The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1872-11-30
The King Of Wall Street.

The King Of Wall Street.
I have alluded to Henry Smith, ant
I am reminded Of Il short account Q
his career given me not long ago by I
friend who was brought up with him
Henry N. Smith is known throughou
the country as one Of the most desper
ate and successful operators in Wal
street. 1t was he who became so no.
ted Mt the Black Fridy time as the head
of the firm Of Smith, Gould & Martin;
1T was he who was in with Fisk in the
bold operations against the Erie rail-
road; and it was he who made Il corner
on greenbacks last winter by carrying
| five millions of dollars on his person
and locking it up in the Tenth Nation
al Bank, which last operation became
the subject Of Congressional inquiry.
| Smith came on to Washington and was
examined. The committee did not
get much comfort out Of his answers.
They asked him if he had locked up
five millions Of dollars in greenbacks.
He frankly said he had. They asked
him why he did it. He freely acknowl-
edged that he did it to make money by
tho operation, and wanted to know
what tho committee intended to do
about it. Without answering, the
members of the committee asked what
right he had to lock up that amount Of
money. Then he got angry aud told
them that it was mono Of their id bu-
siness; that the money was his own
and he could do with it as he liked;
and it was about this time that the COM
mittee found they had made mistake.
Smith collected about fifty dollars wit
ness fees, and returned to New York,
and that was the last Of the silly inves-
tigation. A gentleman who was also
IL witness before the committee said,
ricd the five millions of dollars on his
person for two days. The lining of
his overcoat was filled with pockets,
and into these the money was stored.
Smith is about thirty-five or thirty
eight years old, short of statute, slight
of frame, and rcd Of hair. The latter
he wears cut close and his wiskers tla
snilitair'e or mutton chop, with mus
tachc. His name is not Henry NJ. nor
Henry N. Smith, but Norman Henry
Smith. He is a native OF Tioga, Penn
sylvania, a little village which is shut
in with charming grace from the out
side world by a circle Of hills, which
In fall presents such al enchanting ap-
pearancc that it clings to one's memory
forever. In this pretty little village,
this monster operator was borne, and
here he is called to this day plain Tom
Smith, 81 nickname he got whom n ba-
by. 1t is nothing against Tom that
he spent his young days about as other
village boys do, and it is nothing
against him that he learned tho shoe
makers trade and was an excellent
30, 81
Smith can make the best Hfnen boot
of any man in America.
A love scrape, if am correctly in
formed, drove him from his hammer
and lap-stonc and took him to Buffalo
a year or two before the war. While
there he attended a course of instruc-
ton in one OF the Cuisines Colleges"
which were SO common thcn. From
this he operated in Buffalo in small
way, going finally to Albany. He
could not long remain in such place.
and he turned his oyes toward New
York.
His career as Il money-maker is
without parallel in history. 1t would
be idle to estimate his wealth, for to-
day it might be twenty millions and
tomorrow ten. He is called tho sue
cessor of jim Fisk, but this is an in
suit to him. lie possesses the same
reckless daring, but he brought to his
experience keener and more dcliber-
ate judgment and intelligence than
Fisk had. Besides, he has none of the
ssfast" qualities which Fisk possessed.
He has no desire to display his wealth
ostcntatiously; he does not care to build
an opera house that he may have the
privilege of the green-room, and no is
not likely to run line OF steamers
merely to show himself in an ndmiral's
uniform, nor to show himself at tho
head Of regiment at the cost of thou
sands of dollars. He lives as becomes
very wealthy man, and owns num-
Der OF the best horses that money can
buy merely for his own driving. He
has considerable money invested in re-
al estate in his native town, where he
has provided handsomely for his father
and mother. II. J. II.
To Get Rid Of Rcd Ants.