THE DRUCE CASE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8992, 29 November 1907, Page 5

THE DRUCE CASE.

DIFFERENCE IN HANDWRITING. Received November 28, 9 a.m. LONDON, November 27. During tne hearing of the charge of perjury again t Herbert Druce, Miss Robinson, cross-examined regarding her own letters of Thomas Druce and the Duke of Portland, admitted that the handwriting was different. MISS ROBINSON'S EVIDENCE CONTINUED. Received November "28, 5.18 p.m. LONDON, November 28. Resuming her evidence in connection with the Druce case, Miss Robinson, replying to Mr Plowden, the magistrate, stated that the late Charles Dickens first nick named the Duke of PortlaEd "Resurrection," because he had "two men in one body." The workmen at Welbeck Abbey used the same name owing to the Duke's unexpected appearance from the tunnel there on one occasion. "THE SPIDER AND THE FLY." AN AGED WITNESS. "THAT'S DEAR OLD SCOTT." Received November 28, 10 p.m. LONDON November 28. Continuing her evidence, Miss Robinson deposed that during a decade the Duke of Portland paid her £IOO a >ear in notes arid cash. She never received any money beyond her salary except one £5 note. She had never been inside Welbeck Abbey, though the T uk) of Portland invited her. She was a little afraid to go. The Magistrate (Mr Plowden) suggested that it was a case of the "spider and the fly." Witness .agreed. She admitted posting for Druce a letter addressed: "Pere Lachaise, Cemetery, Paris." When asked the name of the corpse the letter was for, she replied that it might have been addressed to the manager'of the cemetery. Mrs Hamilton, aged 77, a sprightly, agile witness, deposed that her father, Robert Lennox, was steward to her godfather, the fourth Duke of Portland. His son Scott, alias Druce, was her father's great friend, and called her "little cousin," and wanted to marry her, only her father refused to agree to this. When shown a photograph of Druce wearing a b-'ard witness exclaimed: "That's dear old Scott." Druce always carried a beard in his pocket and >old her: "I am always Druce when wearing this beard " When she asked why he kept the Baker street Bazaar, he replied: "It's a very good thin<r, and I make lots of money." Witness visited Welback Abbey in 1849, and saw Druce there. When she addressed him as Druce he told her: "lam always Scott to you." He spoke about his sons George and Herbert, and told her George was in Australia. He meant to leave him £I,OOO. Her father said that this was not much, and Druce replied: "Quite enough for him." She and her father met Druce in London in 1864. He said: "Madge, lam going to die." She replied: "You don't look like it." Her father said he was going to have a mock funeral. Druce suggested getting a corpse from a hospital or a workhouse, " and her father suggested the use of bricks or lead. Her father attended the funeral. MISS OR MRS ROBINSON?' CHRISTCHURCH, November 27. During the hearing of the mysterious Druce case in London an important witness, wh-> had been specially taken from New Zealand to give evidence, was mentioned as having come from Christchurch, where she resided for some time. This witness is called inthecalle message "Miss" Robinson, but was known here as "Mrs" A. Robinson. The lady whilst here had a daughter of some twenty summers living with hen Mrs Robinson is described as of £nm fifty-five to sixty years, exceedingly excitable in manner and by some people she was considered rather eccentric. From inquiries made it appears that in May, 1903, she was keeping a boarding-house in Montreal street, Christchurch. In September of that, year Mrs Robinson moved to James street, New Brighton, and in February, 1906, a fire took place in the house whereby it was totally destroyed. The furniture of the house was described as of a kind not able to be bought- here, being evidently very old, and there were also a number of curioi. Among these latter was an antique candelabrum, which Mrs Robinson stated was obtained from a cathedral in Sp.ain. There was also a very valuable and extensive collection of old Derby china. With regard to the candelabrum, china and curios, two conflicting statements are attributed to Mrs Robinson. One of these was that they were given to her by her son, who was an engineer on board a foreigngoing steamer, and who had a taste for picking up curios, etc., at the various foreign ports visited him. Another version told by Mrs Robinson was that her husband had been butler in the service of a nobleman's family, and that when they ie*'t tc take a public house the curios, china and old furniture were presented to them. This was shortly before Mrs Robinson and her daughter left for New Zealand. It is interesting to note that at the time of the fire, when everything in the house was destroyed, there was no reference to the valuable diary which Mrs Robinson testified in the court at Home she had lost after the fire. Mrs Robinson and her daughterlived in lodgings for some little time. In April, 1906, they took a house in Falsegrave street. Here they resided till February, 1907, when they left for England in order that Mrs Robinson's evidence in the interesting case involving the Dukedom of Portland might be taken.

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