Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-07-19

money?
He is worth more than any man in
the west, even topping P. D. Armour,
and can draw his check for several
million dollars whenever he has
mind.
Just after young Joseph Letter
wheat corner broke, his father, Levi
Zachariah Letter, father of Lady Cur
zon, wife of the present viceroy of In
dia, was forced to sell several cherished
and favorite pieces of real estate in
the very center Of the retail business
district, and Mr.. Field paid S1,OO0O 900
IN cash for the southeast corner of
State and Madison streets.
Mr.. Field could have paid out ten
times that much without crippling
himself
His yearly sales from his wholesale
and retail dry goods houses now ag-
gregate more than the most prosperous
year Alexander T. Stewart, once of
New York, ever knew. His banner
year was $35,OOO,OOO, and had he lived
he would have exceeded that by far,
but he was old and had to die Mr..
Field sells $50,00O,OO0 worth of goods
every year.
Marshall Field is not as old at the
present time as was Mr.. Stewart
when he grudgingly yielded up his
| life in the marble palace at the north
west corner Of Fifth avenue and Thir-
| ty-fO1rtT ctroo+ in Now Vor11 =, 1919
but he is getting on, and it will not
be many years ere he reaches the al
lotted limit of three score anG ten
! years. Then he must die
| Who will succeed him?
Who will get the $75,00O,OO0 he will
leave behind him when he crosses the
Styx?
He has a son, Marshall Field, Jr.,
now, as he has been for several years
past, resident at Nice, in the south OF
| France, but he has no business train
| jng. 1t was his fathers wish that he
would not go into business at all, and
| the son obeyed. The latter did not
care for a professional life, and there
fore he has done nothing but breathe,
eat, sleep and pass away the time He
is married to the daughter of a Chi
cago maltster named Huck, and has
children, but they are not old enough
| to learn anything about business.
Mrs. Marshall Field died at Nice a
few years ago, after having been an
invalid for a long time, while the SON
health is not good nor robust by any
means. He is not capable of managing
the gigantic business his father, ad-
mittedly the greatest merchant in the
world, has brought into life and being.
! Therefore, the son and the SON S
children can be counted out of the
! game.
Miss Ethel Field, only daughter OF
the dry goods prince, beautiful and
| dashing, was married at an early age
to Arthur Tree, only son of Lambert
| Tree, former minister to Russia, hay
| ing been appointed by Mr.. Cleveland
| during the latter's first term. Mr.. and
Mrs. Arthur Tree live in bennington,
England, and visit the United States at
infrequent intervals.
1t is stated on good authority that
Miss Ethel Fields dowry was 100000
in cash, which was paid over to the
| husband just after the marriage cere-
mony was performed.
Mr.. Field was always noted for his
| generosity to his children, for he gave
| his only son and namesake $1,000, 900
| in cash when he became of age, on con-
ditiOn that he would not seek to pur-
sue business career, and has since
added large sums to this royal amount.
Mr.. and Mrs. Arthur Tree have chill
dren, but they are young and are not
in the line of succession to the bust
ness. The son-in-law is not a business
| man, and does not care to become one.
His tastes, like those of his father, run
to literature, art and beautiful things
generally, and beside this his father
will leave him more than a million
dollars when he dies. 1t is no wonder,
then, that Mr.. Arthur Tree does not
aspire to the Marshall Field millions,
as he has all the money he wants, and
is not cOvetous in the least.
May Give Them Away.
Perhaps Marshall Field will give his
surplus millions away when the time
comes for him to drop this mortal coil
to assume the white robes Of immor-
tally.
nnrho
There is no complaint on the score
that he boards his millions, for he does
nothing Of the sort. He gave 100000
to the Columbian museum, will un-
doubtedly give three or four times as
much more, is generous in charities,
never fails to aid public enterprises,
but is growing richer all the time.
He cannot help getting Weather as
each day passes. Everything he
touches turns into money. Day by day
the dry goods business is growing, and
adds to his pile. Every investment he
has made has yielded him profit, and
he will soon be worth 500 100000.
Mr.. Field is one OF the heaviest
stockholders in the Pullman Palace Car
company, which is a gold mine. He |
has also put money into holes in the |
ground in Colorado, and every hole has |
yielded astonishing dividends. If Mar
shall Field can be induced to go into
any sort Of an enterprise, no matter |
what the enterprise may be, it will be-
gin to pay dividends from the jump.
He never makes a losing investment,
but what boots it?
Who will get these millions now