Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-05-30
Disputed identity.

curious lawsuit, now in progress in Lon
don, involves all the elements of a sensational
romance. The plaintiff is, or pretends to be,
Sir Roger Tichborne, baronet, the representa-
tive of an ancient English family, having large
landed estates in several counties of England
The question in dispute is whether he is Sir
Roger, the owner of all this wealth, Or an i'm
poster. The real Roger Tichborne, then the
heir apparent of the baronetcy and the estates,
seems to have been rather an ill-conditioued lad.
He was educated chiefly in France, and spoke
the language of that country more fluently than
English. When about twenty years old, his
friends procured for him commission in the
army, which he held for some years. He was
not a favorite in his regiment, and was ridiculed
a good deal by his brother officers for his
strange fashion of mixing up French and Eng
lish in his speech. For this reason, or because
of his natural liking for low company, be gave
most of his time to the society of grooms, jock
eys and backlegs, and his morals, manners and
disposition were very far from exemplary. In
1853, being then about twenty-four years old, he
fell violently in love with his cousin Kate. Her
father discouraged his suit, and he thereupon,
without consulting his friends, sold his commits.
sion, and took passage in sailing vessel for
South America.
After that time he was never seen by any one
who mad previously known him, unless the present
claimant of the title and estates is he He kept
up correspondence with his mother, however
while he remained in South America, where he
lived a wandering and adventurous life 10,
several months, amusing himself in a wild dis
reputable way. He afterward sailed from Val
paraiso for New York in a vessel which founder
ed at sea, all on board perishing as was sup
posed. This news arrived in England, and il
due course of law, the title and estates passed
the nephew of Sir Roger, an infant, who is thu
defendant in the present suit. So far, there il
no difficulty nor doubt about the history of Sil
Roger. But the man who now claims to be the
baronet says that when the vessel foundered, he
with others, escaped in one of the
boats and after drifting about for
lhfee days, suffering extreme privations
they were picked up by an American vessel
and carried to Melbourne On the VOYAGE he
was regarded and treated as a person whose
mind was temporarily affected by the HARDSHIP,
be had passed through. In Australia the ,rne
VI 4tAASN A'h ADENi3 ~ tlic Nusc NAV he. called
himself Thomas Castro, and lived for eleye,
years, supporting himself by various emplov
ments, sometimes of a mental character. and al
ways such as English gentlemen Of great wealt
very seldom accept. Here he fell in with on
Arthur Orion, the son of London butcher, an
the two were intimately associated for som
time, If in fact they were not one and the sam
person, as is claimed by those who contest tn
pretensions of the self-styled Sir Roger. In 1856
Lady Iichborne, the mother of Sir Roger. got t1
impression that be might have been saved from
the wreck Of the vessel in which he sailed fror
valparaiso, and she advertised for him in En-
gland Australia and other places where ther
seemed possibility that news of him might b
found. One of these advertisements came
Tue notice OF the man Castro, and after som
delay be determined to assert his claims an
opened correspondence with Lady Tichbou
who at first refused to admit his IDENTIFY o. en-,
ply him with money to pay his passage d p,