Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1889-03-09
HIe DEBTS ovER sa. soc. ooo.
One OF the Most Accomplished
Spendthrlfts of His Time.

One OF the Most Accomplished
Spendthrlfts of His Time.
William Reginald Courtenay, elev-
enth earl OF Devon, whose death is an
nounced, was the head of the most fa-
nous historic family in the south
western peninsula OF England with
which SO many of us have become fa-
miliar through the pages Of Westward
Ho" and other works Of the reverend
novelist, Canon Kingsley.
His son and heir, Edward Baldwin
Courtenay, known heretofore as Lord
Conference.-The now becomes the
twelfth earl Of Devon-has been one OF
the most accomplished and notorious
spendthrifts OF his time. He was born
in 1886, and when he first appeared in
the bankruptcy court, in 1872, at the
age Of SO, his debts reached the res
pectable figure Of 1888, 305-the re-
suit Of recklessness in general, and of
horse racing recklessness in particular.
Extraordinary and long continued self
denial has been practiced by the late
earl TO relieve his estate of the charges
run up against it, not only by his heir,
but by some OF his immediate predeces-
sors. No man was ever better designed
to ruin a family than the late viscount,
whose son established the family's claim
to the earldom. Ordinary modes of get
ting through a princely income did
not satisfy the prodigal, who racked
! his brains to devise fresh chan
nels Of expense. One Of these
was the erection Of a theatre
in his grounds at Powderham, width
er he brought from London the
most renowned singers and dancers of
the time; and having regard to the fact
that his seat was then four days
journey from the capital, the expense
involved in the pastime may be con-
jectured. The result OF these and
other extravagances was to burden the
immense estates in Deyonshire and Ire
land with membranes TO the amount
Of hundreds OF thousands OF
pounds, and the father of the late
1 pNtA rhtlC00CA W OIL AhACHAboAANC
nothing short Of the most consummate
prudence could have extricated from
the difficulties which beset IL This
quality he-although in many respects
very able man, who will go down to
history as the chief of the celebrated
Irish commission, know from this fact
as the Devon commission, from whose
report arose the Irish encountered es
tates court-did not possess, and it de
volyed on his son to accomplish, by ex
traordinary sacrifices and business ca,
pacity, what the father failed to do
/ The property was at length vested il
trustees, and the late peer, eschewinG
the ordinary life OF his order, becam,
one OF the most laborious civil servant,
OF the crown, and lived like careful
government clerk until, at his father
death, sufficient had been saved to en-
able him to sustain the position Of |
peer.
But all this time he was rearing /;
son destined to set at naught all tn
selfdenial and toll of his parents
It soon became evident that LorC
/, Courtenay was a gambler and a spend
thrift. Again and again was his fathe
called upon to find thousands of pounds
: to set him right with creditors. Tn
only result seemed to be the creation Q
fresh liabilities to much large
amount. At length, about the tim
4 that the late Marquis of Hastings an
\ others collapsed, Lord Courtenay's al
Q fairs became in such condition tina
an avowel of bankruptcy could no long
or be delayed, and in 1872 he came be
fore the court, when the magnitude c
Z his liabilities excited absolute amaze
ment. In a career extending over te
n years this spirited youth, who's
i parents, TO give him free inheritanc,
!, had absolutely denied themselves o.
binary comforts, had, as already state'
accumulated debts amounting TO consi,
!. erably more than $S,5o0,000. An
l. when the case came finally before IL
o court in June, 1874, it was stated that
this total f256,000 was unsecured
and the "noblem bankrupt offered h
: creditors the lump sum of 5000, whiC
4 they had agreed TO accept l
:. the best terms which could be arrive
d at 1t has since been the fashic
= with many writer's of late TO decry Il
: custom of entail, and yet, SO long as
hereditary peerage exists, it seems Q
most the only mode of securing u
le hereditary Legislators an adequate mai
Is tenance. Assuming that in the prese
e. instance no portion of these Courten'
!, !, estates had been entailed, and nut
y was not, the next heir would succeed
a the third earldom Of the English pee
W age without penny. While the nc
d earl was attracting general attenti,
! fifteen years or so ago wealthy Je
ess, who had joined the church of Rom
m conceived deep interest in the reli
a, ious, or rather irreligious, condition
ID this noble bankrupt, applied herself
ID the task OF bringing him over to {