The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1903-08-14
Contest for the Estate Of the.
Porttands Develops Strange
sss' Things. 9s
DRucE,s IDENTITY AGAIN
Link ~ Link the Chain 10 Forging 20
S Prove That the Filth Duke Of Port
land and Thomas Charles
Drucs Were the Same.

dents which go tar to prove h q the
nth duke and Thomas Charles bruce
were3one and the same man The story
which Is gradually being pieced to-
N@gether by the claimant of the dukedom
even more strange and tragic
as new features develop.
The latest incidents brought for
ward to establish the claim center
around the affection displayed by the
fifth Duke OF Portland Cat the time
when he was the Marquis Of Itch
Heidi and Lord George Bentinck, his
brother, for one Annie May, member
OF the Berksley family. Miss May had
no claim to any title owing to q de-
cision of the house OF lords, which
n rendered a whole branch Of the family
OF the fifth Earl of Berksley technically
Megitimate.
For generations the Portlands and
most Intimate relations. marrying and
intermarrying. They were near neigh
bors.s
The Marquis Of Tichield's attach
r1ent for the same girl. Annie May,
aroused Intense indignation on the
cause of this is unknown. Assuming
the elder brother and Thomas Charles
bruce to be the same person. the rea-
son would be obvious. It Is probable
that Lord George knew of the former
marriage, and objected to his brother
acting In such a n with a girl
heScould not hope to wed.
I Death of Lord George.
The feeling OF Indignation culmin-
eted one day in Is4s. when the broth
ers seem TO have been together at Well
beck. Lord George was going to stay
with one Of the members Of the Duke
OF Rutland's family, and, after being
engaged with political correspondence
all day, he set out to walk to his hosts
place, about 4 in the afternoon. His
valet preceded him, driving by road
with his uggag Lord George, who
was apparently in the best of health,
walked across the fields.
When some little way from Welbeck he
met his brother, the then Marquis OF
i1Titchtield, accompanied by two friends.
"a terrible quarrel ensued. In which LORD
George struck the maquir again and
s1aga:n with his hands and with q stick.
N He called him the. most opprobrious
names. and, among other things. tainted
him with being q leper.
self-defense, 1t is urged, the marquis
1t last struck Lord George back, hitting
s# HMM the chest. Lord George immedi-
ately staggered and fell, expiring In a
few This was In a meadow on
the Welbeck estate. His body was moi
found till search was made. about seven
hours afterward.
Such Is the outline OF a story which is
yehementIy affirmed and as .vehemently
denied. @
Its significance In the bruce casescan be
seen from the fact that this Ann May
was the woman with whom Thomas
Charles bruce lived for years. and whom
he Ultimately married. on the death Of
Elizabeth Crickmer, grandmother OF the
present claimant, In 1851.
Amazing Parallels Found.
How comes 1t, the present claimant and
Il his supporters ask, that the same mar
Vicious condolences again enter this amaz-
ing story OF Inks and parallels, unless
the fifth duke and Thomas Charles bruce
were the same man? On what other
grounds. they ask. could the woman who
became Thomas Charles Druce's wife be
Il the subject OF such q terrible affair be-
tween the two Portland brothers7
TIL story from the opposition side Is
Mat h marquis was in-London at the
time of his brothers. death; that Lord
Az Georges valet was at once sent to town
20 inform him of the tragic occurrence.
and that atathe inquest held on the body
sTtt$was found that death had resulted from
heart disease.
ToScombatt this version there are several
s~srs.narkable facts. First, there is the abb
sence OK the valet from the inquest. He
would have e the most important witt
ness, as he was one of the last people to
zee his master alive, and it was on his
report that search for Lord George was
made.
Though called for by the coroner, who
atsached great Importance to his evil
dei-se. he was not produced.
a laborers at the inquest named Richard
Evans, In giving evidence, said that he
saw 2 person standing near the spot
I'll where Lord Georges body was found.
\ This person. he thought at the time. was
the marquis OF Titchfeld.
Els son, q Woodman, corroborated this
evidence, and that he also thought the
person he saw was the marquis.
another Woodnans named John Nee,
said that he saw a man standing nearsa
gate In the meadow in which the bodv
H was found. This man he also believed to
~ the marquis Of Titchfeld.
Evidence Of a Quarrel,
medical evidence pointed strongIy
yo9the theory of the quarrel which has
beenSso persistently denied by the family.
One OF the doctors who gave evidence de-
3.clared that there vas ~extravasated blood
under the skin on the chest and right side.
This 10 taken to point strongly to a blow
on the chest.
The verdict Of the Jury was that Lord
george expired OF spasms of the heart.
@During the whole of the proceedings the
greatest possible secrecy was maintained.
and, although Lord George was the leader
Of one Of the great political parties in
the house Of commons, no information
was afforded, when sought, Of the date or
place OF burial.
y Is significant to note that In thes trug-
Gle of the brothers for the possession OF
the woman, the old fourth duke, their
father. was far from taking a neutral
thtude. The whole circumstances seem
y 20 have been well known to him, and he
ts said to have strongly favored Lord
Georges suit, and to have opposed with
Y strength that Of the Marquis Of
Tttchfield
Is other evidence to connect the
marquis and Thomas Charles bruce as
one man, and that man the wooer OF An
ME May. It Is known that when Thomas
Charles Druce was at the bazaar a wom-
m giving the name OF Berkeley was a
frequent visitor, and that she had long
sand stormy interviews with cid Mr.. Druce.
ss After 1854, when Druce married Annie
May, supposed to be the sam person,
these interviews almost entirely ceased.
and, such az there were, were no longer
storny
History of Claimant.
ST. George Hollamby Druce, claimant Of the
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