The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-06-17

richest = the world In one year alone
over G1,o0o000 was distributed among the
owners. Mr.. Darcy can well afford 70
take me estates over from our splendid
paupers. He has lived in England and
played a great part in society for some
time now.
A few weeks since another great Austral-
ian set out for London. The railway sta
ton at Adelaide was almost blocked by the
crowd that assembled to see him off. and
the chief justice of the colony led the
cheers OF farewell Numbers went down
to the boat TO catch last glimpse OF the
aire gave 10000 for educational purposes
before his departure. Mr.. George Brook
man has not sought publicity since he has
been In London. Yet he is one or the rich
est men at the Antipodes, and he and his
brother are little kings in the mining world
OF South and Western Australia.
The stranger millionaires from South Ar
rica are host. In themselves. Have they
There is. for instance. Mr.. j. B. Robinson:
who lives In Dudley House. Born in Natal
ffty-fve years ago. he started life as a
wool buyer, and then took TO farming. He
prospered greatly, and numbered MS cattle
by the thousand. Then came the diamond
rush, and Mr.. Robinson was one of the
first in the field. He was one of the luck
lest, and In six weeks made El0.OO0. Soon
he had considerable fortune. Then came
the discovery of the Witwatersrand gold
fields. He was first there. and bought for
few hundred pounds land that turned out
to be worth many hundreds OF thousands.
Men thought him mad as he invested there,
but their laugh changed in a very few
days. In 1893 he came TO London, and has
since made this his headquarters. Long the
ally of President Kruger, he at last turned
against him, worn out by his obstinacy
and folly. His ambition is said to be to
leave each of his children a million He
has large family.
A KING OF DIAMONDS.
Only a few hundred yards from Mr.. Rob-
inson lives Mr.. Alfred Belt, who is as rich
as the Rothschilds. In politics he has al
lied himself with Mr.. Rhodes, and has been
one of the greatest workers for our empire
in South Africa. Yet by birth he is a Ger
man. The son of a great Hamburg mer-
chant. he went to South Africa as a lad to
study the developments there. He studied
to such good effect that he made millions,
acquired predominant interest in the dia-
mond trade and secured q lions share in
the gold fields. He is so quiet, gentle, retir-
Ing in appearance, that when folks first
meet him they cannot credit the fact that
he is the cleverest financier of the day.
To mention Mr.. Belt calls UP his senior
partner, Mr.. Julius Wernher. Mr.. Wern-
ner looks more the typical South African.
He does not openly participate in politics
like Mr.. Belt, but from his palatial offices
in BishopSgate street he does more than
many give him credit for. Neither of these
multi-millionaires has shown the desire to
make a mark in society. Society has come
to them. but they have not gone 70 it. Mr..
Wernher now occupies Luton Hoo, Nine.
De Fables charming place.
But to tell of them all would be to fill
columns. There are triumphant cosmopol-
itan spectators like Mr.. Won Andre and
Mr.. Mosenthal, princely German merchants
like Sir Ernest Cassel, happy lovers of ad-
venture like Mr.. Frank Thompson.
There are political bosses and patrons
of sport such as Mr.. Richard Croker, of
New York city; sober American bankers
like Mr.. A. ]. Drexel, of Watching and mo-
toring fame; social leaders such as Mrs.
Ronalds and Mrs. Mackay. Have we not
mann or Mr.. Sydney Goldman, who mar
ried Lord Peels daughter; Mr.. Mendel, the
great promoter, and lucky Mr.. Pet Mar
ais, owner of so many Transvaal ground
rents? The list Is unending