The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-15
BARNEY BARNATo A SUICIDE.
LEAPS INTO THE OCEAN FROM A
STEAMER FROM AFRICA.


Years Ago Was Exhibiting Trick
DOnIeys in South Africa-savcd
His Money and Became "a Dealer in
DiamOnds-Later Bought an Inter-
est in Diamond and Gold Mines
and Became Associated With Cecil
RhOdes-His Fortune Once Esti-
mated at f15O,OOO,OOO.
London, June Il, Midnight.-A special
dispatch from Funchal, Island of Made.
ria off the west coast of Morocco, says
that on the arrival of the British steam
ship Scott. which left Table Bay (Cape
Town on June 2 for Southampton, it was
announced that Barney Barnato the
South African diamond king, who was
among the passengers, had committed sui
eide by leaping overheard. His body was
recovered.
London, June Is. a. m.-The Daily Tel
egraph, which announces the death of
Barney Barnato, while passenger on the
Scott from Cape Town, says on the au-
thority of a news agency, that he fell
overheard.
The late Barney Barnato was in many
respects the most remarkable speculator
of the century. OF all the Englishmen
who have taken part in the development Of
South Africa, two only have secured
worldwide reputation. These have been
Cecil Rhodes and Barnett Isaacs, often and
less respectfully, Barney Barnato was
an assumed name, a sort of stage name,
for he begun his life in South Africa by
exhibiting trick donkeys some twenty-five
years ago. He was then about twenty
was aO oh
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 1885, when his good fortune
was at its zenith, it was estimated that he
controlled interests worth in the neighbor-
hood of a f10O0O0,000 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 Kaffirs, the shares of the comparatively
new gold mines of the Transvaal, South
Africa, was at its hight, every man, wo-
man and child in London, with money to
invest invested 1t in Kaffirs. 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 pass
ion in London and it was scarcely less
rampant in Paris and Berlin. The shares
went to unheard of figures, and fortunes
were made in day. The center of this
tremendous financial outburst was Barney
Barnato, and he was conservatively esti-
mated at that time as worth between f1OO-
OOO,O0O and f150000,000. Among his assets
was bank originally capitalized at S12,-
100000. In very few months it's capital
stock rose in value to $45,00OOOO.
Barnato was born in London Little is
known as to his early life, except that he
received his instruction from a private tu
tor instead of attending the public schools.
lie was younger son, and at the age of
~ went to South Africa, then much more
savage territory than it is now, and scant-
lily populated by EngllsAmen or persons of
English descent, to seek his fortune The
kimberly diamond mines were just begin
nlng to be productive. With his few
pounds of capital he began dealing in dia-
monds in a small way. He was clever and
pusnng. Everything he touched he made
successful. In five years he had earned
enough in the retail sale of diamonds to
purchase shares in the mine from which
his merchandise had come
Before another five years had elapsed his
holdings at Kimberly had become very
large, and when the Transvaal gold fields
were discovered he had profits to in
vest 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 temperament and even more
unlike in personal ambition the two men
started in to be opponents, but in 1888 they
reached the conclusion simultaneously
that their respective interests could be
best promoted by combining forces and
the Debers consolidated mines were the
result, one of the most valuable pieces of
property of the kind in the world
Although Barnato represented Kimber.
Cane a ba boA
little time to give to politics and little in.
terest in that field of activity Cecil
Rhodes used wealth only as a means to
political control, Barnato aspired only to
such control of men as comes from being
Iabulously rich. His record In the Cane
legislature was quite devoid of incident.
When the tremendous increase in his min
ing interests called for the establishment
OF London branch, this took the form
OF the Barnato Bank. From that date
ne spent most of his time in London, lv-
ing at first in Earl Spencers town resi-
dence, but moving finally into a magnih-
cent m3nsion overlooking Hyde park
While in Africa he married and had
three children, two sons and a daughter.
tie always had. or professed to have,
ooundless faith In the future Of the Trans
Vaai, and his personal popularity among
all classes Of Afrcander was very great.
IN London, where he was constantly be-
teged by hatterers, beggars and proiec.
tors Of all sorts of enterprises, he finally
became quite inaccessible 10 all, except his
most Intimate friends. But they liked
MN thoroughly and believed in him. even
When keen-eyed English fnanclers began
20 look askance at bis enterprises and
openly to predict his Ultimate collapse.
Many interesting stories are told of his
personal peeuliariues. His only reception
hour was the hour OF breakfast which
ne always took with his wife and a thor
oughbrod bull pup. He affected rathor
Ioud style OF costume and Invariably wore
Whlte silk stockings, which he always
humorously begged the London cartoon.
lsts not to attempt to reproduce In their
sketches He had a keen sense Of humor
ana could tell a good story with genuine
comedy effect.
Al one time, he announced his intention
OF collaborating with Haddon Chambers.
tne dramatist in writing a play on his ex-
helIehces lie was generous patron Of
the drama, though his generosity took the
tolm OF entertainments 60 popular ar
Iss rather than OF literary patronage