The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-03-08
The Ttchborno Case-Was There q
Conspiracyt

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Conspiraeys
orion is safe for fourteen years, and the
Iichborne estates are secure from his endeav-
ors 1t can scarcely be said that they were
secure until the verdict that he had been guilty
OF forgery in signing the name of Roger Itch
borne, and of perjury in swearing that it was his
own name had assigned him an individuality
inconsistent with his claim. II was proved to
the satisfaction of the jury clearly that the lat
man from Wagga Wagga was not Tichborne,
and also, apparently, that be was Orion, and
the verdict rendered after full investigation
of these points must forever close the door to
any attempt of his on those particular estates.
This was not done by the result of the pre-
vious trial, in which there was no
verdict, the claimants counsel accepting
nonsuit in his process to obtain q special
property, and the counsel Of the holder of the
property being glad to get rid of him on those
terms. But the claimant, for anything the
first trial did to hinder him, might at any
time, if money could have been raised from
the gulible, have launched new scheme for
gaining possession of some other rich slice
OF the Tchborne property, and experience
has shown that the speculation would have
been far from desperate. His little games,
however, are at an end, and he has abundance
of time for reflection on the mutual relations
may wisely ponder the accidents that happen
when man with o fair proportion Of brains
has not enough to know exactly how to use
what he has.
1t is now proposed in England to pursue
this subject further, and to follow up the
triumph over the central figure in the story
by prosecuting for conspiracy some of the
persons who helped him in his long battle
With the law. Although the Tichborne estates
are quite safe from this odd sdventurer there
are some other estates in England whose value
will be the greater for the negative guarantee
which may make it dangerous to help on with
ones funds the speculation to defraud a right
full heir by legal processes. This case is
good post on which to nail notice to sharp
ers and justice in England is not likely to
miss SO admirable an opportunity to deliver
stroke in the interest Of property. In the
interest Of public justice, pure and simple,
moreover, it seems wise to pursue those sup
porters, but for whom the punishment of the
individual rogue would have been far easier;
who alone made it possible for the
case to swell to the wonderful dimensions it
assumed; who enabled shrewd, unscrupulous
confidence man to defy for years the justice of
whole nation; and who did all this, not con-
scientiously, nor mistakenly, nor in sympathy,
as was pretended, with victim of oppression,
but absolutely from the speculative point of
view; who sustained the case because they had
invested in it; who cared not button for
right or wrong, but who had put their money
in an undertaking to capture by plausible
pretexts vast property, looking only for
profitable return. Such conduct must be
made dangerous. Properly governed States
must notify their citizens that there is limit
to the range of speculation, and the English
government is apparently of opinion that it
cannot more effectively give this notice than
by criminally pursuing men who have OBJ
tanned a meretricious fame by violating this
principle.
That there was Tichborne conspiracy
seems to US very clear. It probably first
assumed definite shape in Australia To that
land of the loose life natural to new countries,
and swarning with eager schemers, prepared
to take every chance for fortune, the English
papers regularly brought an advertisement for
lost heir In order to make the matter
easier for anybody disposed to undertake the
return of this heir be was described somewhat
infinitely, and the fact was dwelt upon that
he had sailed for Australia. Any bereaved
mother announcing sufficiently to the world
in this way that she has lost her son, and that
he is the heir to enormous estates, is sure to
find him sooner or LATER or to find some one
just as good if ''the CULTS have washed him
down" Some sharp Australian solicitors
addressed the bereaved parent, and drew from
her many letters eking out the inadequate in
formation of the advertisements. In time they
became by this means well acquainted with
the story, and searching the country, perhaps in
good faith, and failing to fnd the heir, they at
least found some one who filed the bill in
many points, and whose resemblance to the
real Tichborne has proved sufficient to puzzle
many honest people. He was dissimilar as to
rotundity, but not otherwise, and it is note
worthy that none of the Australian descrip-
tons touches the point Of the slight figure of
the missing man. With man who physically
met all the conditions known to them the
Australian projectors seem to have proceeded
with system to prepare him intellectually, and
Orton's knowledge of Tichborne facts shows
at every step of the way the unmistakable in
dications of examining. He knew nearly all
those external facts that inquiry could COM
mand and industry acquire but aside from
thai line be was lost He knew great deal,
enough to startle people who did not reflect
that for years shrewd men had made it study