CURIOUS CASE OF MISTAKEN ISENTIFICATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5634, 6 December 1879, Page 7

CURIOUS CASE OF MISTAKEN ISENTIFICATION.

A vei.v icm-irkable case of mistaken identification v.-.-is t-ron grit to light at the morgue in lin.o'.i'i'.n. Ten days ogo, it serins, Colonel N.-'-l-, a well-kn»wn Fenian, died, leaving !i w.'lsav, Mrs. .Sarah Nagle, but no children, It is said thaS Mrs. >*agle f who is now 4fj y<.arb of ag*', was gddiuted to the use of liquor. On Tu-sday morning last, as reported in jesteHay's Herald, the body o! a woman was found in the river near the Atlantic Dock. Deceased, who was about 45 years of agp, wore a black alpaca d»e3?, white Lndcr-garmerUs, laced shoes, and in her packet were found a wliiskey-tiisk and 15 cents. The remains were takeo to tbe morgue, and in the evening an old lady and a woman called and asked to see the body. ° They were given a description of the- deceased, aid said that it corresponded with the woman they "were looking for, though they did not give the name tf the person. On seeing the corpse, the younger woman remarked that it was the person whom they had supposed it would be, iier companion did not lot.k at the corpse. On Wednesday forenoon several well-dre.-'ReJ called at the morgue, and said that "wtrc from New York. They identified au 'l s il to the keeper that she ™.IV COnuet t<ibat th-ry would not pive Jier name. Tin. ;• w i c South Portland\T»L da? Va ' and said the ,W w I v'J T> d < £ v'=" ' .» widow; that Zr } r «; r W ' to week aud that l !t lv.vl given l,'!r money thau she was eutiikd to. After ],<■ liad taken his departure Keeper M'Guire was informed by persons win said tliat tin y kn*\v her that Airs. was not deail. On Frijay morning he ascertained thai she was stopping at Mr*, ll'.Matron's house in .Navy street. He did not, however, apprise Mr. "Wade of this discovery. Yesterday morning several women visual the morgue an! wept over the remain?. Coroner Snnm3 liad in the meantims taken ilr. Wade's atlidavit and those of. several women who identiiied ili'j deceased. The farmer recognised her cliitfly by a scar or other mark ou the forebead. He was summoned before the

Coroner's jury about two o'clock in the afternoon, while the undertaker was waiting without, and he reiterated his identification. 44 Well, then," said the Coroner, "come out here and we will fix it up." Coroner Simms then conducted Mr. Wade to the front office of the dead house, where the real Mrs. Nagle was seated in company with a female friend. Air. Wade threw up his hands and exclaimed, "My God, what's going to become of me ?" Mrs. Nagle arose from her chair, and said in a loud tone of voice, "Well, I don't blame you." A few words of explanation followed, in which she stated that Mr. Wade had iu his possession $10,000 of her estate. i>he then left the morgue in company with him aud her female companion. The undertaker was turned away, and an inquest held on the body of the unknown woman, which was then int rred at tho expense of the county. Mr. Wade was visited by a reporter, and said that he had been well acquainted with Mrs. Nagle'a parebts. Her maiden namo was Taggart, and they resided in Willow-street, Brooklyn Heights. Her father wa? quite wealthy. Sarab, Mr. \Vade said, was a spoiled child, and when she came to womanhood marrud Colonel Nagle, who went to Ireland in command of a Fenian expedition. The party was arrested, and all its members confined in prison for a long time. The colonel, after a few years, received a pardon, and wa* allowed to return to this countrj'. He had be<n here but a short time, however, when he died. Mr. Wade said further, that upon his own return from Europe he found her in poor circumstance?, aud knowing that she was entitled to tome money brought a suit against a relative to recover. In this he succeeded, but hr money became exhausted about two years ago, and ho had tdnce continued tj pay her board rather than have her become a charge upon the county. He had another judgtmnt of 3,000 doK against tho relative, but was unaMe to collect it, as the defendant was without means. After the discovery made yesterday, he accompanied her to one of her former residences, an after furnishing | he. with some money, returned home.— New York Herald.