The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-05-10

Special correspoadsuos Of The Sunday Hepubna
= Frankfort on the Main. April n-Ths
Rothschilds have closed their Frankfort
bank and removed fs busine. to Paris.
The head Of he Paris branch was here
not long ago;
He said he saw no reason for banking on
sentiment, and that the ffankfort business
could be done By the Rothschild agents In
Berlin and by their houses 4. Paris and
London. +
This means the breaking up OF the estahr
lishrnent upon which the grestzR6thschtld
fortune was founded. a fortune which, Is
supposed to amount to more than one billion
6oIarA
1 rode down this morning 20 III. Jew
quarter. where the original Retheehiid be-
gan business along about the time OF our
war of independence.
II IL numbered 14s Jew alley. 1t is a lean
building Of four stories and an attic, pic
turesque to an extreme.
Its windows are. of small panes set in
black sashes, and its four front doors are
the same as when the leading bankers OF
the past came here to borrow mcneS.
1t is situated in the Jewish quarter and
surrounded by buildings as old as itself.
There are many old clothes men near by,
and Jewish children swarm the street.
/ am told that the house still belongs to
the Rothschilds, and that it will stay in the
family.
AMERICA AND THE
RoTHSCHILDS FORTUNE.
1t il not generally known that the United
States had mucn to do with the Roths-
child fortune.
We have sold them tens of millions of
dollars worth of our bonds. and its differ
ent branches have enormous interests IN
industrial America.
They took fifteen millions dollars worth
OF bonds when Cleveland was President, and
/ venture to say they still own some of our
best railroad stocks.
They have interests in our copper mines
and gold mines, and also in our leading in
dustria1s-
Such investments have been made during
recent years.
The beginning was more than a century
ago.
When George III fought against us In the
war OF Independence ne employed about
1900 Hessians, and for their services he
paid one OF the little German monarchs the
enormous sum Of SO, 0o, 90.
This was William ", LandCraye of
Aesse. one Of the thrifuest rules Of his
time.
This money was still in hand when. Napo-
leon began his victorious marches over Eu-
rope, and In order to prevent its capture
and consequent loss William " gave It
over to the care OF Mayer Amsel Roths-
child.
As the story goes, the money was brought
In a carriage one night TO this old house
and handed over.
The loan was kept secret, and Il was
seven years before II was repaid, with in
terest at the then low rate Of 2 per cent per
snnum. 0j
1t is said that RothchiId kept his money
In a big safe. go arranged that 1t could be
lowered and raised like a dumb waiter. but
so that when dropped there was no SIGN n,
its absence.
According TO one report. when the safe
was dropped to its lowest point II was hid
den IN a well Of water. ana a. the contents
were chiefly gold coin they were not IN
jured thereby.
However this may be. old Mayer Amse,
cid not let the money lie idle.
He was a shrewd investor and he nut Z,
70 hat u bred faster than Australian rab-
bits. E+
He already had an.excellent KNOWLEDGE n,
the leading financial Institutions of Europa
At the age of thirteen II was said he knew
every business man in Frankfort and lust
what re was worth.
Now he was older and had had much ex-
perierce In banking.
He invested the money 80 "a feIv Tho. .
was able to return 1t intact when 1t was
called for and this so pleased his Imperial
creditor that he became his banker there
after.
He made millions and was able to start
his five sons in an International banking
BUSH ess.
The eldest, Anslem. was kept at Frank |
fort 10 succeed him. The second. Solomon. |
went TO Vienna and established a hank
there. which is still one Of the strongest OF
the world.
Nathan Mayer came to England and
opened a bank at Manchester. which he
afterwards removedfo London.
The fourth son. Charles. founded a house |
at Naples. and the fifth established one |
at Paris.
All OF these banks worked together. The |
children Of the different soma intefmarried |