Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-02

This message comes by Associated Press;
NEW YORK, Sept. 1.-Tolf Hanson, who
until last winter operated two restaurants
I'm Omaha, and who went into bankruptcy
there, committed suicide here today by in
haling Illuminating gas in a lodging house.
Samuel Edgar, a dry goods merchant said
Hanson came here from omsha in July
after he had failed in business.
"He wrote me that he could not stay In
Omaha and face his creditors any longer,
so he came to New York." said Mr.. Edgar.
Tolf Hanson. for years one OF the lead
Ing restaurant men Of Omaha who failed
in business early in July, died by
inhallng Illuminating gas at his room
ing house in New York Wednesday morn
ing. The news was transmitted to Sid
Swanson, his brother-in-law, In Omaha, in
a telegram sent by Samuel Edgar, en- old
friend Of the family in New York.
Mr.. Edgars telegram did not say It
was suicide" said Mr., Swanson. and we
have advices that II was unintenuonal
asphyxiation. We are endeavOring to
get all the details"
Mr.. Swanson has telegraphed to Mr..
Edgar to have the body sent to Omaha for
burial.
To his venerable mother, over so years
of age, and his wife, the message was a Sc
we're shock. He had been in New York
since July 4, going then, he said, 10
straighten out his entangled business
affairs
The life OF Tolf Hanson is the story OF
an ambitious, sensitive, idealist; man
who aspired to the best, OF deep sympa-
thles, generous and honest
Mr.. Hanson was born June 12. 1853 in
Sweden. He married Jennie Swanson
They had no children. Coming to the
United States in his youth, he found
employment in Omaha as mere
workman in a restaurant and from that
he rose, by dint of perseverance, and honest
toll until he commanded. IL Is said, some
thing like 100000 in his own name, and
this achievement he wrought in the oom-
paratively brief period OF less than, twenty
years. He had expressed the ambition to
intimate friends of maintaining high
grade cafe bearing his name. and in the
establishing of the Hanson he thought he
was to realize his ideal.
His Rise Was Rapid.
1t was in 1891 or '92 that Tof Hanson
and Otto Meike worked together in the
kitchen of the old one Minute restaurant,
operated by John Hapine, on Farnam
street, between Fifteenth and Sixteenth.
He then went into business for himself on
the modest scale of providing the printers
of The Rec and other newspaper offices
with lunches at night. He carried these
lunches in large tin buckets. In February,
! 1892, he opened the Calumet on Douglas
street, and the printers, his good friends,
became his first and best customers. And
the printers have remained the customers
FNa-H
never ceased to be friends.
Mr.. Hanson met with prompt and re-
markable success in the Calumet From
very small restaurant 1t came to be the
largest one In Omaha, Inspired by the
success Of the Calumet, MIR. Hanson re-
solved to venture out upon larger plane.
He had built beautiful home for himself
and family in the fashionable Bemis Park
residence district, furnished 1t with excel
lent taste and every comfort amassed a
substantial fortune, and could see no reA-
son now for not starting out to realise the
fruition Of his dream of years-that OF
owning the best and most up-to-dats cafe
in the city or state.
Death in Nine Months.
In less than nine months after he opened
the beautiful cafe he died. He assumed an
AdhAAlb NlllIh many ITlen0H DelleNe0
at the time was and which proved 70 -
too great. He was satisfied only with the
best equipment. He got it, Dut AZ an enor-
nous price, as events have shown.
The lease on the building which Hanson
secured from G. e. Shukert is regarded
as a monumental mistake. This lease
was TO run ten years and called for an
annual rental Of $4,000. At the end OF that
period the building and all improvements
were to revert to Mr.. Shukert.
| When Hanson took the lease on the build
ing he had to remake the building for tho
! restaurant that he thought Omaha would
support. To equip this as he wanted to
with the best Of restaurant fixtures and
the latest designs from the east cost him
$4,000.
After fitting up the building and placing
it in shape for use he had to buy tableware
which cost him $500. The total expense
lof getting the cafe ready to open for bust
ness cost nearly t75.OOO.
The place never was paying proposition
there was not day that the receipts
equalled the expenditures. The total re-
ceipts for the lunch room and the upper
floors were less than $1,000 on big days.
The average receipts for the lunch room
were 500 For the two upper floors the re-
ceipts averaged nearly 500.
Big Loss from start.
With receipts Of nearly 5000 the Cafe
Beautiful lost between SIS and 500 daily
The pay roll for the help at the Hanson
was 81. 400 a month and this with the cost
Of food and the lease. much more than ate
up the income that the cafe brought In tc
Hanson.
At the Calumet Tolf Hanson's net re-
ceipts averaged 5000 a month There tn,
helps payroll was only 500 a month, being
$500 less than the Cafe Beautiful.
on the Calumet Hanson had lease tina
ran for six years from June l. 1893. Tn,
rent for that place was $3.50 a month. Tn,
outlay at the Calumet represents abou
1900.
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