The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-08
no SUCCEED SACKJILLE.
His Alleged son VIII Try 10 Prove His
Claim TO the Title.
Special Cable Despatch TO TIE SUN.

Shfui ~ tut IVic.
Special Cable Despatch TO THE sun.
LONDON, May THE strange romance OF
Lord Sackville. former British Minister
at Washington. known to Americans al
! Sir Lionel Sackvle-West. came up in the
courts to-day. His alleged son, by Span
ish dancer, applied to Justice Kekewich
for a commission to examine witnesses
in Spain and France in behalf Of his claim
to the right of succession to the title and
estates OF Lord Sackville upon the death OF
the latter. The application ives granted
but leave to appeal wac given.
This case came up first nearly two years
ago when Henry kville- West. a resident
| al that time of Madrid, alleged he was the
son of Lord Sackville
The latter. under the title, Of Sir Lionel
SackvileWest. was British Minister al
Washington for some years and achieved
some notoriety during the first Cleveland
Harrison campaign by replying to . fake
letter, from man in California named
Murchison who asked the Minister'S advice
Of English birth should support. The
Minister promptly replied that President
Clevelands reelection would be satisfuc-
tory to England, The letter was made
public. and Sir Lionel promptly received
his passports.
While here it was generally known that
the Minister was the father OF son and
three daughters by Spanish actress whom
he had married on her deathbed.
There was some quest ion at first about
receiving one OF his daughters in Washing,
ton society. but as she had been presented
at one of the late Queens Drawing Rooms
the matter was dropped.
In 1901 the Madrid dispatches about
the existence OF a son Of Lord Sackville
reopened the whole discussion, The story
tNll INNt1 ,n oil mt TO ha hat
while Lord Sackville was acting as Consul
at Madrid In 1853 he became anamored Of
a beautiful Spanish dancer named Pepita
Duran by whom he had three daughters
and this son, who is now about 81 years
Of age.
Lord Sackville lawyers in London said
at the time that the whole affair was a
matchmaking scheme and that Pepita
Duran had been nothing more than his
lordFhtp's init tire e. AZ she was the wife OF
claimant, who had at the time just returned
from fighting with tho British against the
Beers, replied with charges that the mar
rage record had been tempered with.
Finally Lord Sackviie hims elf, then a
man Of "A, told a correspondent OF THE
Sun that while Pepita de la Olivia was not
his wife, they had lived together for years.
and II she had been free he would have
married her.
He admitted that she wa. the mother
Of his four children, and said he had treated
the present claimant with all due regard
for his rights az an illegitimate offspring
which had heen repaid with gross unfliaI
ingratitude and had eliminated in an Ut
tempt to Ahow that he was the legitimate son.
that his mother had never been married to
de la Olivia, and that the latter had really
married a dancer named Mercedes Gomez.
Inquiries at the time showed that Lord
Sackville's version Of the story was correct,
and that. therefore. Henry Saokvile- West,
as he calls himself is really in law Henry
OH va, as in England ilegitimate children
take the name OF their mother. There
the matter has rested since