The Carmarthen Weekly Reporter

I Death of Sir Arthur Stepney, Bart. TRAGIC FATE IN AMERIC A. IDENTIFICATION BY DOCUMENTS. News of the tragic death leached Llanelly on Saturday the 3rd July of Sir Arthur Cow ell-Stepney, a gentleman with documents bearing that name having been found dead at Yuma Railway Station, Arizona, U.S.A. Identification was established by means of papers in the deceased gentleman's pockets bea.ring the name of Arthur Cow ell-Stepney, and little doubt is felt that the body is that of the well-known Carmarthenslkire baronet, for of late years Sir Arthur had spent most of his time in America, having 'renounced his British nationality. A Reuter's telegram from New York staites that Sir Arthur was well-known to the British vice-consul at Los Angelos. and the latter states that the baronet often visited him on business matters but he had received no news of him since he left Los Angelos six months ago. A further lteuter's telegram from Yuma, Arizona, states that the evdence at the n- quesfc on the body of the gentleman supposed to be that of Sir Arthur Stepney, showed that deceased had suffered greatly from heat after his arrival here, and that this, coupled with heart weakness, Was the cause of his sudden death. He had taken out American 'citizenship papers at Los Angelos in 1900. He was an etomologist and was coming to the desemt this season to increase his collec- tion of beetles. No replies have yet been received to the telegrams sent to the London solicitors yesterday. Pending an answer the body will be held by the local undertakers. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. PICTURESQUE MEMBERS OF NOTABLE FAMILY. The Stepney family—whose head has died so suddenly abroad—have been more or less prominently connected with South-West Wales for nearly four centuries, whilst seme members of the family have rendered im- portant public service in a wider field. The Stepney's first came into Wales the middle of the sixteenth century, nvhen Alban Stepney married a Pembrokeshire lady, and entered Parliament, where lie represented Welsh constituncies in tluree successive Parliaments of Queen Elizabeth, besides serving a sheriff of the counties of Pembroke and Car- marthen. His son was made a baronet by Jiaimes 1.. and a brother of the baroaiet had the good fortune to save the monarch's life, and subsequently became cup-bearer to Charles I. In the unhappy Civil War the third baronet fought on the side of the Kiti^. and (like many others) suffered for his loyalty in person and estate. The fourth baronet married Justinia, daughter of the famous painter Yandyck. Her mother wax a direct descendant oj the Ruthven. who died in the murder of Rizzio. favourite of the ill-staned Mary Queen of Scots. Two cousins of this baronet "u ere Charles and George Stepney the lorm:>r died oil the battlefield, the latter, was well known as. a scholar, poet. and diplomat, was hurried in Westminster Abbey. Sir Thomas Stepney, fifth baronet, married a Yaughan. and so became possessor (f estates at Llanelly. He was a worthy man. but his life, like that of his successor, was short, amd then we come to the seventh of that line. Sir Thomas, a picturesque and interesting figure in his day. He had wit enough to see the possibilities of Llanelly as a mining centre, and worked hard, with success, to devehvp his property in that direc- tion. He also wonked Tip the fisheries of the district. Sir Thomas was in many ways a fine character, and John Wesley--an excel- lent judge—pays him a high tribute in his journal. At this time the Stepneys inhabited the fine old mansion near Llanelly Church, mid, (incorrectly) to have been built by Inigo Jones. After the death of Sir Thomas his succe-sors for many yearns neglected the place, and the mansion fell into desuetude. The Stepneys found an opening for their energies in other fields. one of them representing Monmouthshire in Parliament for 21 yeaii-s, and also fulfilling important diplomatic mis- sions abroad. The eighth bauonet was suc- ceeded by his brother, an intiinat" friend of Charles James Fox. and persona grata at the Court of the Georges. With him the title died out, but it was revived many years later in favour of Col. Cowell Stepney, a bhiff old soldier w 11!» i grand record for personal bravery and violent language. He was the son of an officer who had seen exciting active service, distinguish- ing himself in the quelling cf the Irish Hehdlion-Cdcnel-or rather. Sir John— Stepney when a little child often sat on the knee of the great Fox, and once slashed George Third's legs with a riding whip to the honoir of his nurse and the amusement of the good old Monarch, who exclamed. "What what! Let him alone! Let him alone! Everybody likes to have a cut at the Ki ig! The liitle bey lived to do valiant serv;" in the Peninsula, and was only prevented by illness from being present at tlw-, Battle of Waterloo. When lie came to Llanelly he lie- came a favourite with the people lwca we lie was hearty and honest, and detested pom- posity. Llanelly shuddered at his strange oaths, but loved him as an easy landlord. The writer remembers him, withe: ed and bent with age; and a lady of the w iter's acquain- tance has a vivid recollection of being chased by the venerable warrior when (as he thought) she was raiding his mulberry trees. Sir John sat in Parliiaucnt for tome time. but was for the most part a silent member. This "-as, perhaps, just as well. for his lan- guage was that of the camp and not the dilate. He had a number of sons. and it was not thought likely that Arthur Stepney would succeed to the title. But fon after •c-i died (one fighting bravely in the Crimea), when old Sir John passed away, in 1877, Sir Arthur Stepney (whew sudden death is now recorded) inherited the boron- etcy and the e-tates. Sir John Stepney published privately a volume of his reminis- encc", and n monograph of the family was i • ued in 1870, written by the 1'ate Robert Harrison, of the London Library. Sir Arthur deith is now reported. was bo: n at, Baden in 1834. and was educated at Eton. For seven al years he was engaged in the Foreign Office. In 1875 he married the Hon. Margaret Warren, fourth daughter of George, Lord de Taibley, there being issue —one daughter—who now succeeds to the estates. The mairriage, unfortunately, did not prove a happy one, for in 1903 Lady Stepney obtained a judicial separation. Previous to that. Sir Arthur had spent t-he greater part of his life awav from his wife. Some very distinguished personages inte- rested themselves with a view to bringing abuot a better understanding between the baronet and his lady ,among them being the late Mr Gladstone, who was on very intimate terms with Lady Stepney and the family. The good offices of Sir Percy Anderson and Sir Robert Meade were also invoked with the same object from 1899. Lady Stepney and lien- da'ughter visited Llanelly, to the great delight of the c-ommtinltv. and soon afterwards Sir Arthur invited his tenants to the Royal Show a!t Windsor, and there intro- duced his daughter as his heiress. Subsequently, however. Sir Arthur wrote to his daughter intimating that he was bidding a long farewell to England, and that he was about to become a citizen of the United States. This rtep he he carried out, and since then very little has been seen of Sir Arthur in this country. He had acquired very extensive property on the other side of the Atlantic, and was reported to be carry- ing on agricultural operations on a very large scale. Agriculture, ii.deed, had always been one of his chief interests in life. and, iq spite of his long absences from home, he displayed the keenest n-terest in the development of his estates. At Tynyw eu n. some miles out of Llanelly, he established a model farm, and spent large sums of money in the purchase of the finest pedigree stock. As recently as last month one of his buls obtained a first prize at the Royal show. The deceased gentleman sat in the House of Commons as Liberal member for the Car- marthen Boroughs from 1876 to 1878; and in 1886 lie was again .returned for the same con- stituency. Later on. however, he formally severed his connection with the Liberal party and became a Unionist. The reason assigned for this change of front was the Home Rule question, hut there can be no doubt that illiat influenced Sir Arthur at the time was the intervention of Mr Gladstone in his domestic affairs, and the uncompro- mising way in which the "Grand Old Man" championed the cause of Lady Stepney. It is said that there are letters in existence written by Mr Gladstone to Sir Arthur which set forth in trenchant fashion his views on the treatment meted out to Lady Stepney. fit will be remembered that when Mr Glad- stone lay dying at Hawarden Castle the only person in the death chamber outside the mem liens of the family was Lady Stepney. The deceased baronet was a J.P. and D.L. for the county, and in 1881 filled the office of high sheriff. The gieater jxution of Llan- elly is built on hi-s estate, and the revenue derived is estimated as between 1:25,000 and £ 30.000 per annum. He was a shrewd obser- ver of men and things, but, unfortunately for the community he was so infrequently at home thtat lie was not able to take the part that otherwise would have been his in the development of the town and district. His letteis. however, which were both long and many, and some of them written from the other end of the world, displayed a deep interest in all concerns of the town. He was especially anxious for the development of the harbouv, and when at home he rarely missed a. meeting oi the harbour board. Some yearn ago lie offered to purchase a dredger to be used for deepening the channel, but for some reason or other this was not accepted. Another local institution Ll4nr to his heart was the public library, the shelves of which lie has enriched with seven or eight thousand well-selected volumes. Sir Arthur was the lion, president of the library, and it is due to him alone that the ratepayers of Llanelly have at their seivice to-day one of the finest collections of to be found in the Princi- pality. During tll" last few years—dating from the appointment of Mr Thomas Jones a A eii siifcce1'-Jul departure in the lay ing out of the Stepney Estate for building purposes has been carried out with the happiest results --some of the best features of Mr Burn's Town-planning Bill having been anticipated and adopted. Sir Arthur has been president of the Carmarthen Liteirary and Scientific Institute for a. great many years, and durin" that time has presented hundieds of valuable wcrks to the Institute. 1'81.

New Quay and Aberayron Sanitation. CONFEltKNCE OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES An Aiit conierente, oa the recom- mendation of the Local Government Board, relative to the appointment of one sanitarv in>]-e( toi for the areas under the control of he X lY Quay Urban Con no 1 and Aberayron t- r h II and Hural C Tiicils. tock place at Aberayren on the l?'»tli lilt. Cupt Wn). Thomas. New Quay, who presided, re- ferred to the high deith rate in the countv, and urged the conference to take a broad v:ew of the matter. After much discussion the proposition of the Rural Council that the saiaoy of the official appointed be £ 80 was defeated OIl the casting vote of the chairman. It was therefore agreed to recommend-to the three interested Ceuncils that the salary be

LLANFYR.NACH. WILL.- .MR Benjamin Bow en. of Herrnon Shop, Lkinfvrnat-h, gu;cer and gen-eral deaior, who died on the 18th March last, left estate valued at £ 1,224 2s 4d gross, with net personalty £ ,82 los 7d. Probate of his will dated Kith March, 1909. has been granted to his widow. Mis Anne Bowen, of Herrnon Slwp, LlanfyriiacJi h s sou. \!r D. GwiJnn Bowen. grocer, of the address and his daughter. Anna Jane, wife of Mr John Rees, <f Glynhefyik Llaufitynach. The testator left the whole of his estate to his wife and son jointly during the life of his wife, and on the decease of h:s wife the t-tator left houses in Ffosyff a id and Crook-road to his daughter, I Anne Jane Rees, and the residue of his i estate to his son absolutely.