The Paducah sun., 1906-01-17
Marshall Fields Life Was One
Great Success.
Richest Merchant In the World and
Leaves About Two Hundred
Million.
THE FUNERAL FRIDAY AT NOON

chant. who died at the Holland house
at 4 O'Clock yesterday afternoon
after eight days illness of pneu-
monia. died peacefully while mem
bers OF the family, who had been in
almost constant attendance for sew
eral days were gathered around the
deathbed. They. as we'll as the ady-
ing merchant himself. were prepared
for the end
Mr.. Field was unconscious for
three hours before his death.
Those present were. Mrs. Mar
shall Field. Mrs. Marshall Field. Jr.,
Augustus ~ Eddy. Catherine Eddy.
Mrs. Henry Dibblee, Robert T. Lin
coin and Mrs, Preston Gibson,
Mr.. Fields Illness developed about
a week ago while he and Mrs. Field
were on their way from Chicago to
this city.
During Sunday night he appeared
to be sinking rapidly and Monday
morning the physicians announced
that all hope for his recovery had
been abandoned.
For hours there was no appre-
ciable change and the tiny strand
which held him was expected to
break at any moment Suddenly,
however. about mid-afternoon there
came a remarkable change. Strength
which gradually had slipped away
from the patient seemed suddenly to
be rushing back. He looked up and
smiled. asked for a drink and then
sank into a peaceful. res,ful sleep.
His condition continued to become
more desperate with every moment,
however. and by noon yesterday the
last ray OF hope was gone. A; two
o'clock Il was announced the patient
was sinking steadily and at $3.50
word came from the sick room that
Field had only a few minutes more
to live. Death at four o'clock with
members of the family gathered at
the bedside.
Marshall Field was the greatest
and most successful merchant of this
generation and was one OF the
worlds richest men, his wealth be-
ing estimated at two hundred mill
lion dollars.
He was born In Conway, Mass. In
1855 and educated In the public
school there. AZ the age Of Ia he
became a clerk In a country store in
plttsaeld. Mass. He came to Chicago
in 1850 and became a clerk in the
Wholesale dry goods establishment
OF Cooley, Wadsworth q Co. Be
coming a partner four years later.
In 1865 he and Levi Y. Letter with
drew from that firm and with Potter
Palmer formed a new organization.
Palmer withdrew in 1867 and Lei
ter In 1881 when the firm became
known as Marshall Field a Co, as 1t
Is today. The house grew rapidly
and II is now the largest enterprise
In the world. having numerous
branches throughout Europe and
Asia. It's remarkable success is at
trlbuted almost entirely TO Field and
his methods. He made it rule
never TO borrow money and never
iasue notes, paying cash for every
thing. The great fire of 1871 was
the only reverse ever experienced by
Marshall Field & Co.. its losses at
that time aggrcgating over one mil
. lion. In 1872 the wholesale depart
ment was separated from the retail
store and the latter now covers two
city squares and Is located in build
ings twelve stories in height.
At the close OF the worlds fair In
1893 Field endowed with one mill
lion dollars Fields Columbian mu-
scum for which home valued at
eight million Is shortly 20 be erect
ed. He gave the University OF Chi
cago land valued at four hundred
and Atty thousand dollars to be used
for athletic purposes and portion
of Il n known today as Marshall
Field. He was extremely charitable
In other directions. never failing to
contribute to a cause he knew TO be
worthy,
In politics he never interfered. al
though he was always ready to ala
with time and money any movement
looking towards better national or
municipal government He was sew
eral times offered the vIce-presiden-
tial nomination of the Democratic
ticket but refuse dto accept, Mr.,