THE DRUCE CASE.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12972, 27 November 1907, Page 7

THE DRUCE CASE.

'v. -THE MAIN WITNESS. 'v'V : -H^||| - ■ a-FOBM«ailiiEsira^^ • oimisTouuitcH.■.;. .., ■:'^Jll: During the course of the mjiterloui j Druce oaae an important witness, /who had been specially brought from ...New , :4?ss Zealand to giro evidence, we*. : inenvf tioned as having come from ; church, where ehe resided for -io&*;. ■-&,;£& thno. Thk wa* a lady who in til* ; - cable meaeagos is called Miss Robineon,; • ■■..■-;.; but who was known here a* Mr*, W* v ;. A.* Robinson. The lady aew while* here had * daughter of some twenty sunnmere living with her. Mn» Roih ;-: ; >i.;,fti inson ia described as a lady of,"?" 1 ; l;l| fifty-fiTe to eixty, exceedingly ©WJitaWe in manner, who by some people waa ■ ~....yf>,*T2, considered rather eccentric. From «n« ; quiries made it appears that in May, , v fv 1903, eho was keeping a boarding- • ■'■;. •;;$ house in Montreal street. In September of that year Mr* Robineon movea if to J*m<« street, New Brighton, :.j and in February, 1900, a &**<»* ; : ; \r place in the house there, by which it ; ; . was totally destroyed. The furniture ./,;;#£s of the houao wa» described aa boine of a kiud not ablo to -be bought.acre, being evidently very old, and ther* were also a musrtber of ourioe. Among - these latter wae an antique brum, which Mre Robineon stated:wa* .■::>.■ ; -i>;; ; .:* obtained from a oatlicdral in to»W« There waa ako a very valuable and;***,';;/ ?;<>:?; tensive collection of old Derby chuie. With regard to the candelabruan, china end ourioe, two conflictinget*** , i ;.*•; ■:%£% ments are attributed to Mre Ro\*n- \ eon. On© of thceo weei.-. ; t««* they wore given to her by her .;;'•: eon, who was an engineer on foroigu-going etcouver, and who had* v" :; ;&|$ taste for picking up curioe, etc, at ■• ; s £ i ;f ; &jg» the various foreign port* visited bjr .V■? V*M him. Another version told by Ut9 i : -; \itfss Robinson was that her hueiiand had boon butler in the service of, a mau's family, and that when they :\*&«£&m to take a uublio bouse, the «urioa. >;>,fsm& ohina and ola furniture werepreeented ; to him. Thk was shortly before Mr* Robineon and her daughter leftfor .' : :-rhlwM Jfaw Zealand. It ia interesting : .: note that at the time of -the ' : fo&f/%&sm when, as has been stated, •veryroMe in the homo was totally dettroyedi; there waa no reference to the diary which' Mm lU>bi»aon teatified in the Court at Home ■ After, the-'fire Mrs Robineon-. eaA'bve ; daughter lived in lodging* for :*om»;|: : litUe time. -In April,. 19tW,.the3r. ;;, a house in Falsgrave atreet. they resided till February, -1907 t they left for England In order ■ that Mra Robineon'* tional caie involving tW DuMo<n-'of ; Portland wight be'taieav-.-, ,•.;.■■;■ ;V-^'-f';i;%^^^^