Was switched identies a preoccupation with Twain or, was it a reflection of parts of society. I'll explain with a personal note. My father was from Kentucky. Nothing odd in that and no generalizations can be drawn from one man. His family lived in the eastern part of Applacia--coal mining and scratching out a living in poor soil were the occupations. I had to go to visit my cousins for many years of my childhood -- sometimes hating it and sometimes loving it. I had the chance to observe some of my father's family and their society. What I did notice was that at times, for various reasons, they would say they were someone else. For example, when complaining to the "law" about someone when using the telephone I heard one of my relatives say: "Who am I? Well, I'm John Henry Hatfield!" -- A complete lie. I saw this type of thing several times. It would happen when a person did not want to reveal his identity either because of fear of authorities or of retribution of some kind. [Revenge is a strong motivator in some of the society I am talking about.] My father's family can not be used as a generalization at all, but I did notice some of the same behavior in other families as well. There is a view that to have someone's name is to have some power over the person. Do any of you think that this type of behavior is some part of the Tennessee, Kentucky, and maybe Missouri culture? Jerry O'Brien