived the life of tramp, getting
from one part of the country to an
other as best he might. He has work
ed with circuses and as deck hand,
shod horses in blacksmith shops, and
spent winters as a hand in lumber
camps and mills, according to his
story. The tale of his wanderings and
vicissitudes of his life since 1885 has
taken him in retrospect from the docks
of Liverpool, where he paid his pas
| sage in the steerage, to the woods of
northern Michigan, and finally to the
Bad Lands of North Dakota. There
he settled down to some extent and
for some time had been employed as
ranch manager. Finally a desire to
return to his old home seized him and
he arrived in Melrose something more
| than year ago to find that the man
whom he claims as his father had
died and left an estate of 100000 and
| will in which was the provision that
| the long missing son should share half
the fortune in the event of his return.
But the elder son, William C. Rus
sell, in whose possession the estate
was held, not only refused to surrend-
er any portion of it but positively de-
MED the claims of relationship set up
by the man from Dakota.
To support his claim as Daniel B.
Russell large number Of witnesses
have appeared at the present hearing
to identify the claimant as the son
of Daniel B. RUSSELL OF these, some
have known him for forty and others
for twenty-five years. They knew him
intimately in many cases, and were
acquainted with the peculiarities and
characteristics of his youth. One of
the most important of the recent wit
| nesses has been the former sweet
heart of Daniel Blake Russell, Miss
Hattie Nj. Keith, who told on the stand
of her friendship with the long miss
ing son of the late Daniel Russell.
With great positiyeness Miss Keith
declared that Daniel Blake Russell and
Dakota Dan," the claimant, are the
same person.
To oppose the claim of Dakota
Dan" and the testimony of his wit
nesses, the respondents, William C.
Russell and Ferdinand B. Almy, the
latter of whom is said to have had
the entire administration of the es-
tate since the death of Daniel Rus
sell, have declared that the claimant
is an imposter and have undertaken
to prove that he is not Daniel Blake
Russell, but James Delbert Ruseau,
who was born of poor parents in Bonn
bay, N. Y, in 1865.
Not the least remarkable feature of
the contest has been the part played
by the man called Fresno Dan," who
mysteriously appeared on the scene
when the first trial of the case was
near an end. Fresno Dan" was ta-
ken into the home of William C. Rus
sell and was publicly accepted as the
long missing heir, though so far as is
known none of the older residents of
Melrose was able to detect any resem-
blance between Fresno Dan" and the
missing Daniel Blake Russell.