The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-06-22

ceiyed them in fief from Henry the Fowler
or A lbert the Bear; vast factories Tor tne
fabrication OF rails, engines, ana t00Is, ana
iron roads longer than any which the
Brasseys had constructed or the Jay
Goulds and Vanderbilts cOntrolled-all
these were either owned or financed. or
in some way Mt the beck OF this Wunder-
Doctor" Count Itzenplitz was 50
enamored OF the S:rOusberg system
that he unconsciously played into the
Doctors hands, and, II we are TO believe
the financier's autobiography, told trou.
blesome people to "go to StrousDerg,
| lust as Napoleon expressed his pleasure
after an interview by ordering the
officer to "dine with Cambaceres.'
| All this was true of him in 1870. Yet 1t Is
said that when the magician, who seemed
10 create money, and whose nod was what
Wall street calls a "pointer," died day
or two since, he was in a condition OF al
most abiect poverty. Broken in health
bereft OF property, and without credit. he
was nevertheless cheerful to the last, beng
still sanguine that some day he would re-
tri We ALI and once more face the world
rehabilitated i'm character, and ready as OF
old to take the helm when weaker men
were afraid Of the rocks ahead.
A career so stirring, a life into which Sc
many questionable enterprises were com
pressed, has naturally been the theme FOL
the most varied comment. In the summer
time OF his success StrOusberg was regard
ed as the commercial hope OF Germany
| Hudson or John Law were never moro
courted than the man who thought as little
of launching an undertaking involving an
outlay of millions as those who hung
about his ante-chamber thought OF invest
inc In q box OF 5-pfennig cigars. Wher
the day OF adversely came the parasites
whose fulsome adulation had been so cheaT
were quite as ready to strike another key,
and to discover that the Iron Count .
was. after all, but poor charlatan
and-as the records OF the notorious
trial in which he formed the cen
tral figure showed-so frightfully dis
honest that the only wonder wa
that he had escaped discovery for sc
long. The truth lies between these two
extremes, for. without accepting Dr.
Strousberg's own estimate Of his career, a
entombed in that curious apologize pr
vita Std which he published, 1t Is only IAN
TO his memory TO say that, II his morals
were not OF the best. it would not be hare
To find a score OF men still OF excellent
standing who even now consider hi
mOduS Operdndi perfectly justified by the
code of commercial ethics. At all events
when in the ten years between 1860 anc
1870, the Railway King" was launching
schemes the united capital Of which wa:
something like 1,400,000,000 marks, erect
ing foundries to solve the problem OF CAPT
tai and labor, buying estates for his sever
children, building railways the mileage o
which the greatest English contractors cOulC
not match, and entertaining the aristOcracl
OF Berlin at his table, the soundneSS OF DIR
Strousberg's morals was the last tin.
taken into consideration. He has beer
likened to Vanderbilt and Jay Gould. EX
cept in the extent Of the fortune he Won
and lost-the men are not comparable. Th'
American fnanciers deal in stOcks-they
create nothing; in other words, they gam
bic on the rise or fall. The "Wunder
Doctor" speculated also, but he was essen
tally creator, and the substantial work
which owed their existence to him beal
the impress OF foresight, and even OF hi
good intentions. He was more like JOhI
Law, for he united in his person the attri
butes of tinancier. contractor, promoter
scholar, yirtuoso, and fine gentleman, ant
was so hospltabIe that bis Berlin palace
which is now the British Embassy. seldom
entertains guests more distinguished, Of
echoes to music more charming than whcI
he was its master.
Baruch Hirsch StTaussber@. or. Is III
preferred to style himself, DIR. Bethe
Henry StrOusberg," when, after twenty
years Of adventures in England, he re-
turned TO his native province the pOssesso
OF 10000 thaers and a fine stock Of eXpe
ricncc, gained in his career as magazine
editor and owner, and-folOwing the in
stincts OF bis race-as dealer in pictures
was essentially 'Self made man." Blu
ii is mistake TO associate him with tina
rather seIf-asserting product OF later-dal
civilization. Though no way backward L
sound his own trumpet, DIR. StrouSberl
was man Of culture. and did his best t.
be gentleman. He owed gold, but onl,
for the glory it brought. lie had the an
bitiOn, less common in Germany thar
i'm England, to "found family" ant
even looked forward TO the hour whel
he might put before his name tin
enrolling "Von." When q membe
Of the Prussian Parliament, he sat aIC
voted as q Conservative and one OF hi
last ventures was newspaper devoted &
the support OF the court party. His deal
ings with Government functiOnaries wer,
decidedly venal; but in obtaining the con
cessions for his railways he preferred L
associate himself with aristocratic partners
two princes OF the empire being his princi
pal agents I'm one speculation. Even wher
DR.. Lasker Numbered against him in tn,
| observation-disclosures, the point OF his denun
citation was more stimulated by the specta
Gle OF Pole who was Conservative apC
jew who had turned Christian than by
any actual knayery which his exposure
brought to light. In 1870 Strousberg wa
\ at the height of his fame. 1t Is, however, M
error to suppose that he rose on the surflc,
| OF that mania for speculation which fol
| lowed the close OF the Franco-Prussiar
war; and which led well-known banker
to declare that, Judging from what fol
lowed the arrival Of the French indemnity
Germany would have been absolutely
ruined had Bismarck eXacted ten instead
OF five milliards. The war, by disorgan
izing the Doctors projects, by drafting hi
workmen into the army. and paralyzing
commerce generally, actually brought
about his fall, and by the time the milliard,
had set all Germany into fever OF the
widest speculation Strousberg was
broken man. Unable to execute his con.
tracts, he had to pay vast sums Of
smart-money. Antwerp, for example
exacted from him 100000 francs FOL
his failure to p:rchase the site OF the
Notifications. BY the Roumanian rail
way he pocketed 100000 thalers, but
though he was eventually compelled TO dis
gorge 100000, as much more was required
to balance his accounts for the construction
OF a line which proved altogether useles,
during the Russo-Turkish war. Hi
100000 thaiers' worth Of shares in thu