Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-03-26

OF course, now that the great ITCH
borne case in England has come to q
sudden termination, and d~isastrously
at that to the claimant Of the baron
etcy and heavy rent roll, 1t is not sur
| prising to hear of cases exactly similar
which have taken place in this coun-
try. Georgia has n some twenty
one years ago, there being remarkable
resemblance in all its features to that
Just now ended on the other side of
the Atlantic. It is given as follows
by the Savannah Republican:
"a wealthy man named Bunkley,
Of Jones county, had, among other
children, a son named Jesse, who was
OF a wild, restless disposition, and,
when a boy, suddenly disappeared.
Years passed, and no intelligence was
received from. the wanderer. In the
course OF time BunkleY, ST., sickened
and died, having, In dispOsing of his
property by will, made provision for
the absent son in the event he should
reappear, though everybody believed
him dead. The estate was admins
tered and the property divided among
the legatees, OF at least those who
were known TO be in life.
Many years afterWard-we do not
recOllect how Tonga man appeared
who represented himself to be Jesse
Bunkley, who, after a long residence
in Texas, hearing of the death OF his
father, came forward to claim his in
heritance. In appearance he was
about the man Jesse Bunkley, boy,
should have made. Many who knew
Jesse Bunkley testified that they re-
cognized him as the man, and even
Mrs. Bunkley, who was still living,
at one time thought she recognized in
him her long lost son. He was thor
Oughly familiar with almost every
little incident in the life of young
Bunkley-his habits, his schoolmates,
the various localities which he was in
the habit of f~requenting, and even
with the residents of the neighbor-
hood in the days when Bunkley was a
boy. To this we may add
the remarkable fact that scars
and marks on his person correspondent
exactly with those known to be on
the person of Bunkley. The remain
der Of the heirs, however, refused to
recognize his claim, and he according
ly brought suit in Jones' supreme
court for his full share of the estate. |
The case was a long and severely
lltigated one, engaging, IN either side, |
some Of the best legal talent of the |
State, and some of the developments
were most remarkable, so much so
that public opinion was staggered and
greatly divided on the subject of the |
claimants identity with Jesse Bunk
ley. The cause, though, eventually
went against him, and was soon fol-
lowed by q criminal prosecution,
which resulted in a verdict Of guilty
and sentence to the p~enitentiary,
where he served out his full term.
What became Of him afterWard we
never heard.
"HOw exactly does this history tally
with that of the Tichborne claimant,
who, after a long struggle in the civil
court, now finds himself a prisoner in
The Hon. A. II. Stephens, In the
Sun, eorreets some mac.
curacies in this case as follows:
"We recOllect the Bunkley case well
md taAe occasion to say that the state
nent in the Republican is not exactly
accurate in some Of its details as we
'ecOllect them. The general outlines
If the article are, we believe, substan-
as stated. But, a we recollect
he minor facts of the Bunkley case,
he father was dead when Jesse left
lis home never to return; nor do we
hink that Mrs. Bunkiey, the mother, |
lver was in the least degree inclined
recognize the impostOr as her son.
he succeeded in inducing sew
raj OF the cleverest and most intelli-
'ent persons Of Jones county, who
new Jesse when he wa a boy, to be-
ieve in his identity, yet his mother
for q moment could tolerate the j
dea. J
"When Barber (ior that was the !
cal name of the partly first sp. !
reached her as his mOtheH she said: 5
II you are Jesse L. Bunkley, tell me /
1hen and where we last parted, and 9
took place at the interview, and :
were my last words to you.'
'This was the substance Of the /
usstion, as we ~recollect 1t. It was a
oser. Jesse had nearly reached man's
state when he left. BE was well ed
and possessed of talents above .
ne average of youths Of his age. His {
was under circumstances Of q
ocular nature; and the interview
nth his mother, on the occasion, was
[ a character that never could have {
cen forgotten by any n retaining
His utter inability, there
to make any response to the I
prOpounded, filed the !
of the real Jesse with feelings d
{ adherence towards one who should q
lus attempt to palm himself of as r
or son.
1.-THE general outlines, however, as
9 have said, Of the parallel between
le two cases, as given in the Repub- r
ian, we believe to be correct. Z
rs may seem the little sue
lent bivalve. it takes all the forces