The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-03-25
TROUBLE HAUNTS
 THE ROCKEFELLERS William Has Cancer and John
 D. is Failing MILLIONS ARE AT STAKE Vast Interests Controlled by the Two Brothers May Fall Upon the Shoulders of H. H. Rogers,
 Who Is Losing Memory.
MILLIONS ARE AT STAKE

l that John D. Rockefeller had suffered &
 mental breakdown, followed by the an-
 nouncement that William Rockefeller
 was dying in Europe of cancer of the I stomach the malady that killed Presl-
 dent Harper of the Chicago university.
 With the publication of these reports
 Wall street became a hot bed of disas-
 ter rumors, the cry of the bears being 1 that the power of the Standard OH group
 was on the wane. So persistent were
 these rumors that the suggestion has
 been offered that the reports about the
 Roekefellers were spread by some pow
 erful financial interests who thought the time ripe for a bear campaign. When
 the persons offered this explanation
 looked around for the source of the dis
 turbances they observed signs that point
 ed strongly to James R. Keene.
 If Keene has been guilty of manufac-
 turing news to help along bear cam paign in Standard Oil it will not be the first time he has turned such a trick"
 Some years ago it will be remembered
 that Keene started disauieting rumors ] about Metropolitan and came out a big l winner. 1t Is an interesting coincidence, 1 too. that the same newspaper that first
 printed the Metropolitan rumors has made the most of the Rockefeller ru-
 mors. Stronger still Is the fact that the
 same reporter has figured in both cases. l But many persons credit the Rockefel l Ter reports even if they came from Keene.
 It is well known that Keene gets more private information than any other oper-
 ator in Wall street. He gets 1t because he naVa highest for if
 John D. In Secluslon.
 The movements of John D. Rockefeller for the last three months indicate that
 he is in i'll health or has been laid low
 by some mental afhiction. For weeks
 the newspapers were unable to locate
 him. It was reported that he was cruis-
 ing in southern waters to escape the
 process servers who sought to subpoena
 him to give testimony in the legal war
 fare being waged by the state of Mis- sourl against the oil trust. Then he was
 discovered right here in New York living at his Fifth avenue residence Although the process servers stood guard night and day they never caught sight of MT.
 Rockefeller. It was said afterward that
 he entered and left his house through a tunnel connecting with a house in side street.
 Whether this report was true or not it is not known. but it is a fact that Mir. | Rockefeller is now in seclusion at his |, Lakewood home. Armed guards patrol
 the grounds and a searchlight Is main
 tained to give warning of the approach
 Of intruders. Members of MT Rocl1efel-
 ler's family when asked about the re-
 ports that he is afflicted with some men
 tai innrmity refuse to reply. And it has
 been made impossible for stranPers to
 communicate with the house by tele-
 phone.
 Ills Vast Holdings.
 Should John D. Rockefeller die or be-
 come mentally incompetent practically | all of the big financial interests of the country would feel the blow. MT. BDek- l efeller controls wholly or in substantial part approximately 475 great industrial, commercial or financial corporations. ex- | elusive of very recent acquisitions. In
 such of these as he does not own ma | jority of the stock his word Is neverthe-
 less law. since opposition to his desires
 means fight destructive to those who would thwart his wishes. The 475 cor | porations have a capitalization of s5,- 1 2s9, ,O9S,SO2, and are grouped as follows: Capitalization Railroads. .... .......... g, ,521 ,523, ,072 Industrial companies.... .....- 1885 ,S12,300
 Banks and trust companies:... 1S1 ,062,S99
 Safe deposit companies........ 6O9,53l
 Telegraph and telephone com-
 panies.... ........ .,...... .... 1ozeW,@ Insurance companies... .. 3,2O0, 900
 Mining companies.... .... .... 100000 Gas, electric light and power
 companies. ...... .......... 1lO'763, iOO Traction and transportation
 companies. ........ .... 166, 900 Navigation companies 41, ,447. 800 Total.... ...... r........ ....s5 239 ,O9SSO2 MT. Rockefeller is largely interested in practically all of the leading banks, trust companies, building and loan com panies and safe deposits and surety com panies of New York City, and is also in eighteen outside financial institutions. He is in five big mining corporations and in navigationl companies, representing more
 than $40,000. GOO of capital. of which one is the Pacific Mail Steamship. He con trols 50 per cent of the railroads of the country, and nearly 6,000000 human be- ings are dependent for the necessaries of life upon the earnings of those in the employ of the Rockefeller concerns.
 Load Falls on Rogers.
 With John D. and William Rockefeller incapacitated the burden of directing the Standard oil affairs falls on Henry H. Rogers MT. Rogers who Is sixty-four years old, and is in splendid physical con dition for man of his years, Is not, however according to men who know him well as able and as capable as he
 was few years ago. Those who have dealings with him say that his memory which was remarkable in his prime, has failed materially in the past year or so. The stern. unyielding character of John
 D. Rockefeller is said to be badly broken under the accumulation of family trou- bles. His own health has been most precarious for a dozen years. He sur mounted this handicap, but of late years one after another of his children be- came nl Each of his three daughters is now said to be in i'll health and the physical condition of his only son, John D.. Jr, is reported to be not of the best. The illness of his brother has added greatly to his troubles. as he has always relied greatly upon William Rockefeller to look out for his interests in a large number of corporations.
 Williams Illness.
 William Rockefeller it is said, has been i'll for months, but if this is true the secret has been carefully guarded
 He has spent the most of the winter in
 Italy. Private advices say that the can ger has gained such hold on him that