The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-09


Naples, James to Paris and Nathan to
| Manchester, England; while Anselm Mey-
er The eldest remained in Frankfort.
Just before the fathers death the broth
ers were called together to receive his
blessing, and they then promised under
oath to follow the policy he outlined. This
included equal division of all profits, stand
ing by one another in any and all circum-
stances and The holding of family councils
on all important matters. This policy is
continued to this day.
The second genuinely big addition to the
Rithschild fortunes came just after the
| battle of Waterloo, in 1915. Nathan had
already dabbled a good deal in stocks on
the London exchange, whittier he had
then removed the English branch of the
business. Telegraph and steam COM
munication were unknown In those days,
but he had made more than one lucky turn
in stocks by the use of carrier pigeons
and other ways of getting first news He
believed in the ultimate overthrow of Ma
poeOn by England and was all ready to
make whatever he could through its in
huence on the market.
In this instance the stake was too great
TO trust carrier pigeons for the news; In
fact, Nathan determined to trust no one
but himself. So he went to Belgium, where
the Little Corporal and the Iron Duke
were sure to meet, and for days followed
Welingtons army.
When the forces came together Roths-
child was on hand as a spectator on horse
back-not in the rear where there was no
danger, but so near to the actual fighting
that more than one bullet whizZed dis
respectfully close 20 his inquisitive head.
But he stuck to his post until Wellington
had won, and then, without stopping to
eat or rest, put spurs to his sliced and gal
loped off 10 Brussels, where a carriage was
waiting TO rush him 10 the coast. All
night he rode over the muddy Belgian
roads, arriving at Ostend at daybreak,
when ne sought to get boatmen TO carry
him across.
But the weather was nasty, and no one
was willing to undertake the task. Mon
ey talked then, however, as it does to this
day. and when Rothschild's bid had been
raised to $500 the boatmen were fouI.
Late in the afternoon, after twelve hours
of buffeting the wind and the waves, the
banker was landed at Dover. From there
relays of swift horses were pressed into
service, and the next morning after hav-
ing been keyed up to the highest tension
for forty-eight hours, he made his APP
pearance on the floor of the London ex-
change. OF course he gave some news TO
those who questioned him. but he did not
tell of the result at Waterloo.
"Blucher was defeated by Napoleon at
Lfgny,' he said, land Butcher had a great
army of veterans. Welliugton's forces
were yet to be met, but they were small
and undisciplined"
Then he sighed and began 10 sell In
stantly there was a tremendous slump in
the market All day long he sold. and all
day long he sighed and told half the news
But meanwhile his agents were secretly
buying with all the money their principal
had been able to scrape together by hook
and by crook. Forty-eight hours later
when the news of Wellingtons great VIC
tory reached the exchange, Nathan Roth
schild was long of nearly every stock on
the market. and he had scooped in 81, 900, 600
of profits.
Nathan Rothschild died in 1895. aged 50
at Frankfort, where he had gone to attend
the marriage of one of his sons. He
changed the rule of the house with regalA
TO Spain, and began to make money out
of her necessities some five years before
his death
The government of the Dons, being hard
pressed for funds, put up the output of the
famous quicksilver mines at Almadon for
a term of years in return for a loan. A.
soon as Rothschild got possession he cor
nered the market in quicksilver and ad-
vanced the price of the metal 100 per cent
By this operation he cleared as much as he
had after Waterloo 1t is worthy of note
that some of the money with which the
present Cuban war has been carried on
has been raised by a loan fioated by the
Rothschilds with the output of those
same mines for security.
In the meantime the fortunes of every
Rothschild branch had prospered. Finan-
cial relations had been established with
nearly every nation of Europe and many
honors including patents of nobility. had
| been showered upon the banker brothers.
Heinrich Heine makes one Of his char
| acters say some whimsical things about
the old Rothschilds. Hyazinth, chirop>
| odist says: 1T is the honor always that
| care for, and that is what l told Baron
| Rothschild, when l had the honor of cut
ting mis- corns. 1t happened in his cabinet;
he sat in his green armchair, as IL he were
| on throne, spoke like king; around MIN
| stood his couriers and he issued his orders
and sent messages to all the kings; and
| while | cut his corns l thought in my
heart: You have now in your hands the
| foot of the man who himself has the
whole world in his hands, you also are
now an important man, If you cut him a
little too hard he will be displeas ed and
then he will cut the greatest kings hard
in turn. 1t was the happiest moment of
my life."
James Rothschiid. the last of the five
brothers. died thirty years ago in Paris,
| aged rs. Charles, who had the Naples
branch, died in 1855. and the house there
was then closed. The Vienna branch is
now in charge of Baron Ferdinand Roths-
| child the branch in Paris is under the SUI
| pervision of Edmond and Alphonse de
| Rothschild, and the London branch is d.
rected by Lord Nathaniel Mayer Roths-
child. All are extremely able fiuanciers
of course, but the English Lord Rothschild
is decidedly the leader, even as the Eng
lish branch is the real Rothschild head
| quarters. in spite of the nominal premier
ship of the Frankfort branch.
1t was part Of the policy of the original
Rothschi.d TO keep the wealth OF the fam
lily together by a system of intermarrages,
and consequently matrimonial union be-
| tween first cousins has been common
among them for two or three generations.
while in the absence of cousins, uncles
have sometimes married nieces and aunts
have been welded to nephews. Alphonse
and Edmond, the leaders of the French
branch. are the sons of Baron James
Rothschild. one of the original five broth
ers, and his niece. the daughter of Baron
Solomon Rothschid.
The Rothschild children, however, aver
age as strong mentally and physically as