The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-11-28
|BANNERMAN, VEST
POCKET KRUPP, DIES
Long Acted as "Gun Runner"
/ for Rival RevolutiOnists
in Latin America.
WAR MADE HIM WEALTHY
Once Told British King He
Was "Subject Of Nobody
Was q Millionaire.

Within n few days or it may be
weeks the news will filter into Cen
trail and South America and will be
printed In Spanish in those interesting
little sheets. that the saddle colored
vendors hawk so shrilly that Francis
Bannerman of New York is dead at
tho age OF 20. Men who have benefited
by those sudden explosions of the
Latin American temperament called
revolutions, and men who hope to bon
eft by them. will surely regret the
passing Of the armorer. for that in
deed, was how the late MIR. Banner
man was regarded
New York knew the man who died
yesterday as the owner of re-
markedly interesting shop at 400 and
sol Broadway, Il shop in which one
could find all OF the implements and
the equipment Of war, from the pike
and broadsword of the medieval SOL
der to the wicked Browning machine
gun of the ultra present. The coun-
tries along the equator knew Banner
man as dependable source of supply
when Presidents were TO be ousted by
revolutions.
To Zimmerman went messages in
code at such times-messages from
Venezuela. from Peru, from Brazil,
from half n dozen other South Ameri-
can ;,publics. and from the seething,
restless nations below the great Canal:
Send us guns" Seldom It was. if re-
port be reasonably true that they
failed to get the guns-rifies, machine
guns. even field guns and with all Of
the ammunition that any light bay
revolutionists cared to play with. This
was, OF course, at q price, Banner
mans price. He furnished wars goods
for the good gold OF peace and he was
so successful at this especial develop
ment OF modern business AS we'll as in
the placid and customary channels of
trade. that in dying he leaves $1,000
900.
Francis Zimmerman was born In
Scotland and came to this country
when he was years OF age. AS q
boy he sold logs and firewood around
the Brooklyn docks and later sold bar
rels. He was shrewd and saving and
finally got enough money together to
He accumulated fortune quickly and
increased 1t by real estate investments.
At his death he owned the northeast
corner of Seventh avenue and Thirty
seventh street, property assessed at
$75o,O00. He was also the owner OF
other real estate, president OF the
Quaker Real Estate Company and OF
the Kelwynn Real Estate Company.
both OF which handle large estates:
the Fordham addition. the Couverneur
Morris and the Commodore Watt prop
critics.
Mr.. Zimmerman was intensely pro-
Ally at the start OF the war. When
the crash came he sent to the Lord
Mayor OF London equipment from
head to foot for 1000 men, and when
the King replied. thanking him for
being such a good British subject, he
wrote back:
Dear King: am glad to receive
these sentiments, but I don't want you
TO labor under any false impression.
am the subject OF nobody and ac-
knowledge no ruler except my own
conscience"
He believed that England from the
first was fighting civilizations fight,
and he never hesitated to say so even
in the queer days OF American nell
trality. lie sent $4,000 worth of cloth
ing TO Belgium early In the war, and
followed It with gift OF $4,000 in
cash to help provide employment for
needy Belgians.
! At the beginning OF the war he Of
fered to Lord Kitchener his entire
store OF military supplies. He offered
20 our Government to equip an Aneri-
can liner with cannon and munitions
for defence AT the time that Germany
issued tho infamous barber pole
edict." Later no presented to the
United States two six inch rifles, to-
gether with 100000 for mounting them.
After we entered the war there was
some criticism in the House OF Repre-
sentatives on the score that he was
selling at high prices cannon obtained
cry cheaply.
Mr.. Zimmerman was n direct descen-