"MISS" ROBINSON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13725, 15 April 1908, Page 7

"MISS" ROBINSON.

LIFE IN GfiCBISTCHUBGH. THE MYSTERIOUS BOARDER. MANUFACTURE OF THE DIARY. [by telegraph.-—owx correspondent.] CHRiSTCJ,omCH, Tuesday. A hOSO account of the career in Christchurch and New Brighton of Mrs- Robinson, who has of late obtained such notoriety in connection with the Druce case, is published by the Press this morning. Much of the story is a repetition of well-known facts, hut some v it is new. It seems that after leaving New Brighton Mrs. Robinson went to live in Sydenham about November, 1906. An old man, who received correspondence, in one instance at feast, under the name of Caldwell, boarded at this house. During this time the lights in the house were burning regularly until about three a.m. and four a.m., and for a time the place was under police surveillance, but nothing was discovered to justify any action being taken. After the man id been there some weeks it became own that Mrs. Robinson was going Home 'in connection with the Druce ease, and later events gave rise to the suspicion that the diary had been manufactured during the night and early morning vigils with the mysterious boarder. Photograph* <>! Caldwell which appeared in Home papers were shown to neighbours, some of whom identified him without hesitation as the boarder. It may be stated, however, that though Caldwell admitted having been in New Zealand, a careful examination of steamer passenger list* failed to give any indication that he came to Christchurch' about this time. It may be considered remarkable that, although Mrs. Robinson was constantly talking about her long acquaintance with the Duke, she never once produced the diary, or hinted that she had it in her possession. The alleged diary contained longextracts horn the works of Shakespere and other poets, but, of course, the main entries was designed to show that the old Duke of Portland and Druce, of the Bakerstreet Bazaar, were one and the same person, aid also purported to relate the steps taken by which this dual personality was get rid of. It has been ascertained that Mrs. Robinson received £250 from England, forwarded by the parties concerned in the Druce case. She and her daughter Maud left Lyttelton in the Rotomahana, and it appears that at a later stage some mention was made of the diary having been lost on that voyage. On arrival at Wellington the parties slapped in the Rimutaka, Mrs. Robinson posing as "Miss Robinson," and Maud, taking the name of " Maud O'Neill," rilling the position of companion to the elder woman. It was during this voyage . that Mrs. Robinson made one of the prime mistakes which ultimately led to her undoing. She made a complaint to Captain Greenstreet that her diary and some original letters from ,Charles Dickens had been stolen. To her dismay, perhaps, the captain did not regard the matter as a trivial one, and the search for the missing documents created much more stir and interest than Mrs. Robinson had bargained for. Not sufficiently deterred by this experience, Mrs. Robinson " lost" the diary a third time, and gave a sensational story of an alleged conspiracy, the chief actors being an ex-Can-terbury College 'student, another Christchurch gentleman, and a detective, all acting under the direction of the Duke of Portland, to rob her of the proofs of her assertions. Mrs. Robinson and her daughter gave statements to the Scotland Yard authorities, and as a result they were traced to New Zealand, and various people in Christ church were interviewed.