The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-01-06

planned a l1lUJUSJincnt Oh the finances
Of the Erie Railroad. Nothing remained
but to get The assent Of the stockholders.
Everything was going along nicely. writes
C. NJ. Keys in January Worlds Work
Suddenly the weIl-oiled machinery came
TO a stop. A comparatively unknown
broker had called together some of his
friends and had persuaded them to stand
with him in demanding better terms from
Morgan His insight into the situation
was SO clear, his exposition Of it so
plain, that he was able 10 hold his men
together and make their position so
strong that they forced concessions from
the Morgan firm.
The name Of the broker was Edward
H Hartman When the Morgan people
asked him whom he represented he re-
piled, brusquely:
Myself"
This episode happened. it viii be noted,
twenty years ago 1t has happened many
times since, in different forms. When
this same Hartman appeared on the
Illinois Central board of directors ii 1885,
he was asked the same question. and he
answered in the same way. When he
bought into the Union Pacific Railroad in
1897, ne would not answer it at all. so
Wall street decided he was a Wander
bilt" man. A little later came the sup
position that he was, and is. d Standard
OH man. There is no conclusive proof
that he at the present time represents
any one but Edward H. Hartman
Ask Who Hartman Is.
Who, then, IS this E. H. Hartman?
Wall street has been asking this ques-
ton, savagely at times, for the past
ten years. The United States has begun
10 ask it, curiously, in the past two
years. Mr.. Hartman has ceased to be
an individual He has become Il ma
tional figure, perhaps a national menace
As the head of over loo miles of Ameri-
can railroad, he has on his pay rolls
more than twice as many men as there
are in the standing army Of the United
States. In the political world. he is cred
tied with having been the power behind
a governor of the State Of New York.
B. 3. Odell, and with being now abso-
luteIy in command Of the Republican
party in California. In finance. he has
figured within the last year or so as
one Of the alleged jugglers Of the funds
OF the Equitable Life Assurance Society.
arbiter Of funds amounting TO over $50.
Ooe,OJJ owned by the Union Pacific and
allied railroads and express companies.
and able to command the financial power
welded by the largest private banking
house in the United States, Kuhn. Loeb
& Co.
CORceaIs Early History.
Hartman for some unknown reason.
has always carefully concealed the early
history of himself and his family The
writer knows many of his friends and
most of his enemies in Wall street Not
one Of them has been willing 20 tell the
story. Most Of them could not Those
who could, would not. because Of Harrl-
mans WeII-known objection. The conse-
Quence is that, to this date. the people
Of the United States know nothing Of
the man who seems to be the one in
dividual most prominently before the pub
lie eye
Down at Hampstead, L. /, the visitor
may find a church, founded in l7G2
The record OF the church shows that
Edward Henry Hartman was born on
February %, ISIS, in the rectory Of this
parish His father was Rev. Orlando
Hartman. jr-, then in charge Of the
parish, which is Episcopalian.
Poverty OF His Youth
Following this clew, the story Of the
childhood and youth Of Edward Henry
Hartman Unfolds itself. His father.
Rev Orlando Hartman. jr., first appears
in the records Of the EpiscopaIan Church
in 1871, as q deacon. In 1872 he was
junior principal of the Academy at Sing
Sing, n. Y. In succeeding clergy lists
from 1919 to 1896, he appears as without
d charge.
In this year, when Edward Henry
Hartman was but six years old, the
family moved TO Jersey City. There were
four boys, known among their intimates
as Nelson, Orlando, Henry, and William,
and two girls, Lily and Annie There
followed a period of extreme hardship.
even poverty. Up TO 1853. Rev Orlando
Hartman had no steady charge He
helped wherever he had chance. In
this year he began anew as rector of
St. Johns, West HObOken.
Over this period from 1880 to 1856 hangs
a heavy cloud. II was a period Of pow
erty, Of humility, OF terrible discipline
The family lived in a small house on the
meadows. There was never enough
money to go around. Making ends meet
was a task Of the supremest difficulty.
IT was a dark time, indeed.
Mothers Pride of Lineage.
Yet through the darkness shines one
splendid ray Of light. 1t is the personality
of a noble woman, the mother Of Edward
II. Hartman. She came of an aristo-
cratic family Of New Brunswick, n J.,
and lived up TO the best OF its traditions
In the midst of hardships, she taught
her husband patience, and her sons true
If Hr-g
ness, courage, and superb command Ed
ward H Hartman owes to her, the
world can but blindly guess.
Through the death of a relative Of Mrs
Hartman. the family inherited some
money late in the COS. It was enough, at
any rate. 10 permit OF the retirement Of
the elder Hartman from active work
and the purchase Of a comfortable home
stead at the corner Of Erie and Eighth
streets, Jersey City. There the family
lived in comfort for many years. Edward
II. Hartman, commonly called Henry by
those who knew him then, was educated
IN the district school, and finished with
two years course in a boys school. uu-
der church auspices, where the sons Of
the clergy paid practically nothing for an
education. His schooling gave no prom
Use of the future to which he was des-
tined.
Two Brothers Dead.
The history OF the family after 1856
may be very briefly dismissed. The old
est brother, John Nelson, died some
years ago. The youngest. William Ne
CUrdy, has been dead but little time.
The second, Orlando, is living, and is
active IN real estate and fractions in
Brooklyn, where he now lives. Miss Lily
Hartman became the wife OF Charles
l.. Simmons. of Brown Brothers & Co,
New York. Miss Annie Hartman mar
red a Van Rensselaer,. a New York
aristocrat known best in his own circle.