The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-11-03
A VERY OLD CHESTNUT
FOUND THE GARRETT OF A NEW
YORK TENEMENT HOUSE.
The Closing Chapters OF n Sensa'
tiOnal story That Was Begun
In England.

NEW YoRK, November 2.-The New
York Herald has found the Tiehborne
claimant in a pitiable state OF illness
and poverty. He was in little room
over q small opticians shop in Fourth
avenue. He has been lying there on
his back for more than two months,
suffering the pains of blood poisoning
and the thousand nameees Ills OF 2 oV-
erty. Whether he be Sir Roger Itch
borne, grievousiy unfortunate Darone',
Arthur Orion, or Thomas Castro, the
Australian butcher, this mans life has
been a strange, eventful history. The
case in which be e. ured as the claim
ant was one f the most celebrated on
record. and fifteen years sgo 1t made a
great stir in the world. But the world
soon forgets. Last July 30 few people
remembered the case that scarcely
corporsl's guard could be mustered in
thsater to hear the claimant tell his
story. The tale, in brief, Is this: In
1858 Roger TicbborDe, eldest son of
Sir James Tichborne, having fallen
in love with his cousin, Kate
Doughty, and got into much trouble
with his family thereby, sold out his
commission in the army and went to
South America. He wandered about
that country for nearly Gyear, leading
an adventurous lie, and N April, 1854,
he embarked at Rio on the ship Bella
for Kingston. The Bella left port on
the 10th of April and never YVES seen
afterward. Bits of wrecksge were
picked up six days after she sailed,
and the Bella wss stricken off the
books at Lloyds. Everybody but Lady
Tichborne believed that Rogers bones
were whitening in Davy Jones's lock-
er, a hundred ia hons deep, of the
Brazilian cast. Sir james died in
1862, and Lady TchborHe began to
advertise for her eldest son. In 1867
man called Thomas Castro, who had
been q butcher near Sydney, turned
MP in England, said that he was Roger
Charles Tichborne, and instituted suits
to recover the Tchborne and Doughty
estates, worth e75, 900 year: He failed
to establish his claim, was tried for
perjury, convicted and sentenced to
fourteen years. penal servitude. But
by many his story was still believed,
and his counsel, Mr.. Kenealy, never
abandoned the conviction that the
claimant was the legal heir to the Itch
borne estates. A TichboIne Release
Association was formed, and popular
subscriptions were started to defray
the expenses Of hunting up missir G
links Of evidence and reopeDing the
case. When the fourteen years of
imprisonment had expired the claim
ets
Tichborne, and began lecturing tour
to raise money. Naturally he turned
his face toward the Mecca of all En-
glish men who hope to make money
out OF whatever fame or notoriety
they may have acquired. Visions of
crowded houses, large receipts and a
triumphal tour allured him. A beg
carly account of empty benches
greeted him, and he dropped out of
sight in few days. His friends were
soon exhausted, aud no manager could
be found to take the risk of plotting
him through the country. 30 one
morning the claimant paid his hotel
bill and disappeared. Misfortune fol-
lowed him into the humble lcdg-
ing to which he retreated with
his wife. A child YVES born to
them and in month it died.
Then the claimant fell i'll and
was disabled from doing anything for
living. He made a few dolla's by
writing or providing the facts for
somebody else to wIite-stories of life
in the Australian diggngs for the
newspapers, bat his tales were not
successful. Then the claimants wife,
young woman who had been a sing
er in London, sought an engagement
under an assumed name, and for q
few ks che sang and danced in the
concert balls of the Bowery, earning
Just enough to live upon. She admit
ted your correspondent to the room,
which served as bedroom, parlor aud
kitchen, where the ponderous form of
the claimant was stretched upon the
bed. Disease and worry have left
their marks upon the man, but he is
still anything but emsciated. A thin
growth of gray hair and beard sur
round his heavy countenance, but he
bears his 60 years as well as most
men. He seemed glad 10 see visitor.
and talked freely about his affairs. 81
thought / was going to get out to-
day." he said, "but just as / was
about to dress, in popped the doc
tor and ordered me hack to
bed. I've been here eight weeks
now, and he says l must stay two or
three weeks more. / want to get to
work soon, you know, because doc
tors services are expensive, and taxi
ing medicine is like drinking gold.
My wife has been earning something
to support us. but she has no engage
ment now. She was to have begun in
one OF the gardens sgain, but the
police have arrested the managers and
closed their places; 60 that is at an
end" The claimants wife, who, if
his cause be just, is entitled to call
herself Lady 1)chborne and ought to
be living in the luxury of sn expen-
sive English establishment, is a slight,
dark woman of the type commonly
seen on the variety stage. Her &C
complisbments consist OF the kuowl-
edge Of a few songs and the ability to
dance. To these are added no great
charms OF personal appearance. She
is merely commonplace. But the
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES WOhhh pCCLub NC-
voted to the elephantine enigma
whose misfortunes she shares. AL the
work Of the humble house keeping
falls upon her. She takes care
OF the sick man, cooks the meals and
does all the little things that fall to
the lot of a poor mans wife. The
heavy, somewhat stolid countenance
of the claimant lights up with kindly
smile when he spsakst to her. He was
divorced from his first wife in Eng.
land, but in the variety actress he
seems to have found a congenia mate.
"A singular thing about the claimant
is his ability TO make one believe in
his earnestneSs. 1.-The be the greatest
humbug OF the age, he is the most
persistent and consistent, Fourteen
years in prison have not dampened
hiE epirits or turned him from his
purpose. He talks as though he weIe
the undisputed heir to the estates,
and asserts that he will reopen the
case IS soon as he can collect the
necessary fund. PArl ament passed