Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1869-10-08
The Great BuN Fight.
Scenes and Evonts In Wall Stroet
The Most Exciting Day Ever x noyvn
On 'CaAnSe,

OA tNE2AuHS.
From the New York Tribune, Sept, asth.
The gold market opened tremu.
ly. Anxiety and fear were upon
every face, and The operators were
like chatf inthe wind. Every breath
blew them from side to side, and
each eddying gust caught them up
and tossed them into the whirlpool
that drew down into its dark depths
oil who stepped within its influence.
The market opened at $50, probably,
aud rose hurriedly to 60 and 63, and
In ten minutes fell % cents. There
was constant click Of instruments.
and even the poor wires became ex-
hausted ut noon and stopped for n
moments rest. There was vigorous
dash made early in The morning by
the Gold Clique" who came up
every time solidIy and squarcly, buy
ing millions more of gold than there
was in the market, aud taking all
that they could reach. Consterna~
ton and despair seized the bears, aud
In the midst of the. furious din,
above the roar and tumult was heard
the voice Of Albert Speyer, a promi-
nent broker, " | want one million of
gold at leo" The price was then l35.
Again up rose the bullion; yet few
dared to take Mr.. Spcycr ut his word.
A feeling of distrust deferred specu-
lation, and many turned away from
offers that would have made them
fortunes If the contracts had been
honestly kept. New street was
tnromged, tumultous sea Of excited
men surged through it, shouting and
carrying on excited conversation.
The merchant suffering keenly from
the confusion in the Exchange mar
ket, watched the fiuttering indicator
in despair. business Of nearly all
kinds became suddenly stagnant, and
all classes and professions mingled
In the throng i'm Gold Room and on
sidewalk. An itinerant peddler,
with toy bull that tossed its horns
and beloved grutfly in one hand,
aud growing bear in the other,
found plenty of customers in the RI
val forces who struggled for the mas
terry in the market, and many placed
the miniature beasts in prominent
positions in their offices, to prove
that they bad not deserted their fa.
vorites in this trying hour.
In the Gold Roo.n, just before the
rumor Of the dispatch from Wash
| iGgton which caused the bulls tC
to lower horns and quit the contested
field, no pen can do the subject JUS
| tice. In the various offices Ranking
the street exciting sceneswere taking
place. Margins that had disappear
ell in the tempest were battled for by
those who contended that the bro
kers were deceiving them, and bro
kers in vain endeavored to compe
customers to make good their losses
Harsh words passed between men
usually calm, aud excitement and
anxiety kept pace with the pulse o
the gold barometer. The fury was
at its highest point. The bulls seemed
more firmly united than ever
| Speyer's advance into the enemy's
lines broke confidence in his leader
ship. There was waycr, fluttrI
along the lines, and then, the rumoI
came that the government had or
dered Messrs. Duncan, Sherman 4
Company to sell thirteen millions o
gold. 1t fell like thunder5olt int
the ranks OF the "clique." Mei
bowed before the storm like reeds il
gale; right and left the wounded
fell, and down to 1870 went the mar
ket. All through this excitement
from the very first many. have be
lieved that united with the Erie ring
were the pet lambs OF the Tamany
organization, and scattered here anc
there aloug the street were men o
prominence in the Democratic party
| Aldermen and Councilmen bespat
tered the marble floor with tobacct
juice; Deputy Sherifls without mum
Der leaned in convenient doorways
Congressman and Assemblymer
were in earnest conclave, aud the re
doubtable James Fisk, Jr., ana join
Morrissey exchanged cordial greet
ings on the curbstone.
The thunderbolt fell. The govern
ment with strong arm thrust itsel
between the contending forces, an,
in an instant struck blow that par
alyZed them. For an hour ther
came a calm blow staggered all
but the rest was merely to recou~,,
aud then the es"'. a,nant beco,
d-AIh Mac,