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THE attempt of a Rus sian revolutionist to assassinate the late General TrepofT sometime ago was the tragic result of a common mistake. Im mediately before firing, the aph of the hated Gen carefully with the face of the •stake. The resemblance ras perfect. The shot was fired. The man fell m.t General Trep. >ff. He was his double' mcc that Henry Irvine pre \merican - - the double r made :::m. In this ex,. . me lo le an inn i - ■ erchant ippily ' ■ end— by a resemblance to the b father The ■ nated i ' •■! (een turbinj <..-es of iety. Xii - ' I tioi .- • • • n your " ' ' ' ' • lua] going or wife might be deceived, and v might be nhabitantsof the '.ry. me so closely • bat he could easily imper • thing that ■ not always dis - ither crime from neself, an all • -• i a I ' ' The ient-.ty for dramatic ly varying. The them cv« ry day re full It is a t:. r stales; it may ■ uatu n |ust to □ used thousands : '■ The Two rweifth ' . ■ • The Prisoner The Mas it they have had almost ■ ■ Bring the Doubles Together /"\\E reason, of course, that so many mistakes are *"^ made in the identity of persons is that the reputed doubles are not often brought together for comparison and critical examination. Thus, King Edward, when he was Prince of Wales, was said to have his exact counterpart in the Czar of Russia Age has made a great difference in their appearance. Viewed apart, there was undoubtedly a certain facial resemblance: but on close inspection the difference was too obvious to permit ny mistake of identity. And the same was true of the reputed resemblance between Dv Manner and Alma-Tadema. Newspaper readers will remember a case of con fusion which was immediately dispelled by confront ing the two persons resembling each other in the trial of Johann Hoch, the Chicago '•Bluebeard." His resemblance to Busch was so great that many persons who had sworn that Hoch was the man who had robbed them admitted their mistake later and picked out Busch as the criminal from a group of many others. It was not till the two men' were arrested and placed side by side that the mistake was discovered. It is just such a comparison, of course, that the impostor does all in his power to avoid. When Edna May, the act ress, was in London, she was much annoyed by a double who borrowed money in her name. This unknown person made a practice of going tO shops or exhibitions where the actress would be likely to be known, and suddenly an nouncing that she had for gotten her pocketbook. She invariably found men gallant enough to help the popular actress. When the police were on the hunt for this impostor, Edna May was constantly im- DOUBLES By Conrad Oak agining that she might be arrested for impersonat ing herself. There is a humorous side to these confusions of identity, as in the case of the Englishman who boasted that through his likeness to' a member of the London Stock Exchange he had succeeded in going in and out of that inaccessible building without having his hat smashed, the fate of all intruders there. And there is the story of another Englishman who was proud of having been able to sit in the House tnmons, passing below the sacred gangway past the policeman on the strength of his resemblance to one of the members But there has too often been a tragic side to the question. Through their resemblance to criminals have suffered imprisonment Hold, or been deprived of their property, or suffered social ostracism through the intrigues of impostors Such an intrigue to discredit an bnglish Minister was hatched during the Boer War. It was planned to have a man close 1 }- resem bling him appear in public in company with two disreputable members of the opposing party. If he had been seen with these men ins reputation would have been ruined; but fortunately, the plot was dis red and prevented. Jay Gould and the Physician ACASE of resemblance that bothered New Yorkers : r years was that of Jay Gould, the mil!: Ld magnate, and his innocent double, a New The physician was taking a stroll one morning at an American winter resort, when he iddenly confronted in the path by a dwarfish, swarthy, wizen faced man. wearing a brown check suit. "Mr. Gould, I believe?" the physician murmured. Gould stared at Ins "counterfeit presentment." "I am not quite sure thai I am." he exclaime I you wouldn't wear clothes like mine." ir beard, and I w, .n't ' " snapped the physician. • O were for years constantly mistaken for "her. and if the physician had not been honest. Gould might well have feared for his millions the physician might have presented himself almost anywhere as Gould, and raised "on his face" almost any sum of money Ambassador and Judce ykNOTHER amusing case was that of Sir Edward ■**■ Thornton, once English Ambassador to the United States, and Judge Poland of Vermont. At a .:ig in Washington a young man went up to Poland, greeted him. "and held out his hand. "I fear," said the Judge, "that you have the advantage of me " "Is it possible," .asked the young man, "that you don't remember seeing me with my father in Me.\ : c< ' ? " " I don't recollect ever being in Mexico." "Why, surely, you are S:r Edward Thornton?" IBy no means 'l am Judge Poland of Vermont " A week or so later the baffled young man caught of Judge Poland, as he thought, and deter mined to a ■ er Ins recent blunder. "That in awkward mistake of mine the other night," ; 1. "my taking you for old Thornfo i ■'Ami, pray, for whom do you take me now?" ■ he query. "Why, Judge Poland of Vermont, of course " "My name is Thornton!" thundered the Ambas sador, turning on his heel. The Case of Martin Guerre PERHAPS the most remarkal I doubles in * all history is that of Martin Guerre, a 1 • who was born near Bayonne, in the fir of the sixteenth century In the crowd of witi examined, in the number and positi ■ • • if their ting changes, this case is without rival in : I >■:.;■; ■ \ . i- the natural man, • irit ' Who . -m ' • < • . he for me. And thereupon thi •• • • • * -. ■ ■ • » * ■ I like brother a Error: dramatic interest A hu man life was at stake, and there was the startling feature of a wife question ing the identity of her hus band. Martin Guerre was the son of a well to do farmer and brickmaker; and, as was the custom of the country at the time, he married at the age of eleven Bertrande de Rols, who had then reached the age of ten. For eight years they lived together. Unfortunately, Martin stole a bushel of corn from his father Frightened by the heinousness of his crime, he deserted his wife and fled to Spain. There he entered the service of Emperor Charles V., and after several years of campaigning seems to have tten his wile Bertrande and his baby boy Sancho. At any rate, he ceased to write home, and hi> family losi all trace of him. His absence stretched on to eight years. Then, one evening, a stranger arrived at the inn of the village where the deserted wife was still liv ing. He at once told his host that he was Martin Guerre, and recounted the adventures and hard ships that had kept him from home so lung. The rumor of Martin Cruerre's return soon spread, and his four sisters hastened t<> the hostelry to welcome him home They found him much changed. He had gone eight years before, scarcely more than a boy; now he was a mature man, bronzed and bearded Nevertheless, they welcomed him, em braced him, and carried the news to his wife. Ber trande hastened to him at once When she saw him first she started back with misgiving. But he addressed her tenderly, repeated word for word their parting conversation, and mentioned details that only a husband could have known. He eve:, spoke of the clothing he had left behind, and where it could be found Bertrande was convinced. She ! forgiveness for her doubts, and threw her to his arms An uncle arrived. He too hesi tated; but the newcomer detailed to him all the minutiae of their business transactions eight years before, and he also was convinced. The upshot of the matter was that this newly arrived Martin Guerre returned home with his wife, end lived happily and without suspicion with her for tour years. During this time they had two chil dren, and Martin's father at his death bequeathed him a i However, a soldier passing through the village declared that he had seen Martin at the siege of Si -Quentin, that he had lost a leg there, but that he was still alive; and the soldier left a written depo sition to that effect. The rumor spread that the man living as Martin Guerre was an impostor. Bertrande at this filed a criminal information against the man to whom for four years she had granted the rights of a husband. He was described in the accusation as Arnault dv Tilh, and was com mitted to prison. The prisoner said that the uncle had influenced his wife, and that the whole charge was a conspiracy to deprive him of his fortune of eight thousand livres. He submitted to a searching interrogatory, after the French fashion, and an swered all questions satisfactorily. He told of his campaigns, and revealed the most intimate details of the family history. He relied for his defense, too, on the four sisters 'who still called him brother, on his four years' life with Bertrande with her consent, and pressed her in the presence of the Judges to swear that he was not her real husband, declaring that if she so swore, he was ready to forfeit his head. Bertrande refused to take this oath. She was confused by his confident manner. In the trial a hundred and fifty witnesses were examined. Of this number forty deposed that the man was the real Martin Guerre, fifty deposed that he was Arnault dv Tilh, and sixty declined to pronounce any opinion, owing to the extraordinary resemblance. In spite of the conflicting evidence, the Judge pronounced him guilty. He at once appealed to the Parliament of Tou louse. On this appeal thirty witnesses were mined. Ten deposed that he was Martin Guerre, eight that he was an impostor, and the re mainder confessed that they were too bewildered to have any opinion. The Judges were sorely perplexed, and leaned to the side of the prisoner. the side oi the soner. By a curious coincidence, just at this juncture, the real Martin Guerre made his ap pearance on the scene. He was arrested, and showed the same marks on his face as those borne by the pris oner. He was examined privately; but remained still unshaken in his story. Then •■ <