Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1921-04-30
Coming Marriage of Young
Leeds to Princess Solves FL
nanceS of Royal Family.
YOUNG GIRL IS TRUMP CARD
Great Fortune Built Up by One-Time
Indiana Florist, Then Tin Plate
King and Railroad Pyramider
to Go to Greek Nobility.

New York.-Royalty, rather bat
tered now by fortunes and misfor-
tunes of European wars, seems in Il
fair way to get practically every pen
ny Of the "tin plate" millions of the
American Leeds family. Good old
America
The great fortune built up by the
late William b. Leeds, once Indiana
florist, humble railroad worker, then
manufacturer of tin plate, then rail-
road pyramider, is going for the bene-
fit of impoverished titles of Greece.
News came from Athens the other
day which, it is now disclosed here,
means that royalty as represented by
King Constantine of Greece and his
relatives. have won the lone chance Of
getting the Leeds fortune.
King Plays Trump Card.
And a seventeen-year-old girl was
the trump card" of the king of
Greece in the game of royalty VS..
American millions. The girl is Prin-
ter of Grand Duchess Marie and niece
of King Constantine. She is to marry
William B. Leeds. Jr., eighteen-year-
old son of the late w. b. Leeds and
Mrs. Leeds, who is now Princess
Anastasia of Greece.
Young Leeds is sole heir to the mil
lions his father left from his exploits
IN midweStern and Chicago finances.
Mrs Leeds, now Princess AnastaSia,
of course, has the use of the estate,
variously estimated S30,0o0,0Oo TO $780,
100000, but on her death, under the
terms of the Leeds will. the whole eS-
tate goes to young Leeds or his heirs.
In other words. Greek royalty didn't
stand much chance of keeping the
Leeds millions unless they got the son
of Mrs. Leeds princess Anastasia)
into the royal family some way or
other.
Princess Anastasia has been i'll of
late, too. In fact, she has been so Ill
in Athens that young Leeds recently
rushed from New York to France.
then by airplane TO Athens, to be at
the bedside of his mother.
1t is interesting to note that Athens
press dispatches say that young
Leeds proposed 10 Princess Nenia the
day after he arrived in Athens TO see
his sick mother. He was promptly
accepted. And Nenia'S acceptance
means the battered and unlucky roy
atty can struggle along a few CEN
turtles more with the new riches, I'M
less politics or whims of subjects
change things from royalty TO democ-
racy.
Building the Fortune.
And now the details of how the
Leeds fortune was started and built
up are being recalled and uncovered.
Few persons of great wealth had a
humber start in life than William b.
Leeds of Richmond. Ind. 1t is a
strange contrast TO the life of the
King, priuceSSes and others Of Greek
royalty who now share its benefits.
Leeds started in Richmond as flor
isl, and by his marriage in 1888 10 n
relative of Harry Miller. then gen
eral superintendent of the PennSyl-
vania railroad. he got work in the
railroad field. At length he was di-
vision superintendent Of the Richmond
division of the Pennsylvania and his
wife inherited large sum Of money.
Then with Daniel C. Reid as a
partner Leeds went into the making
of tin pate. The tariff laws were
aimed AT the development of home in
duStrieS aud tariff on lin plate per
mltted the growth of that business
down in Indiana.
Moore Brothers as Partners.
Acquiring the aid of w. II. and ].
Fl. Moore OF Chicago. Leeds and Reid
soon organized the business on ma
tional scale under the name OF the
American Tin Plate company. In 1895
the United States Steel corporation