San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-12-14
THE ROTHSCHILDS.
BEGINNING OF THE FINANCIAL CA
REEREOF A GREAT HOUSE.
The Hessian Blood Money Was the Great
Foundation of Their Fortune-How the
Firm of the Five Brothers Was Consti-
tuted-Waterloo.

The original name of Rothschild was Bauer.
The family adopted the name of Rothschild
Red Shield from the sign which the founder
of the house kept over his dingy little shop
in Frankfort on-th Main, in the odoriferous
quarter called the Judengasse Jews street,,
says Henry Clews in his "Twenty-eight Years
in Wall Street" In this little shop, Mayer
Anselm Rothschild, the founder of the house,
discounted bills, changed money, examined
the quality of coins, bought cheap and sold
dear. "How do you get so rich Mr.. Roths-
childr said friend of old Anselm one day,
as be leaned over his dusky little counter.
The reply was: 81 buys sheep and sells
deer" His knowledge of the quality of
coins was marvellous He had the instinct
of genius in detecting everything in the form
of money or jewelry that was not genuine.
At the age of II young RothschiId took rank
with the best, oldest and ablest financiers OF
Frankfort.
1t is not generally known that Rothschild's
first great start in financial life was given
him by the use of the $40, ZOO 600 which was
paid to the landgrave of Hesse, Frederic ii,
by George III of England, for II 900 Hessians
to help whip George Washington and retain
the American colonies This blood money
was the original basis of the vast fortune of
the Rothschilds. 1t was deposited with Meyer
Anselm by William TX, the successor OF
Frederic, whose example was followed by
other great ones of the earth, and in few
years the agents of kings and princes OF
Europe were flocking to Frankfort to nego-
tiate loans with Rothschild ON behalf of their
mighty patrons.
The S4O.0OO, 900. which was obtained on de-
post, remained with the house of ROthschild
nine years, and when Napoleon invaded Ger
many in the interim, the money, together
with other valuables, was hidden in wine
casks in Rothschild's cellar, but the conqueror
never thought of tapping the casks. After
peace was proclaimed, and William, who had
been obliged to seek safety in fight, returned
home, old Rothschild was dead, but his son
Auselm handed over to the prince every dol
lar of the $40, 900, and rendered him an
additional 2 per cent. interest for the entire
time of the deposit. The prince made him
present of the interest
The elder Rothschild had five sons, namely:
Anselm, who succeeded his father in Frank
fort; Solomon, of Vienna; Nathan Meyer, of
London: Charles of Naples, and James, of
Paris. According to their fathers will, the
five sons were to constitute but one firm, in
which they were to enjoy equal profits and
never divide tho fortune The business was
to be managed at Frankfort as headquarters,
to which great money center all the profits
from the other moneyed capitals were to be
raked in.
All the annual settlements were made at
Frankfort and the brothers met there once
year for general conference This system
continues, and, though the original five
brothers lave all passed over to the majority,
the last of them, James, having died in Paris
in 1868, at the ripe age Of rs, yet the repre-
sentatvcs Of the house in the large cities of
Europe sustain the principles of union, har-
mony and consolidation laid down by old
Anselm Meyer Rorhschild.
THO greatest SI,ecu atOr of the five brothers
was NaL.lun Never RothScLild, the third son
of the great old man. He made the grand
hic OF his life after the battle of Waterloo.
He ECpJ Watching the movements of the OPP
posing arMIcs Oh the continent, and followed
Wellington very closely as he approached the
famous Es.u. 1t seems that the Iron Duke
was lot Il: al pleased with Nathan's atten-
tio.i - ....., * he too: him for either spy
or anuE , So, a:lu ,,,ts Oh TIE point of having
him aII,,,,l severn! times. But Nathan
kept L. T::r. ns,' ,,l.i'y IL view, il spite Of
the i,.l, ia. A;...,t~ we're wh2ZinG around
his c-,5 Al A..U"tr,. .4e sat on hls horse on
the h..i g. t.ou@ ':.ioi., Will perfect com
pO~ulu. - ;.r TT: ,,r'.S r&ia, tho whole after
moo. 'r.!..s C!"n tLat terrible struggle
tn. wa; - dvc.,- the destiny OF nations,
until ~; i " arrived and the French were
PIT I ,.,n.. AS soon as Nathan saw this he
i l.
hcs.s - !y.':s<..ls, whore carriage and swift
herr were ii waiting to carry him to
GSLc.u
At daylight the next morning he arrived
Oh the Belgian coast, where he found it ex-
ceedin.ly difficult to obtain q boat, the sea
being very rongh. At length he obtained
bOatman as courageous as himself, who I'M
dertoOi the task for 2,5O0f., and landed him
at Dover in the evening He lost no tire,
but with relays of the swifteSt horses pushed
forward to London, and was on the exchange
next morning ready for business long before
the opening of the market. This was the
morning of the Goth, only day and two
nights after the battle that decided the fate
of nations. Nathan had performed great
feat He acted his role we'll. Like the great
hero whose political history had just closed,
Nathan was grand, gloomy and peculiar"
in the financial sense of the phrase. He was
all embodiment of the latest information
from the continent The great operators
focked around him, asking him, "WhGt is
the news9" Nathan sighed heavily, and
seemed reluctant to tell Eventually this
important piece of information was ex
torted from him in strict confidence
Butcher, at the head of his vast army of
veterans, was defeated by Napoleon q;
Ligny, ON the 10Th and 18th (of june, and
there can be no hope for Wellington with
his comnaratiYelY small and undIscinlined