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Mark Twain in German-Language Newspapers and Periodicals

Plasmon | Company

The Plasmon Company mentioned here is explicitly the American company; a British branch (both are sometimes referred to by the same name: “Plasmon Co.”) existed simultaneously and Clemens also held shares of this (British) company. It had been founded in 1900, slightly earlier than the American company, and eventually did gain Clemens some profit when it was sold (Paine, Vol. 3, 1912; and Ober, 2003). Clemens invested $25.000 in the American Plasmon Company and is referred to as its vice-president (Scharnhorst, 2006) or director (Lauber, 1990). In the beginning, Clemens saw Plasmon primarily as a valid business opportunity and tried to convince friends to invest in the company. His endorsement of the dietary product manufactured by Plasmon was also used for marketing purposes (see this advertisement in The San Francisco call, 23. Dec. 1900). Mark Twain became increasingly enthusiastic about the supposed health benefits of the product (Ober, 2003).
Today, there is still an Italian company called “Plasmon” which produces baby food products and supplements.

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Plasmon | Dietary Product The main product sold by the Plasmon Company was also called “Plasmon”, a skim milk powder that was supposed to restore general health and which Samuel L. Clemens encountered first during his stay in Vienna in 1898/1899 (see Wilson and Rees, "Bussiness" in The Routledge Encyclopedia of Mark Twain, 2013; and Ober, 2003).
There were a number of producers of similar protein products around the time (see the article "New Foods and Cures" in the Conchise review, 10 Oct. 1900 which uses “albumen” as a catch-all term for this and similar products). Plasmon was claimed to have been invented by a German Chemist by the Name of Dr. Siebold in an extensive advertising campaign (see for example The San Francisco call, 5 Mar. 1901). The production of Plasmon was cheap and Clemens therefore deemed its marketization a profitable business opportunity. The powder would be dissolved in boiling water, baked into biscuits, or cooked into all sorts of food to make it palatable.
Around the time, Clemens consumed it on a daily basis in some form, either dissolved in milk or simply eaten as plain powder (Paine, Vol. 3, 1912). He also promoted it to family and friends as a miracle cure which he claimed had healed him from indigestion and which he hoped would also improve the declining health of his wife, Olivia (Ober, 2003). In terms of nutrition, Plasmon was claimed to equal a multiple of its weight “in steak”, not only by Clemens but also by some of his contemporaries (Ober, 2003) and there were reports about the powder being shaped into actual substitute meat for vegetarians (see an article in The Birmingham age-herald, 13 Feb. 1903).
Plasmon | Bankruptcy According to contemporary newspaper reports, the Plasmon Company of America had suffered from in-company fighting and misunderstandings almost since its foundation at the turn of the century. In October 1907, a court case (see the report in the New-York tribune, 16 Oct. 1907) was brought before the Supreme Court, Brooklyn, in which Ralph W. Ashcroft accused one of the Plasmon shareholders, John H. Hammond, of libel. A telegram which Hammond had sent to Clemens in 1904 had described Ashcroft as unfit for his position as manager and stockholder of the Plasmon Company. The resulting conflict likely brought about the company’s bankruptcy later the same year, when, in December 1907, some of the company’s creditors – all of which had previously held some position in the company’s management – forced Plasmon to file for bankruptcy, their claims ranging from $1.000 to $8.000 (see the report in the New-York tribune, 21 Dec. 1907).

[Plasmon Bankruptcy] | 07 Jan. 1908

Luxemburger gazette. [volume] (Dubuque, Iowa), 07 Jan. 1908. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84027101/1908-01-07/ed-1/seq-6/>

Transcription	English Translation
Auf Grund dreier Gesuche von Gläubiger wurde kürzlich die Plasmon Company of America, deren Bureaus sich in New York befinden, vom Richter Hugh bankerott erklärt. Die Gesellschaft beschäftigte sich mit der Herstellung von Milchprodukten nach einem patentirten Prozeß und hatte früher eine Fabrik in Blaircliff Manor, N. Y., Samuel L. Clemens, besser bekannt unter seinem Schriftstellernamen „Mark Twain“, ist stellvertretender Präsident und Vice-Präsident der Gesellschaft.	On the basis of three petitions from creditors, the Plasmon Company of America, whose offices are in New York, was recently declared bankrupt by Judge Hugh. The company was engaged in the manufacture of dairy products using a patented process and formerly had a factory in Blaircliff Manor, N. Y.. Samuel L. Clemens, better known by his pen name “Mark Twain,” is vice president of the company.
Wie einer der Vertreter der Gesellschaft zugab, wurde der große amerikanische Humorist ganz gehörig „'reingelegt“, als er veranlaßt wurde, sich an dem Unternehmen finanziell zu [bet]heiligen. Die Gesellschaßt hat [missing] vor geraumer Zeit ihre Thätigkeit eingestellt und war schon seit zwei oder drei Jahren in allerlei Prozesse verwickelt.	As one of the Society's representatives admitted, the great American humorist was quite “fooled” when he was persuaded to contribute financially to the venture. The company ceased its activities some time ago and had been involved in all kinds of lawsuits for two or three years.
Herr Clemens behandelte einem Berichterstatter gegenüber das Fallissement der Gesellschaft in echt Mark Twain'scher Weise. Er gestand unumwunden zu, daß er in ganz abscheulicher Weise um, ungefähr $32,000 beschwindelt woörden sei. Wie das geschehen ist? „Ja“, sagte der Humorist, „ich hatte Aktien im Werthe von $25,000, und eines der Mitglieder der Gesellschaft hat mich später um $12,500 „gemacht“.	Mr. Clemens treated the bankruptcy of the Society in true Mark Twain fashion when he spoke to a reporter. He admitted unreservedly that he had been swindled out of about $32,000 in a most outrageous manner. How did that happen? “Well,” said the humorist, “I had shares worth $25,000, and one of the members of the company later tricked me out of $12,500.”
Auf die Frage, ob dies das erste Mal in seinem Leben sei, daß er „gemacht“ worden sei, hatte Herr Clemens anfangs nur ein herzliches Lachen. Dann entgegnete er: „O, ich bin schon um mehr Geld gebracht worden. Aber ich will nicht sagen, daß man mich um all' das Geld „gemacht“ hat. Das meiste ist durch schlechte Geschäftsführung verloren gegangen. Für's Geschäft habe ich nie getaugt.“	When asked if this was the first time in his life that he had been tricked like this, Mr. Clemens initially had only a hearty laugh. Then he replied, “Oh, I've lost more money. But I don't want to say that I have been tricked out of all that money. Most of it has been lost through bad management. I was never any good at business.”