In the last few weeks I've read books about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, John Wilkes Booth, Pinkerton detectives, the Charles Bravo poisoning case, the Sistine Chapel, London's Victorian poor, one by my hero James Burke, and another about something called the Druce-Portland case. This was on the back of something I posted about on Facebook on June 24th of this year. It was an ad from a newspaper published on June 24, 1881, for Druce and Co. They were a decorating business on Baker Street. When I did a bit of research to them to add some flavor to the post, well, boy did I find it! The Druce-Portland case was one of mystery, intrigue, empty coffins, disguises, chickens...you name it! This story had it all. So, I ordered a book about it.
Okay, now how could ANYONE resist a title like that? I read it in mere days. It would've been quicker, but factor in sleep, work, grandkids, showers, eating, etc. and you get the picture. The book was very well written for someone like me. It seemed every paragraph left you hanging just a little bit knowing that eventually you'd get all the questions in your mind answered. I savored each word. It wasn't a masterpiece, but it wasn't meant to be. For me, though, it was awesome. (See one of my presentations about Holmes sometime and you'll understand.)
The whole thing goes like this...
An ex-daughter-in-law of Thomas Druce (of Druce and Co.) claimed he had led a double life and was also William John Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland. She wanted his body dug up at Highgate Cemetery to prove her case. She claimed it would be empty, and lined with lead to simulate the weight of a body. Believed insane, she was placed in an asylum, but her son took up the case to have the grave opened. After a long process, including a trial with lots of evidence, it happened on December 30, 1907. (I'm not going to tell you the outcome. You'll have to find out for yourself. Just know that the evidence was so good that the two were the same man that the courts allowed it to occur.)
Here are pictures of both men. The one on the left features Thomas Druce in a fake beard. The right shows The Duke.
What makes it worthy of being covered on here is how much Baker Street was featured in the situation. See, Thomas owned the Baker Street Bazaar. One of the strangest pieces of evidence to come to light was the existence of a tunnel which ran from the Bazaar to Harcourt House, the residence of The Duke, just over a mile away. It was one of the bizarre connections that made the possibility of the two men being one and the same a true possibility. For ten years, 1897 to 1907, this case remained a topic of conversation. It's true that Holmes was in Sussex from early 1903 on, but he had to have followed this with great interest. Imagine him reading about a tunnel right below his feet, and one that figured into THE case of the day. His Spidey senses must've gone crazy.
Again, I'm not going to tell you how it all comes out. You'll want to discover it for yourself as it just gets more and more delicious as it goes on. The fascinating part for me is reading about how such cases were handled at the time. You get a real look into the ways of a criminal court. You see how women were treated by those upper-crust stuffed-shirts who were in charge of everything. There's a clear line of distinction drawn between beat cops and detectives. The case had it all - bribery, lying, deceit, insanity, mysterious figures, cemeteries, and the fact that both men only ate chicken. You also get to see that nothing has really changed. While the processes we have nowadays may be more rigid and streamlined, things are just as plagued with corruption as they were then.
In my research about a the case, I found that another Sherlockian had already tackled it. Back in 2013, in the Summer edition of The Sherlock Holmes Journal, there's a piece by one Jackie Speel. I ran to my archives to grab my copy, but found it curiously missing. It was the only one not in the stack. After much seeking it was found and I was able to see how someone else approached all of this. I discovered that Speel thought much the way I do - that Holmes and/or Watson would have definitely been involved somehow. (Though our "somehow"'s were a bit different.) Above is a picture of A copy of the journal, not THE copy the article appears in. Actually, it's the edition from the summer I was born. Cool, eh?
From a chronological point, the story doesn't really do much for us. But, from a research point, it does. Books about crimes and happenings from that time really give us detailed descriptions of how life was for the classes. How unscrupulous certain members of the legal profession were. What the police did to get information. What laws were like for burials and disinterments. The ease by which someone could be imprisoned in an asylum just on a suggestion from an official of some kind. The terms used, the ideals that were followed, the way belief systems were factored into legal matters. This kind of stuff is invaluable to a researcher, and can only help in our understanding of the time in which Holmes walked the streets of London. And if we (I) get lucky, maybe one tiny little iota of just part of one of those points may help determine the true dating for a case from The Canon.
A big shout out to my buddy Chris Zordan for his help with certain parts of this post.
There are many books and articles about the Druce-Portland Case (sometimes called 'Affair'), and just typing the phrase into any search engine will pull up enough material to keep you busy for a very long time. I invite you to do so. It's such a wonderful glimpse into the Victorian (and later Edwardian) world. I hope you enjoyed this month's offering. I'll see you next time, and as always...thanks for reading.
