The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-01-16

John Wilkes Booth! But he passed
on and never declared himself. For
years Edwin Booth believed his broth
er to be still alive.
There were several known doubles
of President Roosevelt, L. M. Garfield,
manufacturer of Xenia, Ohio, used
to be mistaken for Teddy and camben
often refused his fare, saying they
were repaid by the honor of driving
him about, while in Chicago, when T.
r. was scheduled to be in the city,
newspaper men besieged Garfield in
the hotel, insisting he was the Presi-
dent
In Florence, Italy, Pietro Cassini, a
woodcutter, used to put on spectacles
of the kind worn by Colonel Roosevelt
and delight American tourists with
his imitation of Teddy's grin. He did
not speak word of English. The
colonels most conspicuous double was
f. G. Huddleston, general manager of
a mining company at Los Angeles,
Calf. His travels in the western
states caused many, even former
Rough Riders, to think he was T. r.
incognitO, as he had the same keen
eyes, prominent nose, heavy jaws,
wore his mustache in a similar man.
ner and had many personal character
istics of the colonel.
Thomas Merton, a newspaper man
of Canton and Pittsburgh, who report
ed McKinley's ''front-porch" cam
paign in 1896, was often photographed
as the candidate, and many of the
daily and weekly magazines carried
snapshots of Mckinley which were
really reproductions of Merton's face
and figure taken with the tacit con-
sent of Mckinley, who once remarked
that they were "just as lifelike and
often better-looking than the real
article"
Five hundred persons, all of whom
knew Merton personally, saw him do
his first posing of this sort. A IA
nous publication which had always
prided itself upon the accuracy of it's
pictures sent corps Of men to Can
ton in the early days of the campaign
to get up big pictorial issue. They
arrived on Saturday afternoon, only
to learn that the candidate was not
feeling well. While bewailing this de-
lay, the leader of the picture corps
saw Merton passing and captured him
by main force.
81 want you to get up on the porch
and pose as Mr.. Mckinley" he
shouted.
The newspaper men thought the fell
low was crazy when he began to take
off his Prince Albert coat. In a few
minutes, Merton, dressed in the silk
hat and coat, mounted the steps of
the Mckinley home and, while the
future President was slumbering in
side, he posed for pictures which aft
erward became famous. Mr.. McKin-
ley, when told of the incident the
next day, laughed heartily and later
declared that they were among the
best he had ever had taken.
President Wilson enjoyed the lux
ury of several facial counterparts. A
tremendous commotion was caused in
New York city in the spring of 1916,
when one of them, Deputy Fire Com
missioner w. Holden Weeks Of New
York, dropped dead in the street
Grief-stricken crowds with barred
heads blocked the thoroughfare. So
pronounced was the resemblance to
President Wilson that police had diff
ficulty in convincing the people of
their error.
Another Wilson double was a New
York man named Fleming who, it is
said, was refused a life insurance
policy during the World war because
his strong resemblance to the Presi-
dent made him a possible target for
an assassin's bullet and therefore
poor 'risk." The familiar features
of Calvin Coolidge have a replica in
those of Charles Hitz, Philadelphia
waiter whose resemblance to the for
mer Chief Executive was so marked
as to give him a chance to play the
part of the President in motion pic
ture. and friends Of George McKelvey.
an attorney In Ohio. declare that he
is the very image" of the presen,
head Of the nation, Herbert Hoover.
GO by Western Newspaper Union.)