[dropcap]A[/dropcap] Texas prison inmate thumbing through a dog-eared copy of the Jan. 13, 1952 issue of Life let out a whoop when he suddenly spotted a familiar face.

A guard appeared and asked, “What’s all the ruckus?”  The smiling convict proudly presented his prize, an article entitled “The Master Impostor.”  Beneath the bold headline was a photograph of a heavy-set man in his thirties.

The guard squinted through the bars at the picture and exclaimed in astonis...