New-York tribune., 1897-06-15

oThe Daily Telegraph says OH 'ie au'hoi
,,v o, a news agency that Barnato fell over
board.
BARNEY BARNATO's RISE AND FALL.
r, .or,6 hos for some sine known through vague
..crorhs IN the news spapers Of the rapid dlssoiu-
IT,, of the colossal fortune heaped UP In SO snort
,,r,a bv Barney Barnato Ever since snares IN
,ho "a ar mines Of South Africa began 10 shrihK
in ,aI,;c II an alarming rate. European exchahses
Iva been trembling and totterms uhuer inc
,t,,,,or NJ these enormously inflated ana over
st,ol,,ed propey;ios. On several occasions WITHIN
,1a ios, YEAR o. So first in Paris and then III Lon
don bR houses heavily involNed IN 'Hese oou''
,fr,ce, s5eculations have Only peeA saVeo I'o'H
,a,r,-e. and disastrous ranics In securiues oeen
-,,,ei bv the aid OF Barnatos vast resources.
a, 80 0li not stay the inevitable. There
,as = bo.,,r, even TO his purse The value or
.yonIrs" steadily shrunk and Barnatos fortune
A. steadily nicl;ed away. At least. mat was tne
,npctssion gained by the public from what h''ie
was printed from time 10 time ABOUT his rece"'
oIcations , .,.,
A., ho,s "r,rrpcr" mentally well as physically
u l.n London ana returned 10 South Afrce,
u,ao,oe caa.c not long ago a significant press dis-
march sayag that he had become mentally uhDal-
ancaj and that his condition was such that his
friends had 10 take measures 10 restrain MIN from
for
w. promptly prosoVnced false by his fr!ends' VINO
we-, forced 10 admit: however, that he was Ill
with e touch OF African fever and was suffering
frorl nervous prostration somewhat. This denial
simply foreshaGowed the sequel teleGraphed from
Yunchal as given above. That the emo oI tnls
reteor,c career would come about In quite SO ora"
matte fashion however, was hardly to be looked
for
BARNATOS OBSCURE ORIGIN.
Is known He was by no means of reticent nat
ure but on this one subject he had never Deeh
known 10 give any information. The most contra
d.ctory accounts have been published about his
boyhood and youth. on the one hand ne Is salu
10 have been a Portuguese Hebrew. London
street Arab, and TO have emlGrated 10 the Sou'c
African diamond fields when lad. with his brother
Henry The two boys were, II is said, entirev
without money. and suffered all the panss that
poverty brings Ii also said that barney
first occupation in South Africa was that OF
banger-on at q circus. from which place he ad-
,ancs-a to .,,a. acrobat and tugeler. Some color
Is given TO this report by a well-authenticated
anecrlote of BarnatO after his accumulation OF
wealth About three years ago he was in small
English village in the Midands. He always de-
lighted in the notorety his immense wealth gave
him. and on this occasion he lost no time In In
forming the rustics who he was. The mention OF
his name had no effect whatever on the villagers,
and Barney. in fit of disgust at the narrow
boundaries of fame. took three or four oranges
and performed some clover Juggling feats in the
barroom of the village inn. This was something
the natives could understand. and they regarded
the fnancier with undsgused admiration
On the other hand Robert W. Murray who says
he has known Barnato for over quarter OF a
century made short time ago an emphatic pro-
,es, against what he termed malicious and un,
necessary exaggerations In the FIRST place SAID
Mr. MgTray Barney Baynaio to did net not 60 to h1oh the
er lie went there grown man, and he Went
SH he ~ was n9t Is nc was nE5 eye an
henes, penny or an honest shilling: or an honest
turing or by any other kind Of tricks. He was
several wears past his majority, ana he possessed
prosi ieotirg. His brother, Henry Barnato, had
6sss in Dg,oi'sI aS Irnc2 pHnt M Hed N 5he af dia
hotel as every one knew kept by Berming e., Mar,
Se,s & ana when ms Temovd uf from
the hotel 10 handsome little cottage on the Dutoit.
vel as any Of his neshbors"
Mr Murray, who was Intimate with the brothers,
10 spare Both Of them were keen shrewd and on
the Lookout for good m, barney I was
10 take as much delight In a physica' encounter
as he did in making money, for which ne appeared
We're AWAY! wel dressed. aud were generous
specuiators. With whom money appeared as nothing
It was possible Mr. Murray says, that half,dozen
Barna:o gave rise to the story that Barney was
conjurer.
FOUNDATION OF HIS FORTUNE.
Barnato laid the foundation Of his fortune by
what is known in the diamond fields as "KOpje
waoping" This is simply another ranio Tor sharp
trading. The "Kopje Walloper" is a man possess
ing good knowledge OF values. and with a natural
b4nt for turning this knowledge to the best ac-
count. He makes business OF visiting the mines
aHd purchasing diamonds from the diggers. lIe
buys In the cheapest market he can find, and sells
in the dearest. and this is the way Barney Barnato
Bainaio was man OF marvellousy keen percep-
ton and possessed the faculty OF absorbing IDEAS to
70 Ernes, Teran Hooley. the latest Napoleon Of
whom he comes into contact by the marvellous ease
with which ne reaches the kernel Of problem. IT
almost any study and master ii in a much shorter
tine than most OF those who were supposed to be
BaTna;o's fortune was the result of this keen
trading. In short time after starting business he
when his bro;ner evcntually Tecame a partner
Before long ne buying and selling mining prop
Deception resulted in the purchase Of number Of
snd "qn oeS ha nnces r9GeG The
uns he s. 'sequenily accumulated
his his fortune. IL was doc 70 what is termed an ac-
e;shst ;ht eli when was really only another example
TSer!ey were discovered there were about twenty |
HIcusand blacks wOi King the surface Of the mine
easeSS o YeoW sanG 10 ne sod bSe Grognd
.ard .lad as granite. An the miners gave UP their |
,sger went down about two hundred feet but he |
80 stopped by the rainy season which set in. lie
~ about two hundred tons Of solid blue earth |
ping Oh the floor.
OUND A THIRTY-CARAT DIAMOND
After four months Barney walked over the mine
aha found a thirty-cerat diamond lying on top
VI tne soil which out of the two-hundred foot
smart With the action Of water and air the
e'ouhd which had been formerly hard had be-
soie pulverizeo. and a fortune awaiting Bar
c; cSp r. ne -, sold the stone and pegged all the mine
49, 49, IN MS own name There were several thousand
sY'ns sYy1'ns worth at least 10000 AT that time Lot
.as 10Y ne solo out 10 different companies for
he ana interest. end through this streak Of luck
i uecdme the posseSsor Of about 100000
.oIi no am Junt OF judi ,ioUs personal Investments
Sb,L ever nave resulted n producing the f,OoV1CO
su.Sh sSh swo years ago Barnato said on cool
~ monty 70 own. Besides his perceptiVc powers
p"ssessed the much more valuable faculty 0f
re~nvacins others TO believe IN the investments he
~ commended % This faculty has been the s0Irce
aaI'iost every suddeny acquired fortune in Enx.