The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-08-30

from saranac Lake and that he was
| up and around days until three days
ago.
During the great actors last mo-
ments, he was lying in a condition of
| cotoma and did not recognize the
| loved ones at his bedside. There were
present at the time of his death, his
wife,. his brother Felix, his young
son Gibbs, and the physicians and
| nurses.
| New York. Aug. 30.-Richard Mans
| field, actor, artist and author, has occu-
pied place pre-eminent on the Ameri-
can and English stage for the past fif-
teen years. He was just past fifty years
old at the time of his death, having been
born on May "a, 1857. And although he
has ever been looked upon as a stalwart
American he was not native of this
country. He was born in Heligoland,
an island of English possession in the
North sea, off the northwest coast of
Germany. His mother was Madame
Mansfield Rudersdorf, a famous prima
donna, and it was from her that Mans
field inherited his love for the arts. The
actor studied at several schools on the
continent and then went to England to
study art in the South Kensington
Museum.
The young artist made a precarious
living painting pictures and many days
his only meal in London was hot po-
tato bought from a street peddler.
"I used to hold the potato to warm
my hands, said Mansfield in relating
his experiences, land then eat it,
This artistic struggle for livelihood
proved discouraging to Mansfield and
he came to Boston, where for time ne
entered business life as a salesman in a
dry goods house. Commercial life was
not cOngenial to the temperament of the
young man. and he returned to England.
He then turned his talents toward the
stage. AS singer and comedian he join
ed a travelling company at a salary of
SO a week. Even in those early days
of his stage career he did splendid char
acteristics and mannerisms, which
marked his work and stamped it as his
own many years after. Mansfield turned
his whole artistic bent to the study of
the stage and waited for an opportunity
to show what he could do.
Several years were spent playing small
parts in tours. of the English provinces
and then Mansfield came to this country
where his first appearance was made in
Les Manteaux Noirs at the Standard
theater New York. Later he played the
part of Nick Vedder in RIP Van
Wrinkle"
Mansfield's genius had so far failed to
make itself manifest to his associates,
but in 1888, his opportunity came when
A M Palmer put on the Partisan Ro-
nance. J. H. Stoddart was cast for the
part of Baron Chevrial in the play. Stod
dart at the last minute declined to play
in full sympathy. Mansfield who had
been cast for a small part in the play
stepped forward and begged permission
to play the part of the palsied dissolute
old French nobleman.
Mansfield lifted what at first seemed
a small eccentric part to one of all alb
sorbing interest. The public and the
critics forgot the play to talk of Mans
fields Baron Chevrial and from that day
Mansfield became a leading actor on the
American stage. After several years of
acting in various plays which he car
ried to a degree of success by his power
full personality, he became star in
1887 when he appeared in Prince Karl
Mansfield then returned to England
where his Baron Chevrial. DR.. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde and Prince Karl were de-
clared master pieces of character paint
ing. He then returned to this country
where he played uninterruptedly season
after season. The last effort of his gen.
ius was displayed in remarkable pro-
duction of Ibsen's Peer Gynt."
Mr.. Mansfield was married in 1892 to
Miss Beatrice Hegeman, herself an act