The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-10-11
Inside view sfthe Geld Game.
PERSONNEL OF THE LEADING Goth GAMBLERS
AND THEIR VICTIMS

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Inside view sfthe Gold Game,
PERSONNEL OF THE LEADING eotD Gamblers |
AND THEIR VICTIMS.
From the New York Sunday Mercuryl |
There is an inner life as we'll as an on ter one.
And this universal and well-known law an
plies to Wall street operations and Wall street
operators as well as to aught Or anybody else. |
The recent whirlwind in gold has passed, and |
the tempest has subsidized; and while the broad |
er and more striking manifestations of the |
storm have been faithfully and fully reported |
in other columns, there yet remain somewhat |
of the secret history of the occasion, and much |
of the personnel of its chief actors, agents and
victims which will be of public interest and
will repay perusal. Let us, therefore, here and
now put these branches OF our subject in their
due place on the record. And first, a few words
as to the personnel history and habits of the
man whose name in Wall street is largely iden-
titled with the gold!panic of September, 1869
WILLIAM WOODWARD.
In person Mr.. w. is below medium stature
kers and prominent moustache. His age is
forty five years, but he has been known on
Wall street less than eight years. He entered
the street man, with no capital but assurance
and shrewdness, and has turned those quail
ties to such good account that he has made sew
eral fortunes and has failed several times. He
has cOntrived, however, to do one thing not
often contrived in the street-that is to nav in
full with interest, his liabilities after every
failure, and to be worth, after all his suspen-
sions, some $3,000,000. In habits Mr.. w. is
very quiet and dresses neatly, though in SUBJ
dued taste. He is very charitable, easy in his
transactions with his fellow brokers' and has
recently given over half a million dollars to
church in Brooklyn, where he resides with his
large family He never drinks, but smokes all
day and all night long.
AN ENGLISH FINANcIER LEARNS AMERICAN
Among the venerable names of the gold
mania of 1869 is that of r. Waller, who does
business in the name of his estimable wife as
s. Waller Mr.. Waller is a member of the
St. Georges Cricket Club, and is thorough
John Bull on a small scale. He believes that
cricket is worth dozen base balls, and that
the Americans are slow. But the events on
the street during the past few days have open
ed Walters eyes to American finance, and he
is sadder, and wiser, and a poorer man.
For some time past he has attempted to be one
of the magnates of the Stock Board. He will
now probably subside.
A. sPEYER-THE MONKEY WHO WAS TO PULL
FISK 8 CHEsTNUTS OUT OF THE FIRE.
Once, in lager beer brewery, there flour
ished in content a Teuton with the name of
A. Speyer. Becoming older and holder, Mr..
Speyer became government broker, stood
high in the favor Of the government, and earn
ed a good name and a good bank account.
But, in an evil hour he put faith in Fisk, Bel
den, ct al-was induced by Young Erie to en-
ter the gold pool at the instigation of his prin-
cipal, bid wildly for gold at 1G0. when it was
selling way down below that figure, inspired
thereby temporary reaction in the market,
was repudiated by Fisk, on the ground it may
be the true one, of exceeding instructions, and
finally snccumbed under the enormous weight
of his pecuniary obligations. Mr.. Speyer is
rather advanced in years, is tall and thin,
weak eyed, specialized, and weak-voiced, and
has a considerable degree of pity in his
troubles.
THE GREAT GOLD OPERATING TRIO-SMITH
GONLD AND MARTIN.
Fl. N. Smith formerly kept an exchange Of
fee in Buffalo, and, from all accounts had a
pretty rough time of it. In person he is short,
with reddish hair and whiskers He is de-
scribed by his intimates as a quiet man who
has gone crazy on horses.
He paid, recently, ST., 900 for horse called
| Tattler; 81 500 for q mare called Idol. Alto
| gether, at different times, he has invested
about 5000, 600 in horse flesh He is smart
fellow, but occasionally gets bitten, though he
prefers to bite
Jay Gould is sufficiently we'll known as the
President of the Erie railroad, and as the
brains of James Fisk, Jr., who simply executes
his plans, and whose fine body bears to the
| slender little personnel of Jay Gould about
| the same relation which the head does to TIE
| trunk. ApropOs, it is currently reported that
| Gould has wearied somewhat of his fat and
| eccentric follower, and it was freely stated Oh
the street that during the panic Gould had ex
pressed himself to the effect that greater ca
| lamnity might easily happen to the country
than the death of James Fisk
Martin, the junior partner of the gold gam
| bling firm, is known to his intimates by the
| nickname of .'the Spider" which domestic
| creature he somewhat resembles in gener a
style of walk and manner. He is a capt.
INSIDE" or Office man, an invaluable machine
| but is considered as knowing next to nothing
of the movements of the streets. Like Toodles's
| crutches, he is handy to have in the house.
DAKIN, GILLESPIE & CO., A FIRM OF TIL
PERIOD.
| This is a spunky firm. Gillespie says he
has not tailed, is not failing, and does not in
| tend to fail. He claims that he paid out
| Friday night to his creditors several millions
| of dollars, on behalf of himself, aud his prnc-
pals did not cease paying till after midnight
| and intends to keep on paying till there are
| no more who are entitled to be paid. GILES
pie is nervous, delicate blonde, with mild
| eyes, and light side whskers, is slow OF speech
| free and easy in manner, and is hail fellow
well met with all the world He is married
man with two little Gillespies to take care Of
| and he takes care ofthem WE'LL
Dakin is a religious broker, quiet and timid,
| who seldom goes out on the street alone, but
| minds things at the office and the church like
. good boy, and leaves all outside matters to
| Gillespie.
BELDEN, THE BROKER.
One of the heroes of the solid sample of 1866
| is the broker Belden. This parsonage is a
| decided character in his way and a pretty
| arge way at that He started as cashier with
| Maitland, Phelps & Co., and soon learned all
that they could teach him. He then came in
to Wall street with S. A. Mills, acting also in
| the capacity of confidential clerk and cashier
and finally started in life on his own account
at the expense of Billy Dornin, who advanced
| him his initial money In due time Belden
| rose and Dornin went to the wall. Mr.. Bel
den is pale, high checked, high stopped
man, with the most utter immobility of heart
| and cOuntenance-nothing has ever been new
to him, and probably nothing ever will
His motto is simple, and is that of ninety
nine men out of hundred, though few have
the candor to express it openly-'Look out
for number one;" and in business he has nc
friends, and wishes none. In pure matter
OF business he trusts no one, and suspect all