AMUSING MISTAKES.

Kumara Times, Issue 1402, 30 March 1881, Page 2

AMUSING MISTAKES.

[chambers’ journal.] Droll mistakes are of course endless. Here are a few culled at random A London paper gives an account of another case of mistaken identity in connection with a distinguished personage. An aged couple in high life who were celebrating their golden wedding, by way of concluding the festivities on that occasion, adjourned with the children and their respective belongings to a theatre, in which, to accorn-‘ modate so large a party, two boxes had been knocked into one. The eldest son, who strongly resembles the Prince of Wales, stepped forward and occupied the centre seat, with the ladies of the party beside him ; upon which the orchestra struck up the National Anthem and the audience rose to their feet en masse, the innocently unconscious party of course doing the same themselves. ... s There is no doubt that people of rather nnusual proportions had an • awkward time of it when the claimant was at large. A story goes that a cor- > pulent gentleman once took a box at -x the Canterbury Hall. First one person- 7 and then another eyed him, until at-, length the counterpart of the Claimant ; became the centre of observation, A cheer arose, the singing was suspended, and an ovation was the result. The supposed Sir Roger arose, and bowed his acknowledgment. ' But this was not enough. He must spehk. The manager announced that “ Sir Roger w 'lud a cold, and could not speak- Fearing the consequence if the audience dis-

covered their mistake, lie had the “ Claimant ” removed as quietly as possible ih a cab and sent in a roundabout way to his house. Thb intoxicated bricklayer who squared up to a post and maintained a One-side’d fight, affords an absurd illustration of mistaken identity; but, if we can rely upon newspaper reports, such ludicrous incidents are surpassed by \rhab is said to have happened in the neighbourhood of Morecombe. Some time ago the body of what was supposed by the discoverer to be a human beitig ftas found lying on the beach near the place above named, having undoubtedly been left there, by the receding tide. The usual preparations fur holding an orthordox inquest was put in force and kept going, until the examination of a medical man proved the Slispected human corpse to be but the carcase of a monkey which had probably been thrown overboard from some ship, and which so closely resembled in in appearance a human being as to require a doctor to tell the difference. Such a mistake either looks like a gross flattery upon a dead monkey or an unconscious satite upon human nature. Calculated to delight all believers in the Darwinian theory. A ludicrous misconception in which a policeman flgttred took place in the Isle of Man. At a Deemster’s Court in Ramsay, a Jew was about to be feworn to give evidence. As Jews are always sworn on the Old Testament, and not on the New, the Deemster requested the constable in attendance to fetch an Old one. After a while that worthy Returned and handed to the tvitnesa an ancient-looking dilapidated book, which on being examined proved to be a New Testament. The Deemster’s attehiion being called to it, he asked the constable why he had not brought an Old Testament, to which the innodent reply was ; “ Please your Honor, it was the oldest one I could And.”