The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-06-15

fortune was at llb heullnt II was eSLl-
mated that he controlled interests
worth in the neighborhood of e1OO,
OOO 900. 1t was the fashion to call him
the richest man in the world. At that
time he was virtpally the king Of the
London money market.
In the autumn of 1895, when the boom
in "Kaffirs" the shares of the COM
paratively new gold mines of the
Transyaal, South Africa, was at its
height, every man, woman and child
in London with money TO invest in
vested it in 'Kaffirs," The craze was
the last of those financial feYers which
periodically attack conservative Eng
land, the South sea bubble being the
first. For months It was the ountroll-
ing passion in London, and 1t was
scarcely Jess rampant in Paris and Ber-
lin. The shares went to unheard OF
figures, and fortunes We're made in
day.
The center Of this tremendous fnang
cial outburst was Barney Barnato, and
he was conservatiYely estimated at
that time as worth between SlOD0OO-
900 and $3.50 100000. Among his assets
was a bank originally capitalized at
S12, OOO, 600. In a very few months its
cdpllal STOCK IObc III faluS W Fi"iYVVf-
O00
Barnato was born in London. Little
is known as to his early life, except
that he received his instruction from
a private tutor, instead of attending
the public schools. He was younger
son. and at the age of 20 went to South
Africa, then much more savage ter
ritory than It Is now, and scantily
It.g, v,ArgnVacI
| of English descent. to seek his fortune.
The Kimberly diamond mines We're
lust beginning to be productive. With
the litun capital he could spare he be
| gan dealing IN diamonds in a small
/ way. He was clever and pushing.
! Everything he touched he made sue
cessful. In five years he had earned
enough in the retail sale of diamonds
to purchase shares in the mines from
which his merchandise had come. Be
fore another Ave years had elapsed his
holdings at Kimberly had become very
| large. and when the Transyaal gold
fields were discovered he had profits
10 invest in them.
In 1886 Barnato was a definite money
| power in South Africa and began to be
| spoken of as the rival of Cecil Rhodes.
unlike In personal ambition, the two
men started Is to be hot opponents
but in 1888 they reached the conclusion
simultaneously that their respective
interests could be best promoted by
combining forces, aud the De Beers
consolidated mines were the result one
Of the most valuable pieces Of property
Of the kind in the world
at ~ lN
denied the story that he began life Il
South Africa by exhibiting trioi
} donkey. but there are many Afrikan
ders entirely familiar with his caree
In that part Of the world who havl
as persistently and repeatedly asserted
this to be the fact. There is no truth
however, in the story that he was eve
clown or a juggler in a wandering
show. He frequently took part in pri
yate theatricals for the benefit of hos
pitals and similar charities. He haC
considerable ability in this direction
and his faVorite roles IN later year
were Otheilo and Matthias in 9TH
Bells"
Although Barnato represented Kim
berley twice in the Cape Legislature
ne had little time TO give to politics
and little interest In that field Of ac
tivity. Cecil Rhodes uses wealth onl,
as a means to political control. Bar
nato aspired only to such control o
men as comes from being fabulousl!
rich. His record in the Cape legisla
ture was quite devoid Of incident
When the tremendous increase in hi
mining interests called for the estab
lishment Of a London branch, II tool
the form of the Barnato bank. From
that date he spent most of his time Il
London living at first in Earl Spen
GERS town residence, but moving final
ly into q magnificent mansion over
looking Hyde Park.
While in Africa he was married an
n had three children, two sons and
daughter He always had, or professe
to have, boundless faith In the futuI
p of the Transvaal, and his persona
, popularity among all classes Of Afr
kanders was very great In Londol
where he was constantly besieged b
hatterers, beggars and projectors OF a
.a sorts of enterprises, he finally becan