THORNS IN
ROSE
NOT ALL FUN TO BE WEALTHY
Men of Millions Condemned to Isolation in Life, Pursued
by Selfish Greed, While After Death There Are Spu
rious Widows, Will Contests, and Half a Hun
dred Other Kindred Ills.
New York. Tha embarrassment of
riches Is, of course, proverbial. To
day the burden of wealth Is probably
greater for the possessors of great for
tunes than ever before. A multi-millionaire
is a marked man. He is de
nied privacy even in the most intimate
family relations, and he is constantly
beset by armies of beggars and must
be guarded like any king. At his
death hordes of claimants fight over
his property, his memory is bitterly
attacked and his character perhaps
blasted by unscrupulous heirs through
Vong years of litigation.
A short time ago Mr. Jame3 Henry
Smith, universally known as "Silent
Smith," a man of great wealth and the
dispenser of wide private benefactions,
luddcnly died. He had lived a life of
singular seclusion. A man of very sim
ple tastes and habits, he had always
shunned notoriety in every form.
Any ordinary man of his character
might have enjoyed a secluded life,
but for Mr. Smith it was a constant ef
fort to live his own life In his own
way. On his death it was announced
that he had left a fortune of more
than $50,000,000. The embarrassment
of riches has literally followed him
into hla grave. Instantly a crowd of
relatives and claimants, many of whom
he had never known, appeared on the
scene.
His widow is obliged to retain the
best counsel and instantly prepare for
a long and presumably bitter conflict
in order that his dying wishes as ex
pressed in his will may be carried out.
In this undignified scramble for his
millions every detail of his life will be
gone into, and this by expert 'lawyers
and in no friendly spirit. Mr. Smith's
private benefactions were many and
varied and his character will stand the
test, but It is a situation which would
have given him great pain in anticipa-
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Hon. The situation Is peculiarly a
burden of the rich.
Bodyguards of the Rich.
It is no exaggeration to say that
(cores of millionaires in New York, in
order to gain privacy in their homes,
are guarded quite as closely as any
king. It is literally true that the
president of the United States is much
more easy to approach by any ordi
nary citizen than many owners of
great fortunes. It is not generally
known for Instance, that whereas any-
one might call up the president by
telephone, or at least the White
.House, it is impossible to do the same
with many New York millionaires.
The names of the possessors of great
fortunes do not appear in the tele
phone directories. These men are not
without telephone communication with
the outside world, but they choose to
have private wires . laid to their
houses, In order to avoid the annoy
ance of being continually rung up. In
other words, these houses are far
more Isolated than the average pri
vate residence, and the inconvenience
thejr OMMt endure la of course obvious.
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THE
OF PLENTY
While they can ring up anyone, they
themselves cannot be called on the
telephone except by the chosen few
who have their private numbers, so
that the seclusion works both ways.
In the matter of personal mall,
again, the possession of wealth and
the notoriety it inevitably brings is a
source of great Inconvenience. The
mail of a multi-millionaire is likely to
be so heavy that a secretary, perhaps
a considerable staff of them, must be
employed to care for it. This mail
is of course, for the most part unso
licited. Mr. Andrew Carnegie, for in
stance, receives on an average from
400 to 800 letters a day making direct
appeals for charity. His own personal
mail, which is naturally large, is not
included in this number.
Volume of Mail Varies.
The volume of Mr. Carnegie's 'mail
varies curiously from season to sea
son, but it is always enormous. At a
time when his name is frequently be
fore the public the number of requests
for charity rises quickly to Its maxi
mum, while should his name not ap
pear in the newspapers for some time
the volume of such letters decreases,
but rarely below the 400 a day mark.
The frequent appearance of Mr. Car
negie's name in connection with the
recent peace conference served to
raise the number of letters to its max
imum, or about 800 a day. The amount
of actual hard work which such a cor
respondence entails is of course very
great.
The number of personal applica
tions which a man of great wealth is
favored with is also a surprise. Like
the letters, they represent all classes
of society, of want and destitution.
The proportion of regular beggars is
comparatively small. This class of
applicants is likely to be awed by the
general appearance and atmosphere of
such homes. There is an army how
ever, of men and women representing
a state of genteel poverty, besides the
cranks, who would make some absurd
appeal. The door bells of many of
these elaborate establishments ring
continually throughout the day and
night. The methods employed of dis
posing of such callers varies. Mr.
Carnegie, for instance, denies himself
to all strangers, but his butler uses
his Judgment as to whether a card
should be taken to a secretary. The
method of handling chance callers is
ingenious. The outer door opens into
a shallow outer vestibule. Should the
individual in the brass buttons so de
cide the caller is ushered through a
door at the side and up a short stair
case to a private apartment, where he
is received by a secretary. In this
way the visitor does not reach the
main vestibule, and, in no way Inter
feres with the privacy of the house.
Guarding Private Estates.
The country establishments of the
very wealthy must again be even
more carefully guarded. A few years
ago it was common for the grounds of
great estates to be opened at certain
hours at least to the public, but to-day
such privileges are rarely granted. In
almost every case such places are
completely walled in and the various
entrances are closely guarded. No
matter how far from the mansion may
be the lodge, no one is permitted to
enter until he has been announced by
telephone and permission has been
granted. Mr. John D. Rockefeller, for
instance, is as closely guarded in his
estate at Tarry town or in Cleveland
as is royalty. Even a person stopping
before one of these entrances is close
ly watched. The estate of Mr. George
Gould, at Lakewood, is guarded in the
same way, while others might, be
cited.
A famous murder recently has di
rected attention to the very general
use which is made of private detec
tives by people of great wealth. The
fact comes as a surprise to many.- So
quiet a figure and so much beloved a
character as Miss Helen Gould, for in
stance, frequently employs private de
tectives as a safeguard against rob
bery. Many well-known millionaires
go about accompanied by a gentlemanly-looking
detective who acts as a
bodyguard. In many cases these men
are not- employed so much to guard
against robbery as to protect them in
case they should be threatened with
actual bodily harm. Should the mail
of some wealthy man contain some
threatening letter it is not uncommon
for a detective to be called In and en
gaged for a few days, perhaps for a
long period, either to run down the
writer of the letter or to personally
accompany the wealthy man to and
from his office. .
Detectives Always on Hand.
Even in their most private social
functions it is common for people of
THFCwwREttdpTteMH Play -2? 5Sll X'
Benin d Brrred a cm, ?s under f Jl S
great wealth to employ detectives,
sometimes several of them being on
hand. Some years ago Mrs. A. T.
Stewart appeared on the piazzas of
Slimmer hotels with a deteetlve hover
ing within a few feet of her to safe
guard the fortune in diamonds she
wore. To-day things are differently
managed, but the necessity for pro
tection is none the less. real. Fash
ionable weddings, where a fortune in
wedding gifts are known to be col
lected, are almost always policed. It
is common for a private detective
agency to be called upon and the en
tire arrangement looking toward its
protection placed In their fcands. The
detective, in charge goes over the
ground and places his men long before
the ceremony. Some of the detectives
will masquerade as guests in frock
coats. Still others may be disguised
as servants. One or more men will,
of course, be on constant guard in the
rooms where the presents are dis
played. Even the pleasure of distributing
charities becomes a very complex and
irksome affair when the sum to be
distributed reaches enormous propor
tions. During one's lifetime, at least,
it would seem that it would be an easy
matter to dispose of money. As a
matter of fact, many men and women
of great wealth are obliged to place
their benefactions upon a regular
business basis in order not to be
robbed. Several men of great wealth,
notably Mr. Rockefeller, are compelled
to employ men at large salaries, who
are in turn assisted by staffs of clerks,
to examine into the demands made
upon them and after investigation de
cide just how the money shall be
distributed. It is certainly no fun to
enjoy the pleasure of giving at the ex
pense of all this complicated and irk
some business detail.
Charity Misunderstood.
A man in the ordinary walks of life,
again, who contributes to a church or
endows a hospital or a college may be
generally praised for.doing so, but for
a man of great wealth it is difficult to
make any gift without being misunder
stood, perhaps severely "' and bitterly
criticised. The white light which
beats upon a throne is turned on hla
slightest act. The very possession of
such great wealth serves to antagonize
a considerable proportion of the com
munity, and his most praiseworthy act
is attributed to ulterior motives, per
haps to very selfish and unworthy
ones. One of the most familiar in
stances of this is the case of a man
who ranks among the most liberal dis
tributors of public benefactions in tha
world to-day, whose name is on every
one's tongue, and yet he is the subject
of bitter attack, and his benefactions
are attributed to his desire to place
certain securities in conservative
hands throughout the country. It 'is,
of course, impossible to please every
one, and the dissatisfied element are
certain to feel a bitterness in direct
ratio to the size of the fortunes In
volved. The diseases of the rich are still
another disturbing factor in this bal
ance. Jt is no exaggeration to place
a number of distressing physical ills
in this category. The nervous and
mental strain of handling a great for
tune is exceedingly trying upon the
strongest organization. It was Jay
Gould who remarked, during the ex
citement of a great financial panic,
that a man controlling a fortune of
$50,000,000 had no time either to eat
or sleep. A man in active control of
a great fortune is obviously under a
tremendous strain. As a result eases
of physical breakdown in Wall street
are common, and men young in years
are often old in health.
Kidnaping Plots.
It is only a short time since a plot
was revealed to kidnap John D. Rocke
feller and hold him for the payment of
an immense ransom. Here is another
danger which a man less conspicuous
for his wealth avoids. The case was.
of course, unusual, but, on the other
hand, the fear of kidnaping hangs
very heavily over ;the families of the
rich. As a result the children of fam
ilies of great fortune have, as a mat
ter of fact, less liberty than children
of families in much poorer circum
stances. The little heirs to great for
tunes cannot play in the parks or even
walk in the streets without a guard of
some sort. They must . bp constantly
watched. Even in the country this
surveillance is" continued. At scores
of great estates throughout the coun
try the gates are closed to the public
on the ground that the children who
are playing about would be endan
gered. .
The fear of blackmail, again, is
much more general than is generally
supposed. The mall of practically all
men of great wealth constantly brings
them threats of every possible kind.
The person who attempts blackmail
may have no incriminating knowledge
whatever. In most cases he probably
has not, but the menace is none the
less disconcerting. A considerable
part of the public is always ready to
believe the worst of men in high
places, and a clever blackmailer may
do incalculable -harm.
Our great .modern fortunes, again,
are often amassed with amazing rap
idity. It has never before in history
been possible to accumulate such
wealth in so short a period. It is for
gotten that there is another side to
this situation, and that the danger of
losing such fortunes is corresponding
ly great. The financiers) while they
make enormous gains, must also face
frightful losses. Scores of men might
be mentioned who have risen to great
wealth In a few years,, only to fall
again and be forgotten. The experi
ence of James R. Keene, for instance,
who has several times been worth mil
lions and at other times been millions
in debt, has many counterparts on a
smaller scale. The struggle for wealth
is so frantic and the element of chance
so great in the manipulation of great
sums of money that it is perhaps more
difficult to retain money than to ac
quire It.
Important Sale of
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"Wish-Bones" of Fowls with a Little
Brocade, Silk or Velvet.
Here is a novelty in the way of a
'lucky" pincushion, which would be a
suitable gift to either a man or wo
man. 3t is quite easy to make, the
cushion being cut in circular sape
and filled very full with bran. It is
' Jibe, covered with brocade, silk . or
velvet, and the junction of the upper
and lower surface is hidden by a
length of silk cord, tied tightly round,
so as to cause an indentation. It is
then knotted on two sides, round the
ends of a coupla of "wish-bones,"
which are arrang'l over U cushion
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in the way the illustration so . clearly
shows. The bones, after they are re
moved from the fowls, should be
boiled In clear water, then wiped dry.
and any .rough places rubbed down
with fine sand-paper. .
T y JMCf ffi Truth. I
Colored Colla.-a and Cuffs. , s
Colored collars and cuffs are popular
on the Cheviot coats for children,
cloth being used Jf they are red and
velvet If they a're blue or. black. But-
tons are made of the material it usu- 1
ally is suiting in light tans, creams
and grays and the rims are chosen to
match the collars and cuffs. -, Red is
popular here as elsewhere nd red
cheviot Is prominent among wool -coats.
The most practical fashion
that the small girl has borrowed from'
her elders Is that of wearing turn- .
back pique collars and cuffs over her.'
coats. The cuffs especially are the
vulnerable part, and here using wash
things as far as possible prevails. '
You May Have Met Them.
' Poor conversationalists are thos
who, having nothing to say, go ahead '
and say it anyway. . .
