ORIGIN OF THE TICHBORNE FRAUD.

Kumara Times, Issue 1632, 20 December 1881, Page 2

ORIGIN OF THE TICHBORNE FRAUD.

[ifEIT YORK HERALC.]

Mi* William Stapleford, of 15G Oxford stnvt, Manchester, who at the time of the' Tichborne estate claim was said td haYe been wanted by the English authorities, is at present paying a visit td this country, and was sfe'en at 143$ East Twenty-fourth street, New York; on Sunday; Mr Stapleford was fdr many yeais a prominent solicitor and attorney in Sydney, New South Wales* and first made the acquaintance of Sir Roger Tichborne in 1854, when that young man was making a tour through South America; Tichborne' and he soon became friends, and after less than a week’s acquaintance the fonder had told Stapleford all about his home at Tichborne and his family, and even confessing that an unfortunate attachment for his cousin Laura had heed the cause of his leaving for South America. Besides the information be bad learned from young Tichborne, not then baronet,he had received a photograph of him as a parting gift, and they had arranged to correspond with one another before' parting. In the summer of 1854 Roger* who had returned to Rio de Janeiro, and Stapleford received a letter from him in June to the effect that he was going to New York by the Bella. Soon after that he heard that the Bella had been lost at sea,- and of course concluded his friend was drowned in her.In 185fi bis partner in Sydney, William Gibbs,- went to Europe,- and Stapleford gave him the portrait of Sir Roger* asking him to see Lady Tichborne in Paris, and bivak to her the news of her son’s death, felling him at the same time what he knew of the young heir.In 1858, before Gibbs returned to Sydney, Stapleton came to New York on business for a client, and while there’ received a letter from Gibbs, stating his intention of settling in London. This decided him to give up the business in Sydney, and accordingly be sold it in 1859, and went to Europe, When he arrived at London he could not find Gibbs, and consequently he started in business for himself at No. 125, Queen street, London, E.C., where be remained till 1870. In that year he first heard of the discovery of Sir Roger Tichborne, and was very much pleased at the news. Having a suspicion of the matter, however, he went to see the claimant, whom he saw in 1871 in London. When he saw him at first ho did not think ha was the real Sir Roger,but afterwards changed his opinion, and in 1872 he was amongst the witnesses who identified him. In 1872 he again saw him while out on bail at Manchester, where Stapleford had gone

foeanwhile to live, and, at a pigeon shooting at the Bellvue Gardens, accused him of fiand, and threatened to expose him. The claimant then informed him that he was not Sir Roger Tichborne, but Arthur Orton of Wagga Waggd, and that he had been induced to personate Tichborne by Staplcford’s bwn partner, Gibbs, of Sydney, who bad first conceived the fraud. Taking advantage of the information given him by Stapleford, Gibbs had, instead of Returning the papers to Lady Tichborne, written to her that her son was alive and well at Wagga Wagga, intending to get money from her to send bim home. After a great deal of correspondence, Lady Tichborne sent instructions for her son to go to Sydney, to be identified by a man named Cubbitt there, whom she had employed as her agent. As Gibbs was known to Cubbitt, he got Orton into the scheme, promising him a share of the Spoils, and Orton went to Sydney hnd bought Cubbitt over, who, sending a favorable reply to Lady Tichborne, received a large sura of money from ber, of which they all received a fchare. At this point Orton and Cubbitt formed the mad project that Orton Should really go to England and personate the young baronet, and, although he acknowledged Gibbs was opposed to it as foolhardy, he did go there, and was identified by Lady Tichborne, and in 1870 he sent Gibbs and Cubbitt some tnore money, on receiving which they left Sydney. Orton promised Stapleford to give up the estates as soon as the trial was over, but, for fear of being imprisoned for perjury, he did not care to withdraw then. To save Gibbs and avoid being mixed up in the matter, Stapleford kept hack his evidence when the fraud Was discovered and Orton Sentenced. He did not think it necessary to inculpate his partner, and has never, therefore, mentioned the matter to anyone since. Gibbs, however, he believes dead, hnd he feels no longer any hesitation in giving to the public a true history of the origin of the famous Tichborne claim.