Premature Deathbed Confession

Chad Lewis, Hidden Headlines of New York (Eau Claire, WI: Unexplained Research Publishing Company, 2007), 138.

Saw Friends in Heaven

[…] “I once attended a case,” said a well-known physician, “where a young man was thought to be dying of typhoid fever. He was the son of a clergyman and had been attending one of the large colleges. He had been brought up in the strict old-fashioned way and for all his parents knew was a model son. Just as he was thought to be breathing his last he raised up in bed and began confessing his sins. Imagining that he was dead and was before the recording angel. His confession was a revelation to his parents and showed them that their model boy had been one of the ‘sports’ at the college. It is interesting to note that the boy got well but he was not allowed to return to college.” […] Syracuse Post Standard, July 9, 1899

The Stolen Rolex

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2580650/TOM-UTLEY-I-thought-reluctance-trust-sign-intelligence-Now-I-realise-Im-thick.html

The Daily Mail [UK]

14 March 2014

TOM UTLEY: I always thought my reluctance to trust others was a sign of my intelligence. Now I realise it's because I'm thick

By Tom Utley

[…] It was on that same holiday that one of our sons, then 11, lost his mobile phone and Game Boy, telling me he thought the Jamaican chambermaid who had just cleaned his room had stolen them.

I knew this was impossible, because she was such a patently trustworthy woman. The day before, she had caught my wife tidying up the chaos in the boys’ room and commanded her: ‘Don’t touch anything! That’s my job. You’re on your holiday. Enjoy it.’

I gave my son the rocket of his life and told him the story (I hope an urban myth) of the British pilot overnighting in Saudi Arabia, who accused the hotel bellboy of stealing his Rolex. The boy had form for theft — and when he was convicted, he had his hand chopped off, according to Saudi law. Two weeks later, the pilot found his Rolex in his spare uniform.

My son was suitably chastened and, sure enough, his mobile phone and Game Boy turned up tidied away in a drawer by that irreproachable chambermaid. […]

Jackson Chose Prison Over University or State Capital

http://www.mlive.com/opinion/jackson/index.ssf/2014/03/brad_flory_column_debunking_ja.html

The Jackson Citizen Patriot [MI]

12 March 2014

Brad Flory column: Debunking Jackson's myth about turning down the University of Michigan

Brad Flory

JACKSON, MI – One of Jackson’s most stubborn urban legends needs debunking.

Actually, it’s an urban-pioneer legend, and it is repeated so often it has falsely assumed the stature of widely known fact. I heard it again a few weeks ago at a gathering of smart people.

“Way back when,” the myth goes, “Jackson had a choice. It could have the University of Michigan, it could become the capital of Michigan, or it could have a state prison. Jackson chose the prison.” […]