Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1870-02-04

September Gold Panic Electromagnetic
ttOnal Pnrticulara-The HUlnOrs of Fisk
Jr.-GOid FLASHES.
The New York papers contain some de-
tails of James Fisk, Jr.'s testimony before
the September gold panic investigating
committee of Congress In addition to the
lengthy report published yesterday. In
regard to Mr.. Corbin, the Presidents
brother in-law, just before the celebrated
black Friday, Fisk, Jr., says ::
A PICTURE OF CoRBIN.
"Corbin was confident we were doing q
great national good-good for the country
as well as assisting the road to secure
| this transportation. AT the last he tried
to make ont but thought it was not the
least consideration with him, that he could
see more money in it than he ever before
saw in one transaction at any time in his
| life. I told him thought he could. He
really impressed me that he had his own
hidden thoughts. and, with his eye cooked
up over his nose, you could not tell what
he was looking at or which way he was
cunning. It was at once suggested to me
whether the old thief would not rather lie
than tell the truth. He seemed to under
stand Mr.. Gould's position /; he seemed to
understand that he was party to all this
arrangement and all that had been done,
and that this was the only chance that
they had to make this money, which they
had been looking to make while accom-
plishing this good of starting up the trade
of this country. L was inclined to believe
the old man had the whole thing fixed up.
and started off to use the wires to get a
good jag of gold if it was going up.
THAT LETTER.
Fisk dweIls at some length on the mat
ter Of the alleged letter from Corbin to the
President at Washington, Pennsylvania,
sent by the trusty man Chaplin, but he
made everything call right" According
to Fisk, Corbin was we'll satisfied with his
epistolatory effort and said that the in
terest both of the nation and the interest
in the matter all around was SO great that
there could be no slip up whatever; that
we were safe in getting everything be-
longing to ourselves, and that we would
also get everything belonging to everybody
else
THE UNION LEAGUE FELLOWS.
Fisk, Jr's., description of the "dinner to
Boutwell," when he came on to New York,
, is rich. He says: 'EThe sbears' in Wall
street and the Uuion League fellows got
up dinner at the Union League-a self
admiration dinner'-where they sat around
with narrow foreheads and bald -hea ded
way back to their shirt-collars. They had
one of these 'self-admiration dinners in
which they painted Mr.. Boutwell, as one
of the finest fnanciers on the face of the
: earth, and he told them what he was doing
to Fisk. A big thing out of the sea. Bout
we'll kept pretty close mouth, evidently
not knowing where he did stand; he
thought better than to show on the
face what his position might be; he thought
l. L 90 ,~l
think that they got at that dinner any in.
, formation at all out of Mr.. Boutwell,.
do not believe they got enough to pay fol
; the dinner"
I FISK AS A CRITIC.
In regard to an article published in New
York On the morning of the memorable
f Friday calling the speculation shameful,
Fisk says eve read that article going
a down town, and I knew at once that il
> would be telegraphed to Grant and Bout
we'll. 1t was one of those curious articles
| which. when you read, make you feel weak
+ in the knees. 1t was an article when you
read it you would dwell on it. We made
e the remark, if it made us feel q little weak
r in the KEGS at that time when we read it.
g what would be its effect whel it reached
. Washington upon the Hon. George Bout
t well and Honorable Executive of the
{ United States, who probably had never
weak, how much weaker would they feel
AS we afterward learned, Mr. Boutwell,
about 102 O'Clock, went over to the Execu
8 tive mansion, and not exceeding over
4 fifteen minutes after he came back. There
l was thunder-clap struck us in the shape
8 OF information that the sub-treasury haC
/ received an order to sell four millions o.
t live gold, while our sales had been ''short.
d I would rather carry forty millions of shor
gold than four millions Of the real stuff
< for the latter is a good deal heavier
y When the order to sell struck, Speyer was
} still picking up gold at 16O."
SEEKING COOL PLACE.
Fisk devotes a good deal Of his talk tc
t the subject of Speyer, as given heretofore
q adding that Speyer has only ten or fifteer
hairs on his head, and when he appeared
!: with his shirt-collar torn off, each one oil
Q these hairs WAS standing on end. Whe1
Fisk and Gould got scared, and thinking
= it was too hot, says We went up town
: feeling that we wanted a cool place, if an.
b one did. When got up there no on,
g knew anything about it. No one knew
f whether he was in or ont. for there haC
/ never been any excitement like it.
GOLDEN FLASHES.
r The committee put the following ques
y tions to Mr.. Fisk
10 You know whether General Butter
field was in these gold speculations, Mr.
4 Fisk
b Yes I understood General ButterfielC
had a share, or was engaged in speculation
1 at this time in Wall street.
8 Did General Butterfeld furnish you will
t the immediate news of the dispatch he haC
: received to sell Government gold ?
q Mr.. Fisk-He was in communication
: with ue. We knew he had one and hal
| ,@f Al VI LoI
y senger to go down to Mr.. Butterield's of
fee three or four times, and every time ht
q came back with word from General But
s terfield that everything was ''al
i right" About IL o'clock when he went
q there he did not find Mr.. Butterfeld.-