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NZ Truth, Issue 889, 9 December 1922, Page 6

A fortune valued at about £150,---000,000, at- par, has fallen to the lot of a comparatively poor family named Luporte, says a Paris correspondent. The circumstances m which the family becomes rich are that during the French Revolution a Pierre Laporte waa engaged as head cook at a monastery at St. Clchael do Cdxao. Forced to fly the country the monks took up their abodo m Cuba. takiiiK I-iporto with thorn, U\ Cuba tho monks purchased considerable property. During iintl-reliffious trouble;.* In the island the monks, fea'rlnj? that they would be deprived of nil Urtjlr valuable estate, sold it all to their cook, tho value .then belli*,' -<> mo £6.000,000. When the trouble.* were over and Laporto died the monks claimed the return of their former property, but- the Spanish Government, who th«»n held Cuba, refused to ontertain tlu'lr application or. Hits ground that the properly belon.v«Hl to, thr next-of-kln of the Uilo cook. Search was made for many years and at length It was found ih.'it I«'u>orn»'B next-of-kln livod at t'jidre.s. In the south of Franco. In the inKHUiruc the property has Increased In valuo to the amount already mated, and tho necessary steps aro being taken to hand It over to tho family, who are hi a comparatively poor atatioti of life.