The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1904-01-08
LITTLE IS KNOWN
OF ROCKEFELLER
Though One Of the Most Talked
Of Men, He Has Hidden His
Personality.
WHAT He LIKES is POWER
He Has Never Worked for Anyone for
Salary or Commission Since He
Was a Boy-Tastes All
Modest.

Chicago Tribune: Here is one of the
greatest accomplishments in the world:
A man has been able to pile up the
greatest fortune ever known and yet
kept his personality so far in the back
ground that little or nothing is known
Of him.
1t would be difficult to say which at
tracts the greater wonder-the fact that
one man has been able to accumulate
so much wealth or the fact that in ac-
cumuiating it he has been able to hide
himself so completely.
That nan name is guessed at once.
John D.. Rockefeller.
Look at him by way of contrast. J.
Pierpont Morgan is a man hard to ap-
proach. He says nothing for publica-
ton, or next to nothing. He is a hard
field from which to secure information.
And yet-every move he makes is re-
ported. He buys masterpieces in Paris;
he gives great dinners, he scours the
country in q private car, he calls on
the king of England, he buys a palace
in London.
You know a great deal about Mr..
Morgan and Mr.. Morgan's habits and
: Mr.. Morgan's doings. He has ccumu-
lated a fortune of $40, O00, 900, n you
know considerable about him.
This is a drop in the bucket compared
to what Rockefeller has made, and yet
what do you know about him? You
have heard that he suffers from indi-
gestion, and that he has lost a good
deal OF hair, and that he plays golf a
little, and that once in a while he
makes a speech before a Sunday
school.
Silence Due to Systematic POLICY.
The fact that you do not know any
thing about Rockefeller is due to the
systematic policy not only of the man
personally, but Of the Standard Oil
company, which he has built up and
controls.
If a mar quits the company's en-
plOynent he is informed that he can
return to his old position, providing
he is discreet, any time he wishes to.
That is if he keeps the secrets of the
company he may go back. A former
emp!oye was asked:
Cant you tell something about the
personal habits of Mr.. Rockefeller"
With a startled look he asked:
Are you going to roast him?'
mot at ALL" he was assured. People
would like to have a closer view of
him-that's ALL"
We'll, I don't know anything that
would interest you. l had sixty men
under me in his office and not one of
them knew a thing about him. I don't
believe he has any personal habits. If
he has l never heard Of them"
Perhaps you mean to say 0 don't
care to talk about them was sug-
gested.
4 really and truly do not know" he
insisted. IF l did l would rot tell you,
but 1 don't know. l may want to re-
turn to my old place some of these
days, and if I talked I could not"
However, there are a few things
known about the man. A few new
points Of interest have been unearthed
recently. A little light on his char
acter was thrown by a dealer in pen
ellis who had been selling to the Stand
ard OIL company for many years. One
day while in the offices Mr.. Rockefeller
came in and was introduced to the
dealer. After a hearty handshake Mr..
Rockefeller said:
Il wonder if you couldn't help me to
get some leads for this pencil Of mine,'
exhibiting a small gold pencil attached
to his watch chain.
Nope; nothing in the market &c fit
that pencil; it's out of date" replied
the dealer. But 1 think we can make
some leads for you at the factory. If
you Will let me have the pencil for a
few days I'll orange it,"
AS Rockefeller detached the trinket
he asked: When do l get this back?
It's something l wouldn't care to LOSE
We'll, in a week or ten days. I'll
take good care of it."
Genial in Personal Relations.
Speaking of the incident the dealer
says:
He had on a Sc sack coat and the
air of a $40 clerk in a grocery. I was
nearly paralyZed by his cOmpanionable
ways. There l was in the presence Of
the richest man in the world and the
most powerful, talking and shaking
hands with him just as if we were ON
the same level. l mad a hundred leads
made. and VIZ put his pencil in splendid
condition., making it look like new, and
sent it to him with the firms compli-
ments. I'm a Rockefeller man ever
since He certainly is a gentleman.
I've met hundreds Of prominent men in
the course of my business, but never
did one appear so courteous as Mr..
Rockefeller r.
Rockefeller is a director in only four
corporations-so far AS the world
knows. He dominates $50. He belongs
to seven clubs-the Union League, Sons
Of the American Revolution, New Eng
land society, Baptist Social union,
American Museum of Natural History,
American inc Arts society, and the
Ohio society. In nc sense can he be
called a club man. He has no box at
the opera. He has no box at the horse
show. His only pastime is golf and he
played that only for a short time to re-
gain his health. At home he some
times amuses himself with a game of
solitaire. 1t has been said that he
maps out his plans with cards.
Plans Many Years Ahead.
Rockefeller is not without his little
sanctities. One of them is a firm be-
lief in the occult world and It's in
fuences. He used to be a regular Wis
ltor at the house Of a we'll known
medium in this city, and it is related
hat on a certain occasion he had an in
terview with the shade Of Jay Gould.
Possibly Jay advised him to take up
George n go for the scalps of his
enemies.
THE Standard Oil company, in so far
as its policies are concerned" says an
associate Of one of the directors, lis
organized just like an army staff.
Rockefeller is the general, and ',nder
him are the major generals, brigadier
generals, colonies, etc. His is the mas
ter mind. He plans fifteen years ahead.
The man seems gifted with second
sight. Far in the future he lays his
pipes and builds his fences. He seems
to know which way events are coming
and @ they will affect the
cial and industrial world.
His ministers or generals used to
stand aghast at his suggestions. One
day a man who is now a director In
the company and worth $50, 000, 900, pro-
tested that Mr.. Rockefeller was So for