Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-20
WRECK oC \ GREAT IMAGINATION
a sxu--,

decepton He described p detail the appearance Of
underground apartments under the Dukes country
house and under the Baker street bazaar, domestic
arrangements in both places. pictures, decorations
geographical features drives with his patron ana
hundred small matters with great huency. Finally,
he testified the Duke commissioned him to wipe OUT
the Druce end of the situation, and he hmselI pre-.
pared the coffin with the two hundred pounds OF
lead which was fttingly inferred as the remains OF
the merchant. For this service he received $4,000
and an income continuing several years.
The man was in his element at the trial, pleasantly
so until it came to cross-examnation. Then it was
uncomfortable What you expect? An imagina'
tion has nothing in common with such rough matter
as crosse examination. But it had chance now and
then to send off spark or two Some mention being
made of the coffin 'ft was beech coffin with iron
handles" the witness volunteered
If they had only left the stage to him and his mag
ination But they would not, and they crumbled him
He had taken care, as in previous cases, to have
only persons who were dead cited as parties to his
alleged transactions. 1t on a tombstone that
they tripped him sadly at length. They had learned
from friends of his in New York that at the time OF
his supposed intimacy with the Duke of Portland in
London he had been salesman in Londonderry, and
they asked him to explain the circumstance. $50.
"Oh" said Caldwell Il what you are driving
at You mean my brother. 1t is a case OF mistaken
identity" .,.
why my brother and | changed names some
times He called Bob.
Pretty deep in the mire for the 1maglnauoh! but
worse was ahead. They brought out the epftaph on
a stone in the Londonderry cemetery showing tnat
Caroline. daughter of Robert Caldwell, mad Deen
buried there during the time in question. 1t was
hard wrench this time, but he struggled on as best
he could and denied the child stating postVey tnat
If must have been daughter of his brother. It
was TOO much Caldwells products were of the stun
that best sellers made of, between poaras OF
cloth, where the cross-examination was unknown
Moreover he had begun to lose interest he siippeu
away home to America, the attorneys for the claim
ant asked to have his testimony stricken OUT anu
orders for his arrest for perjury were Issued
But was it not a marvel that this man should IN
vent and solemnly offer statements concerning
events with which he never had any more ac.ual ss
connection than he had with the Cham OF !artary!
More than that, when he first presented his state
ments before the fatal eross-examnation, many
persons believed him and the scept1cs were III Two
minds Later all alike stopped to gasp,
There is figure in local history that correspo aas
more closely with Caldwell. AS Caldwell gained -he
title of the "Great American Affidavit Maker" so er-
rim H. Sumner that OF the Great Amer-eah
Identifer."
nuhlc was in 1890 when he identified the body OF an
aged man who had committed suicide IN Honkers as
that of his old friend James III. Edgar Later when
young man who had registered as Evans ans @ li.eu
suicide in the House he identified him as George
H Edgar, nephew of the other
He advanced his statements with the utmost ms st
ence and detail appearing at the Evans Inquest ana
swearing fantastic and elaborate account of his
relations with the two men, 1t was a1terWard pfoVeo
that Evans was William Wright whose DEATH together
with that of Carl Ruttinger forms of New Yorks
impenetrabe mysteries, ana that summers stoIy was
Rut GaIdwell was again different. Sumner, it was
established could trace his history in court
from 1866 and later he served a prison term. Cald-
well was listed as a criminal until he was want
ed perjury in the Druce-Portland case and even
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 Druce case ten years
before be would been trapped readily,
with a crossexamination He had grown old. Bis
"twist' had ceased to be his only mental weakness
He could longer support himself to the mental task
with physical strength. When he broke down aud
wept3 on the stand it from sheer exhaustion
Taunted the next moment, he glared at his ques
toner, declaring severely
Sir every word of my testimony Is true"
He still believed his cobweb tales, but he lacked
what ability might have been his to stand be-
meath them When he landed in New York he
in state of complete collapse He was found to be
suffering from artero scerosis, diabetes and senile
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 that wonderful, pitifu brilliant,
distorted imagination while he was on bail
living in his daughters house Staten Island. lie
had three trunks filed with heterogeneous mass of
clippings and data. He conceived final romance
while poring over these What it was no one viii
ever know He let it be known that he had
slton under way that would convulse the country.
The revelation will have to await another such
twist as that of Robert CALDWELL and it will walt
long
He sits now-and looks. drawn, grim, liz ed
face is his with white hair and beard and blue eye
that once were keen. His nose is prominent, strong
and arched. Sometimes he reads paragraph or two
ally he win talk some minutes about himself and
his career. He brightens when his daughter comes.
But he is very weak. Mostly, he looks.