The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-11-26
THE FAMOUS DRUcE CASE
History OF Remarkable Trial Now Co
Ing on I'm England.
CNew york Tribune

The bruce claim nrst came into the
English courts in 1898. when Mrs
Anna Maria Druce. widow ~ George
bruce and mother or George HaIlau-
by Druee. made suniry un-ucccssful
attempts To nave the coffin of her
father-in-iaw openeu. alleging that Il
would be found II contain only lead
George Holiamby Druce WAS AZ that
time in Australia. employed x was
said. as 4 domestic servant In ar In
terview printed in March. 1895. Mrs
bruce stated
The marriage on October 90. 1881,
ut New Windsor. Berkshire. between
my late husbands father and his sec
ond wife. in which the names were re-
corded as Thomas Charles Drucc and
Annie MAY. was ia reality SIS the
Marquis Of TltchheId. a~ftervard the
fifth Duke Of Portland. ana the lille
ultimate daughter of the fifth Earl Of
Berkeley"
It was over his Annie Ma Berke-
lev that thevlate Duke. while Marquis
OF T~itchfeld. Guarrcled with his BROTH
er Lord George Bentinck- the latter
diving suddenly soon afterward At
Welbeck Abbes. bruce is said 10 have
Iived with her for years and then 10
have married her on the death OF his
frs wife. Elizabeth CriCkmey. the
grandmother Of the present claimant
A curious feature OF the case was
the discovery, last yea". by workmen
who We're demolishing Harcourt
House. the C~avendish Suuare dwelling
of the Duke Of Portland, OF a subter-
ranean passage leadin- therefrOm -
the building on Baker street formerly
occupied by Druco's Bazaar. The
claimant says that the Duke. Willie
living his double life, used this un-
- a.Ear .,T.
House as the Duke OF Portland and
arriving at Baker street as bruce, and
vice versa.
The suit Of the claimant is being
pressed by a limited liability company
formed for the purpose The directors
are given as the claimant himself and
George and Johr Crickmer. a Mrs.
MARGARET Hamilton has testified that
she knew the fifth Duke both as Mr..
bruce and as the Duke of Portland.
and that she was aware Of the fact
that he had married Elizabeth Crick-
ner. the grandmother of the present
claimant.
George bruce says he was horn in
1871 n went to Australia in 1868.
returning to England four years later.
After this. he adds. facts w came
into his possession showed that the
Duke Of Portland owned the bazaar
referred to in the case and he decided
to claim the estate. an for that pur-
pose formed the limited liability com
pany.
The original action IN the case was
brought to eject Lord Howard de Wal
den from the London property which
his father inherited from the NTH
Duke of Portland through the sup
posed failure of the erect line. The
contention has been that If this suit
was successful the establishing Of the
claimants title to ia" other estates
held by the Duke Of Portland would
follow as a natural sequence within
a comparatively short time.
1t has been admitted that an ex-
humation order would finally settle
the point whether bruce really died
and was buried. such an order was
granted by the consistory of the court
If st. Paul's in 1895 upon the appIica-
ton OF Mrs Anna Maria Druce. but
in 1899 the Queens Bench division Of
the High Court of Justice granted a
rule to prohibit the order from being
carried into effect without the sane
ton Of the Home Secretary. who
thereupon denied the application.
The income from the Duke Of Port
l1nd's estates il estimated at not less
tnan ~$1.50G.000 q year and it was on
this basis that tho shares Of the linn
tied liability company were placed on
the market. Ten thousand ordinary
''' - az 80 'itll tIl(i
10000 deferred shares were issued at
. cent each
CaldwelIas affidavit. which was
sworn before frederick X. seward. Of
New York county, on April Is, 1907.
was published in fun III tae New York
Times IN June -. 1t was quickly
pointed out at the time that in 1855.
when Caldwell sWo"e. according to
that affidavit, TIA he consulted Ger
tain eminent surgeon;, including Sir
Norel Mackenzie, in regard to the
huihous condition Of Druce's nose. Sir
NcrCll was only Is years old and n
boy at school. and was not graduated
from the Uriver. ity OF london until
SIX Gears later.
very proudly. ard were there introduce
Cd 10 her husband. ard spent an hour
Very pleasant ON tleir ~leaVinq She
gave c"ol an irEit@tion to visit her at
her hose ct GoEnac after December
18th. Ihey babe Der good night. again
seeing fer at the station at one O'Clock
the next everin@. where they assisted
her into the pullman car.
At the concert she sang in four dir
fercnt laneCarcs-Jtaiina. French.
German and English-and from the
nest celebrated onerae in the world.
This. the worlfs most gracious and
gifted singer. did EIt fail 10 recognize
the little things" (the foWers). One
Of the Young men was GiImer Korne~.
j. Of hfrrcrsvil!e who Is a direct de-
of German