A Mummer Marquis.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 205, 2 September 1904, Page 4

A Mummer Marquis.

STOKY OF ONE OF LORD ANGLESEY'S COMPANY, Stories of the wild extravagances of the bankrupt Marquis of Anglesey read like an Eastern fable, .wherein all is glamour and glitter, jewels and gorgeous costumes, and a lavish plenitude of everything under the sun.. The Marquis was in receipt of a quarter of a million a year, and was at great pains to show it. Unfortunately he did not know his limitations, even with that fabulous sum at his disposal, and the result was a sensational bankruptcy, in connection with which to rue astonishing disclosures are being made. His craze for clothes amounted to insanity. He had intnidreds and hundreds of suits and overcoats that were ordered but never worn—some of them in sable and other expensive furs that must nave cost huge sums of money. His desire for expensive jewellery, however, subordinated every other, passion, and in the drawers of his cabinets were found jumbled heaps of the rarest pieces of jewellery, no attempt having been made to keep them in order. In many cases these drawers were found to be Without locks. One of the spendthrift Marquis's hobbies was the stage. Interest is lent to this freak by the fact that up till four.days prion toher departure from England for Australia to fulfil her present engagement, Miss Florence Hamer, of Williamson's Comedy Company, now in Wellington, was a member of Lord Anglesey 's touring company.

Speaking to a New Zealand Times representative, Miss Hainer said, "No engagement so superb, so lavish, and so extravagant was ever imagined." She explained that in addition to staging plays at Angle- ' sey Castle, the Marquis was so j enamoured of the stage that he organised a big provincial tour, when he and Miss Hamer played the principal parts. in Oscar Wilde's brilliant comedy, "An Ideal Husband." I The receipt© were given to charity. I "I have heard it. announced that ! he gave £16,000 to charity as the result of his connection with the stage," said Miss Hamer. "And under these peculiar circumstances I suppose the engagement was a jolly one ?" "Yes," said Miss Hamer, "of the many engagements I have had in England, none was so thoroughly enjoyable as that with the Marquis of Anglesey. 1 have always had nice engagements, but that was the best of all." "Was the stage-dressing as elaborate as hia own ?" "Quite. I was allowed to design my own dresses, and you may depend I bad some of the most beautiful gowns that anyone could imagine. I had absolute carte blanche in dressing my parts, and other principals were allowed the same privilege. The men were even supplied witih such things as socks and collars. The Marquis, you know, was very fond of jewellery. 1 have frequently seen him wearing the large pear-shaped pink pearl that he is Said to have paid £IO,OOO for. He was given to using jewels in clusters as waistcoat buttons, appearing in one act with diamond "buttons," the next with rubies and in the third with turquoises. "Of course, we did very well everywhere. Everyone flocked to see the Marquis act, and then the receipts went to charity. "The theatre at the castle was beautifully decorated in white and gold, with curtains of pale blue velvet, ornamented with gold corunets. The Gaiety Theatre, it was called, was thrown open to the countryside without foe. There were

special trains, and those that came in carriages and traps had their horses and servants attended to, and refreshments were served to everyone present. "The engagement had one drawback—the Manqhils was so uncertain. At one time he was going- to town and then ho wasn't. He was going to play—or he wasn't. An instance of his strange behaviour occurred

when the Marqluis had gone to Paris, and was indisposed there and an understudy was playing his part. The news travelled ahead, and the public were annoyed at not being likely to see the peer on the stage. The news was communicated to Mm at Paris. Ho at once left there and travelled continuously to bo in time to play two nights af Scarborough. After -that he returned to Paris." Miss Hamer states that the relations lbetwoein the Marquis and the company wero of a most friendly nature. She partly excuses the Marquis's extravagance by the plea that "he had a quarter of a million a year." For what he had done for charity and "the profession," she respected his eccentricities.