DRUCE CASE ECHO.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 89, 15 April 1913, Page 5

DRUCE CASE ECHO.

DEATH OF HERBERT DRUCE. (Received 10.28 a.m.) LONDON, April 14. The death occurred to-day of Mr Herbert Druce, one of the principal witnesses for the Duke of Portland in the famous Druce case. Mr. Herbert Drucc's evidence was one of the chief factors in disposing of the Druce claim to the Portland estates. Mrs. Druce's claim depended entirely on proof being forthcoming that' the fifth Duke of Portland was one and the same person as a Mr. Thomas C. Druce, whom ;she had married. The fifth duke was notoriously an eccentric personage. The ; extraordinary story 'was put forward that, though posing as a bachelor, he married in the name of Mr. T. C. Druce; that, desiring at length to abandon his dual life, he had to resort to the mock burial of T. C. Druce; and that he lived thenceforward as the duke until his death married in 1579. It was admitted that he died in that year, and that his body was interred at Kendal Green. He is alleged to have had two wives as Mr. T. C. Druce. By the first wife, the story goes, he had a son, George, father of George Hollamby Druce, who is now living, and by the second wife -his children were Herbert and Walter Thomas. Tlie late Mrs. Druce was the widow of Walter Thomas. Out of these claims to family connection with the duke bitter strife arose. , Mr. Herbert Druce, who had succeeded to a considerable fortune under his father's will, declared that he actually saw his father's body placed in the coffin and buried. Mr. George. Hollamby Druce disputed this, and set in motion a claim to the inheritance. Mrs. Anna Maria Dniec started proceedings for the purpose of securing revocation of the will under which Mr. Herbert Druce benefited, on the ground that the funeral of T. C. Druce was a spurious one. Months of litigation followed. A summons was taken out by 'Mr. George Hollamby Druce against his uncle, Mr. Herbert Druce, accusing him of committing perjury by stating that he saw his father's body interred at Highgate. The case was stayed in the preliminary proceedings by Mr. Plowden. the stipendiary magistrate before whom it was brought, suggesting that the interests of justice would be best served ■by reopening the grave. To this Mr. Herbert Druce consented, and the coffin was exhumed on December 30th, 1907. Extraordinary precautions were taken to ensure that the exhumation should leave no door open for future dispute.' All the parties interested were represented, as well as the Home Office and Scotland Yard. Police guarded the entrance to the cemetery, the grave was surrounded with a protection of canvas to prevent people outside the railings from seeing what was going on, and a telephone installation was "fitted up so that in the event of unforeseen developments messages might 'be sent and received, without any of the witnesses leaving the cemetery. ' -The outcome was the. issue of an official notice that the coffin was found to* contain human remains, which an unofficial eye-witness described as those of "ah aged, bearded man." Oh the coffinplate was the inscription: "Thomas Charles Druce, Esq. Died 28th Dec, 1864, in his 71st year." This effectually settled the Druce pretentions to the dukedom, and the winding-up of a company which had been formed to prosecute the claim of Mr. George 'Hollamby Druce to the. estates was the last: incident made public in-vfcho-.__4tst». _ _ 7- 71