Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-01-06
DRUCE COLLAPSE
Perjury Charge Against Her.
bert Is, Dismissed.
JUDGE COMPLIMENTS HIM
Said That the Civil Suit Will Be
Continued.
AFTER THE PORTLAND ESTATE
Company That Is Prosecuting the
Claim Still Wants the Money.
Public Has Lost Interest,

LONDON, January 6.-The perjury
charge brought against Herbert Drucc
by his nephew, George Hollamby Druce.
has collapsed. but the civil action for
the recovery Of the estate of the Duke of
Portland will be continued This be-
came known this afternoon when Ather-
ley-Jones, counsel for George Hollarby
Druce, announced that in view Of the dis
coyeries made when the coffin of Thomas
Charles Druce was opened ard examined
December 80 1t will be impossible to
proceed with the prosecution. The state
ment was made after the presentation
of evidence by Prof. Augustus =! Pepper
OF the University Of London and others
who were present at the exhImation.
Millions at Stake
Herbert Druce was charged with COM
mitting perjury by swearing that his
father, Thomas Charles Druce, Of the
Baker street bazaar, died December rs.
1864, and that he saw the dead body
placed in coffin and buried in Highgate
cemetery. George Hollamby Druce de-
clared that this must be untrue. because
T. c. Druce was, in fact the fifth duke
of Portland, who lived until 1879.
Upon this ground George Hollamby
Druce claimed that he himself was the
rightfui heir of the Portland dukedom and
estates. the income from which Is placed
at 81 800 900 a year.
The resumption of the case today before
a crowded courtroom testified to the re-
vival of interest brought about by the re-
cent exhumation and the hints given out
by the attorneys for George Hollamby
Druce that the body found in the coffin
was not that of T. c. Druce.
Body Well Preserved.
The first witnesses called testified to the
condition of the vault and the coffin. They
said there was absolutely no lead in the
vault, and declared they wero satisfied
that neither the vault nor the coffin had
been tampered with since the latter had
been deposited.
Then Professor Pepper took the stand
and gave a. detailed description of the
coffin and its opening. Within the coffin
he said. was the body of male aged be-
tween sixty-f1ve and seventy-five years.
1t was extremely well preserved, the
skin being broken in only one place. The
face was covered with a handkerchief
bearing the initials TT. c. D." The re-
features of bearded man, quite easily
recognized by any one who had known
him in life. He had a brown mustache
and whiskers and a beard of reddish
brown and white.
Withdraws Perjury Charge.
On this evidence Mr.. Atherly-Jones an
nounced the withdrawal of the perjury
charge, saying that it would be contrary
to the best traditions of the legal profess
sion If he persisted therein.
Magistrate Plowden in discharging Her
bert Druce, whose truthfulness, he re-
marked. had been absolutely and con-
clusively vindicated. thanked him for hav-
ing consented to the opening of the grave
in the interests of justice. George Hol-
,lamby Druce declared today that the civil
action would be continued, but public in
terest in the affair van!shes with the col
lapse of the case against Herbert Druce
whose fathers remains were positively
identified at the eXhumatio by independ-
ent witnesses. G. w. Thackeray, who was
closely connected with T. c. Druce, testi-
fed in court today that the body was un-
questionably that of his former friend.