The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-12-05
CAREER OF FRICK
MONEY MASTER
ONE ORDNANCE
Man Who Amassed Over
$500, 100000 Was Vari-
ouSlY Gifted Genius and
Natural Born Leader.

Natural Born Leader.
NEW YORK, Dec. 5-uanr,. c,,,.
Frick-capitalist, pioneer steel y, S nay
Iacturer and art collector-died sudden
Y at his Fifth avenue home early on
DEC. !: following an attack of ptomaine
POISONING from which he had been SUI
tslths LOT several weeks, was one OF
/ years old. H Was ~
Flnanciers familiar with Mr.. Tricks
Interests estimated today that his for
tune was not less than 5000. 900 900. II
was sald he was one of the very largest
tory bonds. Il"
MT. Prick retained a keen interest in
BUSINESS and finance up to the time OF
ms last illness. His last public an
, pearance was at a banquet given by
me american Iron n Steel institute
IN n OF King Albert OF the Belgians,
n death of Mr.. Prick was not ex-
pected,, even by members of his family.
ana only his butler, Oscar Rodgers, was
With with him when he died. Just be-
lore . o'clock he asked for a drink OF
water and after It was given to him
Sleep" ""' 81 "
Immediately afterward he relaxed, an
parehtly exhausted, and the buffers ef-
torts to rouse him were unsuccessful
Alt9oqgh a fatal termination of Mr..
Fricks illness was n6t expected, several
members OF the family were at the
nome when he died. They included
Mrs; Frick, his daughter, Miss Helen
Irlck, and his son and daughter In law,
MI; n Mrs. Childs Fricka
announcement of Mr.. Tricks death
brought a flood Of messages of condo
fence from friends In all parts Of the
country. Among those who fastened 10
can at the Fifth avenue mansion, which
Is one Of thesrshow places of New York,
We're MRS, Henry P, Dawson, an init
mate friend OF the family; the Rev. DR..
Leighton Parks. rector Of st. Bartholo-
NEW church, and John C. Cried. the
~fnancier's closest business adviser.
Fricks's Career.
The career Of Henry Clay FrIck has
formed one of the most fascinating
chapters in the romance of industry in
the United States. At 10 a boy on a
farm In a family of only ordinary
means, he was at 10 a man of SO many
Carnegie. and Rockefeller, was largely
va matter Of guesswork even to himself.
IL has been said he was worth more
thar $l0o, 900, oOO,A perhaps so much as
Mr., Frick built up the greatest COKE
business in the world, and acquired such
vast interests in steel that he was also
one Of the principal magnates in that
industry, and in rounding out his ca
reer he became known as One Of the
worlds greatest collectors of master
gSpaintings.
Mr., Frick was born Dec. 10, 1s4s, at
West Overton, Pa. This village was
named after the maternal grandfather
or Mr.. Prick, Abram Overholt. His
daughter, Elizabeth, married John w.
who at that time was working as an
engineer In the Overholt distillery. 1t
was from this union that the future
capitalist was born. The father at
tempted farming, but did not make a
remarkable success of It, and as a re-
tlcai7y adopted into the Overholt fam
lily when he was about u years old. He
received a good basic schooling, but
there was nothing in his boyhood to in
dlcate the remarkable ability which
characterized his later life, except his
eagerness to get into business.
Was Bookkeeper.
For a time he was bookkeeper in his
grandfather's distillery, and from this
dealers, and when about 81 years old
he appeared in Pittsburgh as their
agent.
The coke industry was in its infancy.
The ironmasters of Pittsburgh were
Just beginning to appreciate the value
VI SoAhS " NAtNiI "a lllaSCps. OhIlk Ill1N
had an opportunity to acquire a limited
interest in a plant near Broadford, and
out of the profits of this he acquired
other holdings. He later Joined a COM
pany to build a railroad to penetrate the
Connelsville coke region, and in 1871,
the year this road was opened, Mr..
Prick organized the corporation of Prick
& Co, which bought coal land and coke
ovens IN the Connelsville section. That
was the basis of the Prick fortune. The
undivided attention of the rising finan-
,cier was given to coke until 1882.
Financial Panic.
In the midst of this period there came
the panic of 1873 and the financial crash
OF many ambitious operators. At a sher-
ifs sale Mr.. Prick purchased additional
tracts of coal land and ovens, and a few
years later the Melons, powerful Pitts
burgh bankers, became interested in the
expanding enterprise of the young OPP
, orator.
The C~arnegies, then developing their
great steel business In Pittsburgh, had
taken large holdings In the Frick coke
company, and In 1882 Mr.. Prick found
the Carnegie brothers willing to admit
him as a member of their firp in con-
sideration Of his giving them further
interests In his coke business. 1t was
thus Mr.. Prick became also a great
manufacturer of steek
Through the Homestead strike in 1899,
Mr.. FLICK came into national nromi-
nence. Differences had arisen between
the Carnegie steel company and It's en-
ployes over a wage scale, eliminating
in a strike involving thousands Of men:
the calling out of the national guard and
the proclamation OF martial law. 1t was
at this period, July %, 1892, that Alex
ander Berkman, a New York anarchist,
tried to assassinate Mr.. Frick. Berk-
man walked into Tricks office, drew a
revolver and fired, the bullet lodging
in Mr.. Tricks neck. Mr.. Frick was shot
a second time n then he grappled with
Berkman. In the encounter Mr.. Prick
was stabbed three times, but he downed
his assailant, II held him until the
police arrived. Berkman was tried and
sent to the western penitentiary In
Pittsburgh for 81 years.
Thirteen days after the attack Mr..
Frick walked to his office unattended
and resumed the direction of the great
I strike which continued until Nov. 81 OF
that year. Mr.. Prick vas unmoved by
violence, the protests of the public or
the distress of the families Of the strik-
ers. He won n never begrudged the
price OF victory.
Lost 81, 100, 900.
! Later Mr.. Prick conceived the propo-
sition of buying out Mr.. Carnegie en-
tirely, Mr.. Carnegie demanded 81, 0O0,-
600 for a 90-day option. The
matter was taken to j. p. Morgan, who |
was not impressed with the idea. The |
plan collapsed. Mr.. Tricks option ex-
fpiring at a cost of $1,000, 900. |
$ which Mr.. Carnegie pocketed. Later,
Carnegie, with the aid Of Charles NJ.
Schwab, succeeded in Interesting ], p. |