The Press. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 1908. THE END OF THE DRUCE CASE.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13007, 8 January 1908, Page 6

The Press. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 1908. THE END OF THE DRUCE CASE.

Our cable nows this morning announces that after counsel for the complainant, Mr Hollamby Druce, had withdrawn from tho case, tho charges of perjury brought against Mr Herbert Druoe. of Ilio Baker street Bazaar, was dismissed. At ono time it soemed as if t.ho claim of Mr HoDamby Druce to thA ostites and title of tho Duke of Portlaml might equal in length and complexity tho famous Tichborno case, but tho complete exposure of tho fantastic material on which that claim is based has brought it to what "Tho Times'' terms "a fit and ignominious end. ,. It is tho wildest story that, sc/'Ute , as we are awaro! has ever been pnt forward serionsly in a court of justice. Tho theory on which it rested was that tho fifth Duko of Portland and Mr T. C. Drnce, tho founder of a largo fancy shop in London, known as tho Baker street Bazaar, wore ono and the same person. The Duke, it was alleged, led "ft double Efo"—fwmefebnee ho wne the Dnko of Portland at Welbeck Abbey and sometimes he was the prosperous tradesman calling himself T. C. Hriice, in London. Such an absurd hypothfvsiß has never before been put forward outidde tho realm of comic opera, an I it could never havo been advanoed by any sane person in a serious lawsnit but for the fact—tho ono little piece of fonndation on which this extraordinary case has been built up—that tho fifth Duko of Portland was undoubtedly a. most eccentric person, disappearing for long periods at a time, in the; most extraordinary m-anuer. Moreover, ho shnnned communication with his fellow-beings to such an oxtout that scarcely any direct evidence seems to bo available as to what man-li-ot of poTsoti he really was during a considerable portion of his career. There was ono period of his life when he was tolerably well-known. This was in the. fifteen years from 1820 to 1835 when as Marquis of Titchfield he and his two brothers owned a stud of racehorses with which, racing under the name of "Mr Bowes," they are said to havo made, large profits on the turf. In 1848 ho had a violent quarrel with liis brother, Lord George Bentinek, over a lady, and in 1854 ho succeeded to the Dukedom. It was then ho Ix-gan to Jead a life of elaborate concealment. "Whether in London, or at Welbeek, it i., said that ho was mysteriously coni.caled for days in his private apartments, communicating with his servants only by note. For one of them to meet tho Duke face to face meant instant dismissal, and they avoided his presence as an Australian black avoids his mother-in-law. Immensely wealthy, the Duko spent upwards of a million sterling in constructing underground apartments and passages to facilitate his habits of **ot-lu.si<>n and mystVrioua disappearance*. These works ore the wonder of sightseers at the- present-day. Then* is an underground riding school, in which Mr Chamberlain, in 1904, addressed a meeting of 10.000 persons, ;ni(l there Ls .-in underground ballroom in which the prrwnt l)iik<» of Portland r<-co ntly entertain* , *! the King and Queen of Spain ai;d ouo of tho most brilliant gaiiierings ev<-r wen in xhe prosont roign. Kvery <lay a remarkable j>erformai!<*e w.ns curried on botween WclWck and iho. littli Duke's London- His carr;ag<! loft in the even in R, tightly cloeavl, was placed on «. railway train truck either at Work-

sop or I.onrlr>!i. nnd was ronveyod ihrnunh without inspection as to whether ii «;u empty <>r not. fniK us to <]f.vcribo how thf !•!.•»imanr. Mr Holiainhy Dni'r. tried to inakf tl'O ocoorrrricitio.-; ;iv.<l disappoai-:i;!ff-s of the FiftTi Diiko ..} l'orthiid dnvotni! in nifh tho rcrr'ntriciiK.s nnd i''appMr;inrf!> (at ?!;■• J!;.'V« r r-TC-ei Bazaar) of 1.,. Mr T. C. Dmcc. The iat-ter. it *h -;;d be *"i ]>]flino-!. \\n-i twite n>i"ri' !. ?-Ir Hoiiam'iy Drioc. the el- i< r. i"f. ;- ; >:<• < idesr sou of ilii- r!d" t I.v the fir.,t niarri )l-<-: i';<' <!< i- i"!.mt in :)<<• y riury ca.-o, Mr Hrrl.i.ri Orucr. is .Mr T. V-DriH-r'.- srm liv the second wife. A'- ,- rordini; to onf ."atr-T.r-nt -if tho cri:-'-. Mr T. C Dmk-c vi.-'l in I-, having very con.siderablo pr spcrry to tin- socnn'] i.imiiy. A oeoHi ::.'.; t;« the ontnntion of ;he c-!.ni;n'in*. h"wovor, v. hat actually occurred v. ;i. ih;it ill" Duko of Vortland. anxious to c-'-ipc from th«embarrassments of hi-- d ■tuli!<> existpnr<», arranged n inorji iu::rrn! —tho coffin hoiim fillrd w ir'i I..ml—v. hich v a.s arquir>srod in Ky the second family owiii'4 w the bribe <>t the hi rtre property devnlvinj: by ""ill in the >hape of th" Llakor street J?-jzaar. It >.s really laughnblo to r»-a<l over tire evidrncbrought fnrwa:d in siijijmrt <;; this contention. There was a ";.-'nt!en;an nair.o:] Cfi'clwell, from Amorira. v. h> d< -p!\«r<! that liis services wore jir.vt flight h? the Dii'ko for t!ir> run , ni" a •"bullion* uitb u-liicli bis (iraff v-;>< ;!nift«ml. and aftonxard-; lo carry out ilxbasi , Tiio.cbaiiical details of tv mock funeral. Mr Caldwcll was precise \n his as to tlio rnatorini ot •vhirh tlio coffin was aiul t!ir •vHjrlit of 1lif» lead u>;rd. The value of thi* testimony was weakened hy the •iiisgofrtion in oros.s-ox<imi'.)-n?iou tbat l]o w«s kno\m as ;t ]irof(?sinnal ewcarer of affidavits in Anirrira, nn<\ that, oven the yellow .ionrnals of Now York refused liis stonVs as ioo imaginative for their columns. Then there was that most rorriarkablo witness whom Cliristfbnrch had. tbo liononr, if siK'li it may be termed, of furnishiiiff. Wo refer to the lady with the diary, who appears in the. proceedings as Miss Robinson, but who, as our correspondence columns hare &hown, was known under a elightly different name in Christchurch. According to her story, she was engaged by the Diike as amanuensis, and tho Court- was askej to bellovc that, although Jii.s Grace spent a million or , bo in underground constructions to conceal his movements, yet lie had no hesitation in tolling Miss lt-obinson al! abont th<»m. What tho I>uko him.self did not oommunicato to thi.v lady, it e(ppee.rß, jvas ooniidecl to ho.r, with tho most touching trust in her discretion, hy no ]«=s a person than the late Mr Charlne Dickene, tho novelist. It i.s even said that the* latter was inspired by h ; e knowlrdgo of tfio double life of Dt»k«> Druco to write ''The Mvvtery of Pxlwin Drood." Thero am thoee who profess to mm> striking resemblances between tho two stories. A great point is made of the fact that that both Druco and Drood begin with the same two letters. Hut it has not inaptly Txx?n pointed out that tho samo may be said of another word— " drivel!' . Obviously, tho great thing to do in order to get at the truth of the storywas to oxhume the coffin buried in Highgate Cemetery in 186{, and find out whether it contained the l>ody of tho Latft Mr T. C. Druce, as alleged on the one hand, or a roll of lead, as sworn by Mr Caklwell. A civil action which was brought for an order of exhumation was successfully resisted by Mr Herbert Druee, and the claimant's case at once went up in public estimation l»y leaps and hounds. It must have boon after thus, we fancy, that most of tho money was Kul*cril>od in the company formed to provide funds to carry on tho proceedings. What tho civil uction failed to produro, the present criminal charge, has brought about. Tho coffin wa.s exhumed, and on being opened was found to contain a corpse corresponding in every particular to that of the late Mr T. C. Druco. Although the interment took place tl years ago, his lato partner was able to identify the Ik>lv, and Dr. IVp-iif.r, Exumhior :n Forensic Medicine for the University of Jjondon. tetstl:ot tho cause of deet'h w«i«> in accordance with the medical certificate. Truly, a dramatic ending to a most sensational case! Nothing liko it is to bo found in the whole realm of fiction.