Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-11-09
All the Elements Of a Sensational
Novel.
LIFE OF THE FIFTH PORTLAND
Tales Of Subterranean Tunnels, Dis
guises and a Dual Per-
sonality.


bruce suit.
he engineered a mock funeral for Thomas
Charles bruce, petty tradesman. that
the latter. who was really. Caldwell as
serts, the fifth Duke OF Portland, might
disappear as bruce and became q duke
again.
The dukes descendants are striving des-
perately to punch holes in George Hol-
lamby Druce's story that he is de-
scendant of Portland bruce and entitled
to $500. 900 900 estate inherited by De
Walden from the duke.
One of the things the detectives hope
to disprove Ia Ca'dveIls claim that he
treated the late kaiser for the throat
trouble which subss I'!.ntly caused his
death. If they san snow th:c assertion
to be untrue they believe 1t Will cast dis
credit on the Americans story tGat he
met PortlandDr,tce many times while
curing him of an enlargement Of the Lose.
Yesterdays Proceedings.
The chief feature of yesterdays proceed
ings was the remarkable evidence of Rob-
ert Caldwell Of Staten Island. Richmond.
N. Y. who gave testimony Of mock
funeral and who was questioned to his
Offering to sell stories of the IT! Stew
art and the bruce cases to the New
York Herald.
Richard Caldwell who is seventy-one
years old. testified that in his earlier days
he suffered from a disfigurng disease and
was cured by Capt. Joyce in Ireland. He
said he afterward was introduced by Sir
Morell Mackenzie to the fifth Duke OF
Portland. and when the latter was found
to DO suffering from a similar disease he
offered to treat him. The offer was &C
copied and he visited the duke at Wei
beck He effected a cure within sixty
days and then became on intimate terms
with the duke. whom he afterward knew
as Thomas Charles bruce. He received
$500 and presents for the cure. and alto
gether received something like 10000 be-
fore parting with him.
At the Baker street bazaar the duke
introduced him to his wife, and two boys
were introduced to him as their sons. At
the dukes request he said he employed
a carpenter to make a box shaped like
coffin and bought about two hundred
pounds of sheet lead which he put In the
box.
Some Corroborative Evidence.
One of the strangest features of this
case is that in the middle OF June. 1905.
workmen who were tearing down Har-
court House, in Cavendish Square. Lon
don, previously one Of the residences o.
the Duke of Portland. discovered an un-
derground passage leading from the house
to the Baker street structure, In which
the famous bazaar had previously been.
and which was conducted by Thomas
Charles DF,ice. The claimant declares
that the duke while living his double life,
used the underground passage referred
to for the purpose Of getting from har-
court House to the place Of business OF
"Druee."
The suit of the claimant Ia being pressed
by a limited liability company formed for
the purpose. The directors are given as
the claimant himself and George and John
Crickmer. A Mrs. Margaret Hamilton has
testified that she knew the f-th duke
both as Mr.. bruce and as the Duke OF
Portland. and that she was aware OF the
fact that he had married ElixabethCrlek-
mer. the grandmother Of the present
claimant.
The income from the Duke Of Port
lands estate Is estimated at not less than
81, 10000 @ year, and It was on this
basis that the shares Of the limited la
bility company were placed on the mar
ket. Ten thousand ordinary shares were
issued at IS each, and 1000 deferred
shares at Is cents EACH
History Of Caldwell.
NEW YORK, November 9.-There was
little surprise among those who have
come in contact with Robert Caldwell of
St. George, Staten Island. when 1t was
announced by cable from London that he
was there as q witness for the claimants
in the suit Of the bruce heirs involving
the estates OF the Duke Of Portland. Mr..
Caldwell. who has been termed 1.-THE
great American afidavit maker" sue
ceeded several months ago in getting the
story of his alleged acquaintance with
the late Duke of Portland and his knowl
edge of the identity of the duke with
Thomas Charles bruce printed in Ameri-
can newspapers.
Mr.. Caldwell testified yesterday that he
had never made but two affldavits in his
life-One In the bruce case and the other
in relation to the estate Of A. T. Stewart
Mr.. Caldwell could not very well deny
that he had made at least one affidavit in
the Stewart case, because q certified copy
Of one such paper is in the possession of
the lawyers representing the present hold
er of the title and estates of the Duke of
Portland. When Mr.. Caldwell testified
ihat he had offered to sell that affidavit
to a New York newspaper for 500 how
ever there naturally arose some con-
fusion of ideas, because the affidavit
which\pe tried to get New York paper
to buy differed in many material aspects
from that which the London lawyers have
a copy of. although 1t, too, related to A
T. Stewart and an alleged attempt to de-
fraud his estate.
Stewart Affidavit.
( In Mr.. Caldwelrs Stewart affldavit-the
one which the New York Herald did not
buy-he took up the story of his life from
the time when, after engineering the fic-
titious burial Of the fictitious" Thomas
Charles bruce and thereby relieving his