MISTAKEN IDENTITY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2477, 26 May 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

MISTAKEN IDENTITY.

•James Payn, in ' Our Note Book,' writes : —In Mr Montague William's Police Court the other day a circumstance happened which shows how the romances of real life, however strange, repeat themselves. A man was brought before him for theft, whoso identity was sworn to very positively, but the magistrate's eye was attracted by a spectator in the Court so like tho prisoner that ho seemed his actual double; and, confident that the witness could never havo discriminated between the two men, ho dismissed the case. It is just possible that the spectator, who was the prisoner's brother, strange to say, came to the Court with that end in view. A moro romantic case, but of precisely tho same kind, occurred many years ago, before Mr Baron Garrow, on the Oxford circuit. He was summing; up on a charge of highway robbery, and the jury were about to bo dismissed to consider their verdict, when a tumult and shouts of ' make way !' were heard outside the Court. A horseman, covered with dust, rushed in and entreated the judge to 'stop the case, an he had ridden fifty miles to save the life of an innocent man.' He was attired exactly as tho prisoner was, and had the most extraordinary resemblauce to him. He turned to the prosecutor, and bidding him look at him, inquired whether ho was now prepared to swear to the prisoner's identity. The prosecutor faltered, and tho Court proceeded to interrogate the new-comer. He only ropeated, however, the statement that tho prisoner was innocent, and declined to answer questions, on the ground that he was not bound to criminate himself, The prosocutor withdrew his statement, and the prisoner was acquitted. Then the other man (which seems strange enough) was taken into custody aud tried for tho same offence by a new jury. But tho prosecutor was still in doubt, and the second prisouer was also acquitted. The two men, it afterwards turned out, were brothers, and tho whole scene was got up to get the prisoner off.