Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-09
A CITY OF BANKERS
Rothschilds Began at Frank
fort-on-tale- Main.
AN ENORMOUS FORTUNE
HAD ITS STARS III OUR WAR OF
THE REVOLUTION.
Stories Of Famous Einanciers-How to
Get Rich - Visit to
Dye Factory.
AN ENORMOUS FORTUNE
Copyright, 1903, by Frank G. Carpenter)
pecial Cores pondence of The Evening Star.

Copyright, 1903. by Frank G. Carpenter)
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star
FRANKFORT ON THE MAIN,
The Rothschilds have closed their Frank
fort bank and removed it's business to Paris.
The head of the Paris branch was here not
long ago. He said he saw no reason for
banking on sentiment, and that the Frank
fort business could be done by the Roths-
child agents in Berlin and by their houses
at Paris and London This means the break
ing up of the establishment upon which
the great Rothschild fortune was founded.
fortune which is supposed to amount to
more than one billion dollars.
l rode down this morning to the Jew quar-
ter, where the original Rothschild began
business along about the time of our war of
independence. 1t is numbered 14S Jew alley.
1t is lean building of four stories and
attic, picturesque to an extreme. It's win
dows are of small panes set in black sashes,
and It's four front doors are the same as
when the leading bankers of the past came
here to borrow money. 1t is situated in the
Jewish quarter, and surrounded by build
ings as old as itself. There are many old
clothes men nearby. and Jewish children
swarm the street l am told that the house
still belongs to the Rothschilds, and that
1t Will stay in the family.
America and the Rothschilds Fortune.
1t is not generally known that the United
States had much to do with the Roths-
child fortune We have sold the family tens
of millions of dollars worth of our bonds,
and it's different branches have enormous
interests in industrial America. They took
fifteen million dollars worth of bonds
when Cleveland was President, and I ven
ture to say they still own some of our best
railroad stocks. They have interests in on
copper mines and gold mines, and also in
our leading industrials.
Such investments have been made dur
ing recent years The beginning more
than century ago. When George III
fought against us in the war of indie
pendence he employed about 1900 Hes
slams and for their services he paid one of
the little German monarchs the enormous
sum of twenty million dollars. This Was
William ~, Landgrave, of HeSSe, one of
the thriftfest rulers of his time.
This money was still in hand when Ma
poleon began his victorious marches over
Europe, and in order to prevent its c'pture
and consequent loss William " gave it
over to the care of Mayer Amsel Roths-
child. AS the story goes, the money was
brought in carriage one night to this old
house and handed over. The loan was
kept secret. and it was seven years before
it was repaid, with interest al the then low
rate of per cent per annum.
1t is said that Rothschld kept his money
Ill 1t plS sale. So arranged lndt II cDulu De
lowered and raised like dumb waiter but
so that when dropped there was no sign Of
it's absence. According to one report when
the safe was dropped to its lowest point it
was hidden in well of water. and as the
contents We're chiefly gold coin they were
not injured thereby.
The Five Rothschilds.
However this may be. old Mayer Amsel
did not let the money lie idle. He was a
shrewd investor and he put 1t that 1t
bred faster than Australian rabbits. He
already had excellent knowledge of the
leading financial institutions of Europe. At
the age of thirteen it is said he knew every
business man in Frankfort and just what
he was worth. Now he was older and had
had much experience in banking. He in
vested the money safely that he was
able to return it intact when it was called
for and this so pleased his imperial creditor
that he became his banker thereafter. He
made millions and able to start his
five sons in interna tiOnal banking bust
ness.
The eldest Amsel, was kept at Frankfort
to succeed him. The second, Solomon, went
to Vienna and established a bank there
world Nathan Mayer came to England
and opened bank at Manchester, which
he afterwards removed to 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 sons inter-
married and the fortune has far as pos
sible been kept intact. The descendants of
each have their own property, but as