Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-11-19
MANsFIELD's FORTUNE
Actor Did Not Begin to Accumulate
1t Until q Few Years Ago.

Actor Did Not Begin to Accumulate
1t Until q Few Years Ago.
Probably there never viii be an ac-
curate invoice of the estate left by
Richard Mansfield, says the Philadel-
phia Press. But under the laws Of the
State of Connecticut, where the will
will be probated, It is necessary to
make an approximate inventory. and
this viii show whether the estimate
of Mr.. Mansfeld's fortune of little
under 100000 is exaggerated or an
underestimate. The impression among
Mr.. Mansield's friends is that consid-
cradle part Of his estate is Of char
acter which, were he living and able
to utilize 1t. would be worth many
more thousands than it viii fetch IN
the market now that he is gone. There
will be much depression in the value
of all the accessories of his stage
career
But, In any event, Mr.. Mansfield
will be regarded as great fortune
maker, especially in view of the fact
that his permanent fortune was moi
begun until about fifteen years ago
He was bankrupted, heavily In debt
by reason of his venturesome expert
ment with the production Of Richard
Ill" He met much the same expert
ence as befell Edwin Booth thirty
years earlier Mr.. Booth gained great
artistic prestige at the same time that
he lost his fortune through his superb
production of Shakspearean plays In
his own theater at 23d and 9th avenue
Undismayed by Mr.. Booths finan.
cial misfortune, Mansfield undertook
the production Of Richard Ill" about
twenty years ago. Ii was an artistic
success, but it left Mr.. Mansfield In
about $4,000 debt. After that be
was of the same opinion which Henry
Irving some years later expressed tc
friends, namely, that no one Shak.
spearean play could be produced profit
ably and consecutively for a longer
period than two weeks.
Mansfeld's first step to great for
tune WAS ldhcn III Id
one of the hotels Of that city, where
he was staying in the winter Of 1890,
he was occupied every morning with
his secretary, Clyde Fitch. he walking
about and in partomime perfecting ths
scenario, leaving Mr.. Fitch to write
In the dialogue or what became the
play BEAU Bronmel." But the idea
of representing the fop Of the prince
regents time was neither Mr.. Mans
fields nor Mr.. Fitch's. 1t was sug-
gested to Mr. Mansfield by william
Winter, as they sat supping together
one night after Mansfield had finished
with his play Of prince Karl."
There was one or two failures after
the success of Beau Brummel," one
a financial failure and another an ar.
tistic failure, but, on the whole, Mans
field gained rapidly m fortune after
the summer of 1891. He probably
made a larger fortune In a briefer
time than any other American actor.
Jefferson's fortune Is much greater
than any Mansfield could have left, but
Jefferson was nearly forty years in
accommodating It, Lolita Crabtree Is not
only the richest of all women who
played upon the American stage, but
one of the richest American women
but much Of the greater part Of her
fortune was made In shrewd invest
ments. Edwin Booth retired from the
stage with a fortune little under q
million dollars, but he was nearly
twenty years In accommodating 1t.
No one living or dead has matched
the experience of Paderewsl1i, who In
the year of his latest appearance in
the United States received gross
$1,250,000, although part OF 1t was
earned In Europe. But 1t Is not fair
to make comparisons between the
great pianist and any actor, since Pad
erewski's expenses were trining. In
volving merely the cost Of travel and
advertising of hall and Of management
Mansfield had very expensive COM
pany to pay and costly scenery to pro
vide.