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EVENING PUBLIC LEDGER PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY,' JUNE 29, 1922
WILLIAM ROCKEFELLER, SPHINX OF FINANCE,
U . . . . - m -m- -x "I -w -r TT-1 int
STAR TED OIL TR UST ON MERE SCRAF ut fAr&K
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W"n
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Penciled Document of Less Than Dezen
: Lines 9 With Simple Signatures,
"JVilHaw ' "Jehn, 'Formed New
! Famous Corporation
Millionaire had raincoat
that may have cost $20
SCARFPINHIS ONLYJEWELR Y
Always Geed Listener
but Peer Talker
abit of Silence Was His Outstanding
Characteristic, But When He Speke It
$Was Pithily "Don't Write, Ge!"
.. 1 r tt' -tm. 'rrri'-i. r
yjras Une ej nis rnrases w men e-
!f came a Rule
; .
?&PENCILED scrap of paper "contains the original agreement en which
A the mighty Standard Oil Trust was reared.
Just a plain note-size en ej. ': jyF" - "" " i-- -- -
m forth in less than a dozen lines. It is still preserved in the safe
imestt vaults of the company. . Xw
wf""' ., j j.uie onvenmnnf e-rw a meat organization that
'. . ,!J1 ..:..:,. ?ntn pvprv nook and corner of the United States, and
ntnea us ul.h ..,, iu ..,,u ..nnnmii
L floats nreudly in tne puising hub m vw.........
low floats Pru""'f . ... , . n.rfnmni1 nnd unpretentious, typifies
v And this Historic uu. ui vvt T . , ..
Silent and unobtrusive but none the less powerful wizard of finance,
lt Silent, unu uiiuu . i tfvf t vear. Te
srrri7--"..d J.h,
The world has heard much or
Jehn D." His name has become a
lymbel of gicat weartn, jusi as muv
. rvnesus. the Lydian King, has
tome te typify wealth in the ancient
But the world has heard little of
William Rockefeller. A habit of
lilence was his outstanding cnarac
teri'stic. When he spoke it was
briefly, pithily; thought clothed in
the minimum garb of words.
One of his phrases has become a
rule of the Standard uu group,
where important transactions are
tencerned.
"Don't write. Ge!" was his la la
lernc order te a Standard Oil official
who laid before him a lengthy letter
dealing with a big amalgamation.
Although William Rockefeller ac
cumulated a fortune estimated at
from $100,000,000 te $250,000,000, the
public knew little about him except
that he was the brother of Jehn D.
It knew nothing about the manner
f man he was his personality, his
character, his views of life.
This is here told for the first time
by one who for ten years was in
daily business contact with him.
Always Avoided Publicity i
Name Seldom in Print
William Rockefeller nlwns avoided
lid evaded publicity. His nnine seldom
let Inte rlnt, even in the financial
eelumns of the newspapers. The only
times he was "Interviewed" were by
wmjers.
Onre It wns In connection with the
KewHnvcn Railroad. On another oc ec oc
enien he wns questioned briefly in the
teure et the I'uje Committee'! Invest! Invest!
fatiens. He never furnished any state
ments for publication; never gave any
Information as te hew lie saved his first
dollar, or any ndvlce te young men
ibeut hew te make money.
If he ever had written his autobiog
raphy it would have read about as fol fel fol
lew: "Began life ns a bookkeeper. Sought
ppnrtunities instead of waiting for
infra. Kepi money hard nt worn never
Hie. Life in general same as thousands
K ether American business men
Mr. Rockefeller would soy two or three
words, sometimes ten, seldom twenty.
The broker would hurry out and the
office would resume Its clelsteicd
sllcnec, broken only by the chattering
of the ticker new nngry, new hesitant.
Presently it would become incessant a
sign of activity en the Exchange.
When Mr. Rockefeller left the office
et 4:30 or S he would buy an evening
paper from the newsboy en the side
walk and read It en the way uptown
In the elevated. He always turned first
te the financial pngea and rend nothing
cise. until he get off nt iimetii street
Ha was as keen n merchant in stocks all.
as he was In appraising the present and
prospective value of the commodities
et the Industries they represented. HU
sources of information were world-wide,
first-hand and comprehensive. He
seemed te absorb rather than te study.
Occasionally he would ask n question
as If te check up some derision he had
arrived at rather thun te ask for addi
tional information.
When he decided that a certain stock
or group of stocks was cheap, he would
buy, largely and quietly; when he
thought it was worth lets than It was
quoted at, he would sell. 15ut he never
bought or sold Indiscriminately. When
he repulsed n raid, he did se with such
determination that the attack was
beaten off and the enemy routed, thor
oughly whipped.
Few persons ever heard him express
an opinion as te the trend of the mar
ket. If one asked him. point blank, the
usual trader's questien:
"What de you think?"
"What de oil think?" would be the
answer. If there was any answer at
This usually would bring a voluble
response, but the talker would seen
stumble, halt and step when he found
that bis listener was net Interested
and obviously was waiting for an op
portunity te say geed-day te bira cour
teously. Once a boyhood friend of Mr. Rocke
feller a man he had net seen in years
called en him at the office. Fer an
hour they asked each ether questions
about people they bad known two score
years before. As the visitor rose te
go, Mr. Rockefeller asKcu, almost eag
erly :
"Anything I can de for you, Henry?"
"Nothing, thank you, William," the
ether replied as they shook hands.
"That's the first person I've seen In
a long time who didn't want some
thing," he remarked rather wistfully te
his secretary after that man had gene.
William Rockefeller was less known
te the public than his brother, .Jehn I).,
and therefore escaped the latter's vast
volume of begging solicitations. Most
of IiIh callers, however, wanted te bor
row his money, or his Influence te get
money for them. Te these his reply
was. almost invariably :
"I'm a borrower myself."
This was true, for credit Is almost
an Important as capital, and it took
a vast deal of both te carry through
some of the great consolidations thnt
mnde the late nineties memorable down
Wall Street way. One of these was
BBS.
The gas companies of New Tork and
Brooklyn, in these duyn. were com
paratively small public utility concerns,
William Rockefeller, one of the
founders of the Standard Oil
group, often listened but seldom
spoke.
Men tvith big plans but little
cash would pour their cnthtisias
tic tales into his mind. He would
absorb all they had te say and
then end the matter with a "yes"
or "no."
Acquaintances and friends
sometimes buttonholed him, hop hep
ing for a tip en the market. They
rarely did it twice.
"What de you think?" a fisher
for information would ask as he
mentioned a certain stock or
group of securities.
"What de you think?" Rocke
feller would counter. The ether
would reel off words by the yard,
theorizing about what would hop
pen and why it should happen.
Rockefeller would hsten pe
litely, but nt the first break in the
ether's speech would smile, mur
mur ft "geed-day" and move en.
Even when handling deals in-
velvtna vast sums ms manner
was that of a man merely curious
but net deeply interested. With
a word or two he would dispose
of matters that had taken a caller
days te prepare and an hour ie
present.
But while sparing in speech, he
had mere popular qualities than
his better-known brother, Jehn
D. Rockefeller. He belonged te
several clubs and wa fend of
trotting horses and fishing. Un
like his elder brother, he had no
time for golf.
was less tiien n mile, or went yourself.
The ticker steed by a window, and
occasionally during the day Mr. Recke
feller would se ever te tt and leek at
He was .. nrnulattlve of business I " "P jer n iiiua whip, aiwajii wiui
heuledse as of wealth, and use,, one "n ..r e prc-eccup u aennn as
le increase the ether. . . , .., ....i-i i..u,.t 11- ..1.1
Me,lest and retiring though he was, ";- ,"""VhV !. in Vh. ",:
the ticker
unneyed him.
desk and
' t :.. 1...L.: ........ 1.1. nnnncn.iA.
MUf his opinions, condensed Inte ,., en,i 1,7,i1jii..
the fewest possible words, were the re- ' ,,r;spntiv ne nf . ,,nrtners in the i
rekerage firm with which he did busl-
riffices were nearuv would I
lBclll. I nmie Vinrrvlnir in. Mr. Rockefeller, hv
Sfine persons have haid that William inp wav, n'euT aeerucd te be in u hurry.
The broker would talk rnpicny, some-
lepessesseddetermlimt ? nn.lt enacy."-; - j,,-- bQek fn
v, purpose ma sipeiimm- iv ..-. ... , -j ,(H cha(,er R,ight,y ,
-.. .iimier in mini ''",-- 1 TIipii he would go buck te his
I'lier,, i tinmilllllCU I1H.M m lin-m " -
ic imi'M possiuie weriis, wrrr uu- it- Presently or
ult of thorough knowledge, illuminated nrej,,.r(1gP 'frm
et loon business vision ami sound juds- ( neiw i,r f
Rednfcller was at times a gigantic
perulnr in the stock innrkct. Tills was
hue, hut net in the sense that he was
! big speculator, l'ew traders took
er chances than he. In stocks, as In
thing else, he was u master mer
ehant one of the little group it the
irfateft eaptnins of Industry that was
feature of the business world of tht
'tier half of the nineteenth centurj
id the first decade, of the twentieth,
ie owned huge purtB of vast and pros
perous essential industrial enterprises
f'li (upper and li asportatien particu-
iij,
.Te g&ln, however, Is easier than te
,'ep. The piehlsterlf man who was
"eh In feed or turn wen the envy rTf.
Jese who hail less. They Iny con-
tlnllv In ivnll l ml, llim nf Ills'
Mlth, niul hi. who walked most wnrily
'"d struck first and hardest was the
"jer nml richer num.
nn h .n. ..ii. .1... in..i.r..iin.. n.nl
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I"'lr nssnclntPH. Tim rnvnlnilH. newe.r-
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.. I'""ii"i,i i ,- mnur ,'i .. .
QierL 111 ItiLn ?. lliniii it... nimnvail '
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Pieces of nniliw tin. I'ln-HfirntCH tlllll
ere ilmn iiti.. i., .i,ritinii,u minek
Bnil llltll..n.U MM II ..'.. .. nm
L .Mi.i-., , uu 11 riiriii mil ime
?lwajS in uni-ress nleni! n unrlil-u lde
Preilt, SeniellniKs il.ii iiii.n.1. S .in III lie-
J'"!' ill llatnum: beuietlim-s in llutte.
l Ulllllll kill I' I fniiii lli r.i.iliin M.iii
V? California; from New Yeik te Lon Len
P0"' It was as unceasins and leleut
JF pr a Certlcan vendetta, but net as
wpwilHI,
of m 0lic hl,t 'll8 brokers and very few
J. nis clen'Bt assecinles eiee Unnw'what
il lam Rockefeller whs doing in the
I0ek market. Wlmt lui nn .lnlnc?
S llmnl. I.. I... ill.
Lli "i'i iii nn e:Hvucc nuc ever
pning elsebut complex In Its develop-
Paints, ttn ......l....l II.. I.., I ....
Itm.tr iiiliviicii villlli; llKUIimb fc-
l,.., 'iian') "'"'" he saw It coming was
f de f '" largest army
It Una tint 4ll !. 1-1- l...it it..
"'Inte i his office. The telephone that
emnin PB.rnf by hand was then just
inline Inte vsni.... k.n . ...
" Was Urcene inn nl lihfnn n
l mu.n7. ' r.:,..".rvv.. ?..". I
1 itLi"'z.' vyr vietn .im . nistnnre
times with an evident eticrnpt te ie
strain his enritement. Mr. Rocke- i
feller would leek at nun wilu Inn same
disinterested detachment us at th
ticker.
The broker would hurry ever te the
ticker and read the tape as he ran it
through his fingeis. Mere low-voiced
but earnest talk from the broker. Then
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nnu u is ueuDlllll ii tney ccr luuuu
out. It did net affect bis handwriting,
se far nu his signature wn concerned,
at least, and that was most of the writ
ing that he did. Even letters te his
family when nbread were generally die.
tated and typed.
The most accepted theory about hl
trembling bands was that It enme fiem
the physical and nervous strain of hold
ing the reins ever fast and spirited
trotting horses, of which Mr. Rocke
feller was very fend. Hefere the dayH
of the automobile he owned several
specdj roedstcrs, and used te exercise
them himself en country reads and en
the Speedway along the Harlem River,
which was then the nationally fnmed
resort for gentlemen drivers, such an
Frank Weik. William H. Vanderbllt
and ethers of that bygone day.
Mr. Rockefeller trotters, while they
weie excellent in speed and In ceding,
were necr entered in nny public races.
Se far ns monetary ability was con
cerned, be could have purchased .1. I.
(J., Rams, Moude S. or nny of the
kings or queens of the pacing or trot
ting world, and hnve achieved wide
publicity. Hut he loved te drive horses
net te exploit them. Ne one ever saw
him nt n race track, unless he was
there ns nn onlooker nt 6eme county
fair near Greenwich or Tnrrytewn,
where lie wns exhibiting some of hU
livestock. He showed mere pride and
pleasure In winning n blue ribbon nt
Mich rural gatherings than lie did In
calling the turn en the stock market.
One of William Rockefeller's un
premeditated sayings has been a busi
ness mailra at 20 Broadway for many
ears. One nftcrnoen a man who wa
"the head of a great department in the
trust and who died a rnulti-million-nlre
n fit rinr nffn enme te him with
n letter that he proposed sending te the
I head of a subsidiary company In a dls-
tnnt cltv. It wns nn Important matter,
I both in Its immedintc effect and future
cenquences. William Rockefeller read
was called "Rockweed Ilnll." and was t10 ictter slowly and handed it back,
created tinder bis pers-enul supervision All he said was:
about twenty-five ears age. Up te "Don't write. Ge!"
his las days he took a constant in- ' The man made no response ; He -took
t crest tn Its upkeep and improvement, n train that night, and found condl cendl
lt Is net tit big a plme as his brother tiens quite different from what he cr cr
.lehn's. but large and comfortable with-' pected. Uy his personal presence, how hew
out bcln" showy. I ever, be wns able te adjust everything
He dreit-cd well but xcrv uneblru-1 satisfactorily and profitably. It was he
slvely. His enlv jewelry was a scarf- who subsequently told the story, and
pin a dark blue stone set with Bina'.l said that "Don't write. Ge', had been
diamonds. It must have est nil of a adopted as one of the rules of action in
hundred dollars. Seme of his clerks the company.
were mere expensive clothes and costlier Mr. Rockefeller's town hense in ew
jewelry. He was a fair judge et pearls Yerk was at USD I'lfth avenue, at the
land bought some ery fine ones from northeast corner of that famous street
, time te time for Mrs. Rockefeller. He of fashion and wenlth and Fifty-fourth
I n.nrp n flnf-tenned derbv hut. and con- i street. His country home was at
WILLIAM ROCKEFELLER
tinned te wear ene ecn when that par
ticular stle had passed out of fasli fasli
len. In wet weather he used te go
about in a tan-colored, mud-spattered
raincoat. It may have. cost $-0 orig
inally, but It lasted him two or thre'
yenrs, and wns r placed by another of
the same kind and color.
The offices of the St a inlaid Oil Com
pany of New Voik were en the second
fleer of -0 Broadway, en the New
street side. Mr. Rockefeller's dek
was) in u big room where also were
the desks of his confidential secretary,
who attended te the financial details
of his perheunl and rempany affairs
Tarry tow ii. adjoining the larger estate
of his brother.
It was nearly ten years age that nis
whereabouts became n matter of in
tense public interest. Congress had
named a committee te Investigate the
"money trust." and Willinn. Rocke
feller wns wanted ns a witness.
Millionaire Was Hunted
by Detectives for Months
Then began one et the meat remark
able hunts that ever engaged Govern
ment ncents find nvivate detectives.
with subpenas
Thev were enulnned
mil nf tin. tiHiuirnr. hu mniinL'cil the , that commanded Mr. Rockefeller's np-
eempnny's finances. Outside wcic sc pea ranee before the cemmitter
fountains. bookkeepers and ether
these scraps of paper nf mere effect
than the most carefully worded con
tract was the perfect geed faith and
mutually implicit confidence in each
ether of the little group that ln their
day were the joint rulers of the finan
cial empire of America.
Among themselves this little group of
old friends called each oilier bv their
first names. There was "Jehn" few
of his intimates culled him "Jehn I)
Fifth avenue home of ene of world's greatest finnncial wizards
enfh operating In a restricted territory. ' In a court of law. But what made
Alse there was much overlapping of
service, and fierce and costly competi
tion. Mr. Rockefeller thought that if they
could be merged the stock of the con
solidated concerns would be worth far
mere than the average value of the
shnres of the different concerns.
Days went by. The stock market
seemed at the depth of Its midsummer
dullness. Bur. down at iiO Breadwny,
although the quiet was unbroken and
the routine of affulrs pursued its ac
customed round, things were happen-
InL'.
One day a trusted empleve who would
innnen te be In ttie tug ernce tnnt .Mr.
Rockefeller shared with his confidential
secretary nnd the trensurer of the com
pany, would be casually called ever te
the desk of one or the ether and In
formed that se many thousand shnres
of such and such a gas cempanv were
In bis name. Would he please Indorse
the certificates and sign the accom
panying gencial release? He would
and did.
He asked no questions he mnde no
premise of secrecy. Nene was asked.
ll wns net necessary. It was the un
written law among these wlin weie
-l.... .1... l.Al. rri.in .....!... I ...!
and none "Johnny." "Wllllnm, byi., hllI,, ,., .' ., 1,i,APU .,.i,
seeing Sir. Rockefeller enter, sought te
the same token, wns never called
"Hill." Then there were, the two
"Henrys." Rogers nnd Flagler. Jehn
D. Archbold wns "Johnnie" te this
group, just ns he wns in the far-off
days when he tramped up and down
Oil Creek buying crude. Of these the
eldest. Jehn D. Iteckefeller, Is the sole
sun-Iver.
William Rockefeller started In life as
a bookkeeper. It used te be said by
these who knew him well that he wasn't
above the average in that Hue. If he
hnd been, perhaps he would hnve be
come an ucceuntant nt a fair salary nnd
(lieu uiiueiiciMi. iiui ee iiiiu uuuuy
that amounted te genius in organizing
n business en sound and profitable lines
and In keeping It growing wltb Increas-
ing profits in bad times as well as in i
geed.
Precess-servers swarmed about the
Filth avenue home of the millionaire.
The watch was dept day and night, while,,
ether process . server s watched his
Tarrytown Mstate. They also kept vigil
at CU1 Fifth nvonue and nt ." F.at
Fifty -fourth street, the homes of Mar
icllii.s Hartley Dedge nnd Dr. David
II. McAlpiu, sons-in-law of the oil
man.
It was later learned that n passage
wnv connected Mr. Rockefeller's home
with the home of Dr. MeAlpin. although
the Federal agents nnd the private de
tectives never learned hew often the
was mahogany and much-sought millionaire hnd slipped
from one neuse te tne etnrr.
Led bv the sergennt-nt-nrms of the
Heuse of Ripresentntivcs, the search
lasted for months, until finally Mr.
Rockefeller's lawyers capitulated. They
accepted service for him nnd disclosed
that lie then wns in his cottage in the
Seuth.
After "gunning" se long en a barren
trail the committee insisted thnt It
fellow him into his office without being must see Mr. Rockefeller. A special
announced. 'sitting wns nrrunged in the oil man's
It was Mr. Rockefeller's custom cottage en Jekyl Island. After answer
cverr morning at ! :IiO or 10, when he ing u few questions the witness hnd an
reached hi" office, te send for the pre- attack of laryngeal spnsms and palsy.
prieter of the barber shop in the base- 'The examination waj ended abruptly.
clerks. Twe colored messengers were
uhviijH en ilut.v. Along the side to
ward an open court between the tall
buildings were four rooms. In one of
which Mr. Iteekefelltr also had a desk.
The ether rooms were usej at intervals
for cutting coupons and for coufcr ceufcr
, ences.
1 "Secret-Rim Lecks"
, en Deers of Office
The finings of the efikts were ns
I mtle flllll linntltlMlifO na rlmir nf.rMl -
i pants. The trim
the upper partitions, which reached te
the ceiling, were of ground glass. The I
doeiti there, ns elsewhere throughout
the building, were equipped with " se-cret-rtni
leiks." se that it was neces
sary te turn the rim around tne nandle
I with thumb and forefinger In order te
Mr. Rockefeller were a raincoat from two te three years,
of them, it is said, cost him mere than $20
Nene
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trusted that they would net use smh
nilvnncn information te their personal
advantage. It was also a part of the rr- iirn r Cal,KWnn
unspoken agreement that their silence ' "- ' ,nft t "tesman,
would be considered In connection with! OUt a Master Merchant
their ability when It came te advance
nient. The Standard Oil Trust was '
growing fast nnd wns expanding rap
i idly In domestic ns well as in foreign
fields. Rewards were as certain us
I they were generous.
, A great many millions of dollars In
i these gas stocks were held In the names '
1 of fewer than a dozen unknown clerks, ,
I but net ene of them tnlsused the In-I
I formation thnt he possessed. The con- ,
solldatlens took place, and exist today.
I Contract Was Drawn I
en Bit of Nete Paper
The foundation of this then -great
merger was a bit et note-sle plain
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n master merchant en a huge senle, for
successful merchandising consists sim
ply In Knewing what, and when, nnd
hew much te buy, nnd in jacking the
right time te sell. His instinct m this
direction was almost uncrilng. He did
net profess- te knew the technical side
of banking. It is doubtful If he could
nnalye u bank's statement of condi
tion as well as a score of his clerks. He
knew net much mere or less nbeut
railroading. But be had a firm grasp
of the essentials of business, industry,
tiniincu and transportation.
Uach of (lie great corporations In
which he wns the almost silent but con
white nnner. On It were nenciled fewer I trelllne factor followed the policies that
than n dozen lines, which stated very he mapped out In n few words.
simply and briefly the basis en which, He was diffident, nlmebt shv, In his
the Bigucrs agreed te contribute the i manner, which may have accounted te
necessary capital nnd credit te obtain peme extent for the wny in which he
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Mausoleum in
Sleepy Hellew
Cemetery, Tar
rytown, where
body of cap
italist lies
1
-.i rilwv,..
I control nf the stock of the corporations
i named. It was signed with Initials enl.v
also penciled, Nothing could have
I been mere informal or mere binding
'among the little group of men whom
William Keeketciier cnese as nis part
ners In this venture.
Such memorandum agreements that
were the origin of vast finanelnl trans
actions were net unusual in these days
among the founders of the .Standard Oil
Trust when they were In the high neon
of their business life. The Stnndard
Oil Trust Itself, in documentary his
tory, was founded en just that sort of
a memorandum of n few words which
were absolutely binding among "Jehn"
and "William" and "Henry," who
Initiated the paper.
Lawyers were constantly tern be
tween despair and fear at such a loose
way of doing business, and tried te
atone for it when they drew up the sub
sequent formal agreements. These,
however, were mero a matter of record
than anything else, for the hastily
scribbled words had served their pur
pose, and the transaction had been car
ried through without a hitch long be
fore the learned counsel were called In.
Th lawyers were rltht that such in
formal sfrctmtnts rnld be worthies
I conserved his speech. Ills silence, hew-
I ever, wns net thnt of a man who wished
, te conceal weakness or Indecision Ills
mind wns busy all the time, weighing
I this, thnt and the ether, se thnt hit de de
ic'slen, when leached, was soundly nnd
logically arrived at.
William Rockefeller wns en excellent
listener If a man hnd something te
say. In some cases where lie had net
time te give a mnttcr full consideration
i lie would nsk for a letter setting forth
the details. Te this he would reply hi.
seen ns he hnd reached n ilelinltn ran.
, elusion. IBh nnswer would be brief BereiiH
and nnnl. hen no was en famlllnr
ground he would decide most questions
at once.
Conversation Informal famlllnr talk
or the Interchange of ideas was some
thing he seemed te lack the faculty for
rather than be averse te. Although
suent ey namr, no seugnc te re ceur
A Washington precess-aerver stationed en reef of Rockefeller
home nt Fifty-fourth street and Fifth avenue
minf nn the Broadway side and
shaved. When lie was living nt his
town beuse die same barber used te go
there aNe when Mr. Rockefeller was
net going nt once m his office.
Occasionally when circumstances
'compelled. Mr. Rockefeller would at
tempt te slinve liimseii, nut tne renin
weie nlwnjs far from satisfactory. His
hands trembled se much that shaving
with an ordinary M7nr was almost daii-
lu these days the satety nuer
was almost unknown.
An ordinary cane-seated office chair
served for a barber's chnlr during these
morning shaves. While the barber was
at work Mr Rockefeller was accus
tomed te dictate letters and recelve bus
iness callers. This did net halt opera
tiens In the least, because his letters
Mr.
enn-
power
teeus and kindly te thesen his offlce ! and his responses te his callers were
with whom he came In con. act. These
probably knew hlra better than any ene
else except nis iamny ana nose triends.
He was a bit above medium height
five feet nine or Uu, of sturdy build
and florid of complexion. He spent
muck.ef hU.tlme. In the open a If, drlv
ng,Tpr later metering, and in walk walk
lnt,'fbeut hi" Tarrytown estate. This
always brief-
would etten
-in fart, n four-line letter
contain twice us many
words ns his renly deciding n matter
that had taken the caller perhaps days
tn nrenare and ten minutes te set forth
Many persons wondered what caused
Mr, Rockefeller's bands te tremble, but
none of hU associates ever asked hlra.
Iff never vniuinfereq tn,infqrmtlen
bet The physician disclosed thet
Rockefeller wns suffering from u
i er nf the thrent.
Like ninny men of undoubted
who brushed nwav all elixincles en I lie
path te a certain object, Willium Rocke Recke
tellcr made enemies dining his long
cureer.
One incident that brought death
thieats resulted from the expansion of
Ills Adirondack estates. The little ham
let of Brnnden, in the heart of that
mountain country, blocked the de
velopment of his gnine and fishing pre
serves. William Rockefeller marshaled hU
dollars and had his way. Over the re
gion where hunters and fishermen had
tramped for fears were placed signs
warning that the area was a private
paik.
Mutterlugs grew Inte open threats,
nnd at lust notice was sent te the oil
magnate thnt h would bn shot If lis
mine into the Adirondack. Threuili
his son, William (J. Rockefeller, cufie '
a ictert that neitner aHtasw
blackmailers werfi feared.,.:.
Rockefeller went te his AOWhM
tate as efteu as (be ftBCjMM
and A net ieeK?A.A:y '
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