The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1881-12-15
History Of the TIchborne Trial.


The Tichborne case reads like
highly-colored work of fiction and may
be briefly given as follows: Roger
Charles Tichborne was born January 5,
1929, and was, after his father, heir to
the title and large estates Of his uncle,
Sir Edward. Roger was educated in
} France and at the Roman Catholic Col
lege of Stonyhurst, and when 20 years
Of age, entered the army. In the year
1862, Roger wooed the daughter of Sir
Edward, his cousin Kate, but her
parents were opposed to the metch, and
the young man resigned his commission
in the army and went to sea. On June
10, 1853, he arrived aS Valparaiso, and
on April 90, 1854, sailed from Rio de
Janeiro for New York in the ship Bella,
vessel that was lost. In March of the
year 1868, Sir Edward died, and was
succeeded by his brother James, the
father of Roger and Sir James died
June II, 1862, and, as it was believed
Roger had been lost at sea, was sue
brother of Roger. Alfred died in
posthumous son, born in May, 1866.
Lady Tichborne, in the meantime, was
not on "good terms" with the rest of the
family, and in her peculiar and pro-
nounced way manifested her feeling. In
1866 she began to advertise in the Eng
Gsh and Australian newspapers for
Roger, who, it will be remembered, had
been absent, j. g., dead, nearly twelve
years. In the year followinga butcher
Of Wagga Wagga, Australia, supposed
to be Arthur Orton, but called himself
Thomas Castro, announced that he WAS
Roger Charles Tichborne, and that he
had been saved from the wreck of the
ship Bella. This person after some COR
respondence with Lady Tichborne, set
sail for England, reaching London on
Christmas, 1866, and in the month of
January, Of the next year met Lady
Tichborne Mt Paris and was accepted
by her as her son, and furnished with
funds. Lady Tichborne was almost the
only member of the family who recog-
nized him, all the others ropudiating him
as an impostor. For some months he
went about England collecting evidence,
securing witnesses, and obtaining such
information in reference to the real
Roger as would be valuable In March
the first action was commenced by the
" claimant" filing bill in chanccry,
the real issue of which was to enable
him to prove himself to be the veritable
Roger, and the rightful owner of the
title and estates. The case did not come
to trial for nearly four years, because of
commissions being sent to South
America and Australia and in the i'll
terval Lady Tichborne died The trial
began May II, 1871, and, with two
adjournments, it continued 103 days, till
March 6, 1872, when the jury interposed,
declaring themselves satisfied that the
claimant was not Roger Tichborne,
and he was non-suited. He was ut once
ordered into custody to be tried for per-
jury, but was later released on bail The
perjury trial was commenced April %,
e 1874, when he was found guilty and SEN
fenced to fourteen years of penal servi-
tude; he was sent to Millbank, and later
transferred to Dartmoor prison. The
estates Of the Tichborne were valued at
G24, 900 year. The first trial was be-
fore the Court of Common Pleas, and
the perjury trial was before the court OF
the Queens Bench. 1t was settled
' beyond reasonable doubt that the
claimant" was Arthur Orton, who emi-
grated from London, his native place, to
Australia, and because of evil-doing
changed his name to Castro. There are,
however, many in England who believe,
and still claim, that Orton is Roger
Charles Tichborne.