The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-10-15

DaWson's Landing, on the Missouri
side Of the Mississippi, In 1880. was
modest village with few claims TO
distinction. Conspicuous among aer
first citizens was York Leicester Dris-
coll, forty years Of age, Judge of the
County Court, OF unblemished Virginia
stock, unhappily chi.dless, and esteem.
ed by everybody that knew him. An
other citizen of repute was Colonel
Cecil Burleigh Essex, who except for
one important particular later dis
closed has nothing to do with this
story. Resident here also was a GER
tain Percy Northumberland DriscolI.
brother to the Judge, married, and
prosperous owner OF slaves, among
whom was a likely wench of twenty,
Roxana by name, into whose home on
the first day of February. 1880, Two
boy babies were born. One of these,
christened Tom. was the son of Percy
Northumberland. The other, tagged
with the name Of Valet de Chambre,
or Chambers for short, was the son
OF the slave-girl Roxana, by a father
at first unknown, but later revealed to
be Colonel Essex. Within a week of
the birth of Driscoll's son the mother
died, and in the natural course of
events both boys were entrusted to
the maternal care of the slave-mother.
About the same time into this quiet
community came one David Wilson,
hopefully anticipating successful
legal career, a hope blasted in the
borning, since gift of irony, one Of
David's most tangible assets, fell upon
ears SO literal as to be unappreciative,
and suspicious of humor.
Il wish own half ~ az
said David one morning when a sna-l-
ing yellow cur disturbed him.
"Why?" asked somebody.
Because then l would kill my half"
replied David.
His hearers fell away from him in
alarm. How could a man kill half
Of dog without killing the other
half also? Surely this man must be
out Of his mind.
"a lumnoX," said one
"A perfect jachass," said another.
He's a puddN!Cad, that's what he
isl said third.
And from that day forward "Pudl T.
head Wilson," he was
Now Pudd'nhC had two fads -
/ Palmistry and Ftnger-Prints. The
first he occasionally practised lacking
clients to practise law upon, and the
second he collected with great assidu.
lty No man, woman or child, ever
entered the circle Of Pudd'nhead's &C.
quaintance Without leaving a finger
print, or his thum b-rlark behind, and
al! OF these We're carefully named, re.
corded, dated and filed. Thus it hap.
pened that one day came Roxana and
her two charges, Tom. the son Of Dris.
call and Chambers, the son of herself
and another. AS like as two pease
were the babies. in color, size and
llneaments-so like that save to a
mothers eyes they were indistinguish
able, and the tInGer-prjnts of all were
taken, labeled, dated. and added 70
the collection of Pudd'nhead Wilson.
What more natural TIM tht the like
ness OF the two infants-TOm S own
father could not tell him from The
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES suggest to a moth
| er's heart an interchange of the chill
dren by which the Slave should be
! come the Master and the Master the
/ Slave, especially when that heart was
. constantly oppressed by the fear II al
when her babe grew to manhood he
might be sold down the river" tha,
/ everpresent tormenting dread of the
slave Of the upper waters? Nha,
chance of detection, Roxana for love
Of her son should yield to that temp
tation and forthwith turn Cham bers
into Tom and Tom into Chambers by
a simple interchange of garments
these being the only outward ant
visible signs by which the boys were
differentiated anyhow? It was in this
manner that it came to be the PROUD
offspring Of the house of Driscoll grew
| into the Slave-bOy Chambers, abused
! and neglected and that the seemingly
white child Of a negrO-slave and an
unknown father became the scion of g
family Of u0blemished lineage.
But mere change Of clothes anG
conditions does not penetrate far be
low the surface. A silken gown can
not alter the currents of a shoddy
soul, and while externally the spurious
heir was all F. F. v, internally he
was negro. After a few years, never
having discovered the deception prac
tised upon him by Roxana, Perc,
/ Driscoll died, pennilcss, but his broth
er the Judge, his prayer for childre.
OF his own Denied adopted the suppos
ititious Tom, and made the boy his
/ heir. He sent him to college He
gave him every advantage that ar
affectionate father could have given
boy of his own, but the raw materia
which was the real Tom was poor, anc
the soil unfruitable. The boy acquired
q taste for dissipation for which the
simple life Of Dawson's Landing offer
ed no assuagements. He plunged into
the gay whirl Of St. Louis, garnerins
nothing but disgraceful gam blins
debts. Worst of all he was at hear
| snob, abused the real heir now be