The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-01-20
History Of the Tichhorns Trial

The Tichborne case reads ike a
highly-colored work of fiction and NAV
be briefly given as follows: Roger
Charles Tichborne was born January s.
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~
Iege of Stonyhurst, and when 20 years
of age. entered the army. In the year
1852, Roger wooed the daughter of Sir
Edward, his cousin Kate, but her
parents were opposed to the match, and
the young man resigned his commission
in the army and went to sea. On June
10, 1858, he arrived at Valparaiso, and
on April 20, 1854, sailed from Rio de
Janeiro for New York in the ship Bella,
a vessel that was lost. In March of the
year 1853, Sir Edward died, and was
succeeded by his brother James, the
father of Roger; and Sir James died
June IL, 1862, and, as it was believed
Roger had been lost at sea, was sue
ceeded by Alfred his second son, and
brother of Roger. Alfred died iB
February, 1865, and was succeeded by g
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
1865 she began to advertise in the Eng
lish and Australian newspapers fox
Roger, who, it viii be remembered, had
been absent, i. e., dead, nearly twelve
years. In the year foilowinga butcher
of Wagga Wagga, Australia, supposed
to be Arthur Orion, but called himself
Thomas Castro, announced. that he was
Roger Charles Hchborne, and that he
had been saved from the wreck Of the
ship Bella. This person after some con-
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
TichboTne at 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 repudiating 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 Marcb
the first action was commenced by the
claimant" filing a bin in chancerys
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 in
terval Lady Tichborne died. The trial
began May IL, 1871, and, with two
adiournments, 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 at once
ordered into custody to be tried for per-
| iury. but was later released on bail. The
perjury trial was commenced April %,
| 1874, when he was found guilty and SEN
fenced to fourteen years of penal servl-
tude: he was sent to Millbank, and later
transferred to Dartmoor prison. The
estates of the Tichhorne We're valued az
e24 900 wear. The first trial was be-
| fore the Court of Common Pleas, and
the perjury trial was before the court of
the Queens Bench. II was settled
beyond reasonable doubt that the
claimant" was Arthur Orion, who emf
grated from London, his native place, to
| Australia, and because Of eviI-doing
changed his name to Castro. There are
however, many in England who believe,
and still claim, that Orion is Roger
| Charles Tichborne.