The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-03
THE LATE BARON HIRScH.
STORY OF HOW HE MADE HIS
MONEY AND SPENT 1T.

His Financial Genius and His Great
/ PhilRnthropies-Wh lie Did for
the Russian nad Roumanian jews
/ in This COuntry-Did the Great
Banker Have the Evil Eyes
From the Springfield Republican.
There should be a special interest felt
] IN this country in the late Baron Hirsch's
I career, for his benefactions TO the poor of
/ his race who had sought refuge here from
/ Russian persecution are of great volume
and importance. preventing thousands of
l them from becoming burdens on the pub
| lie, and educating them for citizenship.
! These wise charities are so richly endow-
I ed that they viii so on continuously. An
! interesting account Of FIirsch's life. and Of
the operations of the Hirsch fund in this
country is given in the New York Tri-
I bune. as follows.
Baron de Hirsch was a man regarding
I whom the most diverse opinions prevailed.
/ According TO some he was one OF the great
| est philanthropists of the age. an assertion
/ which appeared to be borne out by his mu-
/ nihcent donations TO every conceivable
charity. According to others he was a
scOundrel. who had made his money by
means of the most questionable character,
| and who was. therefore, unfit for associa-
| ton with men Of honor. There were yet
| others who declared that he had the evil
eye. and that he brought disgrace and mis-
fortune upon everybody with whom he was
! brought into contact. and not a few avoid
| ed him solely on this account, as if he had
! been the very prince of darkness. The
| fact is that a large number of prominent
| people who had been associated with him
IN one way or another were overtaken by
| disaster, and as there are relatively few
| people who are entirely devoid OF super
| stition it naturally followed that he was
| pretty generally regarded as being as un-
| canny as he was generous. Among those
| who had dealings with him and who met
| with a violent death or with serious mis-
| fortunes are the late Crown Prince of Aus
! tria, who was killed in such a shocking
| fashion al Meyerling; Count Wimpfen, the
| Austrian ambassador 10 France, who COM
| mitted suicide in Paris; Baron Won
Blaschke, the splendid ana dashng officer
or Austrian cavalry, VINO blew out his
| brains at Venice Baron de Hrsch's prin-
| clpal tactotum, Henry Coward who cut
| his throat; Count Pompey COronini. who.
after being associated with Hirsch. lost
| both name and reputation in poisoning
case, and last, but not least the baron's
| only son. Lucien, who died suddenly and
| unaccountably four years ago.
1t was mainly owing to this reputation
! contact with him that Count Tassilo Fes-
| teicz refused TO permit the Prince of
| Wales to bring the baron along with him
| in his train at the time when he was
| garian magnate In consequence of this
| action on the part of the count the prince
! at the last moment declined to go to Kes-
| thely, although the most elaborate prep
| arations has been made for his entertain
! ment the Hungarian and Austrian nobill-
| ty with one accord, however, indorsing
and approving of the action of the count.
| 1t may be presumed that the blackbali-
ing which the baron sustained at the
/ hands OF the Jockey Club of Vienna. and
! of the Cercle de la Rue Royale in Paris
| was due to similar causes. The conduct
of the Partisan Club was all the more re-
| markable inasmuch as large number or
its members are of the Hebrew race that
| the baron is the landlord and owner of
| the magnificent premises in which the
/ club is situated. and that, moreover his
| candidature was strongly championed bv
| all the princes of the house of Orleans
especially by the popular Duke of Char
| tres, whose son, Prince Henry, had on
| several occasions been rescued solely by.
| means of the baron's generosity from the
] disgrace Of being posted for the non-pav-
/ ment of his huge debts of honor Prince
! Henry of Orleans is by no means the only
| scion of royalty who has been befriended
| If popular report in London is to be be-
| lieVed his purse has on many occasions
| been placed at the disposal of the heir
/ to the English throne
The father of Baron de Hirsch was an
eminent Bavarian merchant by the name
| of De Gereuth, who for services rendered
! the state was knighted in 1869. Baron de
| Hlrsch was porn IN 1883; and was edu-
! Gated al Brussels; before his 18th wear he
/ left his books and became a clerk in the
banking house of Bischonshelm & Gold
| smidt. Although young. De Hirsch had
| eVlnced no particular aptitude as a schol-
| ar, except in mathematics His skin in
/ finance was almost from the first appar-
! ent. He soon became a valuable auxili-
airy adviser of the firm and later strength
| ter of one of the partners-AIille Bischoff-
! sheim. Nor was his skill in finance the
only Characteristic that was to bring him
| fame his viii was strong and that added
/ powers m i'm
| the successful promoter of the great rail
| way system that runs from Budapest to
! Narna, on the Black sea This brought
! him money but not fortune; however,
! his opportunity to make one soon occurr-
ed, and he seized It. Legrand Dumon-
to pieces in 1869. De Hirsch secured from
the wreck what was then considered
almost worthless assets, the Turk
! ish railway bonds; but un-
der his skilful management they
grew to enormous value and
| were considered the safest of investments
With them De Hirsch built up a fortune
that in the short space of fifteen years
1 equaled that Of the Rothschilds. Then.
having made his own fortune he sought
! TO make that of his friends, and benefit
/ ed mankind at large by generous contri-
! buttons to all worthy charities. He was
great patron of the public schools. And
many institutions in Egypt, Turkey and
| Asia Minor bear his name their bene-
factor. In 1895 he offered the Russian
| government 100000 for public instruc-
ton. if no distinction should be made as
| to the race or religion of the pupils The
| Russian government declined the offer
| The baron had a fine stable of racers in
/ Paris and his successful horses have won
enormous amounts. He was also a keen
sportsman and had shooting boxes In
! Fichhorn and st. Johann.
! The haron's faVorite home was his chat
| eau Of Beauregard, near Paris. 1t is some
what rocco in styie and dates from the
| reign of Louis XIV. King Louis XIV was
very fond of staying there, and il is on
! record that on one occasion while in pur-
| suit of a stag he rode through the grand
/ salon on horseback. In 1S49 Napoleon at
| that time president of the French republic.
| purchased ii from Gen le Marquis de CALI
| nett, and presented it to that Miss Howard
| who was not only his Egeria, but also his
| financial hacker, until he became emperor.
| On marrying Eugene de Montijo. Napo-
| leon made this chateau the cause for CON
Ierrlng upon ms far friend the tiGe Of
Miss Howard bequeathed the place TO her
10 z