Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-11-25
The TichbOrne Gnsp.
4 COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE GREAT ca
From the New York Times.


The famous case Of Tchborne VS.. Lushing-
ton, has been resumed i'll LONDON and it is
thought will soon lie enliyened by important
discoveries Our readers will remember that
the case began May TO- and continued. almost
from day to day, until July !. Judge. jury,
ami counsel We're hy that time so exhausted
that an adjournment became Indispensable.
Both sides were wiling, since each hoped in The
Interval to secure conclusive testimony. Public
excitement ran high at the time of the trial, has
afated but little since. and Is now at Il greater
pitch than ever.
The extraordinary confidence of partSans
respecting the Chief matter i'll dispute. The
point blank uathS Ut trustworthy witnesses IN
confirmation oi the alleged Sir Roger Itch
borne identity. and the directly Contrary oath>
of Witnesses against hiul-the unlcuiabIy sliS-
piciuus CIRCUMSTANCE that the plaintiff failed to
remember in the slightest degree studies with
wlish the vertaGr Roger was known To he
| familiar, aud on the other hand, his minute ac
u,lainauce with the incidents, places. and indi
vviduaS equally familiar to the true Roger at
| the same period ali have Invested this causc
cclebre with remarkable interest.
The belief OF many. aud tine theory Of his
antagonists, has been firm that the plaintiff Is
| in fact Arthur OrtOu. a man once d butcher at
Mapping. In truth Dearly all opinions concur
that ii he is not Iichborne he must be Orion
The 'baronct or butcher alternative Is Sus
tanned by plausible circumstances On the
night Of his arrival in Lpudou the claimant was
| known TO have gone to Mapping. and to have
curreSponded afterwards with orion sisters
The awkward conjecture is supported by other
cilrunStanta evidence There have been sev
eral times when it has seemed that the idcntif-
cation Ut the plaintiff with OrtOn must be cOm
cillsiveiy established But now it is thought
his counsel will play crushing trump.
This is nothing less than the production ot
the real Orton himself, who, it is predicted: Will
be brought forward at the proper mUnlcnt to
overthrow opposition. Yet the adverse law
ycrs are not unpreparcd even for this. Sup
pose au alleged Ortou appears, why should lie
| lie real Orton? There may he difficulty in
establishing his identity. Ii the alleged lich-
borne is AL iuposter, it Is not Impossible to
conceive of his claims being backed W ly att
other imposter. 1t is known that agents have
been working with great energy in Australia III
the interest OF both siies in this action: and we
shall Doubtless speedily get decisive accounts Ut
! the result
Pending this it may be useful to give britt
outline Of the situation. The case Tor the clal-
nant is substantially as follows lie is assert
ed to be the eldest son OF Sir }. +. ID. Ticll-
bOrue, tenth baronct Of Tlchborne. lie latter
was youngest Of three brothers, and the others
died before him. lie subsequently married in
1927. Roger was born January ), 1929. \
second son. Alfred, was born, who married in
NOUS sou, and it is in his interest that the pre-
sent suit is defended. Roger. the true elder
son, had rather eccentric tastes and habits. He
fell in love with his cousin, and was refused by
her Then he got drunk and swore TO leave
home forever He did 20 off to South Amer.
lea, and wandered about there in reckless
fashion, corresponding at spaSmudic Intervals
with friends in England. At last he made his
way to Rio Janeiro, where, being quite tilpSy at
the time, he went on board an outward ship
! called the Bella The Bella went down. d. was
supposed, with every soul on board. But the
claimant says that whoever else went down, he
i did not he alleges that he escaped in boat,
aud was picked up by an American vessel
which took him to Melbourne His opponents
say that this is a sheer fabrication. lit l., what
the claimant knows Of the drowned mali he per-
souates has been gained aud worked up with
astonishing SKILL
1t is true that he could not on the former
cross examination name one book that he had
read with his tutor, Chatiilon, aud that he
knows no more Of the Greek and Latin Of
which the true Roger had at least slnatterlng,
than he does Of quadratlc equations: But the
true Roger when he went away lett sealed
packet with Mr.. Gusford, the family steward.
which was not to be opened unless certain
events occurred and the claimant named the
contents Of that packet-ncver having had any
chance whatever of access to tin detail
| Besides this the affidavits Of his mother, Lady
Tichborne, Of Mr. Hopkins, the family solicitor.
aud of two other persons, all attc>ting under
oath the identity Of the cIaimant with the long
absent Roger, come in for due share Of
weight These witnesses are dead, but James
McCann. Sir Roger servant when he WAS In
the carlinevrS, Col. Norbury. commander OF
the regiment, and a number III other officers
privates, and tradcsmcn. who supplied uniforms
helmets, &C.. are alive, and their testimony l.
the same as that of the others. To rebut this
powerful array of proot-in addition to the
claimant astounding ignorance OF various mat
tiers with which he should be tamlllar-0tilcr
witnesses as positive as those who swear to his
identity make oath against 1t.
Such is substantially the condition of this
strange trial The attention it attracts is uni
versal, and it is said there never has been law
suit on the issue of which so much money was
at stake in the form of bets. The main prizes
1T issue are splendid ones. Not only an ancient
baronctcy and an exalted social position 90 to
the winner, but noble estates i'll Hampshire and
elsewhere, and magnificent rentroll will give
the means to support these distinctions. In Il
short time we shall probably be able to record
the end of a struggle the singuarity Of which.
and the desperation aud ability with which it
has been contested, will combine to make it
memorable.
A S1loCKlNG MURDER IN n Give learn
from DR.. Cook, the Senator from Wilkes coun-
ty, that most shocking murder occurred in
his section on last Monday, two weeks ago. A
number of eigh5ors had met for big fox
hunt, and after the hunt they all stopped at
liquor stand to take drink. Here Alr Con
slant Gray and William Matthias his half.
brother, got into an atfray. Gray cut Mahiass