VANISHED FORTUNE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21979, 14 June 1933, Page 5

VANISHED FORTUNE

EX-MILLIONAIRE’S WILL ESTATE VALUED AT £5. Mr Edgar Cohen, the millionaire financier, who introduced taxicabs to London and played a prominent part in the development of Harrods Stores and other big concerns, and who died on January 29, aged 80, left only £5. His will reads:— <f I Edgar Israel Cohen, of 10 Cambridge gate, Regent’s Park, in the County of Middlesex, hereby revoke all former wills and codicils and declare this only to be my last will. , , . ~ , “ I appoint my daughter, Madeline Cohen, sole executrix, hereof, and devise and bequeath all my real and personal estate whatsover and wheresoever, including any property in respect of which I have a power of appointment, unto my said daughter Madeline Cohen absolutely.” Mr Cohen was one of the most romantic figures of the Victorian and Edwardian eras and to his house in St. John’s Wood were drawn the most famous of the world’s singers, actors, and artists. His parties were famed for their brilliance, and more than once the guests were entertained by Caruso. . , r In the words of his son, Mr Stanley Cohen, “ Edgar Cohen made millions in his lifetime and died penniless. He spent, gambled, and gave lavishly and lived gloriously. But when the world changed with the war he never found his place again.”