Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-03-20
STRANGER THAN FICTION.

NC DOSIOu UtOUC ca J4SoSCo IbC OPLAl4OA
that what is known as the Tichborne case
in England, will long continue to be a pro-
life source upon which second-rate novel
lists may draw for incidents, and that We
may expect to have deluge of novels and
romances in which the rightfsl heir and
wrongful heir will play the principal parts.
We have fed over long upon lost wills, false
wives, bigamy, muscular and immortal
guardsmen, and warm-hearted heroines
But, however the novelist may treat the
subject, he can add nothing to its romantic
features. A coarse, illiterate fellow, says
the Globe, claims an estate in Dorset, said
to be worth $4,000 year, by pretending
to be Roger Tichborne, son and heir Of the
late Sir James Francis Dougherty Itch
borne. This Roger Tichborne sailed from
England to South America in 1858, on a
pleasure trip. He remained in South Amer
lea for a short time, and then sailed fer
New York on the ship Bella, which
snip was never after heard of and was Civ
en- up for lost, the insurance companies
paying the risks upon i: after all due in
quiry. Ten years afterward Sir James
Tichborne died, and the estate descended to
a posthumous son Of a younger brother of
Sir Roger, then given up for dead. Lady
Tichborne did not believe that all on board
the Inflated vessel had persisted, and ad-
vertiSed reward for tidings of her son.
Three years later she received letter from
Australia, from person claiming to be her
son. The writer reached Paris, where Lady
TichbOrne was then living, in the early part
Of 1867, fourteen years after the supposed
death of Sir Roger. She at once recogniz-
ed him as her son, and was SO positive Of
his identy that she made him all allowance
Of $1,000 year. He Immediately began
law proceedings in England to recover the
estates from the trustees, who held them for
the infant heirs. A little over a year later,
Lady Tichborne died at the age of sixty
four. In her death he lost his strongest
support, and he insisted that his opponents
had resorted TO violence in order to get her
out Of the way. The account he gave of
himself was, that the Bella was wrecked at
sea in 1854, and that he, the sole survivor
of the ships company, had been picked up
by a vessel bound to Australia, on reaching
which place, he had, for reasons of his own,
assumed the name of Thomas Castro.
Hearing of the death Of his father, he re-
turned to Europe, joining his mother in
Paris. His claims were strongly disputed,
despite his mothers recognition of him, and
after many delays the trial was begun which
ended but the other day in the withdrawal
of his suit by the claimant. But in this
bare statement of the facts we only see the
impudent and cunning impOster. What shall
we say when we find he had been iden-
titled as the true Roger Tichborne by ser
wants, companions, friends, comrades, teach
ers and tenants. They swore in manner
that admitted of no doubt that he was the
long-lost heir, and had it rested on their
testimony alone, he could not have been
kept out of the estate. but in an evil hour
for him, he was placed upon the stand, and
gave such damaging evidence against the
Justice ofhis claim, that bis chances steadily
declined from that time. And yet, he had
so marvellous a knowledge of everything
connected with Roger Tichborne from his
boyhood upward, that it remains one of the
greatest mysteries of the case where he
could have acquired it. His expenses were
met by the sale Of bonds issued on the
chances Ofthe termination Ofthe suit in his
favor; but as we have seen, everything
failed.
The Globe is inclined to think he was a
plant dupe in the hands of others. On no
other ground, it says, can we imagine so
ignorant, boorish, coarse and low-bred fell
low would have dared to lay claim to the
estates. On no other ground can we ac-
count for the extraordinary manner in
which he detailed events of which 1t is
scarcely possible any but the real Roger
Tichborne could have known aught. The
minuteness with which he described places
he could have never seen, and events of
which he could not by any possibility have
known aught, makes this SUPPOSE
ton almost certainty. His
cunning was deep and be played his
part well, but his cunning deserted him at
the most critical moment. Discouraged by
the tight place In which the Attorney Cen
erals speech had placed his case, he in a
moment of weakness recanted, and win be
prosecuted for perjury. Had he waited