The Hartford republican., 1907-09-20
RICHARD MANSFIELD'S
IMMENSE FORTUNE
Actor Did Not Begin to Accumn-
late it Until a Few Years
Ago.

Probably there never will be an ac-
N curate invoice of the estate left by
y late Richard Mansfield. But under
the laws of the State of Connecticut
where the will will be undoubtedly
probated, it is necessary to make an
approximate inventory, and this will
show whether the estimate of Mr.
Mansfield's fortune of little u nder
S1,000,000 is exaggerated or an under
estimate. The impression among Mr..
! Mansfield's friends in this city is that
J a considerable part of his estate is
of character which, were he living
and able to utilize it, would be worth
many thousands more than 1t will
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
he regarded as a great fortune maker,
especially in view of the fact that his
permanent fortune was not begun un-
til afout fifteen ears age. He was
bankrupted, heavily in debt by reason
of his venturesome experiment with
the production of Richard III. He
met much the same experience as be-
fell Edwin Booth thirty years earlier.
Mr.. Booth gained great artistic pres
tige at the same time that he lost
his fortune through his superb pro-
duction of Shakespearean plays in
his own theater at Twenty-third and
Fifth avenue.
Undismayed by Mr. Booths finan-
cial fortune, Mansfield undertook the
production of Richard ILL.," about20
years ago. 1t was an artistic success,
but it left Mr.. Mansfield in about
$150000 debt. After that he was of
the same opinion which Henry Irving
some years later expressed to friends,
namely that no one Shakespearean play
could be produced profitably and con-
secutively for longer period than
two weeks.
Mansfields first step to great for
tune was taken in Philadelphia. In
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 in pantomime perfecting the
scenario, leaving Mr.. Fitch 10 write
in- the dialogue of what became the
play of Beau Brummel." But the
idea of representing the Top of the
Prince Regnt's time was s-neither Mr..
Mansfield's nor Mr.. Fitchs. 1t was
suggested to Mr.. Mansfield by William
Winter as they sat supping together
one night after Mansfield had finish
ed with his play of prince Karl"
There were one of two failures af-
ter the success of Beau Brummell,'
one financial failure and another
an artistic failure, but, on the whole,
Mansfield gained rapidly in fortune
after the summer of 1891. He prob
ably made larger fortune in brief
er time than any other American ac-
tor. Jefferson's fortune is much great
er than any Mansfield could have left,
but jefferson was nearly forty years
in accumulating it. Lotta Crabtree
is not only the richest of all women
who play upon the American stage
but one of the richest of American
women but much the greater part of
her fortune was made in shrewd in
vestments. Edwin Booth retired from
the stage with a fortune little under
$1,0000 900, but he was nearly twenty
years in accumulating it.
No one living or dead has matched
the experience of Padereswski, who,
in the year of his latest appearance
in the United States, received gross
$1,250,000, although part 'of it was
earned in Europe. But it is not fair
to make comparisons between the
great pianist and any actor, since Pad
erewski's expenses were trifling, in
volving merely the cost of travel and
advertising of hall and of manage
ment Mansfield had q very expen-
sive company to play and costly seem
cry to provide. e.-Philadelphia Press.