The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-09-24
Attempt to Wrest / From I u 4,
# Duke Of Portland His lis
Titles and Estates.
THE CLAIM MADE .sa'5l
BY GEORGE DRUCEI
Asserts That the Fifth Duke Of
Portland and His Father. nj
Thomas Charles Druce, Ess4 IS
Il Are One and the s.IsS MI. ~
SameThcir i3s(s3
Habits. Il

Especial Cable to Tho Timea. Dispatch and
New York Herad) 3isssSi ssSsS M
Copyright, by tho New York Herald Col s$Ss
LONDON, September 2S--Very deter-s8@ \
mined will be the, attack to pc m sfda# NJ
soon to wrest from the Duke OF Portland
his title ana vast estates So strong -
considered the case of the claimant Mr,ss
George Holamby Druce that q Il llinSiedg 4 !
liability company wthaa capital OF a l,o'sSI /, \
pounds 5,CQo), has been registered ia,, ats
Somerset House under the title u u. x
%Druce Limited @ NJ Z AZ 5i n. ss{3
Mr. Drlce,Slt may be remem bered, came
to England from Australia on May ~ ~
1908. 81 From that time he has been busy 4.
with his solicitor. gathering every possi-5
Bile shred OF evidence that bears on the 4
famous claim. Il 1t Is stated that eVery-AB
thing Sin order forth f@eopehaiLns& @ en- y
of legal proceedings In support X OF OF u ~ !:
claimants contention. 5 n s8Fs8
Claims of Druce. %Ss
Is Mr.. Druc c's cuse is now, brte fly,ssF H.! 2 ss
follows. Il 4 Is III 4 fact that the II resent
scendctl from the third son Of H the third \
duke, while Mr.. Druce clnims that he Eis
directly descended from the first son
OF the third duke and Is, in fact "A, 2 Il
\ grandson Of the fifth duke. who was sup;
Il posed at tho time to have died N unlnaTiI$8
sried and without: issue, whereas he he had q
married under5the name OF Druce..s ,s8ss
This Is what the claimant hns to provs.N
{but he and his solicitor, who have slust8
left for the Continent to rest after hoirj
labors express themselves as quite con-;
Ffdent OF success. HI n. H
During two San1 a half years that NJ
sDruce and Ills solicitor have been N TINS l
country they have investig tigated a great
$nnlount8of evidence of the strang ge 5para4-: a,:
&iels Of habits and eccen tricitle & IN & M ths
Efirth sS Duk ey8g b f3 Portland # and Thomas
Charles Druce, IllIdert which! name he Isl
alleged TO have married the mo ther iot
the clairnan have been sdlscovered &C orll-S
pared and collated. III sBs ..f
E.5 Both were u OF 9 the same hei ght tAai ana
build and both loved to- burrows in sulla A
5derground passages elbeck ABB icy, the
Portland seats, bei1s ~ erally money =! &.
combrd with subterranean works l3othi
had strong objections to wine and to-t
bacco Their portraits show remarka--ss
fble resemblances. Both had the eccensSl
Itrlc mania Of constantly changing thss
position OF things around them.
Dual Existences.
The story OF the life Of each alleged
scpara to personality fits into&the gaps In
the history tof the other. The fifth Duke.
4 OF Portland Is found to appear IN pubic
life when Thomas Druce is missing When
$Druce reuppenrs there Is no trace Sof the ne
Duke. AZ 4; II 81 y. 9& rs II ..ss3 3HsF
Mystery In the dukedom claim has CEN enl;$
tered round II vault In fIighgate Gene
terry, in which Thomas Druce is said Is tos
&laye been buried Acc,ldlng to the
claimants theory, the alleged burial u.l IsSofs
sDruce on December n, 1864, was an inl-sa 4
posture, an empty coffin being interred,8
tl,,,ttU ~ nS
seen ana recognized by many persons
after this date. some Of these persons
arc still alive, The death Of the fifth
Duke Of Portland did not occur TIL 1874.