ESTATE OF A PRINCESS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15482, 13 December 1913, Page 2 (Supplement)

ESTATE OF A PRINCESS.

AFFAIRS BADLY INVOLVED. : ACTION AGAINST SON. A claim for £230. balance of an account for costs, was made recently by Mr. Alfred Bowker. a solicitor, against Serge Vincent do Bolotoff, son of the Trincess Wiasemsky. Defendant denied liability. Mr. firimwood Mears, for plaintiff, said that, in his affidavit defendant stated that by order of the Master in Lunacy he was appointed to act as receiver of the estate of his mother, Princess Wiasemsky, and it became necessary to take advice from time .to ■ time. The. costs which it was sought. recover in this action were the ordinary personal costs of defendant, and had nothing to do with his mother in any shane or : form. -Defendant,, however, alleged /that plaintiff, had stated' that ho. did not/look to defendant personally,, but to the estate of .the.Princess, for the costs. In view, of that,', plaintiff''asked for particulars... and defendant instanced Lord Marcus'Ber.esfo'rd. and Miss E..McCaul as people to..whom the -statement.-had.;been made. In December, : '1910,-or I .January, 1911;, Mr Bonker was introduced-to de fendani and,'his mother; by., a gentleman whose name need not be mentioned ■ The original purpose is to assist the : Princess She ■ was '■.■■-embarrassed to. the'extent', of -some ,£60.000.. here were'judgments of all sorts, one;' for -£8000, against her; and she was perpetually before the Court on judgment summonses.',, She was the'subject .of a. committal, order,, and 'her;'affairs were in a most'desperate state She;had no property available, and at one of the interviews, ■ when it'was suggested that •plaintiff' should take up the work, defendant told him that he, would get, about £50 a'month-for his current costs. Tho only- asset she had was some property'-in St. Petersburg, a piece of land on which' buildings had been erected by her cousin, Princess. Leonie Wiasemsky,'. who .held them adversely to her...'- -' "' '

The only chance of doing anything.was to como to some compromise with the cousin to clear off the mortgages on the .estate, which amounted to over, £300.000, and see whether the land itself could be developed. For the purposes of this case defendant.had chosen to mix up the work done for him personally with that done, for his mother. Shortly after the affairs of the mother came into the hands of Mr. Bowker she was certified to be insane. Both he and his managing clerk went to Russia, but not a penny of those expenses were charged to defendant. As soon as defendant began to disclose his affairs it became obvious that he was, in his degree, as much embarrassed as his mother, and all sorts of actions were pending against him. He had paid plaintiff £57 on account. Miss McCaul and a Miss Chapman had advanced him monev, and they and Lord Marcus Beresford had taken great interest in him, and endeavoured to keep him on his feet. His Lordship considered the matter in chambers, and directed that it should be transferred from the short cause list to the non-jury list to come on later in the term in another court.