Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-05-03
THE GAmBLEKs, oARNIvALl
[From the Round TabIe.l

crowd there, and every body seemed greatly
excited. Large numbers Of elegantly
dressed young gentlemen conversed fever
ishly on the curb-stone, and semi-respect-
sble-looking old persons Of the kind indel-
icately denominated "buffers," bntton-
hoIed each other with effusion in the mid
die Of the street. Small boys with port
folios and cssh-boxes and check-books
darted hither and thither. Seedy men,
with nothing in their pockets save their
hands, stood about listening to the talk Of
others with an esvesdropping air. The
atmosphere was charged with a magnetic
quality quite new to me, and was forci-
bly, impressed with sense that something
had happened.
It was, therefore, a relief for me to see
my friend D. G. in the crowd. He used to
do business in that region, some years ago,
and knows all about it. So l asked him
what was the matter.
"There's been panic" said he, " and
the street hasn't got over it yet. Stocks
have been knocked higher than q burnt
boot"
This eccentric statement explained to
me the crowd, the feVerish conversation,
the magnetism Of the atmosphere. Men
who had been rich at breakfast time were
penniless now. Men who had been penni-
less were suddenly rich. The Juggernsut-
wheel Of fortune had made grand revolu-
ton, and many lame ducks were crawling
from bsneath It's inexorsble tire.
care you going into the outside board2"
asked De
As was an outsider, thought that this
must be my proper place to see what q
stock market is.
"I should like to do So" 1 said
"You can't go without an endorsement
or authority" said D. G., "but l guess l
can get you an admission
asked him TO do so, and he did. He
procured a slip Of paper whereon was
written date, and request to "admit
the bearer, and oblige"-s tolersbly we'll
known firm.
D. G. told nae that the man who gave
him this pass asked, q moment after, if
that check for one hundred thousand
dollars" had been "given out yet" The
boy appealed to answered, "No, but that
note for sixty thousand dollars" " had just
come in.
I, who do not believe in such sums gen.
orally, fancied the conversation to be i'm
provised for the purpose Of conveying an
air Of responsibility, on the part Of the
firm, to my friend Possibly these people
wanted to borrow dollar from him. Sub
sequently, learned that this firm really
does business involving millions.
Very few people know what is going on
in the stosk-msrket region every day. /,
for one, had not imagined anything like
il. [ had fsDcied that there were some
times excited groups in Wall street, but 1
was wrong. William street is the center
of financial delusions, and the " outside
board, as it is called in contrsdistinotion
to the Irregular board, is the very Babel
and psndemonium Of finance.
At three o'clock P. N, or thereabout,
entered the room where this pandemonium
is daily held. The door-keeper took my
pass and scrutinized it.
"That is good, isn't it7" 1 asked, inno-
Gently.
He laughed, and turned 10 the next
conner. The signature Of q firm worth
millions is rarely questioned in William
street.
The room was large, dusty, and crowd
ed. Plain wooden seats were arranged in
a semicirole-precisely like the benches Of
a cert-ssloon-sround a place like q
pulpit. In this stood an old gentleman
with gray hair and Whiskers, holding in
one hand ponderous msllet Of rosewood,
and in the other a brass drumstiok. Be-
hind him hung a small gong, and beside
him sat a strange looking, skeleton-like
young man, with long hair and an account
book. The benches were full Of men, all
with their hats on, and all anxious Of ex-
preston. Rather good looking set gem
orally, but with hideOus exceptions. A
vast number Of them bore unmistakable
traces of Hebrsic origin. All these per-
sons were vociierously talking at once,
and the din Of voices Wss insupportable.
Several arose simultaneously in their
places, pointing at each other vindictively,
and shouting phrases that sounded to me
like insults. thought, for a time, that q
free fight must inevitably result, till I
found that they we're merely trying to buy
and sell stocks
cannot begin to repeat the mysterious
formula they uttered 1t was all Greek 10
me, and worse. The main object seemed
to be increase of the confusion already
reigning, and when ten or fifteen persons,
young and old, Jew and GENTLE, got to the
pitch Of their voices, all yelling themselves
purple in the face, the old gentleman in
the pulpit added to the demonisc roar by
beating sturdily upon his gong with the
irumstick and upon his counter with the
gsvel, crying "Order, order, gentlemen /"
ss loud as any Of them.
In the course Of my varied studies Of the |
human being under various excitements, 1 |
have penetrated to those unhaIloWed |
chambers devoted to the joyous but expen- |
5ive games of faro and roulette. Likewise |
have l witnessed the playing of brsg and !
poker upon the turbid stream of the Mis- |
3issippi; but nowhere have seen card |
gamblers who would for q moment have |
the undignifed, the insane, the !
yraceless and svsricious confusion that |
this meeting of the outside |
board Of stock brokers. Hitherto my idea :
If downtown business had been sssooi- |
ated with some notions Of heavy respecta- /
oility and quiet Importance; but such no !
ions are shattered and scattered forever. +
can olly remember this scene as type |
If bedlsmite financial det auohery, and |
lumme-y irretrievsble. InstinetiVely l 1
my pockets-s somewhat need |
ess precsution, perhaps, but an inscruts-
Die sVarice permeated the atmosphere, and |
lsd vague fears of losing the coat Of my
pack, my hat, my boots, my senses, any J
hing and everything that might possess.
There were many boys present Of ages
rom fourteen to twenty. Some Of these
Fought and sold heavily, exhsusting their
thrill treble voices to degree Of hosrse-
ness quite painful. Most Of the young
tiers, however, contented themselves with |
sking notes Of the huctustion in price of
he different stocks. Such were probably
Ient there BY their employers for that pur-
pose. l was told that they often acquired
wonderful skill in judging the market
hus, and came out strong as brokers on
heir own account ere long. One such, |,