The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-02
H.P. HARRIS ESTATE
$4,000 INSOLVENY
Appraisal Shows Theatre Man
ager, Lost on Titanic, Suf-
fcrcd Reverses.

Henry Il. Harris the theatrical man
aGcr. who was thought to have left an
I estate OF several hundred thousand dollars
when he died on the Titanic on April Is.
1912. was insolvent by more than 100000,
according to the transfer tax appraisal
of his estate filed yesterday by Appraiser
percival r.. Maggie. The appraisal shows
that many Of his productions which drew
well in New York and which were sup
posed to have paid large profit resulted
in heavy losses.
In his will Mr.. Harris left his residu-
airy estate TO his wife, Mrs. Irene w Har-
ris, and gave $1,000 each to the Hebrew
Infant Asylum. the Actors Fund and the
Blind Babies Sunshine Society. The total
assets were only s36544S. while the
debts alone aggregated s3s7.ool. which.
with other deductions. made total OF
siOO,69o.
The decedcnt's largest indebtedness was
sl72.3S7 to his father. William Harris.
due on an open account running from
/ 1906.
! The testimony indicated that the chief
reason for tho insolvent condition of the
estate was a loss of $4,000 sustained
by Mr.. Harris in building the Folies Ber-
gcre..5a West Forty-sixth street on the
plan OF European music halls. The Ven
/ ture lost money from the start. and the
house was finally renamed the Fulton
/ Theatre and turned into legitimate
house
The decedents only real estate was the
: Harris Theatre in West Forty-sdcond
street and the Hudson Theatre In West
Forty fourth street. The latter had a
market value OF 100000. but mortgages
and taxes amounted to sjl5.2S9. leaving
an equity of sS4.7lO. The Harris The
atre had a marl-t value OF $4,000
when Mr. Harris died, but mortgages and
taxes of S2O1. 767 left an equity of only
$IGS.232 The total equity in real estate
was S252.9i2. which was reduced TO
sIgO,S2i by the widows dover interest
of SG2.l1S. The appraisal indicates that
/ this is all Mrs Harris received from hsr
/ husbands estate.
Mr.. Harris's assets included sums due
| for loans to a number of the actors ana
| actresses under contract.
! Tho decedents interest in a number OF
his productions included $4,000 In THE
| Quaker Girl" in which william Harris
had half interest: s2.s33 in Maggie
Pepper" In which Mr. Harris had little
/ over so per cent. and Rose Stahl had q
third interest 81 500 for The Travelling
7 Salesman" In which James Forbes had
| a half interest, and l,S75 in The Talker,"
/ which was sold later to fully Marshall
} ,t.,1t asn fI
the docedenrs interest in the firm of Henry
| - Harris and Jesse Lasky. which con-
/ Quoted the FolIes Bergere. The debts of
| the partnership were s30,3s1 and the
/ assets only 1915.
! Mr.. Harrs's interest In his plays which
/ were being produced in stock at the time
| OF his death was appraised as follows ;
/ The Third Degree" $4,000. The Lion
| and the Mouse" $1,000; The Commu-
ters.' $500. THE Chorus Lady" $500 ;
! such a Little Queen 5000 STRONG
heart" $500. ard the Country Boy"
| $1,000.
! f. Howard ScAnebbe. general manager
| for Mr.. Harris, who began In his employ
/ as an office boy, In testifying concerning
the profits Of Mr.. Harris on various pro-
ductlous said that while Tho Quaker
Girl" was New York success It failed
! in Chicago and It was closed there. Mr..
| Harris later organized a company to
produce 1t on the road In the West and
the company lost $4,000. The production
cost more than $4,000 Mr.. Harris
broke even" on THE Country Boy" but
THE Arab" which cost $4,000 TO pro-
duce, yielded an income of only $40.
other plays popularity regarded as great
successes. he said, yielded proportionately
| small profits,