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Demonstration by "The Claimant."
CREATED/PUBLISHED
London, England: Times?, December 11, 1872
NOTES
Meeting organised by the Tichborne Claimant to raise funds for his defence.The Tichborne case occupied the courts for almost two years commencing in May 1871 when it was brought before the Court of Common Pleas. The case involved the long-lost heir to a baronetcy and estates worth £24,000. The plaintiff claimed to be Sir Roger Tichborne (b. 1829), eldest son of Sir James Doughty Tichborne, who sailed to South America in 1852 arriving at Valparaiso in 1853. In April 1854 he set sail back to England, but the ship was wrecked and the crew and passengers were not heard of again, presumed drowned. The Tichborne estates had been passed to Franklin Lushington, tenant of the trustees of the infant Alfred Joseph Tichborne, the succeeding heir, and nephew of Sir Roger. For thirteen years, nothing was heard of Sir Roger Tichborne. The claimant said that he was picked up with eight of the crew and taken to Melbourne, Australia, where he resided in the interior under an assumed name. Sir Roger's mother, Dowager Lady Tichborne, was unable to believe that her son was dead and advertised for his discovery. An attorney in Wagga Wagga, Australia, wrote to her saying that her son was alive and well. The claimant then sailed for England where the Dowager is said to have recognised him as her son, but her death soon after deprived the court of an opportunity to cross-examine her. The claimant then sued Franklin Lushington to recover possession of the estates. Dr. Kenealy, for the defence of the claimant, concluded his opening speech in August 1873, having spoken for twenty-one days, and the evidence for the defence concluded on October 27, 1873, the 124th day of the trial, with Kenealy's summary lasting another twenty-four days. Mr. Hawkins, for the prosecution, began his address in January 1874. The judge's summing up began on January 29. The trial lasted for 188 days. The jury took half an hour to consider its unanimous verdict against the claimant, and on February 28 the judge, Lord Chief Justice Bovill, sentenced the claimant to fourteen years' penal servitude and he was sent to Newgate Prison. The case commanded great public interest and was the subject of much discussion in the Press.
SUBJECT
Newspapers
Times (London, England)
MEDIUM
Newspaper clipping
LANGUAGE
English
PART OF
Lewis Carroll Scrapbook at the Library of Congress, page 60
REPOSITORY
Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Washington, D.C. 20540
DIGITAL ID
lchtml 006002
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.rbc/lchtml.006002
RELATED ITEMS
(View item in context of scrapbook; Lewis Carroll Scrapbook, page 60.)
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