The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-06-04
An English .ause Celebre.

Court of Common Pleas at Westminster,
the object Of the proceedings being to de-
termine the ownership Of the Tichborne
estates, value s25, 900 year. The follow
ing analysis of the case appears in tue
Londo1 Standard
The plaintiff claims to be the eldest SOD
of Sir james Francis, Tichbnrne, the former
possessor Of the estate to which he asserts
his title, and to be, in virtue; of that re-
lationship, entitled to succeed to the
barOnetcy and to the temperatures which
have hitherto been enjoy ed Herewith. He
sage lie is that eldest son Of Sir James
Francis who was undoubtedly born at
Paris on January S, 1929, and vi no resided
in the French capital till is45, when he
came over to this country to complete his
education. In lS49 the son of the late
barOnet received bis commission as lieuten-
ant in the 9Th Dragon Guards. 1t is not
denied that he remained in that regiment
until early in 1853, aud then left England
with the intention of travelling for some
years in distant parts. Here the romance
aud my stery of the story begin. The
plaintiff states that he went to South
America, and. after a few months of some
what purposeless and desultory wandering
de Janerio, in April, 1854. The Bella, a
Liverpool ship, was then in port, loading
for New York, aud in that ship he took his
passage, being. as he believes, the only
passenger on board. Four days after leav-
though the crew did all they could in the
way of bailiDg and pumping, the vessel
speedily went down. For three days and
three nights the claimant, and those who
were in the boat with him, suffered priva-
lions with which those W no remember their
schOolboy reading of Z" Shipwrecks and
Disasters at Sea-" will be sufficiently fa-
miliar, but on the fourth day they were
fortunately picked up by weasel bound
for Australia, whence they landed at Mel
bourne about the end of July, 1854. The
gold fever was then at it's height, aud ships
able to start on their return voyage for
want of hands to navigate them. One
result of this state of affairs ia said to have
been that the heir to the barouetcy stay ed
for some time in Melbourne till by mere
chance he met colonist in extensive BUSH
pened to want q man who could ride we'll,
he thought the ex-lieurenant of Dragoons
would exactly suit him, and the latter as
30 pleased at the prospect of residence at a
sheep-farmipg station, where there was
plenty of hunting aud shooting, that he
closed with the proposal Off-band. He &C.
cepted the prOtfered employment, took a
fictitious name (Thomas Castro), and went
several hundred miles up the country,
moving from station to station, and finally
settling down at Wagga Wagga for four
years, during which time, in January, 1865,
he married, still retaining his assumed
name and never communicating with his
friends he had left behind him. The late
baronet having died in 1862, advertisements
for the lost heir were inserted in different
newspapers, and inquiries were made
through Missing Friends Offices" in
Australia, which are stated to have at
length been successful in getting the kno W.
edge of the sol dtsant Thomas Castro. In
January, 1866, he wrote to the late Lady
Tichborne,. Informing her of his where
abonts and asking her to remit enough
money to enable him to return to England.
draft of S4OO was sent out, but before it
could reach it's destination its intended re-
cipient had started for England with his
! wife and child, having been provided with
the neediul by the son of an old neighbor
who accidentally heard of their story.
They left the Antipodes in September !;
| travelled 1ia Panama to New York, and
| thence to England, arriving at the Victoria
Docks on Christmas Day, 1866.
| Of course, if this statement of facts will
stand judicial tests, the claimants case is
made out, and the last baronet Of Itch
borne will have his own again. The trus-
tees, appointed by the will Of the late Sir
James Francis Ticbborne, are, however,
}unsatisfed as to the identity of the appli-
can't, and are said to be prepared to prove
that he is not mem Der of the Tchborne
| samily dI ali. Livery ONO ufuSC Ieel Guat
these gentlemen are in a very difficult
position, and that they are perfectly justi-
aed in insisting upon strict proof of u fact
which involves the right to large estates in
which they have no personal interest, but
with which they will part with at their
peril if rival claimant should at any
future time turn up, and charge them with
having violated their trust by too readily
relinquishing its subject matter. Having
said this much in justice to them, we may
at the same time observe that the plaintiff
is said to have a formidable array of testi
mony to prove that he is the real Simon
Pure. As soon as he reached England, ht
! put himself in cOmmun ication with tha de
fendants and their advisers. Having see1
them he went to Paris, where Lady Itch
borne was then residing. By her he wa
, aud with her he remained ton days. They
parted on the most affectionate terms, ant
.. as the prosecution of his suit required hi
4 residence in England, her lad snip brok,
> up her establishment in Paris and cam,
o over here to reside with him. Since TIN
| tsss-- ~. \