The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1895-03-28
THE ROTHSCHILDS.
rOTABLE MEN OF GREAT FL
NANCIAL POWER.
-hey Have Important Dealings with
Eations-One Made Millions by
Napolcon's Defeat Mt Water
loo-Other Achievements.
THE recent arrangement with


cue of Governments in financial en-
barrassment. They are now the most
powerful bankers in the world, and
tho different branches of the family in
the various capitals of Europe cordi-
ally support cne another without be-
ing bound in an absolute partnership.
They have seen their great competi-
tors in England go TO the wall--Over-
end, Carney & Co., in the panic of
1856 and the Barlngs in 1890. SO
~apid has been the extension of their
financial power that one OF their ene-
mics has written book under the
title, "rhe Rothschilds, the Financial
Rulers of Nations" in which he seeks
to show that they have their emissa-
ries in every cabinet, and have been
able to manipulate the stock market
Tor the extinction Of their rivals.
One OF the early achievements OF a
member of the house, Nathan Mayer
Rothschild, was hasiy trip from the
field OF Waterloo to London, where he
arrived before news of the battle had
reached the Government or the bank
ers lie was on the staff OF Yelling
ton and rs soon as the battle was over
rode at break.neck speed to Ostend,
traversed the stormy channel at the
risk of his life by liberal use of gold,
and was on the stock exchange the
next morning with an air as calm and
indifferent as though battlefields
played no part in his peaceful trade
OF iinnncier. The public knew only of
the events of two days before Water
| loo, when the Prussian Field Marshal,
Blucher, bad been defeated by de-
| tachment of the French army ut
Ligny. The gloomy air OF Rothschild
and the reports which were set in mo-
tion Of the defeat of the allies caused
n sudden tumbie in the prices of secr-
rites. The secret agents OF the house
seized the opportunity to make enor-
nous purchases of the English consol-
idated stocks and RothschIld realized
millions when few hours later the
news of the great British victory
reached London.
1t was not altogether by finesse,
however, that the Rothschilds built
up the strength of their house. The
founder, Mayer Anselm Rothschild,
was the son of a poor dealer in furni-
ture aud brc.a-brac at Frankfort, and
was banker there at the time of the
Napoleonic invasion. The Elector of
Hesse placed in his custody u sum of
about fifteen million francs in coin
(S3, 600, ,000), which was transmitted in
part to the son in London, the same
Nathan Mayer whose hasty trip from
Waterloo has Just been described.
General Marriott, in his "Memoirs of
Napoleon" tells of the vain efforts of
the Emperor TO force the old man to
surrender the money. A commission
went to his establishment and minute
ly examined the vault and the books.
Menaces and intimidations were in
vain, however, in persuading Roths-
child to divulge the whereabouts of
the treasure and the commission un.
dertook to play upon his religious
scruples by demanding an oath. He
refused to take it and there was talk
OF putting him under arrest. Ma.
poleon did not quite care to venture
such an act of violence, aad an effort
was then made to win the old man by
the promise of gain They proposed
to him to leave him half the treasure,
il he would deliver the other half to
the French officials. They promised
him receipt in full, accompanied by
a certificate proving that he had
yielded only to force and that he was
blameless for the seizure of the en-
tire amount. "But the probity of
the Jew" says Marriott, "led HIM to
reject this proposition, and they left
him in peace" The elector having
returned to power in 1914. the Frank
fort banker returned to him exactly
the depost which had been intrusted
to him. The terms OF the deposit
gave the Rothschilds the benefit Of
the interest earned by the money
while in their custody, and was q
large element in the foundation OF
their fortune.
After the abdication of Napoleon
and the general peace, Nathan Mayer
Rothschild had charge of the issue
through the London market OF large
loans on account of the kingdom OF
Prussia, the Russian Empire, the En-.
pire OF Austria Hungary, the Kingdom
of Naples, the Empire of Brazil and
the Kingdom of Belgium. In the
meantime other branches of the house
were acquiring similar position in
the continental capital. One of the
brothers, Anselm Mayer, continued
the business ut Frankfort. Another,
Solomon, established himself at vi.
emma, where he quickly attained q
prominent position over the other
banking houses and strengthened his
hold by the negotiation of public
loans. A fourth brother, Carl, estab-
lished himself at Naples, where ior
forty years he conducted the financial
operation of the Governments OF the
Italian peninsula. But the most i'm
portant establishment was that found
, ed by James Rothschild at Paris after
| the close of the Napoleonic era He