The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-08-02
TICllB0RNE NO. z
= BRIEF SKETCH or A POSSIBLY
GENUINE SIR ROGER.

Tall, Aristocratic in Hearing, and Eccen-
tric in Manner Possessor of India Inh
MARKS Referred to in the TriaI-Knew
Family Secrets. =.
Sir Roger Tichborne No. 2, who has lust
gone to England, missed the opportunity he
had seven years ago Roger Tichborne No, |.
otherwise Arthur Orton was then in Mill
bank prison. Tho latter is now in this
country preparing to lecture Sir Roger
lichoo;Ee NJ" is, however, worthy of
consideration, if only fo1 investigation The
writer mt this edition of the Tichborne
claimants in San Francisco seven wears
ago lie had come UP from San Diego on
The invitation of Trunk M. Pixley. Cen
Barnes, Senator Sharon and others and
t'iefe was SO deep an underlying idea that
he might tie the genuine article that these
gentlemen paid all his expenses He came
'uen reluctantly. he is n man quite tall, arts
tocfatic In bearing, but eccentric in manner
WITH A PORN DIGNITY
W hen he arrived from his ''bee ranch he
was taken 10 Gen. Barnes Office, and there.
with all IA shrewd lawyers tact and skill, he
was questioned. sharon and Pixley were
there Tie lawyer had full report of the
llchborne trial In England, with all the evil
denee III full Step by step they led him
aiohs. The San Diego man needed no
'oAchlhs Or prompting. lie answered every
Question promptly, and with a kind OF born
dignity. In the FIRST place his stature com
plexlon, every thing exactly comported with
the description of Sir Roger. This was a
man who had lived on San Diego ranch
lor years He was brown, unkempt and
careless One point i'll the Ticbborne trial
ami which helped to send Arthur Orton to
the penitentiary, was that hs coald not
speak a word OF French The original Sir
Roger was, like all educated Englishmen, a
French proficient Gen. Barnes called tho
San Diego mans attention to this, and
without further ado began to speak to him
i'll French. The stranger smiled and an
swered Barnes in a way that made the lat
ter hunt his Ollendorif
Then he called attention to the reports in
the testimony where India ink marks on
the original Sir Roger were sworn to, but
which Arthur Orion did not have. The
San Diego man simply smiled and re-
marked "GeRtlemen, those marks | can
show you and, after some hesitation aud
delicacy on the part of all, the man went
INTO private office and disrobed There
was every India ink mark referred to in the
Iichborne trial, and yet others knoin to
the Tichborne family, but not brought out
IN evidence. The marks were of India ink
medo years and years before They bore
uumistakahie evidence OF age These facts
coupled with the San Diego mans indiffer.
ence, simplicity and eccentricity, and his
perfect knowledge of everything connected
with the name of Tichborne, convinced
Frank Pixley that they had the genuine ar
ucle.
HE PAYS HIS OWN WAY.
Zen. Barnes wrote to England, explained |
one or two private marks that he had OBJ |
served on the mans body, and on the |
strength OF this received check for 100 |
pounds sterling to pay the San Diego |
mans way to England Then came an
other strange phase. The San Diego bee |
raiser refused to go. He wrote Gen |
Barnes that he was sorry he had listened at |
all to anybody. He was Sir Roger Itch
borne, but he had wife and two or
three children; he had a good ranch in
San Diego, and he knew what an effort |
to establish his identity in England
would mean. He would not
GO Then Gen. Barnes and Plxley
dropped the subject and half confessed to
themselves that they had been fooled But
the refusal of the San Diego man to take
tue 100 pound draft has always kept Gen
Barnes interest alive He passed through
Chicago some months ago, and the subject
came up in conversation with friend Il
have no doubt he said, that that fellow
is member of the Tichborne family. But
be crazy-hes got a wife that he's at
tached TO, three or four children and n
good farm He's independent, he never
asked any OF us for cent and when the
amily sent him $500 through me to come
home and be looked at he wouldn't take it
But he knows all about the Tichborne
family and has told me things in secret that
know nobody could know unless he was a
member of the family"
To people who remember the rise and de-
'elopment of this man seven years ago his
'eception in England will be looked for
With interest His wife is now dead, and
lis children in school i'll Los Angeles. 1t is
'ossible that the man in his loneliness has
'esolVed TO go to England and assert his
'aimS lie pays his own way Seven
'ear5 ago Senator Sharon alone was so i'm
pressed with the truth of the man and his
ientity that he offered to back him for a
rip home at least He refused as he re-
used the 100-pound draft sent by the
-ichborne family through Gen. Barnes. -
5or Chicago Herald.