SACKVILLE PEERAGE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 733, 4 February 1910, Page 5

SACKVILLE PEERAGE.

■ ■ ; ■; SON V.. NEPHEW. . "V I A EOMANCE OF SUNNY" SPAIN: |l By Telegraph—Press Association—Oonrrleht . London, February.3. ' The 'Probate. Courts;is; Considering;the claim; to the Sackville peerage ' and estates. . Lionel Edward Sackville-West, nephew of;..the late: ; Lord!. Sackville, succeeded, his ,uncle in 190 S. ' The other claimant is Ernest nenri Jean" Bap;'Lbrd.''Saok-. vilie and a Spanish, dancer,; named Josoptiino (Pepita) Duron. .V;-.•! '■ . Theclaimant : seeks-, adeclaration* of legitimacy. ;- He produced' letters', as;' evidence 'that, the late Lord .- Sackville.'acknowledged Pepita- as his wife. • " ' CLAIMANT'S CASE. THE ESTATES WOETH The two olaimants; aro Mr. Lionel Edward; Sackvillo-West, : -.; nephew of Lord Saokville, and Mr Ernest Henri Jean Bap.tiste'JVest, .-the- eldest son of ; Lord-;Saok-ville and: a Spanish" dancer. The: joints which, the Court has to consider arc, according to an English paper, >,as;follow i V Lord; Saokville, lived - for' several- years with a pretty Spanish ballet-girl named Josephine Pepiiu, -Duron,'';who always gassed as his-lawful ; wife,-and': by whom . e had three sons; and .-three daughters. These. he; recognised • and • declared:■ legitimate. ■ v --'-'-.v

Dancer's Alleged Prior Marriage; ■ : The. whole interest of the case' resides ,in what purports to be a contract of marriage prior to ■ the cohabitation- '.of . Josephine Duron with Lord,Sackvillo, according •to which oontract : 'Josephine Duran was wedded to a. Spanish. : dancer .named Gabriel, Oliva, whicn. would' render. null and: void the' declaration; of the legitimacy of the issuo;' of. Josephine Duran. and Lord' Sackville'.V ; ' .. .

i ' The contraot,- the evidence of'.whioh isi pleaded by: Mr.; Lionel' EdwardSackville- : West, nephew of' the lato Peer, as establishing his right to succeed 1 to the title, was preserved in the Church of. San.Hi-, lan,.'formerly San.Gayetano, .in'--Madrid;-where the alleged marriage of Josephine Duran and Gabriel Olivu took placo in January 10, 1851. -

XCopies • of' this'' marriaea' contract; were 'delivered 'for .the' use cr.couusel in tho oase in i 1896. : and in 1900, - but none ,of ; these, copies made any mention of erasures and insertions :.whi6h| : wero;'subsequently, ; .iri 1901,. ;ori ..the marriage registers .in the; oourse of an' inquiry. ' <7

Criminal Charges in Madrid, ' Last year." the "nophew, '.'Mr.'.'' Lionel Saokville-West,. who maintains that the marriago contract' (Duran ,to Olivd) is authentio, accused,, three men; ,:"named. Rophan, Saiwhcz, and Auton, of! having made' tho 'erasures which throw doubt upon it. v .''Tho; men ' were charged,, ih, Madrid, and it was' thought that the proceedings might .settle the validity of the Duran-Oliva marriage, and . with , it; the ■ question of Mr. . Ernest West's legitimacy. ...; ■, X, But the Court acquitted, the men charged : without; giving a decision' as to the document itself. The judge inform-: ed the jury that they had simply to answer two questions: (1) Was Kophon the author of the and (2) Did Sanchez remove. thie marriage register from the Churoh of San Millm in order to falsify it? \ The juiy replied to- both questions in: the negative, and the men were at once released. :

-■ So the claim, to the peerage and. estates was no further forward or backward by the proceedings in .Madrid. -During'prior proceedings in the English -Courts, it was stated by counsel that the gross rent of .the estates was over <£7000 a year, and that there were valuable heirlooms,* and ■ that- the Duke of 1 Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the Princo. ; Consort's brother, had been the - claimant's godfather. ' .

It was also stated that the claimant was sent ■to ■' school in Franco-in. 1877, and that in 1881 Lord Sackvill«i entered 'him as his son at Stonyhurst College, in Lancashire.