Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1909-09-10
STORY OF HIS DUsY CAREER
Pen Picture of Man who Dominated
the Railroad world.


Pen Picture of Man who Dominated
the Railroad world.
The story of E. H. Hartman is the story
Of the son of an impecunious Episcopalian
minister who devoted his sixty odd years
Of life to the gathering Of money and the
control over money. When death came he
stood in the center OF a vast complex
financial system, invincible in power and
terrible in responsibility. Work and the
intensity of his life killed him at last
But the story is not altogether a sordld
one and no spectator Of his career can fail
to honor him for the splendid achieve
ments in railroad building that have been
a part of his policy. He started out as &
broker and remained one, but he was big
enough to be broker and railroad builder
at once and in the same operations,
Edwin Henry Hartman was the third
son in the family of six. that was de-
pendent upon the meagre finances Of Rev.
Orlando Hartman. He was born February
25, 1s4s, at Hampstead, Long Island. His
brothers were Nelson, Orlando and Will
liam, and his sisters Lily and Annie. All
of this family Of six have been fortunate
enough TO reach comfortable circumstances
early in life, although the fathers salary
when little Edwin Henry was II years old
amounted to but $500 year as rector of
st. Johns in Hoboken
His Education.
He was educated in the district schools
and in an academy for clergymen's boys,
where he was practically a charity pupil.
Nothing in his personality as a child gave
hint or promise OF a financier. unless 1t
may have been his native stubbornness.
His mother was proud In spite Of poverty
and taught her children a naughty, Aris-
tocratlc manner which helped in making
the great sons disregard OF public opinion.
Before Edwin was OF age the family in
herited enough money for the father to
retire. Not many years after that the
! future magnate entered Wall street as a
broker.
He was not possessed Of much capital,
but he did possess a daring financial
imagination, and he watched the working
OF Wall street during the next thirty years
with an intentness that made him a mas
ter Of masters among the manipulators
and stock gamblers and highhanded
makers of fortunes that fight for money
In the street" In 1870 he took q plunge
| in gold, it is said, when Gould. Fisk. KIM
Der and others tried to corner the sOld
market and the whole OF his profits went
into buying him a seat on the New York
Stock exchange. He was trying fOg big
ger game than the profits OF the curb
| stone broker.
His First Marriage.
He made a very substantial addition 10
his chances for happiness and fortune by
marrying into the family of e Rochester
capitalist Miss Mary Averil was his
bride and her father had made hIs moray
out Of railroad speculation. In 1sa when
his father died, Hartman wac reckoasd
as a millionaire from his operations on
the stock exchange. He was successfully
learning his tradA-
AS he was learning his trada, however,
he was unlearning the traits Of a frank,
attractive character and schooling him
self 10 be the sphinx OF the financial
world. He had ceased to care Tor the
associates with whom he had started Out
on the street Everything had bOoa alb
sorbed into the master passion Of money
making. When he was not yet - years
old this master passion took On q nSw
phase and he became interested IN ran
roads Hts new desire showed itSeaf IN a
fashion that exhibited the intensified quaL-
ity that has counted most In his person
aHty. the quality Of direetnsss. 1t was this
quality Of knowing without questi0a OF
eavil Just exactly what he wants and go
ing after it without fear that WAs the
most remarked and remarkable thing shout
the man
RLse tn Railroad world.
! He Was made director Of the ulinOis
Central In Issa bat he did nothing hOthee~
able as a railroad man uHtl tsaa- IauuaFy
81. IEG the Union Pueifie. debt rinden
j Continued on Ftfth PaEsl