The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-11-18

the occasion of some distinguished
person visiting London, who will be
| the guest of the evening
| Great care will be taken not to
have the dinners too frequently. In all
| likelihood there will not be more than
| three or four a year.
An effort will be made to have each
dinner unique in some way, either in
the style of the dinner ITSELF the man
| ner of speech making or in the ac-
company entertainment. The idea of
the whole scheme will be distinctive
ness and novelty.
Germany has been provided with
fresh sensation in the results of the
general elections for the Diets of Sax
ony and Baden. Everywhere the fol-
lowers of Herr Bebel have enormously
increased their polls, and their actual
gain of seats is little short of stag
gering for their opponents. Such is
the immediate consequences of three
years Of Bloc" policy and the neces-
sity of footing the bill for the bat
tleships voted in haste.
The remarkable story of a romance
of the peerage is revived by the claim
to the Sackville estates made by Mr..
Ernest Henri Jean Baptiste Sackville-
West, which has been mentioned be-
fore the president of the probate court,
an application being made by petition
err to have the action tried before a
jury.
The claims is based upon a romantic
story. The claimant is the son of a
beautiful Spanish dancer, Josefa Du-
ran De. Ortega, professionally known
as Pepita, who was rather celebrated
on the continent in the sixties of the
last century; and she, according to the
petitioners story was secretly mar
ried to Mr.. Sackville- West, secretary
of the British legation at Madrid, who
became afterwards, first secretary OF
the British embassy in Paris, and
then British minister plenipotentiary
at Washington, and died as Lord Sack
vile, in September, 1908, aged 81, at
Knole park. Resistance to the claim
raises the issue that the petitioner is
Legitimate; that Lord Sackville new
er married Senorita Duran, who was
really the wife of Juan Antonio Ga
briel De Olivia, leading Madrid
dancing master. One of the defend
ants, who appears as the heir presump-
tive, is Mr. Edward Lionel Sackville-
West, son of the late Lord Sackville's
younger brother, and formerly major
in the West Kent Imperial Yeomanry.
This romantic and important suit has
been before the public in preliminary
stages for II years, and will soon reach
trial, The stages so far have been:
1S9S-The defendants brought an ac-
ton to perpetuate testimony that
the claimant was not the lawful
son of Lord Sackville The evil
dence was allowed to be taken III
March last these dispositions were
ordered to be published forthwith
1903.-The petitioners action to per-
petuate testimony concerning the
validity of his mothers marriage
70 hx,
the appeal court on the ground
that under the Legitimacy Reclara-
ton Act he could procure an early
trial.
1909.-In March last two men were
tried in Madrid on the charge of
classifying a marriage register in
Madrid which is vital to the trial.
They were acquitted.
Young, pretty and talented, Miss
May Kinder, who came from her ma
tive city of Philadelphia about two
years ago to seek an engagement on
the London stage has now found a
husband. He is Mr.. Henry Jacob De-
laval Ashley, youth of twenty-one
who has close family connections with
the peerage. Mr.. Ashley is a son of
the late Mr.. Bertram F. Frankland-
Russell-Astley, of Chequers court,
Bucks, and Of Lady Florence Ashley, a
daughter of the third Marquis Con-
yngham, and now the wife of of the
Hon. Claud Heathcote Drummond Will
loughhy, third SON Of the Earl of An