The Portland daily press., 1897-10-30
THE RoTHscHILps.
The Financial Representatives of Nations
and Monarchs.

and Monarchs.
The city Of Frankfort owes it's impoi-
lance to the Jews and chiefly to the Roths-
child family. 1t is one of the finest cities
In Europe and is the richest city in the
world for it's population, although of late
Berlin has taken considerable business
away and has become the center of inter-
national banking relations. There are
still ia banks in Frankfort to popula-
tion of e38, 600, which is one bank to every
/ 400 persons. Some of the banks have
capital Of rs, oo0, 900 or so, 900, 900 marks.
Several have over 80, 000, 900 marks. In
situations like the Rothsohilds' havea cap
ital that is practically unlimited. No one
knows the amount
The Jews have obtained all this wealth
and prominencs in spite of ostracism, per-
sscution and restrictions Of many kinds
When Anselm Rothschild was born IN
Frankfort, what was known as the Juden-
gasse was separated from the rest of the
city by high walls and heavy gates, WHOM
were shut at nightfall and kept closed I'M
til sunrise. On Sundays they were never
opened. Goethe, who was native 0!
Frankfort, gives q graphic description OF
S~-0 q oNCASStfbSSt Wltu 4Vo Attll anu DHN
and stenches, to which the nerves OF lts
lnhabitants had been deadened by long IA
miilarlty with the noisome atmosphere.
Inc walls Of the Judengasse were ae-
stroyed by Kleber's army in 1895. In 1879
the whole district was condemned as
nuisance by the sanitary authorities and
cleared out, except single row of old
fashioned houses which date from the If
teenth century and were the homes Of the
ancestors Of rich and influential citizens.
The ancestors Of the Frankfort Jews
came from Palestine, Turkey and Spain to
escape persecution in the thirteenth, four
tesnth and fifteenth centuries and became
the serfs Of the emperor of Germany, who
accorded them protection in exchange for
fixed tribute which went into his private
purse. In 1849 Charles w, being pressed
for funds, mortgaged his Jews to the
municipality Of Frankfort for ESQ., 600
The sum was never repaid, and thus the
Inhabitants Of the Judengasse passed un-
der the control of the city council, which
selected swampy and unhealthful spot
on the margin of the town where they
were obliged to reside and exaoted from
| them certain portion of their earnings
or sold their labor at SO much month.
The Jews who controlled their own time
and talent paid dearly for that privilege,
but were shrewd enough to make profit
and advance themselves, slowly but surely.
They were not allowed to use the side
| walk, but were compelled to travel with
| cattle and carts In the middle Of the street.
They were compelled to wear a distinctive
dress. Every male Jew had patch Of
| yellow cloth upon his breast and every
woman wore blue and white stripes They
| were allowed only one name.
The man who lived in 50 Judengasse,
which was known as "the house of the
| red shield" because of sign over its
door, was called Anselm.
| The original Anselm was dealer in old
coins and curiosities. He married and had
| boy who was called Mayer Anselm in
order to distinguish him from his father.
He was sent to a rabbi relative to be edu-
Gated, and afterward got place in the
bank, where he developed remarkable
business talent. When his father died, he
came home, took his house, his trade pros
pered, he became influential among his
race, gained the respect of Christians as
we'll as Jews, and was called Anselm of
| the Red Shield, or Won Rothsohild
But his fame was only local until he
made the acquain tance of Baron Won
Estroff, then landgraye of Hesse, who
was coin collector, and sent for Anselm
one day to make some purchases. When
the latter arrived, the baron was engaged
| in game of chess and could not be dis
turbed. The jew stood and watched the
play. The baron was checked, it seemed,
hopelessly, and turning to the Jew he said:
Do you play ohess?"
| "SOmetimeS - was the answer
"What would you do IL you were In my
fx?"
The Jew modestly pointed out a move
which the baron accepted and followed his
advice through the rest of a game that
was soon won. After that Anselm spent
a good deal of time playing chess with the
landgrave, who prided himself on his abil-
ity to beat every one of his subjects. The
baron and the coin merchant thus became
great friends, and there was considerable
business between them in the way of loans
and discounts 1t was Baron Won Estroff
who sent 16, 800 Hessian soldiers to Amer
lea during the war of the Revolution, to
fight on the British side, and received a
large sum of money for their services.
When Napoleon came along few years
after, the baron had saved of 1t about
1000, 900 thalers in coin, which he took to
Anselm and asked him to conceal for him
30 that it might escape the French army.
Anselm accepted the trust without respon-
sibility, and, as the story goes, dropped the
bags of coin to the bottom of his well.
The French soldiers took away everything
valuable that belonged to him, but the
landgrave's money was overlooked.
AS soon as the army had passed on and
he could do SO without being suspected
Anselm loaded the treasure ON the back OF
donkey and started for England, where
he intrusted it to his son, Nathan, young
man who had gone to London few years
before and was doing modest business in
shaving notes and in the commission way.
There the father and son quietly bought, q
J little at time, large blocks of English,
Austrian and German securities, which
were depressed by the war Anselm went
back to Frankfort and there speoulated
with some of tho money. 1t. was nine
years before the landgrave returned. In
tho meantime his money had quadrupled
and Anseln1 Rothschild returned 1t tc
him, with interest at per cent, which OF 1t