New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-11-22
a New Chapter in the TichbOrne Romance.


Stranger things have happened than thai
d solution of the mystery which hangs about
the death of Sir Roger Tichborne should be
discovered in these islands. A cOrrespon
dent Of the advertiser, writing from Hio
under date of the twentysecOnd ultllnO
thinks he has discovered in that district the
man who saw Sir Roger die. and who bur
led him on Sydney island. in the South Pa
.cific Ocean. This island lies southeast from
the island of Rotumah 300 to 300 miles. and
Is occasionally visited by vessels in quest OF
biche de mer. George Claridge is the name
OF the man who claims to have seen the last
OF Tichborne. He is person OF limited
education, being able 20 read but little and
can not write. He is an Englishman, and.
go far as our correspondent is aware, bears
q good name. Recently, in looking at the
engravings of the Tichborne family in some
numbers of the Illustrated Ners. he pointed
ut that OF Sir Roger and exclaimed, THAT is
the man whom buried on Sydney island ~
The following is his statement: Like many
Others of his class in the Pacific, he had
s!ritted about from one island to another.
and in 1854, as near as he can remember. he
left ship at ROtuLnah. After he had been
Oh that island some time. a schooner named
the Annie, engaged in the beche de mer
fishery. called there. On going on board
Ciaridge found that she was lust out from
home, and that Oft the River Platte she had
picked up boat containing two men in a
iamished condition. and they were then on
board the schooner. The master of the
schooner, who was Frenchman. told
Claridge that one Of the rescued men
was an English gentleman, very sick, and
that he spoke French as well as himself.
Claridge engaged to 60 in the schooner
10 take care of sick gentleman and
20 help get cargo He thinks this
ba a.arlv na ri AZ 1Sfls, h,t Anas potr
member distinctly. The vessel, he believes,
WAS American, but he remembers no par
:iculars about her, nor the names Of any of
.he crew. Five days after leaving Rotu-
NAH they reached Sydney island, where
shey found no inhabitants and plenty of
hlche dc mer. Claridge. with some natives
81 Hotumah, went ashore to pursue the fish
cry. and the sick gentleman, at his own re-
quest, was also put on shore, with every
thing the vessel afforded to add to his
comfort. The schooner sailed away. in
.aDdiDg to return in a short time: but
Nlariuge has heard no tdings of her from
that day TO this, and conjectures that she
was lost He was two years on the island
Before it was again visited by vessel For
some time after landing On the island the
sick gentleman said but little to any one:
but AS he got worse he called Claridge to
him and told him that he was near his
end. and requested him to procure a
quill from one OF the wild birds that
:requented the island, to make a pen
o.. He had o scrap of paper in
which had been wrapped BIT of cheese
from the schooner, and on this. with blood
from bird, he wrote something. This
PAPER he gave Claridge and told him to keep
It sacred, and the first ship that came to
have it copied; TO keep the original himself,
but Us all means to make it public when
over he got to civilized land. He then
informed Claridge that his name was Roger
Tchhorne. This happened the tenth or
twelfth day after landing on the island.
After this the sick man was frequently
delirious until he died, about the eighteenth
day after landing. In his lucid moments
he stated that he sailed from Rio in a ship
deeply loaded. that she went down in a
squat. and that himself and seven Others
got into boat, which dritred about until all
persisted except himself and one other, VINO
were forty days in the boat before being
picked mp. He said II he could get to Hong
Kong he should lind a plenty OF trends and
money, In his delirium he frequently spoke
of his father, with whom he appeared to
have uuarreled, and he often fanoied him
self talking to his mother, whom be ad.
dressed in French. Claridge kept the paper
the ship, who eventually took him from the
island, but il met with no attention. After
settin 2 to Wellington Island, a New Bed
ford boy named Mandell copied part of
the writing 1sohe of it being in French) but
Claridge does not know what disposition he
made of it. Claridge kept the original until
eight years ago, when it was lost with other
papers by the upsetting Of a boat. Such is
the piaau, and it appears to us, prob
able story Of the man who believes
that he buried Sir, Roger Tichborne.
Many OF our readers have doubtless
.,scome familiar with the remarkable