The Alaska citizen., 1910-09-19

famous story of Arthur Orton's at tempts to possess himself of the TichboTne estates in England in 1NI1 and 1872.
 In 1S51. Roger Charles Tichborne. an officer in the carbineers and an ultimate heir of his uncle. Sir Ed ward Doughty Tichborne. sold his commission and left England for visit in South America. According To the testimony afterward brought out, he was to return within two years. and if his behavior was suit able he was to marry his cousin Kate. II was known that April 20. lS54. he started from Rio to New York on the bark Bella This was the last that was heard of him. Six days later boat with the name Bella painted on the side of it was was picked up by q trading schoon- CT and it was presumed that the Bella had gone down with all on board.
 Sir Edwards mother refused to believe he was dead. She advertised many years in foreign papers for her missing son, and finally Arthur Orton, known as Thomas Castro, a butcher al Wagga Wagga. in Aus tralia, responded. He said he was her son, Roger Tichborne, and of fercd to prove il if she would send him the money for passage. He said he was on the Bella when <; went down but had been picked up by an Australian ship, the Osprey. and had been working in Australia thirteen years as a butcher In the spring of 1863. Orton ar rived in Paris and was met there by Lady Tichborna She proresscl to recognize in the huge proportions of the Australial. the s!lm form of he son she had lost th,rtaer yeuS lefore In this belief she lvrd and G,ed
 Orton also was accepted by other memroT1 of the TichborIe family -- the Biddulps and the 8argeuts among them-but they were biased somcwi at by their disli6e of the Irc.auing branch. OrtJl'S reticcuCc and his solemn air of dignity did much 'o win 10 his side many iul l. ePtal and wealthy pcrsons mcMG- ire }r Whalley, NJ. ,, and GUil- i ford Cnnlow. NJ. |.
 The rial of Ortons suit for the Tichho:nc estates began in May. 1S7l, aud lasted 103 days. Financial suprcrt came from cye:s part cf l England The lower classes, out of their latural hatred for the aristoc- racy, cspoused his cau.a. but the middle and upper classes denounced q him and championed tEp younger | LaGt tiChborne and her child. Four years Iasscd before the fraud Mas laid bare, and by th1, time the TichborGc estate worth 35o,r0c I year v;s mortgaged h"ayIty ') meet the cost of the defense
 No tr,al in England aroused such | interc3, such excitement and emo ton. Civil wars among relatives followed the trial. People impoyer- ished their families to supply funds l to the impersonator in this fraud.
 At the trial, S5 witnesses, includ-
 nG the baroncts mother, the family solicitor, one baroner, six magis- trates, one general, 'hree colonels, one major, two captains, 3G non commissioned officers and men. four clergymen, seven fichGorne tenants and It family sorvaEy5. sWpre to his | identity The rustics of Hampshire, save one. the Tichborpe blacksmith, accepted him at once with greedy willingness.
 After a trial that lasted 1O9 days and by the time Sir John Coleridge, the lord chief justice, hai finished | his speech against the claimanr a speech, by the way, which lasted 26 l days-the jury expressed itaeIl of being of the same opinion as inc blacksmith and stopped the ease. Another long trial gave Orton II years in prison.
 After this he emigrated to New York, where he obtained a position as bartender Orton, years after l the famous trial. confessed to his infamous lie In his confession he said:
 II am the son of a shipping butch CT in Mapping. When a boy of II, was bound as an apprentice to a small shipholder. l had an adven- turous career. l sailed to many countries, tried horse dealing and many other unsuccessful adventures, and finally settled down as a butch CT in Wagga- -Wagga. Here one day friend of mine named Dick Slade showed me a copy of paper with one of Lady Tichborne's advertise ments in it. Up to this time l had never heard the word Tichborne III my life. l didn't know who he was, where he was, or where he came