Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-12-16
THE TICHBORNE rUssLE.
Running Outline Of the Great suit
summary Of the Plaintiff Case-
- hat He 1rtes 60 Prove, and what
His Opponents Say-OrtOn or itch.
borne. " Which?

borne, whfchr
One OF the comic papers recently had car
toen which fairly represents the hold that the
Tichborne romance has taken OF the English
public. John Bull was shown carrying the
g Old Man of the Sea" on his shoulders and find
ing IL as difficult TO get rid of him ever did
the victim of whom Sinbad told to get free from
their prosecutor. Everything else the cartoon
tells US must give place TO TIchborne. have
already endured 10 for so great length of time
that can hardly say how long it has been or
will continue to be the topic of paramount
attention. Judges. jurymen, and counsel have
already made preparations to meet the posi-
bility OF their dying before its termination. IL
lasted forty days before the long vacation, and
the plaintiffs case was only just begun. How
long more IT VIII run neither juIymen nor
counsel can say but as Ii is certain that we will
have to send you constantly fresh instalments
of it, have thought 1t well to send you on a
resume of the case so far As 1t has been made
public, so that your old readers may refresh
their memories, and your new circle NAV be
placed au courant with this celebrated cause
After much difficulty in securing a jury the
case of the claimant as stated by Sergeant Bal
lantine. one OF the most eminent members of the
English bar. on May IL. As will be remembered
by those Who have read Mr.. Samuel warren's
famous novel of Ten Thousand Year." the
most important cases frequently have as de-
fendant one who Is not really 50, but only by a
legal fiction. As in that famous suit in which
the client Of Cannon & Snap, Mr.. Tittlebat
Titmouse, was the plaintiff, and tenant the
nominal defendant, in suit for ejectment So
in the TichbOrne trial the defendant is a Colonel
Washington, tenant of the TichbOrne estate in
Hampshire. Thereal defendants are the guar
dians of the infant known as Sir Alfred Joseph
Doughty TichbOrne. The plaintiff claiming to
he the uncle of the child and the right TO dspos-
sess him OF the estates and title which are now
held by him, and which are of large importance.
In the generation preceding the plaintiff there
were three brothers TiehbOrne: the eldest died
childless; the second, who had assumed in con-
sideratIOn of inheritance the name of
Doughty, left one daughter, Kate, afterwards
Radcliffe, but no son; and the third brother had
two sons, Sir Roger, whom the plaintiff claims
to be, and James, whom died young, leaving a
the estates and title
Sir James TichbOrne married French lady,
daughter of an English gentleman and a French
woman. They had very unhappy life, IN aking
the life of their child, Roger, a shell upon
earth" as he felicitously describes it. His edu-
cation was entrusted to a Frenchman named
ChatillOn, and was grossly neglected. When
his family returned TO England he was sent in
1s45 to Stonyhurst, the great Catholic college, To
school; but owing TO various causes, chief of
which was his want of preparation and his gross
ignorance of the English, he made little or no
progress Examined at Sandhurst for the army,
he made a wretched examination, but the ex-
aminers were not particular, and he was passed.
He joined the Carabineers in 1919, at Portobello
Bridge. In 1850 he visited Tichborne, and there
met his cousin. Kate Doughty, with whom he
fell in love, whom he wanted to marry, aud
with whom, as he swears. he was more familiar
than was right. Refused her hand by her IA
Their, and unhappy in the army and society
where his peculiarities had made him ridicu-
lous, he determined to leave England Before
doing SO. after consultation with Mr.. Hopkins
an eminentsolicitor, Mr.. Slaughter and Mr.. Cos
ford, the steward of the estate, he made a will.
He then sold out of the army, and after visiting
his father and mother in Paris he took passage
in the Pauline for Valparaiso. About this time
he was slight, with light hair and eyes, and by
no means bad looking. He was about feet SS
inches high. During his sojOurn in France he
fell on his head. receiving wound which left a
large mark. While in the army he had a seriOus
fainting nit, from which he recovered only when
the surgeon bled HMM the ankle-both of which
marks the present claimant possesses, and medi-
cal evidence is forthcoming that he could not
have inflicted them within any recent period.
Before leaving he left in the hands OF Mr.. Cos
ford q sealed packet, the contents of which were
known to no one. The soi disdat Tichborne de-
clares that he tell its contents if it is intro
duced by G0sford. When the Pauline sailed
Tichborne a body servant named Moore. The
vessel reached ValpaIa also in June, 1853, and the
pair then proceeded to Santiago, where Moore
fell i'll and Tichborne left him to go to Valpa-
raise; from there he went TO Melipilla and re-
manned three weeks knocking about. Then he
returned TO Valparaiso, from which he sent home
some birds feathers and skins. Having taken
turned to Valparaiso and Santiago, and then
crossed the continent to Rio Janeiro.
he look passage IN the Bella for New York.
That ship was lost. The news having come to
England the next kin administered the will of
his father, and took possession Of the estates,
Sir Roger having been treated as defunct In
stead Of all the crew OF the Bella having been
lost 81 Roger states that two boats left the ship
one OF these was lost; from the other he was
picked up by an American bark in q state
bordering on insanity, and was brought to Mel
bourne in July, 1s53-just in the gold fever. In
company with Mr.. Foster, son of the Attor-
ey-General of Australia, he went to Boisdale
Sippland. Here he attracted Mr.. Foster at
tenton by his riding, an accomplishment OF
which he was master before leaving England.
He afterwards went to DaigO, where he sccep-
ted mental employment, calling him-elf Thomas
Castro, In memory Of a companion at Melipilla.
When at Diago he met Arthur Orion, whose
name figures 80 often in this trial, a butcher
of the butcher type-the butcher type of Wap-
ping This is the man whom the defendants
claim Is now personating Sir Roger TichbOrue.
For long time these men associated together.
One of the most important questions the Jury
will have to decide is whether Tom Castro was
visited Wagga wagga. In 1865 Tichborne mar
RED
While all believed in the loss of the Bella. his
mother, Lady Felicitie TichbOrne, hoped ayains:
hope and never ceased searching for him. In
1866 Tichborne heard of their efforts through an
attorney named Gibbs, who had seen the adver-
tisements. and suspected that Castro and the
missing baronet were one. Alter awhile he
wrote to his mother from Wagga Wagga, on
January II, 1866 his last previous letters having
been dated in April, 1854. In this Australian
only to her and to himself. She however, did
not accept this statement as proof, and wrote
back to him to that effect. He wrote in reply.
giving further particulars, amongst others that
he had been recognized by Boyle, a black SER
want Of the family, whereof ii may be said that
the apparent theory Of the defence was that
Boyle had posted Orion on all matters concern
ing the family. After going to America Itch
borne returned TO England in December, 1866.
He then went to Paris to see his mother
and was Immediately recognized by her. A
suit was thereupon commenced for the resto-
ration Of the estates. 1t was resisted by the
possessOrs declaring that the claimant was
not the man he pretended to be. Commits
sioners were sent out by both parties to
South America and Australia. The soi-disdat
Sir Roger courted the strictest scrutiny and
for the purpose of proving his identity held in
teryiews with men OF all ranks and positions
who knew him IN early life. His fellow-Oaicers
and soldiers in the Carabineers. fellow-students
in the College OF Stonyhurst, his solicitor, Mr.
Hopkins; in fine. even his own mother declare
that he is Sir Roger Charles Tichborne. The
trial commenced on May 10th, and after the ex-
animation of number OF witnesses the claim
ant was first placed on the stand on Nav Both
lie was examined through four days, and for
twenty-three days was subjected to the most
searching cross-examination that the solicitor
general OF England, Sir j. ID. Coleriige, was
capable Of conducting. He was then re-exam-
ined for two days, and on July 9Th the court adj
journed until Nov. eth. The proceedings since
then have been regularly reported and il is un-
To. hat -.