The Rock Island Argus., 1881-05-05
TICHBONE'S TRIALS.
The Bogus Claimant for the
Tichbone Estate.
Arthur Orton the hero of
the great Sensation.


| following.
Mr. William Stapleford, of No, 156
| Oxford ttreet, Manchester, Finland, who,
| at the time of the great Tichborne estate
claim, was said to have been wanted by the
English authorities, is at present paving a
visit to this country, and was seen at No
| 145 East Twenty fourth street to-day by an
Erpresr reporter. Mr.. Stapleford was for
many years prominent solicitor and at
torney in Sydney, New South Wales, and
| first made the acquaintance of Sir Roger
Tichborne in 1854, when the young man
was making tour through South America,
Tichborne and he soon became friends,
and, after less than a weeks acquaintance,
the former had told Stapleford
all about his khome a1Tichborne, England
and his family, and even confessing that
an unfortunate attachment for his cousin
Laura had been the cause of his leaving
for South America. Besides the informa-
| ton he had learned from young Tichborne,
not then a baronet, he had received pho
tograph of him as a parting gift, and they
had arranged to correspond with one an
other before parting. In the summer of
1854, Roger, who had been travelling
| through the country, returned to Rio de
Janeiro, and Stapleford received from him
a letter in June, to the effect that he was
after that ne heard the Bella had been
LOST AT SEA,
and of course concluded his friend was
drowned in her. In 1856 his partner at
SYDNEY, William Gibbes, went to Europe
and Stapleford gave him the portrait of
Sir Roger asking him to see Lady Itch
borne in Paris and break to her the news
of her sons death, telling him at the same
-, ha no hoi
In 1859, before Gibbes returned to Sydney
Stapleford came to New York on bust
ness for one of his clients, and while
there received a letter from Gibbes,
stating his intention of settling in
London. This decided him to give up
| the business at Sydney, and accordingly
he sold it in 1858 and went to Europe
| When he arrived at London he could not
find Gibbes, and consequently he started
| in business for himself at No 125 Queen
street, London, E. c., where he remained
| till 1870. In that year he first heard of the
discovery of Sir Roger Tichborne, and WAS
very much pleased at the news. Having a
| suspicion of the matter, however, he went
| to see the claimant, whom he saw, in 1871,
| in London. When he saw him at first he
did not think he was the real Sir Roger,
but afterwards changed his opinion, and in
1872 he was among the witnesses who
identified him. In 1872 he again saw him,
while out on bail, at Manchester where
| Stapleford had gone meanwhile to live, and
at pigeon-shooting match at the Bellevue
| Gardens he accused him of fraud and
| threatened to expose him The claimant
| then informed him that he was
NOT SIR ROGER TICHBoRNE,
but Arthur Orton, of Wagga Wagga, and
| that he had been induced to pcrsonate
/ Tichborne by Stapleford's own partner,
| Gibbes of Sydney, who had first conceived
| the fraud, taking advantage OF the inform
/ alton given him by Stapleford. Gibbes had,
instead of returning the papers to Lady
| Tichborne written to her that her son was
alive and we'll at Wagga-Wagga, in
| tending to get money from her to send him
home. After a great deal of correspondence
Lady Tichborne had sent instructions for
her son to go to Sidney, to be identified by
an attorney named Cubbett there whom
she had employed as her agent As Gibbes
was known to Cubbit, he got Orton into
the scheme, promising him a share of the
spoils, and Orten went to Sydney and
bought Cubbitt over who, sending a favor
able reply to Lady Tichborne, received a
large sum of money from her, of which
they all received share.
! At this point, Orton and Cubbitt formed
the mad project that Orten should really
go to England to personate the young
! baronet, and, although he acknowledged
Gibbes was opposed to it as foolhardy, he
did go there, and was identified by Lady
Tichborne, and in 1870 he sent Gibbes and
Cubbitt some more money, on receiving
which they left Sydney. Orton promised
Stapleford
TO GIVE UP THE ESTATE
as soon as the trial was over but for fear OF
being imprisoned for purjury he did not
care to withdraw them. To save Gibbes
and avoid being mixed up in the matter
Stapleford kept back his evidence, and
when the fraud was discovered and Orton
sentenced he did not think it necessary tC
inculpate his partner, and has never there
fore mentioned the matter to anyone
since. Gibbes is however, he be
lieves, dead, and he fells no longer any
hesitation in giving to the public true
history of the origination of the famous
Tichborne claim.
! UP SALT RIVER
New YORK, May 5.-There is no dis
guising the fact that World Fair is good as