The Washington herald., 1918-03-30
]. STILLMAN
SOULOF BANK
influence Of Late President
Thoroughly Infused N. Y.
National City Bank.

II may be some time before there
can be learned precisely what the ef-
rect OF the death OF James Stillman
upon the management OF the National
lily Bank Is to be. In all proba-
ohity there viii be no change. Mr..
stiiiman's son and the executive man.
ayers OF the bank have been so thor
oughly infused with Mr.. Stfllman's
understanding OF what the continued
management Of the bank should be,
mat this impulse win be a sufficient
guide to them.
Probably not until a complete in
Ventory Of Mr.. Stillnan's estate is
Rlade, will there be accurate knowI-
edge OF the money value of the pos
sessions which he has bequeathed to
his children In trust. Very likely Mr..
SULLIVAN himself did not know exact
ly what he was worth. There was in
umaton that he felt. some years ago,
tnat he did not possess full knowledge
OF the money value of his property.
contained In something which he said
shortly after the death OF Z. H. Har-
rlnan. He had been to call upon Mr..
Hartman shortly after Mr.. Harri-
mans return from Europe, and only a
ieW weeks before Mr.. Hartman died.
Did Not Know His Fortune.
The two men were in most inti-
mate association. Perhaps with no
other did Mr.. Stillman find himself
so eongenially and intimately as
ISOLATED as he did with Mr.. Harri-
man After Mr.. Harriman's death,
Mr. Stillman said that not until the
legal or official inventory OF the es-
tates, would II be known how large
a property Mr.. Hartman had ac-
eumulated. In that respect, Mr..
Stillman continued, Mr.. Hartman
was not unlike other men who had
gained in recent years. fortunes
that were esteemed to be very great
Mr.. Hartman said to him that he
had been endeavoring to learn ex-
actiy how much he was worth. He
was unable to do that. The best he
could say was that he was sure his
estate would be found to be of the
value OF SIS, 900, 900, and IL might be
$50, 900, 900. In fact, the estate was
two or three millions in excess of
the $4,000, 900 Mr.. Hartman men,
toned as the maximum of his
wealth.
Mr.. Stillmap's interests and in
yestments were so varied and so
far extending that, punctiliously
accurate as he always tried to be,
1t is doubtful whether he could tell
upon any day in the last years of
his life. how great was the fortune
which he had accumulated, much of
1t within twenty years. The inven-
tory may show an estate in excess
OF fifty millions-and that figure
would be nearer the estimate which
has been made by men competent to
give excellent Judgment, than the
forty millions which, according to
public statement a day or two after
Mr.. Stillman's death, was the maxi
mum OF his estate.
Not yet has there appeared, so
far as is known, any accurate state
ment setting forth the reasons why
Mr.. Stillman was persuaded to re-
ltngUish in some measure his busi-
ness as a cotton merchant. so that
n might accept the presidency of
the National City Bank. The Ma
tiOnal City Bank was an institution
OF which Mr.. StiIlman's father was
long director. Some ten or twelve
years ago Mr.. StiIIman. having
l@psed into a reminiscent mood,
said that he had been persuaded to
accept the presidency of the Ma
tiunal City Bank. chiefly because he
believed that il his father were
living and able to advise him, he
would have urged him to accept
the unexpected OFFER Of the presi-
dency.
Mr.. Stillman's father, who was a