THE REAL TICHBORNE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 448, 14 January 1909, Page 4

THE REAL TICHBORNE.

Story of His Fats

From amongst many curious stories and incidents recorded by Mr Henry W. Bucy in “ Sixty Years in the Wilderness ” in the Corn hill Magazine for November, the following may be quoted. It describes the death of the real Roger Tichborue, Mr Ijicy telling us how a Captain Oates, one of the last men to see Tichborne alive, gave him the particulars in the course of a drive from Dover to Duugeness; — “I was at the time,” Captain Oates said, “ in charge of the John Bibby, lying at Rio, waiting for a cargo. The Bella lay alongside, and as her owners and mine were connected in business arrangements, Captain Birkett and I were often together, audj used to talk our affairs over. One day he came to me and said, ‘Oates, there is a young fellow been over to see me about taking a passage in the Bella to New York.” ‘Well,’ I said, ‘you have a berth, aud may as well make a dollar or two for the ship.’ ‘’Xactly,’ said he; ‘but the fact is, the young fellow has got no money ;he says he is well connected, has plenty of rich friends in England, and that a letter of credit is waiting for him in New York. But he has ruu through all his money here, is heavily in debt, and wants to get quietly away.’ ‘ Well’ I said, ‘ that’s another sort of thing, Birkett. Yen know well enough what the passage money to be paid at the other end usually comes to. However, bring the young fellov over to breakfast in the morning, aud we’ll have a look at him.’ So next morning Birkett and the young fellow came over to breaklast with me, and he told his story. It was impossible to be in his company five minutes without knowing that he was of gentleman stock, and after he had gone I said to Birkett, ‘ Bet him have the passage. If he pays it will be all right, and if he don’t it will be only another plate of sole on the table during the voyage, aud the owners need not know anything about it.’ Birkett took my word aud let the young fellow come aboard. The authorities at Rio were very strict at the time, and it was necessary for everyone leaving the city to have a passport. Tichborne, owing money all about, could not, of course, get his passport, and we had to smuggle him aboard. He came off in a boat the night before, aud when the Customhouse officers were within sight next day, for the last look round, we put him in a hole in the cabin floor, underneath the table. The Custom-house officer came aboard, mustered the crew, aud found them alright, ‘Anyone else aboard, Captain Birkett ?’ says he. ‘No,’ says Birkett; ‘but come down in the cabin and take a cup of coffee before you go.’ The officer came down and sat at the table with his feet on the plank that covered young Tichborne. When he had finished his coffee he and I put off. The Bella made sail, aud I never saw or heard anything abouj: the ship till a few days later a bit of stern aud a portion of the poop floated ashore, aud told us she had foundered.”