Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1899-02-16
(Head of the English House.)

(head or the EngllSn house,
Some time between 174O and 1850 he
must have seen the light. His father
was called simply Bauer or peasant. ="
His descendants have called them
selves ode" and won, but their honest
grandfather had not so much as
name.
Mayor Anselm Rothschild, or Maier
Amscher Bauer, was left an orphan at
twelve, already an expert money
changer. Following the wish of his
dying father, he studied for a rabbi a
little while, but the clink Of coins was
as a siren song to his ears, and he was
soon back in the mart, a clerk of
Banker Oppenheim, of Hanover. Man
grown, he returned to Frankfort, where
his father had lived, and hung out his
red shield in the free city which has
ever since been the capital of capital
OF the first big strike" of Mayor
Anselm the following story is told:
william H., Landgrave of Hesse,
had made some $20,000,000 on the sale
of Hessian soldiers to Great Britain
for the war in America. 1t was what
was left of this treasure, perhaps So
900, 900, that puzzled Graf William,
when, in 1906. after the battle of Jena,
Napoleon advanced on Hesse He had
heard reports of the astuteness of the
Jew of Frankfort, and without even a
receipt he placed the money in his
hands. So, at least, the story goes.
Napoleon levied on Frankfort an in
demnity of s2O,OOO,0O0 for having dared
trade with the English, and Redshield
paid his share along with the rest. He
had hid the Electors little nest-egg,
and didn't feel obliged to mention the
fact.
Afterward he dug the money up from
his gardens, took it out of his wine
casks. hoisted it from his well-these
are the three stories, take your pick
of them-and bought and sold on a
larger scale until he went to the faith
ers in 1872.
In 1914, when Napoleon was Gagged
on Elba, Anselm Rothschild, Mayor
Anselms oldest son, and the head Of
the house, offered to pay back the
Landgraf's money with interest. Be-
fore the money could be transferred,
however. the Corsican escaped from
Elba and Elector William arranged to
leave his money on deposit at 2 per
cent.
Nine years later the house insisted
upon paying it back to Williams son.
They had had the use of S5,000,06 for
seventeen years upon the payment of
only Is per cent simple interest. The
Redshield wealth had, between 1906
and 1923. grown so great that even
IS. 900. 600 was trifie.
The five sons of Mayor Anselm were:
Anselm, born June II, 1873; died De-
cember 6, 1855; place of business,
Frankfort.
Solomon, born Sept. 8, IVA; died
July 81, 1885; place of business, vi
emma.
Nahan Mahier, born Sept. 16, 1777;
died July %, 1886; place OF business.
London.
Charles, born April "a, 1888; died
March 10. 1855; place of business, Ma
pies.
James, born May 5, 1892; died
March 10, 1868; place of business,
Paris.
All these branches were founded in
the early years of the century. That
in Naples was given up when the king
dom merged with that of Italy. The
others are still in existence.
These five famous sons gathered at
the bedside of their dying sire in 1912,
and heard his wise advice upon the
conduct OF their business. They we're
to make of IL a partnership, a per-
petual trust; they were to trust each
other and work in concert; they were
to intermarry; they were to be just.
honorable and even generous.
This latter advice which Mayor An
selm had himself followed He had
been not only honest bu' iaritable.