New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-27
Firm of Crossman & SieleL.
en- Is Dissolved BY
the Government
Was Most Feared
Man on Exchange
Now Reported To Be Held
in Germany and Mulcted
of Fortune

The European war has lifted an,.h.,
crown. The impending d.thro,.r.,.
Of Herman Sielcken as tn. uo,,U.
coffee king was herslded YESTERDAY !,
the announcement that due 70 N. v,,y
the coffee brokerage firm Of Cro,m.,
e. Sielcken, at 80 Wall Street ia ,oh.
dissolved and new firm organized IA
be known as Sorenson & Nielsen
The dissolution 10 being aceompli,,.d
By John s. Sorenson and Thorl.if
Nielsen in accordance with the in,.ru..
lions Of the United States government
they say, under the proposed tr,di,.
with the enemy act. which mas A..s
sent to the President Mr.. Sielcksn
although he became a naturalized eit'
Zen Of this country, has been In Ger.
many since before the war, and because
Of his residence in an enemy countrp
he comes under the proposed law, ana
the government takes over the admins.
trstion Of his affairs, Mr.. Nielsen said
last night.
Mr.. Sielcken, now about seventy
years old, has for years been q piet.
uresque figure in tn. world, CON,
merce. He still maintains hi. luxur.
ious suite at the Wsldorf-Astoria. d.
is said to be in feeble health u Al,
summer home, Msriahalden, at Baden
Baden. Germany.
Reported Held In Germany
There was a repor: current some
time ago to the effect that the aged
man, who engineered the famous Bra.
lillian "valorization" scheme, which
Jumped the price of coffee from six to
sixteen cents a pound, wa. being de-
tanned in Germany and was being MIXED
of his millions by the German gov.
eminent, but this was denied AZ the
time by Mr.. Nielsen.
The Oversee. News Agency carried q
dispatch at one time To the effect that
no had contributed 100000 marks
(about S23s,0o0, at normal exchange
to the Grand Duchess Louis. for war
relief purposes.
Sielcken was born in Hamburg, Ger.
many, and at twelve years Of age be.
came an errand boy In a coffee store.
He accompanied his parents as q boy
to Guatemala, and in 1887 went 70 San
Francisco. In 1880 he went TO Brazil.
and returned two years later and joined
the coffee brokerage firm here Of "
II. Crossman & Brother In 1882 the
firm was changed to Crossman 4
Sielcken.
W. II. Crossman died In 1894 When
George W. Crossman died in 1918 II
was learned that he and Sieleksn in
their Wills had each bequeathed the
other 31,000,000. Sieleken added this
million to his many others and went TO
Germany and married Mrs. Clara
Wendroth, a widow wish two children
and the daughter Of a wealthy sugar
planter of the Hawaiian Islands. His
first wife had died about seven years
before.
Feared on Exchange
Sislcken at that time had become one
Of the most feared and hated men or
the Coffee Exchange. But his aetiy'
tiles were not confined 70 working a.
legged coffee corners In coffee. ne
bested John W. Gates in a titanic hght
in American Steel and Wire. He 80,
into a row with Z. II. Hartman ana
George J. Gould over the possession o.
the Kansas City, Pittsburgh q Gull
Railroad, nov known as the Kansas
City Southern, and, backed bys syndi'
cato Of Germans, obtained control
In 1918 Mr.. Seilcken took Mr. soren'
son and Mr.. Nelson into his firm. Mr..
Nelson recently went TO Washington
to confer. with the Federal authorize.
as to what steps 70 take in view OF
the trading with the enemy act
which now only awaits President vii
sons signature.
ave are simply following out the
instructions, Of the government su'
thorities," said Mr.. Nelson last night
"Mr. Sielcken will have no connection
directly or indirectly with the reorgsn.
lied firm"