ORIGIN OF THE TICHBORNE FRAUD.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3992, 14 October 1881, Page 2

ORIGIN OF THE TICHBORNE FRAUD.

I [New Yobk Hibald.] "/';. 1 Mr William Stapleford, of 1156 Orfor^- * street, Manchester, who aY the time of the Tiohbtrrire estate *eiaim <%as''i»idf" to hare been wanted by the Engliah authori* ties, ia at present paying a, visit, to this, country, and' was seen at 1*43 East Twenty-Fourth street, New York, on Sunday. Mr, Stapleford was iot r m*nj; years a prominent solicitor, and^tbrney " in Sydney, New South Wales,* fend first made the acquaintance* of -Sir- Roger Tichborne in 1854, whett the young man was making a tonr through South America. Tichborne and he sooa became, friends, and after less than a week's acquaintance the former baditpld Staplefdrd all abo*" his home at Tichborne and his family, antlleren confessing that an unfortunate attach* ment for his cousin Laura had been the cause of his tearing for South America* Besides the anformation he (had Jtaried from young Tichborne, not then a baronet, he had received a photograph of him as a •: parting Riff, and they < had arranged to correspond with one another before parting. In the, aumaier.ofvlßs4, Boger, who had been-'travelling ''through the country, returned' to Bio JiUtei&ji'and^ Stapleford receired from him a letter in June to the, effect that he wag going 4apNew York by the Bella. . Soon alter 3ut •he heard that the Bella Aad; bven 'lostat ", ' sea, and of course concededjhis friend,,had been drowned in hen 'In 1856 his ' partner at Syda^^illiam^Gibtes/Wenfr; v r to Europe, and' Stapleford gare h^u\ the /[ portrait of Sir Boger, asking tlni.tOtffee,''; Lady Tichborne in Paris andbreik to her, the news of her-son's deatfc^teMiß^liiniat the same time what he-fc^eV^abo/at'thfl "r r young heir. In 1859, ": -before GrbbeV ;! returned^to Sydney, Stapleford cariie^p-" New York'on* business for one of his clients, and whjHe there receired,ln letter > from Gribbes; stating his, intention of,, settling in' London. This decided him ta ,* gire up the business at Sjdjiey, And '- accordingly he sold it in 1858 and went to Europe. When he arrifpdj at London^ he could not find Gibbes, and Consequently ~ he started ja business for himself >&'' i No 125 Qqeepastreet London, E.C.^ wbero he remained till 1870. In that year he first heard of the discorery of Sir Boger r ' Tiehborne, and wa% rery^mueh pleased afr ' the news. Haring Msu»picion of the matter, howerer,, he^ea^ to 'f*e , the claimant, whom he at^f/in^Bfl in London. When he saw him at first he ttid tfot thibk

he was the real Sir'Ebgdr, butj|f«|r#arda' .1 changed his opinion, and in 1872 he was among the witnesses who identified him.

In 1872 be again saw him while oat on bail at Manchester, where Stapleford had ..,; gone meanwhile to live, and, at a pigeon shooting at the Bellme Gardens, he accused him of fraud, and threatened to expose him. The claimant then informed ' him that be was not Sir Boger Tichbornei, l 'l but Arthur Orton, of Wagga Wagga, and: ' that he bad been induced to personate Tichborne by Stapleford's own partner,'^ Gibbes, of Sydney, who had first ennaefred the fraud.' Taking AdTantaiMr^jof the information giren him by^-Stdpleford, Gibbes had, instead ofj, fttwaing, the t papers to Lady Tjchborne, written to her ' \ that her son was alire aad well at Wagg* Wagga, intending to get money front her..' > '. to send him home.; After a great deal of ;.' correspondence, Lady Tiohborae had seat instructions for her son to go to Sydney, to be identified' by an attorney named 0< Cubbitt there, whom she had employed aj : , her agent. As Gibbes was known b) ' * Cubbitt, he got Orlou into the lohemey

promising him a share of the spoils, and Orton went to Sydney and bought Cubbitt over, who, sending a favourable reply to Ijkdy Tichborne, received a large sum of money from her of which they all received ;a share. At this point Orton and Cubbitfc formed the mad project that Orton should really go to England to personate the young baronet, and although he acknowledged Gibbes was opposed to it as fool hardy, he did go there, and was identified by Lady Tichborne, and in 1870 he sent Gibbes and Cubbitt some more money on receding which they left Sydney. Orton promised Stapleford to give up the estate as soon as the trial was over, but, for fear of being imprisoned for perjury he did not care to withdraw then. To save Gibbes and avoid being mixed up in the matter, Stapleford kept back his evidence, and 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 any one since. Gibbes, is, however, he believes, dead, and he feels no longer any hesitation in giving to the public a true history of the origin of the famous Tiehv borne claim.