THE TICHBORNE CLAIMANT

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 1907, 21 April 1885, Page 2

THE TICHBORNE CLAIMANT

The following interesting puticulara which have an indirect bearing upon the Tichborne Claimant, have been gathered by one of the staff of the 'South Australian Registor 1 in conversation with a gentleman who sometime since was visiting ■ Singapore. He saya;—"Whp in Singapore a few years ago, 1 to present at a concert given in the Town Hall. At the ond of tho performance referred to I was walking out with a friend of mine (ono who had boen in Singapore for some considerable time), when I saw a man standing up preparing to leave. I exclaimed to my friend; 'Why there is the Claimant.' This remark

waa called forth by the peculiar reaemblanco ra tho man to the likeness of the Claimant, whose photograph 1 had only seen. My friend replied: That is MiGeorge Orton, who is residing in Singapore, and is a timber merchant by<®e.' A short time after this I happened to see a letter written by George Orton, the writing of which corresponded as far formation of letters, appearance, etc., with those fae similes of the Claimant's letters at one time published in the ' illustrated London News.' Then Mwin,' later on, I was told by the medicaTOan; who attended'Orton that he ha\r f heard him say when Tichborne was.referred to as resembling him, and when asked why he did not go Home and give evidence at the trial, ' If he is iny brother he ought to be hanged. If not, what reason is there for my goin? home?' My story does not stop here. When in: London some little time .afterwards I was going round Madame Tussaud's waxworks. I had my catalogue in my hand, but before looking & at it my eye caught a figure in the corner, * and I at once said to myself: ■ 'That must be the .Claimant, from his resemblance to the man at Singapore.'' I thfen glanced at my catalogue, and found tlkt I was correct in the opinion I had formed. 11 ' Respecting the foregoing paragraph', a' liiarine engineer now resident in Port Adelaiwjfos has called at our port office, was much struck with the particulars contained in the paragraph, from his close acquaintance with the individual alluded to. He says he has been sailing for four years from. Singapore as second and chief engineer underCaptainGeorge Orton, who is now in the timber trade at Singapore. Orton was for years in command of a steamer called the Chow Phya, belonging to Singapore, but purchased by a China Company originally from the King of Siam. Our informant says that he lias often seen photographs of the Claimant, and has always been struck with the family likeness of his captain. Ho is also in possession of papers signed by Captain Orton regarding his character? as an engineer. Mrs Orton had often told . him that ]■ t husband's father was a butcher at ping, Captain Orton was very and apparently about sixty-five years old. He used to trade chiefly - between Singapore and Bangkok, and in 1876 had been at Singapore for twenty years. Six yoars ago Orton had a son being educfjM in Edinburgh, and our informant siPPhe called upon him there at that time and handed him a parcel sent by Mrs Orton