Gippsland Times (Vic. : 1861 - 1954), Saturday 11 April 1868, page 3


TIHE TICIBOJItNE CASE. TO TilE EDITOR OF TIIE OIPPSLAND TIMES. SDeR? SeIn,--. paragraph appears in your issue of tie 4th inst., apparently copied fros the Melbourne Ares. Short as that paragraph is, it abounds with errors and mis. statements, and how these have not been detected by yor staff, whomn I know to-be getlemoen of education, passes my conmprehension. In the first place it is represented that Colonel Smoith, of tihe loyal Artillery, stationed here, has ideotified a Iphllotografphl of the person who claims to be Sir ieoger Tichborne as that of Cornet Tichberne, of the A troop of artillery known as the Chesnut Troop. In this statement there are no less thal three errors. There is no such grade as that of Cornet in the Royal Artillery, nor in the Royal Horse Artillery, either in Troop A or it any other troop,. Neither hasRoger Tichborne ever served in the Royal Artillery -Iiorse or Foot. Again, Colonel Smith is said also to have idetilioed the likeness from amonllg many others, he (Colonel Smiith) having been, about 1852 or 1853, a lieutenant in thi troop referred to at the samel time as Roger. In contradiction of this, a reference to the army lists of the period will show that Roger Tichborne was a lieluteoau in the (ith Drageoo Guarlds (Carabiniers) from 1850 to 1853. in which latter he sold out and went on his travcele. In the next place, the portrait is said to Lhavo been taken at Wagga Wagga. whvilell the lllimant was in bush drese. Now, it is sworn to ly at least a dozen witueses in Woag- <V ea a 5ih. .t flo...e o-.1-le 1, - 101 of Ilis stay tlcroe ho was never neon in any other than a butcher's attire, of the meanlest description, consisting of a common blue dangaree slhrt, and filthy moleskin trousers, all besmeared with the maraks of his calling; but on gala days this was supplemollete hy a tarnished red sash, such as diggers someltimes wear. WVhen in Sale you assured me that you would, so far as your journal was conceerned, keep neutral in the matter. Relying on this, I ask you, in common fairness, to take notice of this correction, as I believe the good people of Sale are very much biassed by the erroneous paragraphs which recently appeared in the Times; one oel these, copied from the 1sobart Teown Mllercury, purports to give an extract of a letter from a lady in England, representing Sir Itoger to be a finished gentlunan. Now, I believe it is understood by all parties that " Sir Roger is Orton; and Orton, Castro." Their hand. writing, orthographiy and composition are one and the same beyond all doubt. As a corollary to the paragraph referred to, I serewith scnd you a copy, verbatim ef liferuatim, of an entry written by Orton on a fly leaf of olie .f the station novels at Dargo, to which, I hope, you will give pub. licity. I shall now speak of something personal to myself. The other aide, I-am credlily informed, have represented me in Gippsland as not being what I represented myself there. I beg to assore you I amn not a private inquiry man, or detective, or in anyway cdnnected with any police force anywhere my position, should it be that an?,ono cares to now it. is exactly eot forth is dispatches from Earl Carnarvon, late Secretary of State for the colonies, to the Governors of Victoria and New South Wales. received by their Excellencies in March of last year;-I am, dear air, yours faithfully, JOlHN MACKENZIE. COPY REFErRED TO. "This day i have, reeved a letter from I Donald fMacDonald. With tie Seal Broken. i Arthur Orton here make a vow on this Book. Although not a Bible. It bear a crose That has i am a man of Bone Blond and lesh. That i.will find outthe Man if possible. That broke the said Seal. And that i will punish him according to the laws of.-My ountrio,. i Sined AnTllUt OaToN *re- " 11 rh 158."' 'Dar .o [\Ve cannot see that we are in any way open to the charge preferred against us by ir Mackenzio as to insertilg partial" or biassed reports in reference to the Tichborne case, in which that gentleman'is interested. Any paragraphs which have appeared in this journal oil the subject have either been extractafrom other papers era simple history of the enquiries made by lMrMakenzie or tile agent for the opposito slde(Mlr Otto IBrliner), as far as we could learn, inl this district. It Is a matter of the moaot perfect indifference to us which side wins, or whether or not Orton in De Castro or Do Castro is the reloubtablo baronet ; but as any information touching the progress of the case boetains a certain amount of interest for our Oippelad readers, we consider it our duty to supply them with the latest particulars respecting this important suit, whether the intelligence iappens to favour the present occupier, or tihe Australian claimant of the Tichborne estate. -ED. L. 7'.]