The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-05-17
Fight on Will of Sir John Murray
Scott, Who Disinherits His
Brothers and Sisters.
BY LA MARaUIsE DE FoNrESoy,

1T would seem as If. after all, Lady
Sackville. who will be remembered
at Washington as Josephine Vic
toria Sackville West, when her father
was English envoy to the United
States, will receive the bulk of the
property Of the late Sir John Murray
Scott. amounting TO considerably over
s5.ooo,ooo. thus disinheriting his
brothers and sisters. They endeavor-
ed to upset the will in her favor, on
the ground that they had found
among Sir Johns papers an unsigned
draft, In the iate baronets handwrit-
ing, OF codicil revoking the beuuest,
and limiting her benefit under his will
to mere life interest In a sum OF
100000. which. at her death, was to
go to her daughter.
No evidence could be found that this
codicil had ever been signed or legally
executed. and II was impossible to dis
cover any trace of completed COPY.
The two brothers and sisters OF Sir
John, who was unmarried, insisted that
the codicil had been duly executed
that 1t had merely been mislaid or
lost and that they had every reason
to know that in the two or three clos
Ing years of his life. the testators
affection for Lady Sackville had under
gone complete change, the codicil
constituting evidence Of the decline OF
his regard for her. They at once pro-
ceeded to offer a reward of $4,000 for
this missing codicil, but hitherto
without avail.
The other day. in an effort to bolster
up their case, they brought into court
Jesse Short, who. for the last thirteen
years OF Sir John Scotts life had been
his confidential valet In order that he
might testify as to what he knew
about the existence of this missing
codicil. But his evidence helped Lady
Saclkville rather than tho SCOTS. For
while no was able to show that Sir
John always carried about with him In
his dressing case a sealed envelope
marked "conhdential," and which he
believed might contain some Testament
tary document, he declared that it had
been found by the family in Sir Johns
desk soon after his death, and that
they had shown great disappointment,
on tho ground that ii was not the
document that they wanted
He also, under examination,
brought to light the fact that Lady
Sackville had motored In to London
from Sir Johns country place-Quite
long trip-eXactly two days before his
death. indicating that even If there
had been a temporary quarrel be-
tween her and Sir John IN some former
time. which had led him to draft the
at any rate, of the most friendly and
afr4ctionate description on the eve OF
his death.
This is not the first time that Lady
Sackville has been engaged In litiga-
ton concerning the disposition OF
property. When her brother. Henry.
and her sisters sought to prove judi
clally that their father. Lord Sackville.
had been duly married TO the Franco
Spanish danseuse, Josephine or Pepita
Olivares, and that they were, there
fore. legitimate, she. In that cause
celebre sided AGAINST them. and strove
with all her might and main to prove
that her mother had been her fathers
belle annie, instead of his legal wife,
the reason being that she had married
her first cousin. Lionel Sackville West.
who. owing to the illeGitimacy OF her
brother Henry had succeeded both to
the Sackville peeraGe and TO tho Sack
Vile estates. Consequently, X her
brother and sisters had won their case
and proved that their mother had been
lawfully married, she herself would
have ceased TO be peerless OF the
realm, and her husband would have
been obliged TO surrender tn. cele-
brated knole Park estate. In Kent, to
her brother.
The history OF the large fortune left
BY the late Sir John Scott is a very
curious one 1t originally belonged to
the fourth Marquis OF Hartford. who,
at his death In 1870 bequeathcd It to
his brother. Sir Richard Wallace. Cir
Richard was never acknowledged by
his mothers father, the third marquis,
having been born when she was living
In Paris during the Nnpoleonic wars
with England and he was In England,
and after the separation had lasted
over two years. Sir Richards father,
in fact. was tho Count Casimir de
Montrond, and If Sir Richard never
claimed tho style of Lord Richard Sey-
mour. and recognition as Lady Hert-
fords son born In wedlock, and un-
repudiated by her husband, It was be-
cause he knew that on the death or
his brother. the fourth marquis, the
whole story of his mothers fraiIty
would be revealed In court py the
othor members OF the Seymour family,
in their endeavor to prevent him from
succeeding to the marquisate and en-
tailed estates.
Sir Richard married a French lady,
many years after she had borne him
II son. who, an captain OF French
Curassiers. greatly distinguished him
self in the war with Germany In 1870.
Being illegitimate, this son could not
inherit the baronetcy bestowed upon
Sir Richard by Queen Victoria, In REQ
ognition OF his many philanthropes
This too. served to emphasize tho
tardy nature OF Sir Richards mar
rage. with the result that Lady Wal
lace was subjected to the severest
kind OF ostracism by English society.
Captain Wallace, OF the Cuirassers,
married against his parents wishes.
and predeceased his father.
Sir Richard mazda q great fovortfa