The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-08-02
CHAPTER I.

rms Is the story OIL America > wealth.
lest man and greatest philanthropist. 1t
is the history of man who. with al
most 5000, 600, 900 at his command, gives
away over 100000 yearly in charity,
says the New York Herald.
In short, it is the story of John D.
Rockefeller the Standard Oil Midas,
Croesus, wizard, magician or magnate,
whichever you may choose to call him.
Thirty years ago he was poor man.
With one uncertain foot on the bottom
rung of the ladder of fortune, he began
to mount with amazing speed toward
the top. He has amassed wealth at
the rate of six million dollars year
for a period of thirty years. He now
finds it difficult to keep track of his
property
And still the great gold ball rolls on,
accommodating and increasing with the
years, becoming more colossal and
more formidable as the days pass, until
some day it may require an army of
men to look after it. John D. Rookie
Teller does not earn money now as he
did in the old days when his brain was
taxed with the problem of how to make,
instead of how to keep.
Whether he sleeps or wakes, whether
away his time on his yacht or idling
the days away at one of his many
country homes, his income of $4,000
day Will continue. Should he sleep
for only minute during an afternoon,
he wakes to the knowledge that he is
$l+ richer than a minute before. Should
he sleep for an hour, 1898 roll into his
Golfers in a trickling stream. Every
morning when Ia n "a
finds himself $4,000 better off than on
the evening previous; and this without
an effort other than a few hours daily
scheming TO render his wealth more Sc
cure and to further fasten the finan-
cial rivets and cleats that hedge his
golden granary. Yet he was born poor
and penniless, as far as inheritance is
concerned.
I have said that thirty years ago
John D. Rockefeller was a poor man.
More than that, he was not only poor.
but even his best friends would not ac-
cord him any credit for industry or
sagacity. He was a plain, ploddIng
bookkeeper-that is all. What John p.
Rockefeller does not know about his
own wealth would at present make rich
men OF those very friends He prob
ably cannot guess within ten million
dollars of how much money he is worth.
without extensive figuring.
John D. Rockefeller is of Scotch par
entage. His parents came to this COIN
try shortly before the birth of the fu-
ture great magnate. The family set
tied in the western part of this state
on small farm near MOravia. Here
the Rockefellers rapidly increased,
until the family consisted of father.
mother two sons and two daughters
From MOraVia the Rockefeller family
moved to farm near Ow4go At this
time, John-D., the eldest son, WIS a
tall slender lad, nine years Old The
farm house Occupied by the R0ckefalIers
at~this time is still standing 1t was
then and is still owned 10y Mr.. .. NJ.
Lamonte, well-to-do farmer Tt was
In his service that young Rockefeller
earned his first 25 cents, hoe
ing potatoes. According to a statement
made afterward by Mr.. Laru0nte, the
boy did the work slowly, mt well.
The two young Rockefeller boys
were always together, working on their
own little farm, or hunting fishing and
birds nesting about the country. They
were not bad boys, as boys 60 but
were in for all sorts Of harmless mis-
chief. And it was on account of this
propensity for harmless rischief that
John once got into trouble With his
mother.
TRIES TO EVADE A SWITCHING.
Both John and William had a great
love and respect for their mother. but
their thoughtlessness was sometimes
the cause of disaster. One day, when
Mrs. Rockefeller was sick. her son
John committed some overt act in con-
nectiOn with the cupboard or the sugar
bowl. He was promptly called in and
arraigned before the awful tribunal
Of justice at Mrs. ROckefeller's bed
side.
He acknowledged the corn. Then
he was sent out to procure a switch
orhis own punishment. This is an
awful trial for a boy. In his desire
to temper justice with mercy, John
brought in the fraiIest kind of a willow
affair, that would not have hurt a
kitten. Thus early he displayed that
acumen for which he is now so well
known.
But the scheme did not work Mrs.
p Rockefeller sent William out to pro-
cure another switch. William had no
SuCh COHlpunCClOnS. Inc switch he
brought in was a peach. He cut it
from the tree in the back yard 1t was
large. tough and serviceabIe. job, did
not take his punishment in unf1inching
consciousness of wrong doing like the
good little boy in the story book
oh, no. He howled like a Conan
che. just as another boy would have
done. He was a mercurial boy. how
ever, and soon forgot all about it. AS
the boys grew up into tall, healthy
striplings, they began to earn more
money from the surrounding farmers
With this transitory prosperity thew
developed an astonishing fondness for
the circus, whenever it made a stay
in Owego. From being a desperate nj
rate, with an old threshing machine
for a ral1ish craft, young Rockefeller
was determined to become a circus
tumbler or trapeze performer He
concocted a spring board and utilized
all the straw in the neighborhood as
cushion to preserve his bones.
During the Owego period of the
Rockefeller family's existence the
father was always away from home
In truth there was some talk Of do
mestic trouble, but nobody outside the
immediate family seemed to know
much about it. Mr.. Rockefeller sent
money regularly from Cleveland for
his family, and they were fairly well
to do. He visited them occasionally
but did not stay for any length of
time.
Among the neighbors young John
Rockefeller had the reputation of no