THE PORTLAND ESTATES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2808, 8 January 1908, Page 19

THE PORTLAND ESTATES.

♦ G. H. DEUCE'S CLAIM. / J. OPENING OF THE VAIH/T. '-THE COFFIN-CONTAINS A BODY. ."- - - *'$*— X CLAIMANT BJTTEBLY DISAP- . -• POINTED. ' ,' LONDON, December 27. ' Mr Thomas H., Tristram, K.C.", Chancellor of the Diocese of London, granted the application 1 of the faculty for opening DruceJs grave in the Highgate Cemetery, but "refused the application that. George Hollamby Druce ox, his solicitor be present-, as " unnecessary-,, because the doctor of the JHome Office- was entirely responsible, for 'the exhumation. - Herbert Druce •wife not opposed"-, to-, the opening of/ thp grave. ~ J '>' , ' l ". . ■ - " December 28.', " ' '-Mr, Statham,^ George Hollamby Druce's counsel, *stated before the Chancellor (Mr Tristram)^that> the opening ot 'the .vault' was --absolutely" immaterial' to the main jsflue-^ in^ Druce's action against Lord - Howard de Walden._ The action did not' turn on the question of. a ' mock burial, ~ but on the fact whether the 'fifth Duke of Portland married Elizabeth Cricfcner, ;and whether the marriage was valid, both being under age. George Hollamby Druce claimed that, he was a descendant of that marriage. - Whether the Duke of Portland ■was subsequently guilty of eccentricities rimd indulged in a mock funeral dio not affect ' the question. George Hollamby Druce and Mt T. K. Cockburn^ hi 6 eolici--, tor, would like to be present at the open-.! ing of the vault, though they would be Tepresented by a medical man and a surveyor. Herbert Druce would be similarly represented. ."Mr Tristram, said he thought George Hollamby Druce's presence unnecessary, . gince he would be represented. j , The Daily Mail- states that the opening | of Druce's grave will take place on Monday.% , '.-•"'.'. - December 30. A. large crowd 'collected at Highgate Cemetery at dawn this morning. A force of{ 200 police guarded/ the vault! and its approaches.-. No spectators (excepting the {ew whose presence .was sanctioned by Sir Th.omas , Tristram,' the Chancellor of the Diocese) 'were admitted. . *" Mr George* Hollamby Druce,' who had been refused admission, protested against 'tis exclusion. _ , The coffin, on- being opeaed,- was found - to contain the body of an aged, bearded man, .and bore a plate engraved, " Thomas Charles - Druce." \ - I December 31. | • After the ooffin had been- brought up it ■was photographed as it lay, including the dust -and. grime. .Two journalists were admitted to view the' shrouded remains the moment the coffin was opened, and thereafter all except the doctors withdrew.

' When the doctors had completed their York the coffin was- resoldefed and returned to the grave. | '- Mr Edmund KiM>er, solicitor for .Mr ; G. .H. Druce, on/-' being interviewed, de-_ xjlared thai the claimant's case /had been' " strengthened, , since -the other -side must; call/somebody to prove that the body was - that of Druce. : Mr'Oaldwell is at Staten Isla»d, but his "condition is so critical that the news >of , #he_ opening of the- grate lias been ■withiheld from him. ;>"'"" ' \ ' - The Daily 1 : Mail says ibhat;the corpse • ,](Pas marvelloTisiy' well .preserved.'. : I ' One person who, knew Druce 1 iptimately • ' legally- iaeitified the.body. The^reserva*jon'was 3 ue to clllO:ride of me and to the absolute exclusion of' air. ■ ■ j '-...'■' January 1. - I ' George Hollamby Druce, in an article which' he, contributes- to" the Daily Express, Rasing it on the,' information supplied to . |iim by the representatives of that journal j tfho witnessed the exhumation, says that ' $he coffin te»* Jound to be airtight. The

jheeks of the.occupant were a little sunken md the nose pinched, but the face dis- > dosed a similarity to that of Druoe's photographs. The skin showed no traces >f disease which it is not denied the Duke of* Portland suffered, from, and from wbioir Druce's father suffered. Druoe says : "I am bitterly disappointed} but I io not believe that the final issue of the civil ■ action is affected by what was disclosed on Monday. I am prepared to adtnit/jthat a man who was known as Druce died and was buried at Highgate. This In nowise admits that the -body ,is that of my grandfather, who was the fifth Duke of Portland." The Standard says that on the eve of the opening of the vault at 1 Highgate. ' shares in the G. H. Druce Company stood a,tjjß6/but they fell smartly yesterday to £2, and- were - afterwards quoted at from nil to £1. - i ." y. - . j r Mr-T Kimber ' Cockburni solicitor f dr., 'Mr h " G-." H. Druoe, clings to the idea of the mock funeral, testified to by Caldwell, and' declares that- he has received 'dozens ot letters' from all parts of the country frompeople who say "that they Keard of the story from their servants. ,v", v " ''""''. '■""'., 4 -. , '' " January .2. • .. Mr ' Cockburn is" dissatisfied witfi the , conduct of the exhumation 'of the 'body. He states- that 'Geoisge Hollamby Druce requested that the, floor of the vault should he opened, believing that it would reveal a ooffin containing lead. Mr Cockburn understands that ' the request was rejected. ' January 4. Eobert Caldwell, who has been reported to" be dying in New Jersey, has signed a deathbed statement reiterating that the vault contains a coffin with lead. . January 5. A conference of the Druce claimant and his solicitors, lasting two and a-half hours, decided to leave the question of the continuance of the prosecution of Herbert ' Druce to the discretion of Mr Atherley Jones, K.C., M.P., solicitor for the prose-, cutor, Mr~Gl H. Druce. At an informal meeting of shareholders in the G." H. Druce Co. (Ltd.) in June last it was stated that the sole question of fact in the law - proceedings would be determined by the truth or otherwise of the allegation made that Thomas Charles Druce^ of the Baker Street Bazaar, was the same person as the late filth Duke of Portland. - The solicitor and counsel advising Mr G. H. Druce .were satisfied that, upop the evidenced which, he had "available, -he could establish a sufficiently strong prima facie case on the question of fact and prow the onus of disproof upon his opponents. The_directoirß had been put into possession of evidence from America of a person -who would be'^able to prove conclusively that the alleged burial of Thomas Charles Druoe 1 was in fact a mock burial, and that the coffin described as containing hie remains did not contain human remains at all, but small strips of lead screwed down and held in position with brass clamps. The person who furnished-* this evidence- was further able, and willing, to depose that the late fifth Duke of Portland was personally well known to him both as duke andl Druee, and that it was at the instance of the late fifth Duke of Portland that he assisted in conducting the mook burial of Druoe. It waa estimated that the cost of the trial would amount to between £4000 and £5000- Mr Thomas K. V. Coburn (barrister and solicitor of -Victoria), who went to England from Australia with Mr Druce for the purpose of" assisting him to prepare his case, made " a long statement as to the present EPsitJon of affairs at the June meeting. He sa-ia that he had Tieen ' occupied five years m getting evidence together, with the result that he was able to say that he honestly believed Mr G. H. Druce was the grandson of the fifth Duke of Portland, and, what was more important, he believed that Mr Druce would be able lo establish the point. As to the exhumation of the coffin supposed to contain the remains .of T. 'C. Dpuce, ho said that if they were successful in getting the" grave opened, and showing" that -the coffin, contained nobody,^ it ,could not -fall to have' an enormous effect on the jury in considering the~ question' of the identity of the fifth Duke "of Portland and T. C. Druce. But it would only .be corroborative evidence after all, and -their' case was sufficiently strong without it. WOLFE'S SCHNAPPS helps the B*ißary organs a»d stomach