Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-08-31
"From the Hand of God"
(East Oregonian.)

lEdSt OreSOnlan.D
Repeatedly John d. Rockefeller
has said, under the mellowing infiu-
ences of song and service in his
home church in Cleveland, that he
considers and believes that God has
made him the custodian of great
wealth. With q wealth of illustra-
tion on every hand of how Rockefel-
Ter accumulated the greatest fortune
in the world, Rockefeller's estimate
of Gods responsibility toward the
mankind which he created is evident.
The conception of the character of
God should be remembered, is not
by absolute standards, but by the
standards of the race or individual.
The readers attention is called to
the following:
Edgar Brown died August at n
hospital at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
Newspaper dispatches say that this
man died penniless and was buried
at the expense of a few old friends
This is a common occurrence, but
widespread attention has been at
] tracted to the death of Edgar Brown
because, as one correspondent says:
while Brown had no estate, he left
behind him the memory of his kind
ness in the days of his prosperity and
the story of how John ID. Rockefeller
deprived him of the fortune he found
and developed, and gained control of
the property which made the United
States Steel corporation possible"
Browns life story is vouched for
by DIR. John M. Goltra, who attended
him during his last illness. Accord
ing to DR.. Goltra's story, as told by
the Chicago Record-Herald corre-
spondent, Edgar Brown was born In
Warren, Pa, Ga years ago, Asso-
ciating himself with c. G. Merritt,
the two tramped the great northern
barrens and located what afterwards
proved to be the richest iron mine
in the country. Brown was discour
aged by capitalists, but he presever-
ed until finally he interested John ID
Rockefeller and borrowed from him
$1,500.000, giving his mining claims
as security. The Record-Herald cor
respondent says:
Then Brown set about bringing
the mines out of the wilderness. He
planned the Duluth & Iron Range
railroad, now the greatest ore carrier
In the world, to carry his ore to
deep water harbor. Rails were laid
and soon development had gone far
enough to show financlers what the
property really was worth. Nego-
tiations were begun with James ].
Hill and several associates for the
sale OF the property, and deal prac-
tically was closed for its transfer az
a price which would have made
Brown and Merritt millionaires sew
eral times over.
at was here that Brown made his
fatal mistake. He never suspected
treachery, and told Of the deal to a
man who was closely associated with
Rockefeller. For what followed
Brown always put the blame directly
on the shoulders of the oil magnate.
He declared, over add over. that
Rockefeller put the screws on Hill
and his associates so that they could
not get the ready money TO complete
their bargain. At any rate the deal
fell through, Browns notes to
Rockefeller became due, the mort
gage was foreclosed and the Inn
.mensely valuable ore property fell
into the hands OF the Standard OIL
chief for mere fraction OF its value.
millions OF dollars have been
taken out of the mines since that
time. ore worth millions more Is In
sight. and no one can compute the
value that fun development will give
the property In the future. For
years neets OF steamers carrying