The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-01-25
THE LATE GOLD CORNER.

From the NJ T. Herald.
That disastrous ''back Friday" to the Wall
street bull ring on their gold corner, and the
parties concerned in blowing up the bubble,
are undergoing at Washington Congressional
investigation. On Saturday last Gould and
Fisk, of the Erie Company, were before the
inquisatorial committee, and the substance of
their testimony is that their grand experiment
was made up of moonshine and green cheese.
Gould, it appears, after a mature considera-
tion of the subject, gave it as his opinion that
''all efforts to link the name of the President
or Secretary of the Treasury with said gold
corner were malicious fabrications; that he
believed neither of those officers knew what
was going on in Wall street" in the running
up of that rascally corner.
Fisk, however, who appears to have been
the head devil of the ring, had his own story
to tell. In September last the Erie Road was
hard up-it was out of everything and was
losing money. He saw chance of making a
raise on gold, and he resolved to go in.
Gould seconded the motion, for he Aad seen
Corbin, and gave Fisk letter to Corbin, and
that Fisk, after full consultation or two with
Corbin, was assured that he (Corbin) was all
right behind the throne. Then there were
more conferences with Corbin; and Fisk
naively says that while talking with Corbin he
felt all right; "but as soon as he was away
| from him he did not feel SO brave, and found
nlulheu BctliuB snahy. he iaSI, W IohoNo
| all doubts, that special messenger Chaplin was
sent with letter to the President, then at
| Washington, in Western Pennsylvania; and
with Chaplin despatch that the latter had been
delivered and was 'all right, the matter was
clinched. The running of the gold corner
and the grand smash.up, with that famous
order from the Treasury Department to 'sell
four millions, rapidly followed, when Fisk,
| as he informed the committee, thought it was
about time to go round and see that id
old fool, Corbin." 1t seems, however, that
Corbin, with his cock -and-bull stories of let
ters from Mrs. Grant, and of his intention to
90 right on to Washington and make it all
right with the President, still managed to pull
the wool over the eyes of Fisk and fooled him
as Peter Funk fools green country gosling.
Fisk, moreover, thought that he had been be-
trayed by Butterfeld. In short, from the
reports of his testimony, Fisk is still as much
befogged and muddled as he was with the
collapse of Corbin and his bubble on that fatal
''black Friday.
Corbin is the man whose testimony, If
truly given, will clear up this business. But
where is Corbin? When last heard from he
was out in Kentucky, reported sick. Since
then, we hear, his whereabouts cannot be
learned. 1t is probable, too, that he may not
turn up until this investigation is closed; and
as it is apparent that, as the Presidents
brother-in-law, he made himself the conve-
nient instrument of the gold spectators in
their scandalous, perilous, and disastrous ven-
ture of September last, regardless OF truth,
honor, and decorum, it would perhaps be as
we'll for him never to show his face again,
except as a criminal who, from point to point
carefully feels his way into obscurity and for
getfulness.