Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-08-13
The Grain Spectator.

Tue Chicago correspondent Of The New
Orleans RepUNsoa'l writes spicy letter to
that paper on the subject of Chicago grain
dealers from which we clip the following
The,'gram speeulator' isa rakish. look
ing chap, anywhere nun twenty-five 10
fifty, wears the tiShtest and most striped
bFeeches mounts 4 nobby tile and sports
the Rayest Aeektie out; drives team, very
nstty- and fast always-(who ever saw a
grain speculator on footS) tools down in
the morning to the Board, and tools up
in the evening to hear Molly twank on
the piano; lunches at sDelmonico's' and
after dark-let me whisper IL very low---is
seen going into the European with
Molly on his ARM another bottle for
No. Q 1--or is seen coming down stairs very
late from the neighborhood OF Aiken's,
nuttering something about his great lack
of foresight in not 'coppering that there
ace tT s--.l-A --, ~ ~
Whence comes the e'grsin specuIator,
and whittier he goes when he has played
himself out, no mortal man knows. He
appears suddenly, resplendent in Jewels
and striped shirts, and like comet dashes
across the horizon Of the grain market and
disappears as rapidly aher short, and
sometime brilliant career, as he came. The
kioAh GDGNuttOOI - lHutCu "
man. His rooms are magnificent and are
always filed with mirrors and tobacco
smoke. He loves with love that is more
than love, all games of chance, and no one
ever need spoil for bet while the grain
speculator liveth, as he win stake his bot
tom dollar whenever he has one chance in
fifty. He has travelled this wide world DER,
does everything for a living always has
money and diamond pin, and wouldn't
be simple child of nature for any con.
sideration. He Is first seen seated in an
Office in the rear of the Chamber of Com.
merce, with wonderful gilt sign an.
nouncing to the ignorant public that his
name is Smith, and that he is prepared to
buy any amount of grain, make ruinous
advances, sell and buy on any terms and
at the shortest notice BY II in the fore
noon he emerges from his Office, and Joins
a group of ten or IA dozen other grain
Spectators, and talks with an astonishing
volubility of shorts, and longs seller
July, seller August etc Pretty soon
Brown comes along Brown wants tC
buy. Smith wants to sell. Smith, by tho
way, hasn't a bushel of grain in the world
he has only a handful in little box on hi,
office desk. Brown wants 10000 bushel.
Of wheat on the first day of August al
sixty cents. Smith agrees to deliver 90,
600 bushels at that price, and on that day
Bargain closed. Smith and Brown, like
two gamecocks about to fight, eye an i'm.
aginary grain of corn that's the fi,ictu.
alton of the market-and when the LIST o
August comes along. If grain can b,
bought at any figure below sixty cents
Smith buys and delivers 10000 bushels
and pockets the difference. Should grair
| go up and be worth seventy cents, Smitl
don't buy and don't deliver. He onl,
busts (if he has no funds to compromis,
with Brown, who takes his chances, tool
and gets put off the Board In plair
English, Smith bets Brown that grair
will be less than sixty cents on August LIST
and Brown bets it will be more. Heads
win tails, you lose.'"