The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1890-07-17
THE ROTHSCHlLD HOUSE.
The Origin and Growth of Famous Fam
fy-The Old House in the Judengasse.

The foundation of the Rothschild
fortune was an accident of war. In
1906 Maier Amschel Rothschild was a
small broker doing business as q
changer aud lender of money in the
house 14S Judengrase. where he had
been born half Il century before. Out
wardly, Maier Amschel was not hand
some. A portrait OF him, painted
with unquestionable fidelity. represents
| him as a smallish man, with a red,
pointed beard. keen. small eyes. .
many colored coat with a high collar
| and very tight sleeves, and n nose that
would make the beak of a bald eagle
classic and regular by comparison. He
was, in short, a fine type of the quiet.
keen, calculating lrsaelitc the product
of original Semitic traits, nodded and
subdued by centuries of social ostra-
cism. race persecution and oppression
But he was, above all. strictly honest
man and worked his little capital SC
judiciOuslv that in 1901 he attracted
the friendly notice of William ".
Landgrave of IIesse the thrifty old
monarch who sought to turn an honest
penny by hiring out 20. 600 of his Hes
sian soldiers at 100 thalers per man. to
King George III of England to aid ip
subduing the Yankee rebellion in
America
1t was probably by reason of this
clever use of his army a generation be
fore, that when. in 1906, Napoleon
Bonapartc and his legions set things
spinning in Western Germany, the
Landgrave had on hand a large guam
tity of florins which became to him q
source of cruel anxiety. Finding that
the French army was coming 10 occupy
Cassel, the Land grave bcthought him
of the honest Maier Amschel. Load
ing his treasure bags into his carriage
of state, the Landgrave and his treas
urer hied them by night to 14S Juden.
gasse, where it was turned over to the
trusty money changer with permission
to use the money as seemed best, pro-
vided it should be kept safely until the
return of peace. This rs the sequel
shows, proved rare streak of luck to
all parties concerned except the
French soldiers, who rummaged the
vaults of the Landgrave's castles in
vain.
1t is related that one of the peculiar
and original features of the Rothschild
exchange Office in those days was q
large safe or treasure box, hung with
counterpoise, like a dumb waiter, in
such manner that it could be lowered
at night into deep pit or cellar and
raised by day into a large niche in the
walls of Maier Amschels little office.
There is even a tradition that the pit
into which it was thus lowered was
well, partly filled with water beneath
which the safe was plunged, thus avert
ing all danger from fire. However
that may have been, the Landgraye's
shekels went into it and remained safe
ly until the thrifty money changer saw
a chance to invest in Austrian secur-
tiles and in discounts to his fellow cit
izens upon the oiltest of gilt-edged Sc.
curities. Money was 4 cash article in
the war-worn Europe of that period,
and people who obtained financial ac-
commodations from the ed-bearded
Maier Amschel had to pay for the
same.
SO the years wore on. Europe COM
bined against Napoleon, the Austrian
securities rose enormously in value
and when, on the 10Th of September
1872 death came upon the prosperous
banker and carried Him off. at the age
of 50, he left to his five sons an opuIent
and well-established bank, with large
resources and unblemished credit.
When, in 1918, the Landgrave re.
turned from his exile in Bohemia, he
received from the sons the entire sum
that ue had left with their father seven
years before, with due interest thereon.
which so pleased the Landgrave Will
liam that he set about repeating and
modifying the restrictions against Jews
and loaded the young bankers with
thanks and honorS.
The Austrian monarch WAS no less
grateful TO tie Frankfort banker for
having bought his securities in dark
and troublous days. and in 1916, after
peace had been restored, he raised
three of the sons to the nobility, and
it is for this reason that Baron Freihcrr
Wilhelm Won Rothschild is Consul Gen
eral of Austria at Frankfort to-day
~ Y STIR