New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-02-02
Georgia Banker Tells a
Startling Story of Mis-
taken Identity.
LAYS ALL CRIMES
ON HIS RELATIVE
A. D. Oliver Convinces Judge
He Lost Wife and Fortune
Through His Double
fRv Telegraph to Tn. Tribune. ]

I
! Atlanta. Feb. IA. r. Oliver, prcsl-
dent Of the Climax (Ga) Bank AZ tne
time Of it's sudden failure in l%y3, ana
prominent figure in South Heors'a
social life. where he cut wide swain
until his downfall and imprisonment
on charges OF bigamy and raise pre-
fences. is free again. after convincing
Mississippi Judge that he is the VIC
Tim Of one Of the strangest cases ct
mistaken identity in real life or hctlon'
on the shoulders OF his twin prother
is laid the burden Of the crimes
charged to Oliver =.
Only two days out OF the Mississippi
nrison farm. Oliver appeared here yes
terday on his way TO Lee county
where he declared he was going 10
mako a new start in life. after nearly
FIVE wears in the chain gang and In
prison.
His story rivals anything in Monte
Cristo.' and is unsurpassed by the tales
| Of Arabian Nights" was the COM
ment of Chancellor T. II. Jones III
granting the writ in the habeas corpus
proceedings brought by divers lawyer
in Hands County, Miss.
{ That he has "black sheep twin
brother whom he so closely resembles
that he virtually has had 10 serve for
all Of his brothers crimes and esca-
pades in the South, is divers weird
story in brief. Meanwhile the brother
is ENJOYING himself in Honduras.
Wife Marries Another.
divers young wife daughter OF a
prominent citizen, believed the charges
brought against him and married an
other man. which she thought she was
free TO do because Of the charge that
Oliver as Harding" already had an
other wife when she married him.
Oliver charges that the man who re-
placed him deliberately plotted this
part Of his misfortune.
1T was my brother who married the
other woman Oliver protested to the
Judge and jury and later to his jailers
and the prison commissioners put they
all laughed at his story.
Oliver and lis brother have borne
their striking resemblance since they
PLAYED together as children, according
to the ex-banker. Feature for feature
they are almost identically the same.
while we were still youngsters our
parents died" said oliver. "A family
by the name Of Harding adopted my
brother and he took their name. That
is how he came to go by that name in
stead Of by the name Of Oliver.
| "As we grew older the resemblance
remained. II probably was even more
battling than before. We seemed TO be
counterparts. out Of that circum-
stance all OF my trouble grew"
Punished in Mississippi, Too.
After he had served his sentence in
| Georgia Oliver was eXtradited TO Miss
issippi to answer offences there which
he claims his brother committed.
While divers bold speculations
caused a Juror in South Georgia, where
he operated, his liberation. with the
word of Chancellor Jones that all of
his punishment has been unmerited
and has resulted from his resemblance
TO his brother is even more of a SEN
sation.
| divers rise in Climax was rapid.
After he had established his bank
there he soon was described as buying
everything in sight" Among his pur-
chases were timber lands. mills, mer
camille businesses and automobiles. He
married the daughter of one of the
countrys leading men. and his vent
ures appeared TO prosper.
Then the crash came. divers bank
was on the point of bankruptcy. When
he started for New York TO draw on
financial resources he had there,
amounting TO about $4,000 in cash,
he was arrested at the instance Of de-
positors, who thought that he was run
ming away. That brought on his ruin.
He was hailed to the bankruptcy court,
end there. he asserts. he suffered from
the enmity of Judge Emory A. Speer,
Of the United States District Court,
charges against whom are being inves-
tigated by the House Of Representa-
tives.
IL would serve six months more in
the chain gang if it would assist in
Speers impeachment" oliver ex-
claimed. He deserves II. He threat
ened me unfairly and went out OF his
way TO call me tramp. Sneeringly
he said that I had ridden into Climax
on a brake beam and had endeavored
TO fleece the people OF the county.
None Of il was true"