The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-07-11

came close personal friend of the nobleman and
finally was admitted to full knowledge OF the bruce
deception He described IN detail the appearance OF
underground apartments under the dukes country
bouse and under the Baker street bazaar, dOmeSue
arrangements in both places pictures decorauohS'
features drives with his patron and
hundred small matters with great huency FinaIIys
he testified the duke commissioned him to wipe out
the Druce end of the situation, and he himself pre-.
pared the coffin with the two hundred pounds OF
the merchant For this service he received ~<o'OOO
and an income continuing several ySSr@
The man was in his element at the trial pleasantly
so until it came to cross examination. hen II was
,,nconfoTtabIe What can you expect? An magma
ton has nothing in common with such rough matter
as cross examination. But It had chance now ana
then to send off spark or two Some rnehtlOh Oeins
made of the coffin, "it beech coffin with iron
handles" the witness volunteered
If they had only left the stage to him and his mag
nation! But they would not and they crumbled him
He had taken care, as IN previous cases, to nave
on1v nersons who were dead cited as parties to his
alleged transactions. 1t tombstone that
they tripped him sadly at length They mad learned
from friends of his in New York that at the {ns OF
his supposed intimacy with the duke OF Portland IN
London he had been salesman IN Londonderry ana
they asked him to explain the circumstance
Ooh" said Caldwell. Il what you are driving
at. You mean my brother 1t is case OF mistaken
identity"
But this was Robert Caldwell" the Obiec-
why, my brother and I changed names some
times He was called Bob"
Pretty deep in the mire for the imag inationl But
worse was ahead. They brought out the epitaph
, stone in the Londonderry cemetery showing that
Caroline daughter of Robert Caldwell, had been
buried there during the time in question 1t a
hard wrench this time but he struggled on as best
he could and denied the child stating positively that
it must have been a daughter of his brother. 1t
was too much Caldwers products of the stuff
the best sellers made of, between boards or
cloth, where the cross examination was unknown
Moreover he had begun to lose interest lie shpped
away home to America the attorneys for the claim
ant asked to have his testimony stricken out, and
orders for his arrest for perjury were issued.
But 1 marvel that this should
and solemny offer sworn statements concerning
events with which he never had any more actual
connection than he had with the cham of Tartary?
More than that, when he first presented his state
ments, before the fatal examination, many
persons believed him and the skeptcs were in two
minds Later all alike stopped to grasp,
What an imagination
A Lesser Figure
There is a figure in local history that corresponds
title of the Great American Affidavit Maker"
Perrin H. Sumner won that OF the Great American
Identiher."
Summers most picturesque appearance before the
public in 1890, when he Identified the body OF
aged man who had committed suicide in Yonkers
that of his old friend James H. Edgar. Later when
Young man who had registered as Evans committed
suicide in the Astor house he identified him George
H. Edgar, nephew of the other.
He advanced his statements with the utmost insist
and detail. appearing at the Evans inquest and
swearing fantastic and elaborate account Of his
relations with the two 1t was afterward proved
that Evans William Wright whose death, to-
gether with that of Carl Ruttnger forms one of New
Yorks impenetrable mysteries, and that Summers
story all imaginary
But Caldwell was again different Sumner it was
established could his history IN court records
from 1866, and later he served prison term. Cad-
we'll was listed a criminal until he want
ed for perjury in the Druce-POrtland case, and
then clear that his motive for private
gain His one purpose to bring his imagination
into play.
1t is not unreasonable to believe that if Caldwell
: had had his opportunity in the bruce 10 years
before he would not have been trapped readily,
E even with cross examination. He had grown old.
His twist had ceased to be his only mental weak
e He could no longer support himself to the
+ mental task with physical strength. When he broke
Il down and wept the stand it was from sheer ex-
: haustion- Tainted the next moment he glared at
h his questoner declaring severely:
i "Sir, every word of my testimony is true.
S He still believed his cobweb tales, but he lacked
what ability might have been his stand be-
; meath them. When he landed in New York he was
suffering from arterio clerosis. diabetes and senle
dementia. He was pronounced incompetent, the
: clutch of English justice warded from him and
he was given his refuge Wards island.
The last flash of the wonderful, pitiful, brilliant
: distorted imagination came while he bail,
living in his daughters house Staten island He
f had three trunks filled with heterogeneous mass Of
i clippings and data He conceived final romance
ever know He let it be known that he had a reve-
lation under way that would convulse the country
e The revelation will have to await another such
t twist that of Robert Caldwell, and it will wait
S long.
n He sits now-and looks A drawn, GRIM lined face
# his with white hair and beard and blue eyes that
# keen. His nose IS prominent, strong and
e arched. Sometimes he reads paragraph two in
# book but his mind wanders from it. Occasionally
he will talk for minutes about himself and his
; career He brightens when his daughter comes.
n But he is very weak Mostly, he looks