The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-08-04
John Bright on the Tichborne Case

Mt. bright u2S written the lOllOWlDR letter
in reply 10 an invitation from Mr.. Frank
Harrison, of Sheffield, to support Mr.. Whal.
lev ia his attempt to obtain free pardon or
protection for man In New Zealand who
claims to be Arthur Orion:
Sir,-You may rely upon it that Arthur
Orion will not come from New Zealand.
During the trials Gl 900 was offered for him,
and nobody could produce him. 1t was a
large bride. and I only wonder it did not
bring over score Of Ortous. The Arthur
Orion is in Dartmoor, and nobody, sus-
pcct, knows this better than some Of those
who are pretending 10 expect him from
New Zealand. | have read all the
evidence and all the speeches Of both trials,
and the summing up Of the Lord Chief JUS
tice- this last | have read again during The
last month-and have read more than once
the evidence taken before the Chilli Commits
sion. know, therefore, as much about the
matter rs you can know, and much more
than is known by nine out OF ten of those
who are clamOring for the release of the con-
Wet at DlrtmnOr. ! have before me now the
handwriting of the real Roger Tichborne, Of
the real Arthur Orion, sud Of the convict,
and this alone is sufficient to convince any
man of common sense and observation what
~
the handwriting, and if you could examine
the evidence OF the Chill Commission, the
evidence of the conyict's own friends,
to whom he referred for proof that The
was what he pretended to be, you could
hardly fail to be- convinced that your belief
in the convict is wrong, and your sympathy
with him wholly misplaced. mention these
two points as conclusive against him; there
are many other points in the evidence on the
TWO trials which are fatal to his claims. lie
seemed to know the names of two dogs, but
he did not know the name of his own mo.
tner. Mr.. TurviIle, in Australia, asks him
test question-w whether his mother was stout
or thin: He said, stout, a tall. large wo.
man. 1t is not denied that Lady Itch.
borne was leanness itself. Miss Nangle
said she was more like skeleton than
anything else, and this was not contra
dicted by any one. If you can believe
in man who did not know his OWN mothers
name, and who stated that his mother,
who is admitted to have been leanness itself,
was stout, 4 tall, large woman when he
first came forward in Australia, and when he
had had no opportunity OF picking up in
formation and facts to support his case, fear
YOU are of That credulolls nature that 1t must
be useless 10 reason with you. | can take no
part in the proceedings of Mr.. Whallcy and
his friends. TO me the convict in Dartmoor
is the greatest criminal of our time. His
crime has extended over many years. 1t IS
most b,sc in character and includes in 1t
almost every crime for which evil men are
brought to punishment. You are much i'm
pressed, I dare say, by the declarations
of those who traverse the country Gre
atng agitation on this question:. must
ak to be permitted to value my own
Judgment ut least rs highly lis that
of these persons. One of them is be-
lcved TO have invested money largely in
the case, aud pecuniary interest is not farora-
bic TO an impartial dici>ion another suffers
from con paint which call Jesuit on the
Brain and this seems previously 10 dlstort
ALMOST everything he looks at; and the third
Is the lawyer who failed after Il trial which
lasted one hundred and lightweight days TO
conyicc three judges aud twelve jurymen, or
any one otthe judges or of the jurymen, that
his Client was anything but an impo>;or, and
man most odious from his character and his
crimes. i shall he glad if you, and such as
believe with you, will rot ask me to CORE
spond further on 4 question about Which
only honest men, who are in entire ignorance
of the facts, can. in my view, differ in Opin-
ion.'