davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-09
FOUR VERY RICH MEN.
The Fortunes of Rockefeller, Astor,
Vanderbilt and Gould.
RICHER THAN THE ROTHSCHILDS.
The Standard Oil and Western Union Mag
mates Inherited Nothing.
THEY WILL SOON BE BILLlONAIRES.
tcoRREspoNpENcE OF THE D1spArcH.I

CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DIsPATCH.I
NEW YORK, March S.-There are at least
four men in America richer than the richest
man in Europe. They are John D. Rookie
feller, the President of the Standard Oil
Trust; William Waldorf Astor, who has
just succeeded to the fortune of John Jacob
Astor, his father; Cornelius Vanderbilt, the
head of the Vanderbilt system Of railroads,
and Jay Gould, the speculator and railroad
magnate. The aggregate wealth of the
Rothschilds reaches nearly $1,000, ,O00, 900,
but no individual Rothschild is worth over
$4,000, 900. Here is an estimate, obtained
from the most reliable sources, of the for
tunes of the Americans named:
John D. Rockefeller Sl3o 0OO, OO0
William Waldorf Astor. 70 0OO, IVY
Cornelius Vanderbilt. lI00U0,UOV OO
Jay Gould. .....-...........-....' 'o'0oo'ooo
1t has been supposed that the late John
Jacob Astor was the richest man in the
world, and so he was for time after the
division of the wealth of William ID. VAN
derbilt, who, at the time of his death, was
worth 5000, 100000. John d. Rockefeller
has made money faster in the past few years
than any other mortal ever made it. He is
so rich that he cannot count his own mill
ions. He said under oath in legal pro-
ceeding not long ago, that he could not esti-
mate his fortune within S10,000,000 or S12,-
0OO 900. The estimate of S135, 900, 900 is not
considered excessive. If anything, it is
under the actual amount.
ONCE A NEWSPAPER REPORTER.
Rockefeller was once newsper reporter,
and less than two decades ago was a busl-
ness man of only moderate means in Cleve-
land, o. His attention was attracted to the
opportunities for making money in the
handling and refining OF the product of the
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-09
CHAPTER XIV.
NOT SHOT AFTER ALL,


A few yards from the path grew stunted
tree with stone at its root. Thither Bea-
trice staggered and sank upon the stone,
while still the solid earth spun round and
round. Presently her mind cleared little,
and a keener pang of pain shot through her
soul. She had been stunned at first; now she
felt.
Perhaps it was not true; perhaps Eliza
beth had been mistaken or had only said it
to torment her. She rose. She flung herself
upon her knees, there by the stone, and
prayed, this first time for many years-she
prayed with all her soul. "Oh, God, if Thou
art; spare him his life and me this agony"
In her dreadful pangs of grief her faith was
thus reborn, and, as all human beings must
in their hour of mortal agony, Beatrice real
lied her dependence on the Unseen. She
rose, and weak with emotion sank back on to
the stone. The people were streaming past
her now, talking e1citedly. Somebody
came up to her and stood over her.
Oh, heaven, it was Geoffrey.
SIS it you?" she gasped. Elizabeth said
that you were murdered"
mo, no. 1t was not me; it is that poor
fellow johnson, the auctioneer. Jones shot
him. was standing next him. I suppose
your sister thought that fell. He was not
unlike me, poor fellow"
Beatrice looked at him, went red, went
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-09

white, then burst into food of tears. A
strange pang seized upon his heart. 1t
thrilled through him, shaking him to the
core. Why was this woman so deeply
moved? Could it be? Nonsense; he stifed
the thought before it was born.
"Don't cry" Geoffrey said, "the people
will see you, Beatrice" (for the first time he
called her by her Christian name.) "Pray
do not cry. 1t distresses me. You are up
set and no wonder. That fellow Beecham
Bones ought to be hanged, and told him
it to go so far. He's frightened enough
now, can tell you."
Beatrice controlled herself with an effort.
"What happened" he said, IT will tell
you as we walk along. No. don't go up to
the farm. He is not pleasant sight, poor
fellow. When I got up there Beecham
Bones was spouting away to the mob-h1s
long hair flying abont his back-exciting
them to resist laws made by brutal, thieving
landlords, and all that kind of gibberish;
telling them that they would be supported
BY great party in Parliament, etc.
The people, however. took it all good
naturedly enough. They had beautiful
efigy OF your father swinging on a
pole. with placard on his breast on which
was written, THE robber of the widow and
the orphan and they were singing Welsh
songs. Only saw Jones, who was more
than half drunk, cursing and swearing in
Welsh and English. When the auctioneer
began to sell, Jones went into the house
and Bones went with him. After enough
had been sold to pay the debt, and while the
mob was still laughing and shouting, sud-
denly the back door of the house opened
and out rushed Jones, now quite drunk,
a gun in his hand, and Bones hanging on to
his coat-tails. 1 was talking to the auction
eer at the moment, and my belief is that the
brute thought that 1 was johnson. At any
rate, before anything could be done he
lifted the gun and fired at me, as I think.
The charge, however, passed my head and
hit poor Johnston full in the face, killing
him dead. That is all the story"
"And quite enough, too," said Beatrice,
with shudder. "What times we live in!
I feel quite sick"
Supper that night was very melancholy
affair. Old Mr.. Granger was altogether
thrown off his balance, and even Elizabeth's
iron nerves were shaken.
"It could not be worse, it could not be
worse" moaned the old man, rising from
the table and walking up and down the
room.
''Nonsense, father" said Elizabeth, the
practical "He might have been shot before
he had sold the hay, and then you would not
haye got your tithe."
Goeffrey could not help smiling at this
way of looking at things, from which, how
ever, Mr.. Granger seemed to draw . little
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-09

Pennsylvania oil fields. He started com
paratively small refinery, and from that
grew the most powerful monopoly on earth
the Standard Oil Trust. How rapidly the
Standard has grown is shown by the fact that
in 1880 its capital was only $4,000, 900,
whereas it is now 800, 900, 900. The par
value of the stock is S100 share, but it is
quoted at S170. 1t pays dividends amount
ing to 10 per cent per annum. Rockefeller
that something like 800, 900 of his
fortune is represented IN the trust. He also
has extensive natural gas interests in Ohio,
and in addition is a large owner of Govern
ment bonds and the securities of railroads
and other corporations.
It has been said. and it is probably a
fact, that the Standard Oil Trust is the
best managed corporation in the world.
John D. Rockefeller is the directing spirit.
He looks and acts more like preacher than
schemer. He is in fact a deacon in a
Baptist church. He has stopping shoulders,
dropping eyelids and face that is almost
sepulchral. He lives in handsome house
in West Fifty-fourth street just around the
corner from Fifth avenue. 1t is in this
neighborhood where the Vanderbilt man
sions, the finest in New York, cluster.
HE KEEPS VERY QUIET.
His diversions are few. Little is heard of
him and less is seen of him. He is mac
cessible at all times. He wields the enor-
nous power of the Standard Oil Trust from
behind portals. And this power is proved
by the Irresistible way in which opposition
to the Standard In all forms has been
crushed out. There is, however, one thing
to be said of the Standard. If an opposition
pipe line or refinery is started and assumes
proportions sufficient to make it formidable,
an offer, and fair one at that, is made for
its purchase. If the offer is refused the
Standard puts down prices, interferes with
facilities and makes its competitors busi-
ness Improbable. The competitor in the
end gives up. The Standard never was a
producer in Pennsylvania, but when the
Ohio oil field was discovered 1t proceeded to
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-09
UNPLEASANT NIGHT QUARTERS.

Malinga, of whom Rev. George Grenfell, of
the English Baptist Mission, had brought
down some curious information from his
"trip up the Malinga on the little mission
steamer Peace. His had been the first visit
of white man to that river, and we were
anxious to see how the natives would now
receive us, stopping at every village as we
intended doing, aid endeavoring to make
friends by undergoing the ceremony of
blood brotherhoca, done by scratching the
arm of each party and rubbing one abrasion
against the other, and purchasing almost
anything the natives would bring us to sell.
Not wishing to provoke hostilities by in
Producing quarrelsome foreign element we
left the regular Zanzibari and conservative
crew of the Florida at Equator, replacing
them by the best and most capable of our
native friends from the surrounding villages.
There still remained the two Lagos men,
from the British colony on the Gold coast
who acted as assistants to our white engl-
neer in looking after the engines and fires
two or three Loango fremen from district
north of the Congo mouth-and my Loango
servant Tati, as we'll as one Zanzibar, An
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-09

secure all the productive territory, and now
controls the situation there absolutely.
William Waldorf Astor's wealth is prin-
cipally in real estate. The original John
Jacob Astor bought farm after farm along
the Kings Highway, the old post road, e1-
tending from the Battery in New York to
Albany. The Kings Highway is now known
as Broadway. His heirs followed his ex-
ample, and thus it is that the Astors have,
at one time or another, owned
THE BEST PART OF BROADWAY.
People who desired to put up residences
or business structures would obtain ground
leases from the Astors, and on corn fields
and potato patches reared buildings, which,
at the expiration of the leases, reverted to
the Astors. As a rule these leases ran for
81 years. The Astors have never been specu-
lators, and as consequence their fortunes
have never been impaired by the mutations
Of Wall street. They have never been obtrus-
i've and the only one of the family who has
ever aspired to political honors Is William
Waldorf, who served in both branches of the
State Legislature and was also Minister to
Italy. He is not likely to figure in politics
again. He made something of name as a
novel writer, but his literary as we'll as his
political aspirations seem to have recently
subsided. He is under 40, tall, wellbuilt
and agreeable in manner. He wears eye
glasses and dresses very quietly.
His home is double brown stone house
in East Thirty-third street, three doors from
Fifth avenue. He will soon take possession
OF his fathers mansion on Fifth avenue, q
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-09

| would forget her. Other interests would
| arise, other women would become his
| friends, and he would forget the Welsh girl
who had attracted him for awhile, or re-
member her only as the companion of a
| rough adventure. What did it mean? Why
was her heart so sore? Why had she felt as
though she should die when they told her
| that he was dead?
Then the answer rose in her breast. She
I loved him; it was useless to deny the truth
she loved him body and heart and soul.
with all her mind and all her strength. She
was his, and his alone-to-day, tomorrow
and forever. He might go from her sight.
she might never, never see him more, but
love him she always must. And he was
married.
Well, it was her misfortune: it could NOT
affect the solemn truth. What should she
do, how should she endure her life when
her eyes no longer saw his eyes, and her ears
never heard his voice? She saw the future
stretch itself before her as in a vision, She
saw herself forgotten by this man whom she
loved, or from time to time remembered
only with faint regret. She saw herself
growing slowly old, her beauty fading
yearly from her face and form, companioned
only by the love that grows not old. Oh,
1t was bitter, bitterl and yet she would
not have it otherwise. Even in her pain she
felt it better to have found this deep and
ruinous joy, to have wrestled with the Angel
and been worsted, than never to have looked
upon his face. If she could only know that
what she gave was given back again, that
he loved her as she loved him, she would be
content. She was innocent, she had never
tried to draw him to her; she had used no
touch or look no woman's arts or lures such
as her beauty placed at her command. There
had been no word spoken, scarcely a mean
ing glance had passed between them, moth
ing but frank, free companionship as Of
man and man. She knew he did not love his
wife, and that his wife did not love him
this she could see. But she had never tried
to win him from her, and though she sinned
in thought, though her heart was guilty-oh.
her hands were clean!
Her restlessness overcame her. See could
no longer lie in bed. Elizabeth, watch
ing through her veil Of sleep, saw Beatrice
rise, put on a wrapper, and going to the
window throw 1t wide. At first she thought
of interfering. for Elizabeth was a prudent
person and did not like draughts; but her
sisters movements excited her curiosity and
see refrained. Beatrice sat down on the foot
of ber bed and leaning her arm upon the
window sill looked out upon the lovely,
quiet night. How dark the pine trees
massed against the sky; how soft was the
whisper OF the sea, and how vast the heaven
through which the stars sailed on.
What was it, then, this love Of hers? Was
1t merely earthly passion? No, 1t waa
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-09

er" of many Of the surrounding chiefs, anc
the friend of ali the natives. They daily
crowded the precincts of the station, carry
ing spears and shields and other implement:
of war, yet with friendly smiles on their
faces and good will apparent in all their
actions.
They brought US fowls, goats, palm wine
and eggs, either as presents, receiving in re.
turn suitable gifts, or to sell for beads,
cowries (small seashells, which are the cur
rent money of many Central African tribes)
brass wire or strips of different-colored cot
ton cloths. Rarely during my three mon tbs
stay at Equator was the peace of the district
disturbed by strife between neighboring vii
lagos or attacks from outsiders; and although
we heard of the decapitation OF slaves in vii
lagos not far distant, executed to accompany
their masters to the spirit world, our pres
ence and oft-expressed adherence of this
custom restrained our more immediate
neighbors from indulging in their head
cutting prODensities.
THE TRIBAL DIFFICULTIES.
Sometimes canoe full OF Ronkis-natives
of the banks OF the great tributary of that
name, the Ronki or Black river which enters
the Congo only four miles above the equator
would pass by our station, keeping we'll
out in stream and challenge the natives of
Waugatta, our nearest village, to come to
their rlyer in search of ivory and see the
sort of reception they would get, and the
Waugatta men lining the banks would
shout themselves hoarse in hurling back in
sulting epithetS at the Ronkis, their mothers,
grandmothers and entire line of female an
cestors.
Sometimes at night descent of Ronki
canoes would be made on some unprotected
Waugatta settlement and two or three
women or children captured and carried off
to slavery up the big tributary. Glave and
/ remained perfectly neutral in these inter-
tribal conflicts, not wishing to identity our
selves with one party, for we were desirous
of establishing friendly relations with the
Ronkis, and we were sometimes able to pro-
tect a small party of them who came to our
station to trade or buy eowri from the vio-
lence OF our own friendly Waugatta men, to
whom the sight of any one bearing that
hated name was as the red rag is to the bull.
Soon after my arriving at Equator we de-
termined to 60 on hunting excursion to
the north bank OF the Congo, where ele-
phants were reported by the natives as being
very numerous. Our way lay through a
maze of channels between forest-covered
islands or sedgy sandbanks which stud the
placid bosom of the Congo at this point.
ANIGHT IN CANOES.
Owing to the great heat in the daytime
we decided to start at night and paddle the
greater part of the way before morning.
Manning two canoes with about 20 men in
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-09

all, friendly natives of Waugatta who were
always eager to accompany us on hunting
JOURNEYS, for the sake of the fun and the
meat we were likely to secure, we started at
P. NJ. one night early in October, 1887. A
chief named Mongessi, with one of his wives
and two slaves, helped to swell our party,
for Mongessi was ever ready to show his
liking fer the white man, and it was a
feather in his cap to be sharer of our hunt
ing exploits. Ny servant "Tati" "a coast
native l had brought up with me) and
GlaYe's little native cook, a youth of IL or
80 named Moehindu, came also to attend
on us.
We padded steadily on for several hours
between thick walls of foliage through mar
row channels 'or out upon the broad stretches
of the river lit up by a glorious moon,
Toward A. M. the men feeling tired, they
suggested q halt for an hour or two's rest,
and seeing fires shining amid the trees on
an island some half mile of, we made
toward them. Asw drew in nearer the
shore we could see many figures squatting
around The fires, which lit up the bare tree
trunks of the forest background and re-
vealed several little grass huts scattered on
the edge OF the clearing. As our approach
became known, the gathering round the
fires broke mp. Wild yells arose from a
score of lusty throats, and voices in the
Ronki dialect shouted to us not to dare to
land, and that we should all have our
throats cut if we put foot on shore.
A THREATENING DEMONSTRATION,
Spears and knives were brandished, guns
seized and pointed at us (old f1intlock
muskets from far down the river which had
passed through dozen tribes in reaching
their present owners) and an indescribable
hub-bub ensued. We called out that we
only wished to rest for few hours, that we
were friends and would do no harm, but it
was all in vain.
The fires were scattered and only few red
ashes remained, and we could see that any
attempt to land on our part would mean a
fight. So, calling out that we were going
sway, we showed off and commenced pad
ding out into the stream
As we got about 80 yards from land, bangl
went gun in among the trees and charge
OF shot whizzed past us, followed almost i'm
mediately by another report, and this time
one of our men was wounded in the thigh.
GlaVe and I were in the same canoe, and,
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-09

DOGS THE EXPEDITION.
And last, but not least, must mention
the canine members of the crew, Paddy,
Snooks and Spot, fox-terrier belonging to
my friend, the engineer. Paddy, although
in reality the uncle of Snooks, regarded the
latter in the light of a son, and was re-
warded by the unfalterlng devotion of the
younger animal, who never shirked an at
tempt to urge on his supposed father 10 wan
tonly assault some snarling or fleeing native
cur, when he would at once profit by the
disturbance to lay hold of hind leg or take
a piece out of the fesky part of the thigh
of the unfortunate native dog.
Spot was an older animal than either of
the others, and contented himself with sneer-
ing at them, and most other things, too, or
with squatting in the bows of the steamer
and looking forward to the time when we
should reach the evenings camping place.
On Thursday, November 8, a great crowd
of natives came down to see us off and bid
goodby to their friends who were members
of our crew. Bionelo, our native head man,
and one or two of the other natives brought
a wife each with them to look after cooking
arrangements.
Amid the cries of farewell and the waving
of cloths from the crowd on shore we steamed
of up against the strong current of the
Congo. Soon passing the wide mouth of the
Ronki, which pours a dark flood of water
nearly a mile broad into the Congo, we ar
rived off the grassy shores of the Ikelemba,
smaller tributary, and continued our way
mp toward Lulangu, a large village situated
at the mouth of the Lulungu river, which
we hoped to reach ere nightfall.
A USEFUL GUIDE.
On arriving at Lulangu next morning we
procured a guide who had made several
trading and slave-raiding expeditions up as
far as Malinga town on the main branch of
the Lulungu, which, as I have said, is
called the Malinga river. Our GUIDES name
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-09
WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH.


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Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-09
HISTORY OF AN EAR TOMB.

A Curious Japanese Monument Tint Recalls
Barbnrisms ofthe Past.
Detroit Free Press.l
Near by the temple of Sanjinsangendo, in
Japan, is q curious monument called Mimi
Zuka, or ear tomb. 1t is a small artificial
hill of soil, on the top of which is a monu-
ment, the form of which dates back to
Aryan times. The Aryans used to express
unlimited time and space by circle; a tri-
angle with apex upward signified fire, or
with the apex downward, water; and the
creative power, composition of fire and
water, was denoted by two triangles
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-09

side by side. The Hymalayans modified it
by inventing five in one (see sketch. }
The Mimi-Zuka is very nearly the form OF
the sketch and similar symbols are found on
many japanese tombs.
The story of this tomb-one founded on
fact-is that the two Japanese Generals,
Konishi and Kato, who invaded Korea,
near the end Of the sixteenth century, cut
off the ears and noses of their prisoners,
brought the trophies back to Japan and
buried them in this hill. In those times
prisoners of war were not spared. Their
heads were kept as trophies of victory. In
this case the Japanese victors, being so far
away from home, could not even transport
the heads of their enemies, so had to content
themselves with the noses and ears. This
happened only 300 years ago, and it seems
quite possible that soon, in fit of friendli-
ness, the Japanese may send back to Korea,
the land of the morning calm, these ears
and noses, as Napoleon the Great was
finally sent home from st. Helena.