The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-05-29
IT SURPASSES ROMANCE
Story of the Life Of Edwin Churchill
Druce, Heir to Million.
WAS KIDNAPPED WHEN A CHILD
Is Now Forty Years of Age, and for Past
Five Years Resided on the West
Sidc-Hc Is Now in England to
Assert His Rights.

Full of romance and exciting incl
dents as strange as any related in works
of fiction Is the story of the life of
Edwin Druce. who Is now In England
seeking to establish his right to an
estate valued at $1.OO0,000, which was
the home of his ancestors for gener
ations. His father was Baron Churchill
of Lancashire, England, now deceased.
For some time prior to March 10 of this
year Druce boarded with George Hicks,
of 327 Twenty-second street. this city.
The influences that affected the life
of Edwin Druce and robbed him OF the
home he was entitled to, began to oper-
ate fOrty-eight years ago, almost de-
cade before Edwin saw the light of day.
In 1S47 the Baron Churchill learned that
two young men who resided near his
estate, Thomas Druce and companion
named HILL had been stealing blooded
cattle from him. 1t was variety OF
which the baron was particularly
proud, and he had the young men con-
victed and transported to Australia,
Druce for twelve, and Hill for twenty
years. a.
Revenge was the only ,,5ing that Tom
Druce dreamed of night and day during
his banishment In the antipodes. and
when at the end of ten years he re-
turned to his native village of Mosley,
he learned with qualification that the
Baron had married and was the father
of a bright boy two years of age. The
eX-convict determined to strike at the
father through the child
Edwin Is kidnapped.
Tom persuaded two women to assist
him and one day while the heir
apparent was playing in his fathers
park the women spirited him away and
gave him to Druce who hid the young
ster in the Druce house until the great
hue and cry raised over the disap-
pearance of the child had in measure,
subsided. Then young Churchill was
taken to the home of James Druce,
Toms brother, some distance away in
the village of Troy. and was thereafter
known as Edwin Druce, son of James
Druce, and was raised i'm the same
manner as the other children of the
neighborhood, but little attention be-
ing paid to his education.
Baron Churchill and his wife were
unremitting for two years in their
efforts to find their child. but failure to
discover any clue of him finally in
duced them to consider him dead, and
soon after the heartbroken mother died.
Later the Baron married again.
AS young Edwin grew up his foster
father would, at times, lead him to
point where he could see the Churchill
estate, and say that is your place"
but the boy was at that time unal to
understand what was meant by< .hese
remarks, and imagined that his sup
posed father was suffering from a de-
fusion of some kind.
Hard Life of the Heir,
Before Edwin had reached the age of
10 he was consigned to labor in the
mills by James Druce, who at times
treated him with great severity. In
hard labor and little pleasure the years
passed until Edwin reached his ma
jority, when James Druce told Edwin
that he wanted him to marry one of the
two girls he had always looked upon as
his sister. Without explaining that
they were not of the same blood he
simply put forth the edict that the
young people should marry. Just at
this time letter arrived for Edwin
which contained information as to his
birth, sent by some one acquainted with
the facts who desired to see justice done
to the young man.
This letter was Intercepted by James
Druce and its contents became practice
ally a sealed book to Edwin, although
the girl the father had designed him to
marry ascertained that 1t contained
facts concerning her adopted brothers
birth, and acquainted him with the in
formation in her possession. Then
came terrible scene; Edwin demanded
to know the names of his parents and
who he was, James Druce, notWith-
standing the overtures of marriage, de-
claring with energy that the boy was
his son.
Edwin Leaves the Druccs.
But the suspicious that for several
years had been forming in the young
mans breast that he was not the son of
James Druce, now obtained full possess
sion of him, and he left the Druce home
stead and, obtaining employment as q
mail carrier, soon after married. A
great sorrow came to him before long,
and for time he bowed under its
weight, but ultimately he chose another
mate, who died in giving birth to his
daughter, who is now seven years of age
and resides with her grandparents in
England.
After his second afiiiction Edwin came
to this country and proceeded to Can
ada. After a short residence there he
moved to this city about five years ago.
and made his home on the West Side.
where he remained until March 10 last,
when he started for England. Edwin
had been in Scranton but a compara-
lively short space of time when James
Druce put in an appearance here His
wife was dead, his daughters married.
and he seems to have made up his mind
to keep his eye on his adopted son. be-
!ieving there was money to be made
out of his knowledge of the antecedents
of his ward. A truce was patched up
and Edwin and the man he once
thought his father dwelt together
under the same roof near the west
mountain.
Old Man Wanted Money.
Edwin alleges that his adopted
father, during their residence together
several times made suggestions to the
effect that he would tell him all about
his identity and parents for q consid-
Grafton, but Edwin, not then Knowing
what such information was worth to
him, ignored the proposition, having
neither the money nor the disposition
to pay anything to the old man, Two
years ago James Druce became very
i'll, so Ill in fact that he feared his
earthly pilgrimage was nearing an end
He called Edwin to the bedside and be-
gan to disclose the secret he was pos
sessed of, but after telling his attentive
listener that he had been stolen when
a youth and giving a partial description
of the estate that his father owned in
England and the family coat of arms
the speaker suddenly stopped, seized
by some new idea.
Nothing could induce him to continue
and presently he recovered Never
afterward was he heard to refer to the
secret he had locked in his bosom.
Some time prior to this episode Edwin
formed the acquaintance of George
Hicks, then resident of the Back
Road, who took a deep interest in his
case. Hicks moved to 1927 Twenty
second street and Edwin became a
Ii.