The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-06-15
BARNEY DARNATO IS DEAD
A Report That He Committed
Suicide on the Ocean.
ONE OF THE RICHEST MEN
Starting Out In South Africa Exhibiting
a Trick Donkey, He Acquired
Enormous Wealth His
Name Is Isaac.

London. June il.-Midnlght-A special
dispatch from Buchal. island OF Madeira
on the west coast OF Morocco SAYS that
on the arrival there to-day of the Brit
ish steamship Scot. which lcft Table bay,
tCapcIowm on June >, for Southampton
IL was announced that l,arncy Bdrnato
the South African diamond king. who
was among the mss'ugrrs, had com
mlttcd suicide by lcaping overheard, The
body WAS recovered.
The late Barney Buumto WAS In many
respects the most remarkable sprcuIator
OF IN, century. of all the Englishmcn
who have taken part in the development
of South Africa, two only have secured
world wide reputation. These are Cecil
Rhodes ANA Barnett Isaac. NOR, often
and less respectfully styled Barney.
Barnato WAS an assumed name, = sort
of stage name. for h, begun his life IN
South Africa by exhibiting Il trick ,iuu-
key some - years ago. llr WAS then ahuIU
~ years of age. Barney Rarnato WIS an
English jew and illustrated in AN extra
ordinary way the financial genius of his
race. Up to the polnt where his fortunes
began TO decline he madr money hy leaps
and bounds ana IN 1884, whcn his good
fortune was at It's zenith 1t was csti-
mated he controlled interests worth IN the
ncighbcrho0d OF a hundred million
pounds, II was the fashion To call him
the Richest man IN The world. At that
time he was virtually king of the London
money market In the autumn OF 1895.
when the boom In kalr shares of com
paralively new gold mines Ia the Trans
Vaal, South Africa. was al its height. cv-
cry man. woman and child In London.
with money 10 invest. invested 1t In KAT
frs The craze WIS the last of those
financial fevers which periodically attack
conservative England the south sea bub-
BILE being the first. For months 1t was
the controlling passion In London and II
was most rampant in Paris and Berlin.
The shares went TO unheurd of figures
and fortunes were made In day The
center OF this tremendous financial out
burst was Barney Barnato and he wits
coservatively estimated AT that time as
worth between siUo.O,a,m0 and SlJo.UOo,-
0o0 Among his assets was bank origi-
nally capitalized at Sl2j00.0o. In ~ very
few months its capitslsloek rose In value
to Sis00,oo0.
Barnato was born In London. l.itllc IL
known as to his early life. except that he
received his instruction from private tu-
tor instead of attending the public
Nfuo'lS4 ~ INV iEf VI ~ lif NfNl W FbuNn
Africa. The Kimberly diamond mines
were Just beginning TO he productive
With his few pounds Of capital he began
dealing In diamonds In n small way. Ev-
cry thing he touched he made successful
In i've years he had earend enough In the
retail sale OF diamonds 10 purchase shares
In mines from which his merchandise had
com. Before another five years had
elapsed his holdings at Kimberley had be-
cCme very large and when the Transvaal
gold fields were discovered he had profits
TO Invest In them, In lsSs Barnato was q
definite money power In South Africa
and began to be- spoken OF as rival of
Cecil Rhodes
Although Rnrnato represented kimbcr-
hey twice In the cape legislature. hc had
little time TO give to politics, and had
little interest IN that field OF activity Hts
record In the cape legislature was quite
devoid Of incident. when tho tremendous
increase Ia his mining interests called for
the establishment OF a London branch.
this IoUk form of the Hhruito bank
From that date he spent most Of his time
in London, living at first In Earl Spcn-
GERS town residence. but moving finally
In a more magnificent mansion overlook
inE Hyde park. While in Africa he mar
ried and had thr.c children. two sons and
a daughter. lie always had, or profcssed
to have. boundlcss faith In the future of
the TransyAal and WAS personally popular
among all classes of Afric1ndcrs In Lon
don. where he was constantly bcseigcd by
batteries. bcgEars and projectors OF all
sorts ~ enterprises. he finally became
quite Inaccessible TO all except his most
intimate friends
About month ago II WAS rumorcd his
health WIS suffering from the severe ten
sion nf speculation. and IN the htter part
of MAJ II Nas reported from capctowu
that ne was suffering from nervous pros
tratlgn. and bad he'n placed by his
friends under restraint This was sut,Sc-
uucntly denied by his London r,prcs,nta-
tive who said 1brnato was suffering from
- slight attack of Cape fever. not likely
10 prove serious.