Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-05-09
ECCENTRIC MEN.
Something of the Great Fortunes
of Modern Times.
8eckford, the Eccentric Of FonthiII-The
ROthschilds and Lord Lynd-
bursts Decision.

ing ABOUT the exchanges IN reference TO
the great fortunes of w. III. Vanderbilt
and Jay Gould, and one of these stated
there were ten men in New York whose
wealth could be put down at Sl0,O00,-
600 each. Mr.. Gould and Mr.. Wander
bilt are not reckoned in the list, since
the wealth of each of them is placed at
a great deal more than Sl0O,0OO,000. 1t
is interesting to note the great fortunes
of history, and how they have been
amaSsed. In the Middle Ages, by what
to-day would be designated by no mild
er name than robbery, the great Wal
lenstein, whose ending was so tragic,
amasSed one of the largest fortunes
ever accumulated, so that his power
was the terror of kings, and enabled
him TO dictate his own terms with the
leading European powers.
The RothchiIds.
a house in which the talent for accum-
latiOn descendg from father to son, goes
back TO the eighteenth century. In
LIZ Meyer Anselm, the founder, was
born. In lTT2 he established himself
in business as a mOney-lender. His
shop was styled the Red Shield, whence
the name of ROthchild comes. One of
his greatest ventures was when the
Landgrave of HesSe failed, or better,
fled from the great NapOlean in 1906.
He intrusted him with 81 100000. This
the shrewd Israelite specialized with,
having such success that when he died,
i'm lSl2, he left q fortune of
Il 100000 to his six sOns-Au-
selm, Solomon Nathan, Meyer,
Charles and James. The founder of
the house is said to have given his sons
one piece of advice, and that was to
conduct their operations together. Ma
than, the third son, came to London in
1903, and, as a specimen of his shrewd-
ness, he attended the battle OF Water
loo rs spectator, and as soon as he
knew the result, posted back to Eng
land, spreading everywhere the news OF
EugIand'S defeat. Thus the funds were
depressed, and his agents instructed
everywhere TO buy. He made a mill
lion by this transaction. He died in
1886, aud il was said of him that moth
ing seemed too gigantic for his grasp
nothing too minute for his notice.
George Beekford,
whose father was an alderman, and lett
his spendthriit son fortune variOuSly
estimated at million Of ready money,
and a revenue of S5OO,O0U. lie was
man of fine education, speut many
years abroad travelling in the East, and
wrote the celebrated novel, "Nathek,"
which Lord Byron praised.
For many years he resided in Portu-
gal in an elegant residence of his own,
but his greatest folly Was perpetrated at
FOnthill, left him by his father. This
castle, for it was little else, was sold to
John Farquar, an old miser from India,
for Sl,G5G,0OO, in lS22. and the eCcen-
trie George went to Bath and built q
tower from which he could see Font
hill, though il was 20 miles away. Beck
ford's eccentricities at Fonthill were the
talk of the London CLUBS as much a.
Count DOrSay's mode of tying his cra-
vat was of the beau monde. He had a
queer way Of claiming that nothing
was impossible. On one occasion he
swore by his beloved st. Anthony that
he would have his Christmas dinner
cooked in the new Abbey kitchen. The
time was short, work severe, for much
remained TO he done; still, BecktOrd
had said it, and to him there was no
surh word as fail. Every eXertiOn that
money could command was brought to
bear. The apartment was finished by
Christmas morning, but the bricks, not
having the time to settle in their
places, the beams were not thoroughly
secured, and the mortar had not dried.
But Beckford had invoked the blessings
of ST. Anthony, and he would not de-
mart from it,. The fire was lit, the
Splendid banquet cooked, and the ser
wants were carrying the dishes through
the long passages to the dining room,
when the kitchen fell in with a crash.
No person was, fortunately, hurt, but
the master had kept his word.
MI rha rItieG