The Dickinson press., 1914-11-07

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case was established. He resembled
Sir Roger in appearance and had been
accepted by two persons who were
best able to say-namely, his mother
and the old servant Boyle. But there
m person who refused to &C
cept him-an old family solicitor
named, Gosford. Gosford went to
see him, talked with him and at the
end of the conference told him he
was an impostor.
Through the influence of Gosford,
it would seem, when the new Sir
Roger came to establish his right by
law to the Tichborne estate and it's
titles he was resisted. There arose
then one of the most extraordinary
trials in the history of English juris-
prudence. Hundreds Of witnesses
were examined. Lady Tichborne had
already recognized him, as had the
old servant Boyle. In addition, at
this trial eighty-five witnesses swore
that the claimant was Sir Roger;
among them was one family solicitor,
one baronet, six magistrates, one
general, three colonies, one major,
two captains, thirty-two non-com-
missioned officers and privates of the
army, four clergymen, seven tenants
of the Tichborne estate and seven
teen family servants.
Moreover, the claimant was shown
by these witnesses phycially to e
semble Sir Roger. Sir Roger was
known to have a fsh-hook scar near
the eye-the claimant had such a
scar. A hair dresser testified that
Sir Roger had a peculiar seal on his
head-the claimant also had this
culiarities in old letters of Sir Roger
and in those written by the claimant.
for instance, both wrote "nothink"
for nothing" click" for "like," and
both used the term "a-going." Both
spelled " Major" with a "g"-thus
"Magor"-and used "has" for "as."
1t was learned that Sir Roger had a
popularity of the thumb, and the
claimant presented such a popularity;
and it was said that a certain v
twitching of the claimants eyebrows
was one Of Sir Rogers old habits
when he engaged in any animated
conversation.
Nevertheless, Gosfcrd stubbornly
insisted that the man was an impos-
tor; and it presently developed that
he had a certain particular reason for
this contention. He said that before
leaving England on the first Of jan
uary, 1852, Sir Roger had called OF
him; that he had gone to a desk,
written on a piece of paper, folded
the paper, put it into an envelope
and sealed it with wax, using his own
seal. He then wrote on the envelope
"private and confidential memoran-
dunn" and gave it to Gosford to keep
for him.
The claimant, when confronted
with the dangerous, unforeseen test,
met it with a certain shrewdness.
He said that the packet contained a
personal and intimate memorandum
and that he must decline to reveal it
out Of consideration for others. It
then developed that the packet that
had been delivered to Gosford had
been destroyed. The solicitor admit
ted that he had kept it for years but
at the present time it was in fact
not in existence. When the claimant
learned this he boldly declared what
the packet had contained. He seemed
now to have passed the last danger.
The packet had been destroyed and
there was 10 n who could know
what it had contained except Sir
Roger, and as he was Sir Rogfier
who could doubt him?
But it seemed that Gosford was
not a man to be outwitted. When he
read the memorandum that the clai-
mant said was in the packet he de-
clared that there could be no longer
any doubt about the man being an
impostor, because the packet con-
tanned no such memorandum. He
testified that before Sir Roger had
sealed the envelope he brought the
to him, that he then signed it Roger
Charles Tichborne, Tichborne Park.
The solicitor further testified that the
memorandum related to Sir Rogers
relation with his cousin Katherine.
Lady Radcliffe nov came forward
and produced a copy Of the mora
dunn that Sir Roger had given to Cos
ford. The duplicate bore the date of
June %, 1852, and was identical with
the original. This paper Sir Roger
had given to his cousin, explaining
to her that it was a copy Of the paper
he had left with Gosford. This ex-
traordinary memorandum that finally
assisted in the ruin of the claimant
to the Tichborne estate is a curious
paper.
Tishborne Park, June %, 1852.
I made on this day a
promise that if I marry my
cousin Katherine this year,
before three years are over
to build a chapel at Itch
dale to the Holy Virgin in IL
thanksgiving for the pro-
lection which she has
thrown over us and praying
God that our wishes may be