In 1900, the relatives in Lykens, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, of William Davis were notified of his death by suicide in Danville, Montour County, Pennsylvania. When the relatives arrived in Danville to claim the body, they discovered that William Davis was still alive and there was a case of mistaken identity.
From the Lykens Register, 19 July 1900:
Word was received today of the sudden death of William Davis at Danville. He was employed as a hostler at one of [sic] hotels and was found dead by his friends with $10.60 in his pocket. He was raised in this town and had many friends. His brother John Davis, who lives on Main Street left today at noon to bring his body home. Mother, brother and three sisters survive. Time of interment is not yet known.
From the Lykens Register, 26 Jul 1900:
William Davis Not Dead
All the papers hereabouts, including the Register, published the news that William Davis, son of Mrs. Eliza Davis, of this place, was found dead in a barn at Danville, death being attributed to an overdose of laudanum. The news which came to Lykens stated that he was dead, but when John F. Davis, a brother, and Ed J. Myers, a brother-in-law, both of this place, went to Danville, last Thursday to bring the body home they found it a case of mis-identification. Instead of seeing him a corpse they found a live man. The following is an abstract from the Danville Morning News:
“The announcement that suicide had been committed in the vicinity of the Glendower House during Wednesday night, caused an excitement in this city for several house. Whether it was a case of suicide, and the victim committed the rash act because he was tired of life is indeed a mystery. All the circumstances in connection with the death, seem convincingly strong enough to leave no doubt that the man’s name was William Davis, but this was a mistake, William Davis still lives. The dead man’s name was “Scotty” and was about 40 years of age.
“The body was moved to the undertaking establishment of George W. Roat. As it was thought yesterday morning that the man’s name was William Davis, no time was lost in notifying his relatives in Dauphin County of the death and when John Davis and E. J. Meyers, of Lykens, arrived they found the dead man was no relative of theirs and his name was not Davis. William Davis was seen on the streets of this city last night about 8 o’clock. David Wise of the Mausdale Hotel had Davis in his employ for some time and only Thursday morning he left the hotel, so there is no doubt that a mistake has been made in the name of the dead man.”
Finally, from the Harrisburg Daily Independent, 21 July 1900:
Inquest on the Wrong Man
Danville, Pennsylvania, 21 July 1900 — While William Davis, of Lykens, was here on Thursday night, he was stopped by relatives, who had just arrived from his home in response to a telegram that he was dead. Early yesterday morning, near the Glendower Hotel, the body of a man was found and a coroner’s jury returned a verdict that William Davis had committed suicide by taking laudanum. When Davis told the coroner he was still living the official swore in another jury, and yesterday found that it was Winfield Scott Tobias, of Berrysburg, who bore such a striking resemblance to Davis that the mistake was regarded as excusable.
__________________________________________
News articles and image from Newspapers.com.