T
1914.
SUNDAY OREGOXIAX. FOKTLAXD. JTJXY
t att? wt?xtt?v r MAPPm' CFTTFF ASSET CONSISTS
OF LOANS IN MONEY TO ACTORS AND ACTRESSES
Transfer Tax Appraisal of Estate Reveals Pact That Manager-Producer, Thonght to Have Been Well Off, Really Left Nothing-Folies Bergere Big
ZZ vtntte and Playf supposed to Have Been Notable Successes Return Small Income, If Any at All-"The Temptress' Has Odd Illusion.
OHaawBB ssss -
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BY LLOYD F. LONERGAK.
NEW YORK, July 11. (Special.)
Probably the best Illustration of
the extreme bad conditions exist
ing in the theatrical world is afforded
by the discovery that the estate of
Henry B. Harris is J20.000 worse than
nothing.
Mr. Harris was one of the victims of
the Titanic and was regarded by the
general public as being well off. He
owned two Broadway theaters, had a
number of extremely successful plays
and it was thought that the income
from these had more than exceeded the
amount he had lost on a number of los
ing ventures during the season 1911
1912. It developed from the transfer tax
appraisal of his estate that the chief
reason for the insolvent condition of
the estate was a loss of $340,000 sus
tained by Mr. Harris in building the
Folies Bergere in West Forty-sixth
street on the plan of European music
halls. The venture lost money from
the start, and the house was finally re
named the Fulton Theater and turned
Into a legitimate house.
The decedent's only real estate was
the Harris Theater in West Forty
second street and the Hudson Theater
In West Forty-fourth street. The lat
ter had a market-value of J600,000. but
mortgages and taxes amounted to $515,
289, leaving an equity of 84,710. The
Harris Theater had a market value
of $370,000 when Mr. Harris died, but
mortgages and taxes of $201,767 left an
equity of only $168,232. The total
equity In real estate was $232,942, which
was reduced to $190,824 by the widow's
dower interest of $62,118. The ap
praisal indicates that this Is all Mrs.
Harr'.s received from her husband's es
tate. Loans to Players Assets.
Mr. Harris' assets included sums due
for loans to a number of the actors
and actresses under contract.
The decedent's interest in a number
of his productions included $5000 in
"The Quaker Girl." In which William
Harris had a half interest: $2833 In
"Maggie Pepper," In which Mr. Harris
had a little over 50 per cent and Rose
Stahl had a third interest; $1500 in
"The Traveling Salesman," in which
James Forbes had a half interest, and
$1875 in "The Talker," which was sold
later to Tully Marshal for $2500. No
value was appraised for the decedent's
interest it tie SHOt 7t Unary B. Harris
and Jesse Lasky. which conducted the
Folies Bergere. The debts of the part
nership were $30,381 and the assets
only $6776.
Mr. Harris' interest in his plays which
were being produced in stock at the
time of his death was appraised as fol
lows: "The Third Degree," $2000: "The
Lion and the Mouse." $2000: "The Com
muters," $500; "The Chorus Lady," $500;
"Such a Little Queen." $200: "Strong
heart." $200, and "The Country Boy,"
$3000.
F. Howard Schnebbe. general man
ager for Mr. Harris, who began in his
employ as an office boy, in testifying
concerning the profits of Mr. Harris on
various productions said that while
"The Quaker Girl" was a New York
success it failed in Chicago and it was
closed there. Mr. Harris later organ
ized a company to produce it on the
road in the West and the company lost
$10,000. The production cost more than
$30,000. Mr. Harris "broke even" on
"The Country Boy," but "The Arab,"
which cost $18,000 to produce, yielded
an income of only $110. Other plays,
popularly regarded as great successes,
he said, yielded proportionately small
profits. , .
In view -of the revelations afforded
in the Harris case it would not be sur
prising if a number of other theatrical
managers were not as well off as the
public thinks, for there are other men
along Broadway who have lost fully
as much or more money than did Mr.
Harris.
"The Temptress" Is Novelty.
A novelty of the week is given at
the Victoria Theater, where Alice Eis
and Bert French present "The Tempt
ress." This is a ballet in which the
woman tempts the man in order that
she may force him into the crater of
a foaming volcano. It is certainly an
odd idea and shows that the woman
possesses a mean disposition.
The characteristic feature of the
episode was a really striking sugges
tion of flowing lava. Apparently the
slowly moving masses at the hack of
the stage were made of soap. They
ought some day to be made the source
of a thrilling and beautiful stage Il
lusion, and they were potent enough
to keep the audience absorbed in the
spectacle and dancing of "The Tempt
ress." While apparently possessing the
firmness of rocks, the masses are as
light as feathers, and may readily be
penetrated by any of the characters.
The dancers at the close of the ballet
walked into them and the bubbles
closed over them with surprising nat
uralness. Such an illusion should have
great possibilities for more extensive
use In spectacle.
Miss Eis was clad in a skirt of grass
long grass, but loose and swinging
like all other grass, and therefore well
adapted to the revealing of what are
recognized the world over as the two
loveliest attributes of this dancer's art.
These two attributes appeared to be
bare from a point above the knee,
while as a foundation for the grass
skirt a pair of short white tights oc
casionally were visible. Miss Els
danced several times alone, and later
danced with Mr. French. Nobody
seemed to notice that he was wear
ing green silk trousers.
Green Grass Removed.
Miss Els, at the close of her dancing,
either for the sake of variety or from
excessive temperament, removed her
green grass skirt and appeared with
only a thin pink scarf over her ex
hausted shoulders.
Franchetti's opera, "Germania," is
being shown in the moving pictures at
the Strand Theater. The Casa Ricordl,
the oldest music publishing house in
Italy, and an institution of historical
importance, has allowed certain of the
operas it has published to be made
Into so-called picture plays by one of
the Italian companies. The first of
the reels is "Germania," which had a
few productions at the Metropolitan
Opera-house. It is one of the lame
ducks of opera, but the story lends it
self well to the uses of the movies.
Luigi Illica made a picturesque succes
sion of scenes out of the struggles for
freedom in Germany at the beginning
of the 19th century. Historical charac
ters appear, and there Is a rather in
scrutable love story somewhere among
the scenes of conspiracy, rebellion and
battle.
GRAPHIC STORY OF NORDICA'S LAST
DAYSAND FINAL TRIUMPHS TOLD
Franklin Holding, Young Violinist in Late Diva's Shipwrecked Company, Gives Thriljing Account of Horrors
on Thursday Island-Singer Revealed as Great m Closing Hours of Tragic Tour.
BY EMILIE FRANCES BAUER.
NEW YORK, July 11. (Special.)
Franklin Holding, the young
American violinist who was en
gaged as a member of the company ac
companying Mme. Nordica on the tour
which was to have taken her around
the world, returned to New York last
week. Mr. Holding looks much worn
and exhausted from the hardships
through which he has passed since he
sailed from San Francisco just one
year ago. Mr. Holding told graphically
of the very great success which
the company met throughout the early
part of the ill-fated tour and he said
that the beloved singer had never been
in more glorious voice and had never
been received with more enthusiasm or
joy. The company had an ideal two
weeks in Honolulu, where they gave
two concerts.
From Honolulu they went to Sydney,
where they arrived to find smallpox
raging. Notwithstanding this condi
tion, they gave five concerts there,
after the first of which the party was
compelled to undergo vaccination. At
this juncture It may be said that Mme.
Nordica never regained a normal condi
tion of health. She was very 111 from
the vaccination and suffered almost a
complete collapse of nerves and gen
eral health. The concerts were given
in a large hall, which during the day
was used as a hall wherein from three
to four thousand people were vaccin
ated daily, and the fumes from the dis
infectants were almost overpowering to
the artists as they attempted to fulfill
the programme.
However, they gave five concerts in
Sydney and five in Melbourne, going
from there to New Zealand, where they
appeared in Auckland, Wellington,
Christ Church City, Dunedin, Tlmaru,
meeting with tremendous success and
nearly everywhere turning away large
audiences.
Social Position Won.
Mme. Nordica, too, established for
herself a tremendous social position
and was entertained everywhere. The
party then went on to Tasmania, ap
pearing in the two principal cities.
Launceston and Hobart. From here
they returned to Melbourne for a sec
ond series of concerts. By this time
Mme. Nordica began to give way under
the tremendous strain, because the
vaccination had poisoned her system
completely and her nerves were shat
tered. When she sailed from Sydney
for Java she had already been. In bed
for a month, but the doctor thought
that the sea vovago would do her good
and that ner nerves would be strength
ened if sne were taken out of her sur
roundings, which were, in themselves,
very depressing. The trip to Batavia
was not what was hoped for, as at
11:20 at night, December 27, 1913, the
ship' struck on a coral reef. On the
whole the passengers were collected
and the captain sent word to Mme. Nor
dica that nothing serious had happened
and that he hoped to get off the next
morning at high tide.
However, when morning came the
attempt to get away was vain, because
it was discovered that they were piv
oted on a rock and the motion was
merely that of swinging around in a
circle. The situation was the more
serious because in that part of the
world so few large ships traveled.
They remained impaled by that rock
from Saturday night to Tuesday noon,
being finally assisted by a Japanese
collier and, with the aid of cables, they
were helped off. But, as. might have
been expected, by that time 15 feet ot
water was in the hold. This, too, was
the beginning of the monsoon season
(the hot, rainy season) and when they
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were free from the reef the sea was
Jo furious that it would have been
impossible to transfer the passengers
from the boat to the collier and the
captain planned to run the ship back
onto the reef had it shown signs of
sinking but with the aid of the pumps
they were able to control ne 'a1" j!0.
that they could proceed under their
own steam, although very slowl. By
the time they arrived at Thursday
Island the ship Tasman was n a shock
ing condition and the entire frame
work was so badly bent that it was
necessary to put in a new hull in Bata
via, Severe Cold Contracted.
Mme. Nordica, owing to the condition
, ,.,., rr, tnnk a very severe cold
during this voyage and it affected the
pleura and lungs. rne weaiuer uC,o
very hot and moist, she was much
weakened and when she landed it was
absolutely necessary to take her to the
hospital immediately. This was the
manner in which she celebrated New
Year's day of 1914 and there she re
mained until March 28. Although the
accommodations at the hospital were
almost unspeakable, she had everything
that could be supplied by human power.
She had brought a nurse from Mel
bourne and she was accompanied by
Mrs. Baldwin, her niece, and a maid.
The doctor, ills assistants and the en
tire staff of the hospital were devoted
to the great singer and never was she
more truly a great woman than under
these trying conditions, as Bhe lay in
the most unhealthy, unhappy surround
ings, away from the home of luxury
and affection.
Her condition fluctuated constantlj.
One day would show improvement, and
there would be sudden lapses which
would make her lose all that she had
gained. At the end of March It m
decided that Madame Nordica should
go on in any case, as the idea of leav
ing this place would be conducive to
improving her health and state of mind.
Incidentally it may be said that
Thursday is a small island in the group
which forms the Prince Edward
archipelago, and is situated about -o
miles directly north of the northeastern
portion of Australia. The surrounding
waters called the Torres Straits are
known as very dangerous with strong
under-currents in very shallow water.
It is seven miles in circumference and
out of a population of about 1500 only
150 people are white, the rest being
Japanese, Chinese and Aboriginal ne
groes. The principal industry Is pearl
fishing and there is little else on the
island.
Sleep Almost Impossible.
Mr Holding described the suffering
of the entire party as something ap
palling. It was January, the first
month of the Monsoon season and the
heat was overpowering. They suffered
much from prickly heat, insects of ev
ery description and particularly mos
quitoes. The nights were made hide
ous not only by these blood-thirsty
insects, but there were millions
of frogs surrounding the antire hotel.
The noise came in great waves of
sound and made sleep impossible. Ro
mayne Simmons. Mme. Nordica s faith
ful accompanist and secretary, and Mr.
Holding wandered around the hotel
nightlv trying to kill the frogs so that
Mme Nordica could sleep. When it
rained, countless numbers of these
pests were swept up onto the verandas,
and the waters surrounding the hotel
were filled with man-eating sharks, al
ligators, lizards, and altogether Thurs
day Island was a place of horrors.
They succeeded in taking Mme. Nor
dica from here to Java, a two weeks'
Journey to Batavia and the trip seemed
to improve her condition so that when
she arrived they thought It would only
be necessary to remain a few days and
all were very hopeful. In fact confident
of her ultimate recovery. But they
were doomed to a bitter disappointment
for she was only there for a few days
when she had another severe setback
and after five weeks of long continued
suffering she died.
The great artist was very brave to
the end and through all her suffering
she seemed to feel that she would re
cover. She even laid her plans to go
directly to Italy to recuperate where
she expected her husband, Mr. Young,
to meet her.
After her death the party arranged
for the transportation of the body to
Marseilles where they were met by Mr.
Young and his brother Charles Young.
The funeral services were held In
Kings Welch House Church. Mayfalr.
where Just five yearn ago Mme. Nordl a
was married to Mr. Young. The body
was cremated and the remains will he
brought to America for final dlapoel-
tlon. ,
PUBLIC INTEREST HOLDS
IN LONG ISLAND MURDER
Mysterious Killing, Involving Woman. Love and Jealousy. Keeps Front
Page Notoriety New York Workmen's Compensation Law Chafes.
BY LLOYD F. LONERGAN.
NEW YORK. July 11. (Special.)
The local newspapers are always
glad of a hot-weather sensation,
and the mysterious murder of a doc
tors woman patient at Freeport. Long
Island, is getting plenty of room on the
various first pages. The uniqueness of
the crime, the fact that a woman is the
victim, and the further fact that the
only person suspected of the killing is
also a woman, have tended to keep up
interest In a story of mystery, love and
Jealousy. ,,, ,
It is only In a murder caso like that of
Mrs. Louise Bailey that interest can be
long sustained, at least in this section
of the country. When a man is slain
by another man, experienced news
gatherers realize that public attention
will very speedily flag. This was best
illustrated a number of years ago in
New Haven when there was a partic
ularly brutal dramatic murder. It hap
pened, however, that the victim was
a man. the suspect was a man, and no
woman figured in the case at all. U
consequence the papers that tried to
keep playing up the story found they
lost circulation, as no one cared what
happened In the case.
Business men throughout New York
are complaining bitterly because of the
workmen's compensation law, which
adds heavily to their expenses. In
many cases of business that are non
hazardous the rates are as high as 6
per cent a year of the salary of em-
PlAroused by the comment, the State
Insurance Commission has Issued a
statement denying that the rates for
compensation insurance had been un
duly loaded or that the department had
been deceived by Insurance companies
in determining the basic rates. The
Workmen's Compensation Commission
announced that the rates as set by the
department might be reduced about 15
per cent and still be equitable to the
companies.
The statement that the partial
calculation made by the actuaries of
the state fund" indicates that the lia
bility underwriters did not follow
strictly the pure cost shown by Mas
sachusetts' experience for the purpose
of arriving at the prospective pure cost
for New York. This fact, it says was
well known to the state Insurance fund,
to the New York insurance department
and to the public In general.
"The pure cost for compensation in
surance," the statement reads, "deter
mined by the committee of liability un
derwriters was carefully scrutinized by
the insurance department and received
approval after the department was sat
isfied as to the correctness and reason
ableness of the pure cost determined
by such committee.
"Generally speaking, the Massachu
setts experience was followed when
ever such experience was sufficient in
volume and character to form a proper
guide for New York rates. In class!
flcatlons where the volume of payroll
In Massachusetts was insufficient the
committee necessarily searched for
data in other States, principally New
Jersey and Illinois."
Another ' interesting announcement
was that F. Spenoer Baldwin, man
ager of the state fund, expects to
establish a business-getting depart
ment, which will get under way in a
short time.
The Boylan and Anti-Drug Law,
unlawful
icrlptlons
which is now In effect, makes unau
thorised possession of hablt-formlne
drugs a misdemeanor. It also make
It a misdemeanor for the Department
of Correction to confine persons ar
rested for violation of the act with
Other prisoners as strict enforcement
of the law would mean many arrests.
Commissioner of Correction Davis la
worried over the situation.
One plan to cope with the condi
tions while more hospital accommodo
tlons (ire being prepared haa been aug
Rested by Ernest Coulter, the per
sonal agent of Mrs. William K. Van
derbllt In the Anti-Drue; campalsii.
Mr. Coulter proposes that drug-users
be sent to the Farm Colony for Inebri
ates at Warwick, as under the state
laws of 1910, by which the Hoard of
Inebriety was established, drug-users
came under the classification of drunkards.
The Boylan act makes It
for physicians to issue pn
for drags except after a physical ex
amination and In the treatment of dis
ease. Injury or deformity, and the pre
scription must be made out on the of
ficial forms furnished by the state.
The doctor signing the prescription
must affix his n.imo In full, his offl c
address and office hours and tele
phone number, and the name, age and
address of the person getting the pre
scription, with the date of issuance.
It is unlawful for any person to fill
the prescription without first verify
ing Its authenticity by telephone or
otherwise or for a person to have
drugs in his possession without au
thority. Criminal prosecutions for drug-selling
number 5(8 up to date this year,
as against 450 for the whole of last
year. A special bulletin Issued by the
Health Department says that thorn
has been an enormous increase in the
drug habit In New York City In recent
years.
Motorist Killed lieiren Wealth.
NEW YORK. July I David Looey
Bruce-Brown, automobile driver, who
was killed in a preliminary race at
Milwaukee, left a net estate of 11,10.
127. The sole beneficiary Is Mrs. Ruth
A. Bruce-Brown, his mother. Mr.
Bruce-Brown owned large realty In
New York City, In the financial dis
trict. The rest of the estate consisted
of stocks, bonds and mortgagee on
New York property.
India levies a tax on all Incomes of lleo
a year and opward.
A Home Recipe for
Wrinkled, Saggy Shin
The famous saxollte lotion recom
mended by beauty specialists for re
moving wrinkles and for reducing dis
tended pores, can be easily made at
home. Ask your druggist for saxollte
In powdered form. 1 os., and pint
witch hasel. Dissolve the powder In
the witch hazel and hat he the face, neck
and hands In the solution. Kesults are
remarkable, and Instantaneous. The
skin tightens, and thla naturally re
duces the wrinkles, as well as creases
or folds about the neck, cheeks or
hands. The tissue beneath the ekln
also becomes firmer and morw solid
One feels much refreshed snd
exhilarated after using tbts truly won
derful and harmless wash lotion Its
continued use once a day for only a
short time makes the average person
look ten or fifteen years younger.
Adv.
I