Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-06-19


his physicians, who believed that a
change of air and climate would benefit
the famous mine promoter and specu-
lator.
Barnato boarded the steamship Scot
at Capetown on the I'd of June. Moth
ing unusual was noticed in his de-
meanor, save that at times he suffered
from fits of depression. But the other
passengers attributed these attacks to
his i'll state of health. All apparently
went well until the ship was nearing
the equator, when the oppressive heat
had more serious effects on Barnato.
Then one day he dropped into the sea,
and meteoric career was ingloriously
ended.
1t was supposed that Barnato was the
richest man in the world. His wealth
at one time was estimated at $1O0, ,000,-
900, but there were many who doubted
that all his stocks and properties pos
sessed this intrinsic value.
However that may be, the Trans
vaal raid made a huge hole in his estate.
Barney Barnato was in many respects the
most remarkable specuator of the century.
OF all the Englishmen who have taken part
in the development of South Africa two
only have secured a worldwide reputa-
ton These have been Cecil Rhodes and
Barnett Isaacs, more often and less re-
spectfully styled Barney" Barnato was
an assumed name, a sort of stage name, for
he began his life in South Africa by ex-
hibiting a trick donkey some % years ago.
He was then about 20 years of age. Bar
nato was an English Jew and illustrated
in an extraordinary way the financial
genius of his race. Up to the point where
| his fortunes began to decline he made
money by leaps and bounds, and in 1895,
when his good fortune was at its zenith,
| 1t was estimated that he controlled inter-
| ests worth in the neighborhood of G100,
| 100000. 1t was the fashion to call him the
| richest man in the world
| At that time he was virtually the king of
| the London money market. In the autumn
| of 1895, when the boom in katfirs, the
| shares of the comparatively new gold
| mines of the Transvaal, South Africa, was
| at its height, every man, woman and child
| in London with money to invest invested
| ii in "kafiirs." The craze was the last
OF those financial fevers which periodically
| attack conservative England, the South
| sea bubble" being the first. For months
| it was the controlling passion in London,
| and 1t was scarcely less rampant in Paris
and Berlin. The shares went to unheard-
| of figures and fortunes were made in a
| day. The center of this tremendous finan-
cial outburst was Barney Barnato, and he
| was conservatively estimated at that time
| as worth between Gl00, 900 and G150, 900, :
900. Among his assets was bank original
| ly capitalized at $l2, 500 900. In a few m onths
it's capital stock rose in value to $45, 900, 900.
Barnato was born in London. Little is
| known of his early life, except that he re-
| ceived his instruction from private tutor
| instead of attending the public schools.
| He was a younger son, and at the age of 20
| went to South Africa, then much more
| savage territory than 1t is now, and scan
| tily populated by Englishmen or persons of
English descent, to seek his fortune. The
Kimberley diamond mines We're Just be-
| ginning to be productive. With his few
pounds of capital he began dealing in dia-
monds in a small way. He was clever and
| pushing. Everything he touched he made
successful In hVe years he had earned
enough in the retail sale of diamonds to
purchase shares in the mines from which
his merchandise came. Before another five
years had elapsed his holdings at Kimber.
ley had become very large, and when the
Transvaal gold fields were discovered he
had profits to 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 I'm
, like in temperament and even more unlike
in personal ambition, the two men started
in to be hot opponents. but in 1883 they
, reached the conclusion simultaneously thai
| their respective interests could be best pro-
NOTED by combining forces, and the DE-
Beers consolidated mines were the result
ore of the most valuable pieces OF property
of the kind in the world.
/, When the tremendous increase in hi:
, mining interests called for the establish
ment of a London branch this took tht
, form of the Barnato bank. From that dat'
he spent most of his time in London, Twins
at first in Earl Spencers town residence
but moving finally into a magnificent man
sion overlooking Hdye Park. While II
Africa he married and had three children
two sons and daughter. He always had
or professed to have, boundless faith IL
the future of the Transvaal, and his per
sonal popularity among all classes of AT
: rikanders was very great. In London
where he was constantly besieged by fiat
terers beggars and projectors of all sort
. of enterprises, he finally became quite in
accessible to all except his most intimat
friends, but they liked him thoroughly an
believed in him, even when keen-eyed Eng
lish financiers began to look askance at hi
enterprises and openly predict his ulti
mate collapse.
His private generosity was frequently ex
pressed and in the autumn of 1875 he sen
T S75, 900 to the lord mayor of London for dis
5 tribution among the London poor.
About a month ago 1t was rumored tina
. his health was suffering from the sever
tension of speculation, and in the latte
: part of May 1t was reported from Cape
I town that he was suffering from nerVou
. prostration and had been placed by hi
= friends under restraint. This was subse
I Quently denied by has London representa-
= tive, who said that Barnato was sutrerin
| from slight attack OF cape fever, not like
II to prove serious.
Oldest odd Fellow Dead.
L ~ II