The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-23

~ AWSON'S LANDING, on the
Missouri side of the Missis-
sippi, in 1880, was a modest
village with few claims to distinction
Conspicuous among her first citizens
was York Leicester Driscoll, forty
years of age, judge of the county court
of unblemished Virginia stock, unhap-
PLY childless, and esteemed by every
body that knew him. Another citizen
of repute was Col. Cecil Burleigh Es-
sex, who, except for one important
particular, later disclosed, has nothing
to do with this story. Resident here
also was a certain Percy Northumber.
land Driscoll, brother of the judge,
married, and a prosperous owner of
slaves, among whom was a likely
wench of twenty, Roxana by name.
Into the Driscoll home on the first 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 father at first unknown
but later revelaed to be Colonel Essex.
Within a week of the birth of Dris-
coils 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 a successful
legal career, a hope blasted in the
borning, since a gift of irony, one of
David's most tangible assets, fell upon
ears so literal as to be unapprecia-
tive. and suspicious of humor.
81 wish owned half of that dog,
said David one morning when a snarl-
ing yellow cur disturbed him.
''Why?" asked somebody.
Because then would kill my half p
replied David.
His hearers fell away from him in
alarm. How could man kill half of a
dog without killing the other half also ?
Surely this man must be out of his
mind.
"a lummox," said one.
"a perfect jackass," said another.
Hes pudd'nhead, that's what he
is - said a third.
And from that day forward "Pudd'n-
head Wilson" he was
Now Pudd'nhead had two fads-
palmistry, and finger-prints. The first
he occasionally practiced, lacking eli
ents to practice law upon, and the
second he collected with great assidu-
ity. No man, woman or child, ever
entered the circle of Pudd'nhead's ac-
quaintance without leaving a finger
print, or his thumb-mark, behind, and
all of these were 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-
coll, and Chambers, the son of her
self and another. As like as two peas
were the babies, in color, size and
lineaments-so like that save to a
mothers eyes they were indistinguish-
able, and the finger-prints of all were
taken, labeled, dated, and added to
the collection of Pudd'nhead Wilson.
What more natural than that the
likeness of the two infants-Tom's
own father could not tell him from
the slave-baby-should suggest to a
mothers heart an interchange of the
children by which the slave should be-
come the master and the master the
slave, especially when the heart was
constantly oppressed by the fear that
when her babe grew to manhood he
might be "sold down the river" that
ever-present tormenting dread of the
slave of the upper waters? What
more natural that, there being no
chance of detection. Roxana for love
of her son should yield to that tempta-
ton and forthwith turn Chambers into
Tom and Tom into Chambers by a
single interchange of garments, these
being the only outward and visible
signs by which the boys were differ
entiated anyhow? 1t was in this man.
ner that it came to be the proud off
spring of the house of DriScoll grew
into the slave-boy Chambers, abused