s. On the Orton question, nearly
fifty witnesses declared their conviction that the defendant sitting
then before them was the butcher's son whom they had known in Wapping.
The witnesses from Australia and from South America unhesitatingly
identified the defendant with Orton; but it is more important to
observe, that their testimony was supported by records and documents
of various kinds, including the ledgers of Mr. Foster of Boisdale,
letters under the defendant's own hand, and writings which it could
not be denied were from the hand of Arthur Orton.

On the other side, the witnesses were still more numerous. They
included a great number of persons from Wapping, who swore they did
not recognise in the defendant the lad whom they had known as Arthur
Orton. Many others swore they had known both Orton and the defendant
in Australia, and that they were different persons, but their stories
were irreconcilable with each other, and were moreover in direct
conflict with the statements of the Claimant on oath, while several of
these witnesses were persons of proved bad character, and unworthy of
belief. Great numbers of Carabineers declared that the defendant was
exactly like their old officer; but while ten officers of that
regiment appeared for the prosecution, and positively affirmed that
the defendant was not Roger Tichborne, only two officers gave
testimony on the other side; and even these admitted that they had
doubts. Eight years had elapsed since Mr. Gibbes fancied he had
discovered Sir Roger at Wagga-Wagga, but still no Arthur Orton was
forthcoming; nor did the sisters of Orton venture to come forward on
behalf of the man who had been compelled to admit having taken them
into his pay. Not only was the Claimant's story of his wreck and
rescue shown to be absurd and impossible, but it was unsupported by
any evidence, except vague recollections of witnesses having seen an
"Osprey" and some shipwrecked sailors at Melbourne in July, 1854; and
it was admitted that if their tale were true the phantom vessel and
the fact of its picking up nine precious lives must have escaped the
notice of Lloyd's agents, of custom-house officers, and of the
Australian newspapers. More, the Claimant's "Osprey" must have escaped
the notice of such authorities in every port which she had entered
from the day that she was launched. So, indeed, the matter stood until
the witness Luie, the "pretended steward of the 'Osprey'" swore to his
strange