CANADIAN MILLIONAIRE'S FORTUNE.

Evening Star, Issue 14687, 3 October 1911, Page 3

CANADIAN MILLIONAIRE'S FORTUNE.

During the past few weeks soyerakmessages from Auckland have been published in the 'Argus' to tho effect, that Mr Thomas Smitb. doorkeeper at the Empire Music Hall. Cardiff, and his brothers and sisters, had succeeded to an estate in Canada valued at £2,000,000. It was stated that one of the sifters lived jn Australia. A statement was made recently by Miss Etlwl Le Neveu, of Fairholmroad, foorak. to the effect that she is a niece of Mr Richard Portingall Smith, who left this vast fortune. - " • Miss Le Novell said:—"My mothej, who died about 12 years ago, was a, sister of the millionaire. Th© la-to Mrs Alexander Stewart, of Beechworth, was another sister. My mother married Captain Philip Le Neveu, who has.been well known on the Australian coast for 50 years. He is still living, being 82 yearn of ago. Tho newspaper messages say that tho money has been left to ' brothers and sisters,' but there is only one skster alive, and that is Elizabeth, who lives at Plymouth, England. Mrs Stewart died about 18 months ago. From the information to hand, it is ' not easy to say what persons in Australiaare to inherit the money, but we are about to make inquiries. May I say that we Le Neveus are rather proud of our lineage, being able to trace back our descent for many generations from an honorable family on cither side. . . . On my mother's side, as my uncle remarked to mo in a letter written some time ago, we sprang from a good old Devonshire stock. Richard Portingai! Smith loft hw home in Plymouth for Canada in 1855. Having brains and ability, he soon rose to a leading position in Stratlnoy, Ontario, and, oil wells being discovered on his land, ho very soon attained to gi-eat wealth. In ono of his letters to me he stilted that, 1k;sides having been Mayor of Strathroy five tinies in succession, ho had held every possible public position and honor in the town. He was a pious and upright man, and devoted to the English Church. Ho possessed a beautiful home, built on half a block of land, and his lawns and flowers were tho admiration of the town. When Mr M'Bride, Minister of Mines, was in Canada some time ago, he called upon my uncle, and was much charmed with {he beauty of his home. Two years ago, in a letter to me, he described himself thus: ' 6ft lin in hoight, and straight as an arrow; in weight, 1801b. In fact, you would not know I was an old man if you saw mo passing, save for my white hoard.' Ho was about 80 years old when he died." ! Mi.'s Le Neveu is well known in Melj bourne as a champion tennis-player.