The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-14
How a Circus Clown Became
Worth Six Hundred Mil
lion Francs.
A MOST WONDERFUL CAREER.
Notwithstanding His Vast Wealth
He Is a Quiet and UnaSsuming
Man.

Paris has king within It's walls to-day,
one whose subjects do him homage
throughout the world of business, for the
monarch is none other than Barnato, the
king of mines, who at the lowest computa-
ton is worth 600, 000, 900 of francs.
The name of Barnato says little to those
people who do not follow events in South
ern Africa, and yet the king is popular not
only at the Cape but in London, where he
is great power and where he makes the
sun to shine or the rain to descend on the
mining market. If he were only fortu-
nate speculator he would not be particu-
larly interesting, however, but his life is as
curious as romance.
Twenty years ago a circus, which had
travelled, goodness knows how, from Eng
land to South Africa, arrived at Kimberley.
1t was not big circus, in fact it was
only composed of the manager the mana
gers wife, clown and two trained mules.
At that epoch Kim berley was not the dia-
mond town that it has become since. The
circus did poor business, and one morning
the director and the directress fled, leaving
the clown with two mules and thirty shil-
lings in his pocket, which is not much in
Europe, but which is still less at the Cape
of Good Hope. What could be done with
mules at Kimberley? Go out riding? That
was what Mr.. Barnato, the hero of this
story, did.
During his second ride in the outskirts
of Kimberley he found in the fields traces
of diamonds; he took some stones, showed
them to miner, and entering into partner
ship with him, went to sell them in the
town. Then, without divulging his dis
coyery be bought the field where he had
made his find, only took out a very few
stones, for fear of arousing suspicion,
bought other fields, and found himself at
last large landholder. This first period
lasted three years. and it was with these
fields that the famous society OF Beers was
created, of which Mr.. Barnato is now gov
ernor, with Sir Cecil Rhodes and another,
each of these three gentlemen now receives
an annual salary of 1925, 900 from the COM
pany. At the time of its formation Mr..
Barnato was only a millionaire. He
wanted more, and he found it.
When the first gold mines were dis
covered at Johannesburg Mr.. Barnato
rushed there. He recommended the
strategy that had so well succeeded at
Kimberley, bought as much land as he
could find, organized societies on the
London market and became king of the
mines. He also went in for politics, and
although not follower of Sir Cecil
Rhodes policy he caused himself to be
from the Cape of Good Hope. That was
certainly a good deal of ground to get over
in twenty years.
Now Mr.. Barnato lives in London and
only goes to the Cape for the Parlia-
mentary sessions; that is why he will sail
on May 7. If he were Conservative
candidate at the next election he would be
returned, for the English take merit when
they find it, and every one who meets Mr..
Barnato is struck with his intelligence.
He is little man, about 40 years old,
wearing slight mustache. In his dress
he is very simple, and behind pince-nez
mounted in gold Git is the only trace on
his person of the metal king) he has two
ewes of an incredible vivacity. He does
that during the two weeks he has been in
Paris, occupying the Prince of Wales
apartments at the Hotel Bristol, he has
only had time to see the fnanciers. He
refused to say why he has come, but when
asked whether it was to sell his mines, he
fairly bounded in the air. Sell his mines
He believes in the future of his Africa and
ahead, and that is gambling"
Truly there was something intensely
striking about this little man when he re-
counted his past and when he said
he wished "Paris should know his
credit" and he added, "My mines are
serious and business-ike, 1 give you my
word of honor"
He has not the serious and imposing
calm of the miners of Western America,
the Mackays and others who give one the
impression of colossal crushers of min
erals and men-he is just man who has
made his niche in the world and who evil
IDENTIFY finds himself cramped in his apart
ments in Paris that princes and kings gen.
orally occupy. Paris is so far from Kim
I III al Eo1H Tror
the CALL from Jacques St. Cere in LIE