The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-12-02
STEEL MAGNA![s
FR!GN lEAD
Passes Away This Morning of
Ptomaine Poisoning at His
Home in New York
City.
ONE OF RICHEST MEN
Was Hated by Radicals for His Bitter
Fight to Break Homestead
Strike In Year
1892.

NEW YORK, Dec Henry Clay
Prick, steel magnate, died today OF
ptomaine poisoning.
Prick was seventy years old. He
had been i'll for several days.
The end came suddenly at five
o'clock this morning at Tricks home,
Fifth avenue and Seventeen street.
his physician, Dr. John S. Connors an
nounced.
When Prick retired from business
several years ago, he was known as
one of the nine or ten richest men in
the United States and one OF the most
influential in the business world.
An associate of the late Andrew
Carnegie, he early laid the basis OF his
tremendous fortune as a flour miller
and distiller Later he entered the
coke business and from this developed
the H. C. Frick company, which be-
came the largest coke producing firm
in the world with 10000 acres of hold
ings in the Pennsylvania coal fields
and IL, 900 coke ovens with daily ca
pacity Of $4,000 tons.
Frick came prominently into the
public eye in 1892, during the famous
steel strike at Homestead, Pa. when
he was shot and stabbed several
times by one of the strikers.
He was chairman of the board OF
directors of the firm of Carnegie
Brothers from 1889 to 1892 and later
was made chairman of the board OF
managers of the Carnegie Steel COM
pany He was at one time director
of the Pennsylvania Railway COM
pany, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa
Fe; the Chicago and Northwestern;
the United States Steel corporation.
the Melton National bank OF Pitts
burgh; The Union Trust Co.; and the
Norfolk and Western railway.
Alexander Berkman, the anarchist,
who shot and stabbed Frick at Home
stead, and served thirteen years in the
penitentiary for his crime, became
one of the most widely known labor
agitators.
Berkman who has been closely asso-
ciated with Emma Goldman is near
deportation.
Tricks bitter fight to break the
Homestead strike made him one of the
employers most hated by radicals.
The manufacturers retirement
eight years ago created stir in the
financial world 1t came soon after
the retirement of his associate, Car
negie, and John d. Rockefeller. The
three were at that time the foremos,
leaders in American finance.
Prick was said to be in the best OF
health at the time of his retirement
and considerable surprise was ex-
pressed that he should quit active work
at the comparatively early age of 81.
1t was reported at that time he was
the wealthiest man with the sole ex-
ception of Rockefeller in the United
States and probably in the world.
He was known as one of the great
est art collectors in the world. His
collection when he retired was esti-
mated as worth millions He was
said to have paid 100000 for single
picture.
Frick had the reputation of being
| silent enough to deserve the name
Sphynx. He was extremely success
full in avoiding publicity although
the guiding genius in score Of great
| industrial, railroad and financial
organizations.
The United States Steel corpora
tion's success in preventing unioniza
ton OF its labor was attributed
largely to Tricks untiring fight
against OrSdIlZdllOu VI Tic Sleol III
dustry by the American Federation
of Labor The attitude of Judge
Gary in refusing to treat with union
representatives. recently was said to
be merely following out of the
early policies of Frick
The funeral will be private and
will be held at the residence on
Thursday The place OF burial has
not yet been announced
Tricks two children, Helen X. and
Charles, arrived at the residence to-
day from their Long Island homes.
The grandchildren remained at home
Frick was born in West Overton,
Pa, Dec, 10. 1S49, son of John w.
| and Elizabeth Overholt Prick. He
married Adelaide Howard. daughter
of the late Asa F. Childs, of Pitts
burgh. December 10. 1881. His
| daughter, Miss Helen Prick, was
prominent in war work.
| Frick was prominent in rhe affairs