Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1872-12-11
One Of the Kings Of Wall Street.


A New York correspondent of the
Cincinnati Commercial, gives tho fol
lowing account of one OF tho Wall
street brokers:
Henry N. Smith is known through
out the country as one OF the most
desperate and successful operators in
Wall street. 1t was be who became
SO noted at the black Friday time as
the head of the firm Of Smith. Gould
& Martin IL was be who was in with
Fisk in the bold operations against
the Eric Railroad, and it was he who
mado a corner on grcenbacks last
winter by carrying five millions OF
dollars on his person and locking u
up in tho Tenth National Bank, which
last operation vccano tue sutj~st- al
Congressional inquiry. Smith came
on TO Washington and was examined.
The committee did not get much com
fort out of his answers. They asked
him if he had locked up Eve millions
of dollars in greenbacks. Frankly
said be had. They asked him why
he did it, He freely acknowledged
that he did it 10 make money by tho
operation, and wanted TO know what
the committee intended to do about
II. Without answering, the members
of the committee asked what right he
had to lock up that amount of money.
Then he got angry and told them
that it was none of thoir id bust
ness; that the money was his own
and he could do with it as he liked (;
and it was about this time that the
committee found that they had made
mistake. Smith collected about
fifty dollars witness fees, and returned
to New York, and that was tho last
of the silly investigation A gentle
man who was also witness before
the committee said, subsequently, that
Smith actually carried the s5,00O,00O
on his person for two days. The
u" ;.,rnoa, ,,os sIIoJ ,,;th
n"'pg VI ms o.oioVnV 49,, was "'''p 49, ",s"
PooNv.s, auu INV '"e'' WY '
was ..p s.1"eu, -. A.. ,h;.,,.
In'i.u 70 "yy"e 'n.t1 , 49, 'nn LII
eigne years o'u' sio's 70 " ''"ry'e' T ~ ~
Vi frame anu reu VI N','' w 49, 49,,
NC wears oue e'oso, "nu "'s ,t
IA mt."""I,or VI ulu''o.'-o"oPi 49, W.,
n,ou7'".ne ~ o.,S n" - =
~. nor nenry A. 5"'t"' "u' 80" AZ =,
nehry 5n''.u' o IL. ~ " ',h;'.S % ~
tlogn, u; . '.''o N"saso .,'o,., T"S" ns =
snus u, WIN 1a Hn'i,n'"s 80 ~ W -, h;lis i
ou's'uo w9,'u y 49, ''t 49,"
Wnieh III i"n P'.1o"' sa.I y"
ny apPoaranoe ''"t ~ t""ss ~ v MI
memory iore'er' ~ '"'s p.e.v "ss''
slase' 'n's u'o"s, 10y 80 ,S;s da~
oorn' anu mere .ie 70 c"ieu " 'T's 40, G
plaln iv'n o.n'''' a' nn,h;n o'oi ~ So :,
wneh uauy ~ - ,;o "o'"s s;. "s"S da,,
lom .n"' "e spIns pi MS ~ oS"s "a uII !,
noou. Us o'"e' s'"lg ~ " oor, ar =, =
u hoehnH aHa.s' n,, M s' and ~ @ was "a, a,
excellent workman. Ii is said iher'
that Tom Smith can make The bes
"fine" boots of any man in America.
A love scrape, if | am correctly in
formed, drove him from his hammel
and lap-stone, and took him to Buf
falo n year or two before the war
While there he attended course 0
instruction in one of the Cuisines
Colleges" which was so common then
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 eyes toward
New York.
Ills career as a money maker il
without parallel in history. 1t woul,
be idle to estimate his wealth, for to