ON DOUBLES: SOME FAMOUS LIKENESSES

Otago Witness, Issue 2105, 28 June 1894, Page 41

ON DOUBLES: SOME FAMOUS LIKENESSES

The sensation is not pleasent when after digging a supposed acquaintance in the small of the back with your umbrella you discover he is no acquaintance at all, but a perfect stranger. We are continually meeting people whose faces we seem to know. There is a great deal of mediocrity in the countenance, yet really good doubles are hard to find. It is, however, not only in plays such as " The Lyons Mail" and " The Corsican Brothers " that we see such remarkable likenesses. We sometimes hear of people strikingly like Mr Gladstone, the Prince of Wales, Lord Randolph Churchill, and the rest. Mr Parnell had a double in the person of Mr Sidney Hall, the artist. Indeed, in the Lobby of the House of Commons and during the Parnell Commission, Mr Hall was constantly being mistaken for the Irish leader. The best-known double of the PRINCE OF -\YALE3 is Mr James J. Van Alen, the United States Minister to Italy, Mr Alma Tadema and Mr G. Da Maurier are strikingly alike. So alike are they that aome folks are much too clever to be mistaken by the resemblance. A young lady not long ago sat next to Mr Da Maurier at the dinner table. "I cannot understand," she said, " how anyone can take you for Mr Tadema. To me the likeness is very slight." Then shortly afterwards she said, " I bought your photograph the other day, so would you —er —mind putting your autograph to ib 1" " Not at all," was the response, and after dinner the photograph was produced. Mr Da Maurier looked at it, sighed scf tly, and laid it on the table. " That is Mr Alma Tadem&'s portrait," was all he said. One would hardly expect to find a double to the stroDgly-marked characteristic countenance of Tennyson. Yet tbe portrait of Mr Joel Benton might very easily be taken for that of the late Poet Laureate. Mr Steele Mackaye is said to have been the living image of Edgar Allan Poe, though, it is added, he is the poet with more virility, more masculinity than is credited to the average portrait of his pre-natal twin. In the same way the great Prince Bismarck looks like a more forceful Capri vi, or Capri vi like a ladylike Bismarck. The side face of Mr E. J. Henley is a remarkable reproduction of the side face of John Buskin, as the latter appeared many years ago. The late Mr W. K. Yanderbilt might have been the twin brother of Jules Ferry, and Brat Harte has his double in an American judge—Mr Melville Fuller. Many minor personages take a delight in dwelling upon their likeness to some great individual. The oase of Mr Bolton, member for the St. Panoras division, is a standing joke in the House oE Commons. ME BOLTON prides himself that he is an exact counter* part to the great Napoleon. He arranges his hair after the manner of the First Consul, and parses bis lips. He is always spoken of among his friends as " Napoleon Bonaparte," and the story goes that he has several large paintings of the Emperor in his house side by side with his own, and always directs the attention* of his 'Visitors to the similarity of feature. Sir Richard Temple is convinced, though he has never convinced anybody else, that he is the double of the last Emperor of tbe French. The fight for the Tichborne estates is not the only case in which there has been a remarkable conflict as to identity. The action of Anglesey against Anglesey in the last century resulted in some singular revelations. The claimant was James Annesley, who assumed the title of EARL OP ANGLESEY, and claimed the Anglesey estates. I a 1714 Lord and Lady Altham resided in Dublin. Her ladyship gave birth to a son. This aroused Lord Altham's indignation. He had been married for eight years and had taken advantage of there btiog no heir to borrow large sums of money on his entailed estates. Of course tke moneylenders were furious, and promptly cut off supplies. Lord Alfchaco, however, to get over the difficulty sent his son to a village and had letters fabricated announcing the little fellow's death. But the boy did not die. He was so ill-used by his

foster parents that he ran away, and as he had slight ideas as to who he was, he called himself James Anuesley. He fell into the hands of his uncle, heir presumptive to the estates. On the ground that the lad was an illegitimate son, he induced a captain to ship him to Pennsylvania. But no sooner had the vessel started than the earl died, and Jamea's uncle succeeded him. Tue boy was sold to an American planter. He changed masters several times, and altogether had a hard time of it. He was generally known by the nickname of " THE YOUNG BARON." However, he managed to run away, and got safely to Jamaica, where he secured a passage home on a man-of-war. His old nurse in Dublin speedily identified him, and said if he was the heir he had a peculiar mark on the left hip. Other evidence was forthcoming, and the identity was clearly established. He laid claim to the estates, but the defence set up was that he was a natural son. Nevertheless be gained the day. He took the estates, but his American experience had instilled democratic opinions into his head, and he let his uucle keep the title. The uncle was a scamp. He married three times, all wives being alive a" once. He tried to illegitimise some of his children by swearing he secretly married the third wife before going through the ceremony with tbe first. Much litigation was tbe result, and the title was finally declared extinct.

The resemblance between the Dake of Feragua, the descendant of Christopher Columbus, and Mr Ohauncey Depew has been frequently commented upon. President Cleveland has several doubles, the most striking being Colonel W. Fuller. ExPresident Harrison is reflected in the person of a messenger in the Washington Treasury building.— J. F. F., in the Sun.