New-York tribune., 1886-11-12
TgE TWO CLAIMANTS,

An odder meeting than that of the two ITCH
borne gclaimants before United States
Commissioner in Brooklyn the other day can
seldom occur, and there was not little drOll-
ery in the manner Of it. The original claim
ant, whom an English court declared to be
certainly not Sir Roger Tichborne, while it
left in doubt his identity with Arthur Orton or
Thomas Castro, seems to have been impelled
by irresistible curiosity 10 see what his rival
looked like. The rival, whose identity is
already 80 much mixed that the United States
Government thinks trial necessary to clear
il ND. appears to have shown no special desire
to become acquainted with his predecessor in
the thorny path of caimancy. The Claimant
with capital c. is reported to have mutteIed
the word SImpostor after examining the
Brooklyn Tichborne. This no doubt was
touch of melodrama, for if the two augurs of
old could scarce contain their inclination to
laugh " hen their eyes encountered during the
performance of their rites, how much stronger
must have been the risible temptation which
the two claimants successfully resisted on this
occasion.
Yet there Is probably much difference
between them. When the first attempt was
made to personate the young baronet whose
dsappearanc ce on the coast Of South America
had left the heirship of fine estate in doubt,
MANY circumstances combined to render such a
game as Orton Is supposed to have played seem
feasible to man of small general information.
After the two trials which resulted in so
thorough an exploitation of the enterprise,
however, it required very different kind of
character to renew the experiment. An lmagl-
nation peculiarly buOyant, confidence pass
ing the confines Of sanity, were needed to COM
mend so arduous and risky an undertaking.
The man who, in the face of the claimants
experience can make up bis mind to try over
again The claimants devices, and this for the
sake of property which the first proceedings
terribly der leted cannot be placed in the cate
CORY of practical people. The evidence brought
forward to show that the Curtis who calls him
self Tichborne is really Ferris, already demon
strates the eccentrcity of this peculiar person,
while his explanation of this evidence Is of a
kind to suggest the probability that if he ever
gets as far as England and begins his opera
tions, he will gravitate rather to an asylum
than jail.
Whether these people are mad or bad, how
ever. the singularity of their meeting remains
unaffected, and it would be more interesting
than most interviews" are IL one could get at
the thoughts which must have passed through
the minds of both of them. Each of them, of
course, knows the truth as regards himself,
and must come very near to knowing it in
regard to the Other. Perhaps the most curious
fact IN both the cases is that neither claimant
seems to have had the faintest idea as to what
the real Roger Tichborne was like. Neither OF
them is in the least like the other, and neither
of them in any respect resembles what is
known and remembered of the genuine Sir
Roger. This little circumstances, however,
troubles them In no way. 1t tney are not like
Sir Roger, so much the worse for him, appears
to be the principle they go upon. 1t ia an odd
profession, this OF claimant. and though its
members arc few IL is to be wondered at that
there are even two of them. For when the
probabilities are weighed, the chance OF sue