Famous Imposters 23

Famous Imposters 23

That the girl warmly reciprocated her cousin’s affection was beyond

question, and Lady Doughty was certainly sympathetic though she took

exception to certain of her nephew’s habits. He was an inveterate

smoker besides drinking too freely. These and other little failings

seem to have aroused some fear in her anxious mother’s heart, though

she quite recognised the boy’s kind disposition, and the fact that he

was truthful, honourable and scrupulous in points of duty. Still she

would not oppose the wishes of the young lovers--except to the extent

of pleading and encouraging Roger to master his weaknesses. It was

Christmas time in 1851 when the _dénoument_ came and the eyes of Sir

Edward were opened to what was going on. He was both vexed and angry,

and was resolved that the engagement should be broken off before it

grew more serious. One last interview was permitted to the cousins

and, this over, the young man was to leave the house forever. The

great hope of his life extinguished, there was nothing left for Roger

but to rejoin his regiment, then expecting orders for India, and to

endeavour to forget the past. Still even in those dark days neither

Roger nor Kate quite gave up hope of some change. Lady Doughty, despite

her dread of her nephew’s habits, had a warm regard for him, and could

be relied upon to plead his cause; and in a short time circumstances

unexpectedly favoured him. Sir Edward was ill and, fearing that death

was approaching, he sent for his nephew and revived the subject. He

explained that if it were not for the close relationship he should

have no objection to the marriage and begged Roger to wait for three

years. If then the affection, one for the other, remained unaltered,

and providing that Roger obtained his own father’s consent and that

of the Church, he would accept things as the will of God and agree to

the union. As might be expected, Roger gratefully promised loyally to

observe the sick man’s wishes.

 

However, Sir Edward, instead of dying, slowly mended, and Roger

returned to his regiment. Occasionally he would spend his leave with

his aunt and uncle, when the young people loved to walk together in the

beautiful gardens of Tichborne exchanging sweet confidences and weaving

plans for the future. On what proved to be his last visit to his

ancestral home, in the midsummer of 1852, Roger, to comfort his cousin,

confided a secret to her--a copy of a vow, which he had written out and

signed, solemnly pledging himself, in the event of their being married

before three years had passed, to build a church or chapel at Tichborne

as a thanks offering to the Holy Virgin for the protection shown by her

in praying God that their wishes might be fulfilled.

 

His leave up, Roger went back to his regiment more than ever a prey

to his habitual melancholy. To his great regret the orders for the

Carbineers to go to India were countermanded. He accordingly determined

to throw up his commission and travel abroad until his period of

probation had passed. South America had long been the subject of his

dreams, and so thither he would make his way; and in travelling through

that vast continent he hoped to find occupation for his mind and so get

through the trying period of waiting. His plan was to spend a year in

Chili, Guayaquil and Peru, and thence to visit Mexico, and so, by way

of the United States, to return home. Having come to this resolution

he lost no time in putting it into execution. Being of business-like

habits he made his will, in which he purposely omitted any mention

of the “church or chapel.” This secret had already been committed to

paper, and with other precious souvenirs of his love for his cousin,

had been confided to his most trusted friend--Mr. Gosford, the steward

of the family estate. After paying a round of farewell visits to his

parents and old friends in Paris, Roger finally set sail from Havre, on

March 21, 1853, in a French vessel named _La Pauline_, for Valparaiso,

at which port she arrived on the 19th of the following June, when Roger

set out on his wanderings. During his travels Roger continued to write

home regularly; but the first news he received was bad. Sir Edward

Doughty had died almost before the _Pauline_ had lost sight of the

English shores; and Roger’s father and mother were now Sir James and

Lady Tichborne.

 

Presently the wanderer began to retrace his steps, making his way to

Rio de Janeiro. Here, he found a vessel called the _Bella_ hailing from

Liverpool, about to sail for Kingston, Jamaica, and as he had directed

his letters and remittances to be forwarded there, he prevailed upon

the captain to give him a passage. On the 20th of April, 1854, the

_Bella_ passed from the port of Rio into the ocean. From that day no

one ever set eyes upon her. Six days after she left harbour, a ship

traversing her path found, amongst other ominous tokens of a wreck, a

capsized long-boat bearing the name “_Bella_, Liverpool.”

 

These were taken into Rio and forthwith the authorities caused the

neighbouring seas to be scoured in quest of survivors; but none were

ever found. That the _Bella_ had foundered there was little room to

doubt. It was supposed that she had been caught in a sudden squall,

that her cargo had shifted, and that, unable to right herself, the

vessel had gone down in deep water, giving but little warning to those

on board. In a few months the sad news reached Tichborne, where the

absence of letters from the previously diligent correspondent had

already raised grave fears. The sorrow-stricken father caused enquiries

to be made in America and elsewhere. For a time, there was a faint hope

that some one aboard the _Bella_ might have been picked up by some

passing vessel; but, as months wore on, even these small hopes dwindled

away. The letters which poor Roger had so anxiously asked might be

directed to him at the post office, Kingston, Jamaica, remained there

till the ink grew faded; the banker’s bill which lay at the agents’

remained unclaimed. At last the unfortunate vessel was finally written

off at Lloyd’s as lost, the insurance money paid, and gradually the

_Bella_ faded from the memories of all but those who had lost friends

or relatives in her. Lady Tichborne alone, refused to abandon hope.

 

Her obstinate disregard of such conclusive evidence of the fate of her

unfortunate son preyed upon her mind to such an extent as to make her

an easy victim for any scheming rascal pretending to have news of her

lost son; and “sailors,” who told all sorts of wild stories of how

some of the survivors of the _Bella_ had been rescued and landed in a

foreign port, became constant visitors at Tichborne Park and profited

handsomely from the weak-minded lady’s credulity. Sir James, himself,

made short work of these tramping “sailors,” but after his death,

in 1862, the lady became even more ready to be victimised by their

specious lies.

 

Firm in her belief that Roger was still alive, Lady Tichborne now

caused advertisements to be inserted in numerous papers; and in

November, 1865, she learnt through an agency in Sydney that a man

answering the description of her son had been found in Wagga Wagga,

New South Wales. A long correspondence ensued, the tone and character

of which ought to have put her on her guard; but, over-anxious to

believe that she had indeed found her long-lost son, any wavering

doubts she may have had, were swept from her mind by the evidence of

an aged negro servant named Boyle, an old pensioner of the Tichborne

family. Boyle, who lived in New South Wales, professed to recognise the

Claimant as his dear young master, and he certainly remained one of his

most devoted adherents to the end. Undoubtedly this man’s simplicity

proved a very valuable asset to Orton. His intimate knowledge of the

arrangements of Tichborne Park was pumped dry by his new master, who,

aided by a most tenacious memory, was afterwards able to use the

information thus obtained with startling effect.

 

As to the identity of the Claimant with Arthur Orton there can be

absolutely no doubt. As a result of the enquiries made by the trustees

of the Tichborne estate nearly the whole of his history was unmasked.

He was born, in 1834, at Wapping where his father kept a butcher’s

shop. In 1848 he took passage to Valparaiso, whence he made his way up

country to Melipilla. Here he stayed some eighteen months receiving

much kindness from a family named Castro, and it was their name he

went under at Wagga Wagga. In 1851 he returned home and entering his

father’s business became an expert slaughterman. The following year

he emigrated to Australia; but after the spring of 1854 he ceased to

correspond with his family. He had evidently led a life of hardship

and adventure--probably not unattended with crime, and certainly with

poverty. At Wagga Wagga he carried on a small butcher’s business, and

it was from here that he got into communication with Lady Tichborne

just after his marriage to an illiterate servant girl.

 

According to his subsequent confession, until his attention was drawn

to the advertisement for the missing Roger, he had never even heard of

the name of Tichborne, and it was only his success when, by way of a

joke upon a chum, he claimed to be the missing baronet, that led him

to pursue the matter in sober earnest. Indeed he seemed at first very

reluctant to leave Australia, and probably he was only driven to accede

to Lady Tichborne’s request, to return “home” at once, by the fact that

he had raised large sums of money on his expectations. His original

intention was probably to obtain some sort of recognition, and then to

return to Australia with whatever money he had succeeded in collecting.

 

After wasting much time he left Australia and arrived in England, by

a very circuitous route, on Christmas Day, 1866. His first step on

landing, it was subsequently discovered, was to make a mysterious

visit to Wapping. His parents were dead, but his enquiries showed

a knowledge, both of the Orton family and the locality, which was

afterwards used against him with very damaging effect. His next

proceeding was to make a flying and surreptitious excursion to

Tichborne House, where, as far as possible, he acquainted himself with

the bearings of the place. In this he was greatly assisted by one Rous,

a former clerk to the old Tichborne attorney, who was then keeping a

public house in the place. From this man, who became his staunch ally,

he had no doubt acquired much useful information; and it is significant

that he sedulously kept clear of Mr. Gosford, the agent to whom the

real Roger had confided his sealed packet before leaving England.

 

Lady Tichborne was living in Paris at this time and it was here, in his

hotel bedroom, on a dark January afternoon, that their first interview

took place for, curiously enough, the gentleman was too ill to leave

his bed! The deluded woman professed to recognise him at once. As

she sat beside his bed, “Roger” keeping his face turned to the wall,

the conversation took a wide range, the sick man showing himself

strangely astray. He talked to her of his grandfather, whom the real

Roger had never seen; he said he had served in the ranks; referred to

Stonyhurst as Winchester; spoke of his suffering as a lad from St.

Vitus’s dance--a complaint which first led to young Arthur Orton being

sent on a sea voyage; but did not speak of the rheumatism from which

Roger had suffered. But it was all one to the infatuated woman--“He

confuses everything as if in a dream,” she wrote in exculpating him;

but unsatisfactory as this identification was, she never departed from

her belief. She lived under the same roof with him for weeks, accepted

his wife and children, and allowed him £1,000 a year. It did not weigh