The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-02-03

present war.
| The ordinary picture of South At
rican millionaire Is that of vulgar,
loud spoken snowy, ostentatious man,
kind of a johannesburg Tammany
boss" Alfred Belt presents a COM
| plete contrast to this. In simple, al
most shabby clothes, with a meek ar
mild eyes and low-spoken voice, he
gives one at first the idea OF the conn-
Dental clerk of an old lawyer.
| 1t is amusing to see how people are at
! first disappointed with his Not long
I ago military authority who came
| across him in South Africa wrote homes:
| '.That he is a millionaire and great
financier am informed on good author
ity and take it for granted. Had | been
in ignorance Of his entity l should have
taken him for nonentity, and certain
ly not have given him the credit for be-
ing either millionaire or financler.
For he is most unassuming and UNI
ostentatious man of wealth, and as
kindly, quiet and courteous as 1t is pos
sible to be. Very ordinary and meager
in his ideas and commonplace in his
conversation, he is one of the last men
l.
able and capable Belt must be either
so deep or so shallow that, in the one
case it is impossible to get at the bot
tom of him, and in the other, although
it is possible to look through, it Is quite
impossible to see anything.
However, Mr.. Belts meekness is de-
oeptive. AS a young man he was sent
from Johannesburg to the diamond
mines at Kimberley. He was only
Twenty-Five but he had skill enough to
see that with proper management the
mines were only at the beginning of
their life He had rich father in his
German home, who backed him with
abundant funds, and young Belt began
buying with mervelous results.
He was soon joined by another man
whose name is now in the mouths Of all
Cecil Rhodes. Rhodes was backed by
the Rothschilds, Belt by his father, and
together the two succeeded in forming
the great diamond trust which, under
the name De Beers now controls prac-
tically the whole output of the most
precious stones in the world.
At the De Beers mines in Kimberley
Messrs. Belt and Rhodes do things on
big scale Nine years ago they admit
ted that up to that time they had taken
something like nine tons of diamonds
from their mines The mines yield
profit of close on nine million dollars
year and pay a dividend of forty per
cent.
Last year, as a sort OF a pourbolre,
Mr.. Belt and Mr.. Rhodes made the
shareholders a present Of their interest
as life governors in the mine. AS life
governors they were each entitled to
one hundred and fifty thousand dollars
year salary, so that this present real
ly meant gift of about five million
dollars to the shareholders.
Mr. Belt has once or twice given
proof that he is not to be attacked with
impunity. At the time Of the South At
rlcan raid inquiry by the House of
Commons Mr. Labouchere had been at
lacking Belt bitterly alleging that he
had created the raid for personal pur-
poses and had been making lot of
profit out Of X.
Mr. Belt quietly took his seat in the
witness chair and turned on "Labby."
In the gentlest voice he repudiated what
he termed the "vile attacks" and
pressed Mr.. Labouchere hard, declar-
ing he was bound in justice and in hon
or either to establish the charges or to
withdraw them absolutely. Labou-
chere suddenly found that he had ur-
gent business elsewhere, and the at |
tack was never resumed
Mr. Belts house in Park lane is not so
as its owner. Only three /
stories high, 1t spreads out over what is |
for the Fifth avenue Of London very
great space or land and has attached |
to It great Winter garden.
When 1t was first opened little over
A year ago London society was greatly
perplexed as to what Its style was.
Some declared that 1t was early Renais-
sance. some this, some that; but we'll
known literary woman hit it off: ut
g." she said, early South African
Decorated in the most quietly expen-
sive fashion, with liberal use OF oak
it is the ideal of a comforta-
Die house. In is dining room, during
Mr. Belts already noted little dinners,
ire planned many Of the great develop
nents that startle the world concerned
n South African politics.
Among the Kaffir kings in London
here is, perhaps, no more striking fig
Ire than the great Afrikander multi
Mr.. j. B. Robinson.
He lives In Dudley house, formerly
he home Of Lord Dudley, and for long
lie has not been a persona grata to his
brother South African millionaires. He
vas born in South Africa and spent his
arly years as a wool buyer. Thrown
INTO constant contact with the Beers, he
practically became one of them. He
poke the Dutch tongue as fluently as
English. He passed his days in the
addle, and could ride or shoot as we'll
IS the most cunning Boer. He and his
Id friend Paul Kruger spent many
appy days together in the open coun-
ry.
Then came some of the great wars
gainst the blacks, and Robinson took
is part with the other Afrikanders in
he Basuto campaign. Then came the
iscovery of diamonds at Kimberley.
Robinson was one of the first on the
eld. At Dutoitspan he was camping
ut one night when he was told that an
Id lady had picked up some stones at
he back Of her house. He galloped off, 6