The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-02-28

New York. Feb. 1.-THE last lost heir"
of the famous Tichborne estate in Eng
land is dead An old man. who called
himselfs Sir Roger Tichborne, lies in the
morgue of the Kings County Hospital
at rest at last after a singular career,
which included a long and fruitless strug-
gle t. prove that he was really Sir Roger,
and should inherit the title and property
of that noted family.
He died of consumption, after having
been taken 10 the Kings County insutu-
ton from the Municipal tuberculosis
Hospital. in Kingston avenue. where he
had been charity patient since last sum
mer He was of distinguished appear
ance, wore sidewhiskers, and had keen,
gray eyes, and was tattooed, as was the
real and original heir so long lost.
The old mans story was that he was
the eldest son Of Sir James Francis Itch
borne, and was born in Paris, January ;,
1893. He spoke French until he was ten.
when his aunt, Lady Doughty, taught
him English. He frequently visited his
relatives in England. At eighteen he
fell in love with his cousin, Kate
Doughty, but her mother took a violent
dislike to him and said he should never
marry the girl
Robbed by His valet.
On June o. 1852, he sailed on the French
bark Paulina to Valparaiso, and crossed
the mountains of Santiago, where he fell
sick and was robbed and abandoned by
his valet. The valet. he believed. was
paid by the Doughtys to get rid of him
and destroy evidence of his identity.
He sailed on the bark Restless 10 New
York. went to Savannah on the bark
Underwater and thence, in 1858, pro-
ceeded 10 London. He wrote 10 his father.
His brother visited him and advised him
TO keep away from Tichborne House for
awhile. as the aunt was still alive and
still hated him.
Some days later he alleged. he was
struck down in the street at Southamp-
ton. When he recovered consciousness he
was in a strange room. where he was kept
eighteen months in shackles and fed on
bread and water. Finally he was blind
folded and put aboard "a ship which took
him TO the East Indies. where he stayed
until 1864, making vain efforts TO get
word from the TichbOTnes
He came To America as a sailor ana
from Boston went to Liverpool His
father had died He wrote to Lady
TichbOTne and received from another
source, he alleged an order to leave
England or suffer the consequences. He
returned to New York, where he married.
Imprisoned in This Country.
The old mans story differed from the
regularly accepted story Of the lost
bef~ rTI,a ,-o,,r,rr mo-, --bo.., F,,y r~s,t
bornes claimed as son was supposed to
have sailed from Rio April 90 1854, in
the Bella. which was lost at sea.
Some years ago Tichborne was con-
ucted =of getting $500 pension money
out of the government by impersonating
Charles Curtis and imprisoned AT that
time Mrs. r. B. Skelly, Of Brooklyn, testi-
fed that his real name was Charles
Ogden Ferris. In his last sickness ne
asked that when he died his son. Charles
TiChbOTne. of San Diego. Cal. and Mrs.
Earle. Of p Beekman street. be notified
Mrs Earle said last night. i never
believed ne was Roger Tichborne. 7
always believed that he met the real
Roger Tichborne i'm his travels as "A
sailor and got from him the facts on
which he based his claim / knew him
years ago as Ferris. He was twice mar
ried, and leaves several children by his
second wife, two of whom live in Brook
lyn- My belief is that he was born in
Brooklyn"
The Brooklyn claimant had one ad-
vantage over the false Arthur Orton. the
Australian butcher Castro, who tried to
claim the TichbOrne estates in 1872, and
was put in prison for ten years The
butcher had no tattoo marks. whereas
Lord Below testified ne had tattooed the
real Sir Roger when at school The body
in the morgue shows tattooing on both
arms. There are two figures Of women.
one on either arm. Above one is the name
Eliza. The letters NJ. +. L. are on the
left arm.