St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-06


dragged me in cab to part Of the
town which for great many years was
Dlack spot in the very center of Frank
tort. and that blot which threw such
shadow over the splendor of the city
was the Jews quarter, out of whence
came the Rothschilds. have sent
portrait of the original Jacobs" of that
family. He has on a cheap coat of
many colors, red wig, beard trimmed
like that of goat, and long. hooked
nose. But there is still enough of
israel left in the barons of to-day for
them to stand by the Jews of yesterday.
ana why shouldn't they be proud of
nm, for he was an honest man.
me tell you the genesis of this famous
FAMILY. Maier Bmschel Rothschild
Vas born at No. las in the Jews street
OF Frankfort, and, like his father, was
a shopkeeper and tradeSman. He had
the good fortune to become acquainted
with William TX, Landgrave of Hesse-
CaSSel - the same who sold 10000
HeSSianS as soldiers to the English to
night our fOrefathers, and he received
the sum of 100 thalers 900 shillings) for
each man. In 1906 William TX was
forced by Napoleon to flee in haste from
CaSsel, and, as he had known Amschel
Rotheschild many years. he placed sew,
eral millions of fiOrins in his charge.
with permission to employ the money
Tor his own Speculations until the
French troops should leave CasSel.
HE HID THE MONEY.
Rothschild hid the money in the cell
ar of his miserable home in the Jews
street, where the French, who were at
that time masters of Frankfort, never
thought of looking for such riches. AS
soon as they had left Frankfort he be-
gan to speculate with the landgrave's
money! and all his undertakings Site
ceeded in marvellous manner. In 1872
he died, and when in 1918 William TX
returned to Cassel he received from the
i've sons of AmSchel the whole of the
capital which had been cOnfided TO their
father and two per cent interest for the
time he had Speculated with it. The
five sons of ROthschild already pos
sPssed at that time fortune of many
million florins, and they founded bank
ing houses in London, Paris. Vienna
and Naples. At 70 Borne street for
merry Judengasse) is the old family
house of the Rothschilds. The widow of
Maier AmSchel never left it. and died
there in 1S49, aged nlnety-SiX years,
The Jews street, when first visited
1t dozen years ago. consisted of two
rows of houses, but it has been almost
entirely rebuilt since. The first hiStori
cal mention of Jewish inhabitants of
Frankfort dates back to 1910, and the
maSSacreS of them. usual in the middle
ages, took place in this city from time
to time. The worst massacre was in
l349, when all were killed or chased
away, and for long time there was not
jew to be seen in the whole town.
But i'll 1853 the number of Jews in it
had increased in such manner that the
council resolved to build new street,
in which all the Jewish families were
forced to settle. This narrow street
was separated from the Christian quar-
tiers by high stone walls, and two mar
row gates and little door formed the
only means of communication between
them. Every evening. and also Sun
days, holidays and on all festivals given
by the city, the gates were closed and a
heavy penalty was inflicted on every
jew who ventured to leave the street in
spite of the prohibition. The Jews
street was several times quite, or in
great part, destroyed by fire. The
houses which are now in existence date
from Ill and 1892, and stand in streets
that are dirty and smoky. The houses
have tottering, shaking caves, and there
for the hauntS of unclean beasts than
for human habitati0nS. From out the
grimy windows, narrow as loophOles,
haggard. Withered faces looked out on
me, and, We're it not for the gleam of ay-
arice in their faces, might have thought
they were those of cOrpSeS. Old women
with anxious looks confronted me like
living images of ShakeSpeare's witches,
as they sat on the dO0rSiepS presiding
over the eternal traffic in faded ard
spotted rags in which they deal. II G
husbands and sons of these matrolS
have striking features of resemblance;
all the sinister faces seem to have been
cast in the same mold, and they are The
impersonatiOn of astuteneSs. Both
men and women are alike consumed
with thirst for gold; the precious yell
low metal is their master, their dream,
their god, their heaven in this world
and the one to come. Still, even among
this strange type of the human face
divine, | came across two young girls
who had sweet faces. They had black
eyes fringed with long ebony lashes,
their complexion was of warm brown
color, there was mixture of WildneSs
and timidity in their faces, and
thought them worthy sisters of Ruth or
Rachael.
LEFT UNNIPROVED.
This quarter Of the town has been
but lightly touched by progressive civ
ilization and it seems to rest under the
anathema that so long ago was hurled at
the people of Judea. Here, completely
isolated as if they were lepers turned
out 10y the priests of old from among
their fellowmen. these sons of Israel
live among themselves, Ivy themselves
and for themselves. Through the cent
urIeS that have passed they have ever
remained a distinct race, strangers
among the people with whom they live,
making to themselves law of their SOL
itude. Such are the Jews of Frankfort.
Yet, strange to say, outside this
quarter one meets all over Frankfort
and with the prestige of large fortunes
attaching to them persons who are I'M
doubtedly Hebrews also. How comes
it then that distinct class of their CO.
religiOnists should dwell in such disas-
tr0uS isolation, while they live in
luxury and hobnob with the highest
born? Can it lie in the innate and re-
pulSive sentiment which separates Is
raelites from Christians, the old hatred
that dates from the day when the voice
Of the Man God addressed all the
peoples OF the earth in the sublime
words, Love one another" words of
holy alliance which the Jews alone re-
fused to hear?
Ihave said that he capitalists, or
rather the stock exchange people, have
largely taken themselves to Berlin, but
many rich bankers still reside in Frank
fort. The future of thiS city is entirely
commercial and industrial. 1t is bound
to be the great receiving and storage
house OF the southwestern part of the
empire, although it will always have a
big rival in Mannheim. In recent years
the Badoise city on the Rhine has taken
rapid strides, and she has built some
fine warehouses. Still Frankfort is
preparing for the struggle, and the inn
perial government is helping her
by building barracks and mag
nificent railway stations. Millions
of marks have been spent in i'm
proving the river Main and in construct
ing docks worthy of the town. The
depot is. believe, the largest on the
continent. 1t cost great deal of
money; eighteen different railway lines
enter it, and it is the best arranged