Wagga Wagga Advertiser (NSW : 1875 - 1910), Saturday 5 January 1895, page 4


The Tichborne Case.

A VICTORIAN M P. HAS A STORY TO

TELL.

Av Interesting lettor, explaining soveral details ot the lives of Tichborno and Orton In Gippslaml, was received on Tuesday (the Daily Telet/rajih says) by Mr. Priestman from Mr. J. H. Graves, M.P., of Victoria. The letter states, "I see you have taken up a view I hold years ago rc the lunatic CresWell in Parramatta Asylum. I visited him twice at the timo the Ortons from South America wero brought over io the case by an hotelkeeper in Wynyard-squarc, Sydney. At the time of tlio first Tichuorne trial an attorney's clerk named Mackenzie and a detective from London, oame to Australia adverse to the case of any Australian claimant. This Mackenzie took up the case of Orton, who was called De Castro. He followed his career from the lime he left his father, the Wapping butcher, to his iinal butcher's shop in Wagga. Hetracedhimwithout a check from London to South America, back to London ; then out to Tasmania, from there to Gippsland, in Mr. Johnson's cattle ships, to Port Albert; thenco to Johnson's oattle stations, then round Salo (Qippsland); from. there to an hotel at Sale, where he was ostler; then charcoalburning near Sale. From charcoal-burning to hlorsebreaking, still in the vicinity of Sale, for Messrs. M'Leod; and subsequently horsestealing, and selling the horses at Bendigo and Castlemaine diggings. His

movements were followed from there to

Echuca, thence to Deniliquin, where he acted for a long time as poundkeeper for Mri Robertson. He was after that in tho employment of Mr. Hcindt, an hotolkeeper, the Deniliquin pound being sold by Mr.

Robertson to a Mr. Monk. From there he

went to Wagga as a butcher, and finally to-England. All these years he was off and on engaged in butchering as a sheep batcher.' His favorite feat, when he was half drunk, was to get a knife and a sheep, and for any wager he oould get, he would kill and dress the sheep in the London market' manner in tho shortest time on record.

" Mackenzio and his detectivo next turned his attention to the Swell, as Tichborne, when on Boisdale Station, was called. He took up his career in Viotoria, and followed it out as he had done Octon's from tho

day ho landed from the Osproy at Liardet's Stage at Sandridge. His first new acquaintance was Captain Chcsse), who went down to repair the Osproy, and Tiehborne was afterwards introduced to Captain Crawford, the police magistrate, who conversed with him in French. Captain Chessel got up a subscription for him, bought him an outfit, and sent, him to board at the Highlander Hotel, Flinders-street, where he met a, lot of Gippsland drovers. He was in the habit of going each evening with these drovers to Kirk's Bazaor. He also went one or two short trips round Melbourne with the drovers, and made the acquaintance ot a stockman employed by Mr. Foster, of Boisdalc. Hub man' Bill' asked Mr. Foster to take the ' Swell' to Gippsland, and two days before Mr. Foster left Melbourne, after the sale of some cattle, Bill, the stockman, started back to Gippsland with five horses. He took the swell down on one of these On. third day on the road, Mr. Foster overtook the men and rode down the rest of the way .with them. The ' Swell ' told him his history, and when they arrived at a publichouse, Mr. Foster would take him into the parlor with him for a drink, giving Bill, the stockman, his drink in the bar. Foster and thp ' Swell' talked a good deal about Prance. Xhay went on to Boisdale Btation, and the 'Swell' helped BUI to muster cattle. They used to kilt for the station, and the'Swell'had not the most distant idea of any kind of butoher's work. He oould not even cut up meat to salt. When they, had been at the station for Boma weeks, Bill, at Mr. Foster's direction, took the 'Swell' out with a mob of yearling weauers to »n out station, and he remained there for some months. He then came back to the ,home station at Boisdale, and Mr. Poster paid .him £5 by cheque on a Melbourne agent. The ' Swell' had fsmall feet, and was most particular to keep his boots clean, polishing them every morning. This was a most unusual proceeding for a station

hand.

" One day Mr. Johnson, of Tasmania, who lived on the next station, came to Boisdale to look for some of his missing cattle, and De Castro(Orton) and two other stockmen oame with him. This was the first timo that Orton and ' the Swell' ever met. They seemed to ehum together. Orton had a most untidy way of dressing. He wore a red handkerchief rotind his neck, a dirty jumper, and moleskin trousers, and had been in Gippsland about six or seven months before ' the Swell1 came down. ' The Swell' could speak French, and rode with long stirrup leathers like a trooper. He was very quiet and mysterious at tiuies. Orton, or De Castro, as be was called, then took to frequenting Sale, and became ostler at nn hotel there. He made the acquaintance of squatters, and was known as a skilful butcher and charcoal burner. At the time ' the Swell' was about Mr. Foster's station he had a great fancy for horses. He occasionally went into Sale, an'l was very thick with De Castro. Then he and Orton took to breaking-in horses and selling them. After staying at this business for a while they cleared out of Sale, ' the 8welt' going towards the Upper Murray and Monnro, and Orton to the Bendigo and Caatlemaine district. Orton then went to Deniliquin, from there to Wagga, and thence

to .England.

" ' The Swell' on his travels fell in with a lady who was a nursery governess at some station. She'had lived with a family in England, where aha had met the 'Swell.' when he wis a cavalry officer. She used to speak French with him, and it was said they were very good friends. This lady was alive a few years ago. I do not know if she Ib now.; I have met her, and if any one alive 'could identify the English cavalry officer, the Gippsland horse-breaker, and the Parramitta lunatin as one and the same person, that lady could. X used a Frenih expression twioe at Parramatta in the presenceof tho lunatic. He looked at me very furtively, and he certainly understood what I said. Years ago in consequence of the information I possessed, I came to the conclusion 1 that the man at Parramatta was, first, a gentleman by birth; secondly, ho had never been a butcher; he was not a brother of the Ortons; that although not set up like a cavalry officer he had been drilled; that he had some innate fear of punishment ; that he had a Frenchman's Knowledge of French expressions never used by Englishmen; that he had not in early life iearned his bread by manual labor ; and that he was about my own age, say 65."

Mr. Graves adds in the letter that " Bill," the stockman of Boisdale, was in his employ in 1873 and 1874, and he was, through him, able to verify the particulars of the life of

the " Swell' given above.