The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1872-02-02


thus employed, so impressed Jordan &
Marsh, that they took him in as a part
ner, and the firm became Jordan, Marsh
& Co.
When the war came on, Jordan,
Marsh & Co. got heavy Government
contracts for soldiers clothing and
blankets, and it is admitted that to a
large degree it was Fisk's energy and
tact which enabled them to put the
contracts through and distance all
competitors. The junior partners
courage was equal to every emergency.
He made contracts for the manufac-
tIre of clothing for the firm all through
New England, and then drove the con
tracts through with unfagging energy
and inexhaustible good nature. He
thus got over eight hundred thousand
suits of clothes, and blankets without
number, made fort firm, all of which
were sold at a handsome profit.
NOT PENNILBss ADVENTURE.
1t is important to keep these facts in
mind, because it has been widely as
serted that when Mr.. Fisk came to New
York he was a penniless adYenturer,
whereas he in fact was then rich. He
had S13O, 900 in cash, and owned an
eighth in the Golding patent, which he
could at any time have sold for
$125, 900.
New York offered theatre of action
wide enough for the transcendent pow
ers of this representative Yankee to
unfold themselves. He went South in
the winter of 1854 to buy cotton, and
as the COnfederacy began to weaken
under the pressure of Grant and Sher-
man, he saw the surrender OF Lee
looming N the distance, and then,
taking the whole situation into the ac-
count, he conceived one of the
GREATEST FINANCIAL SCHEMES
that ever came from the brain of man.
The Confederate bonds were then sell
ing at $89 on the 800 In London.
Fisk saw that the moment the news of
the collapse of the Confederacy should
reach that city the bonds would tumble
indefinitely; 4; and what prodigious OPP
pOrtunities that might afford
eff could only get man into Lon
don few days ahead of al competi-
tors,u he said to himself. "after
knew the COnfederacy had gone mp,
what a harlh he couldmake selling those
bonds short. "
He at once came to New York; took
few other capitalists into his conf
dence, and unfolded his plans to them: !
they saw the point, and agreed to fur
nish all the money that should be nee
essary in addition to what Fisk had
himself, and told him to go ahead.
Mr.. Fisk Immediately purchased the !
fastest ocean steamer ahOat; manned |
her with a skillful captain and trust /
worthy crew; sent her to Halifax, with |
orders to bank her fires andhav steam !
on ready to shoot from the wharf at |
moments notice; placed on board of /
her a trusty and capable agent, from |
whom the captain was to receive his /
orders to start, and who was to work !
the scheme in London; made such ar
rangements with the fifty miles of tel !
graphic wire that no one could get the
news ahead of him, and then awaited !
the result Of the fighting down In Vir-
ginia. For thirteen days the fires of /
that steamer in Halifax were kept /
banked, with every man at his post, /
and everything in readiness for instant 1
departure. At last the death blow of
the Confederaey was struck.
coop
was the word that the lightning hurled /
at Fisll's agent in Halifax; and away
went the steamer, without a soul on !
board Except the one confidential 4
msp) having the slightest inkling of /
the news which was already beginning /
to set the western continent ablaze.
There was no Atlantic cable in those |
days, and so, fortune favoring, the {
swifb-gliding steamer would arrive at |
Liverpool a long ways ahead of any
other craft which could bring thenews. |
Fortune did favor the adventure. The |
Il
days and a half, and reached Liverpool |
five days in advance of the arrival of |
the first steamer that left New York |
with the news. What could not have
been done IN those five DAYS? But /
alas one poor old weak-kneed assOci- !
ate, unbeknown to Fisk, had secretly |
telegraphed to the agent at Halifax not |
to 90 beyond five millions in his sales /
of Confederate bonds. This knocked |
Tisk's gigantic scheme square on the /
head. The agent sold five millions Of
bonds short, at the rates then ruling |
IN the London market. Before the /
day Of delivery came about the news of |
the fall Of Richmond and of Lees sur
render arrived, and the bonds tumbied I
to TWENTY-FIVE dollars on the hundred |
The London brokers of course paid the /
difference (as, Tor the benefit of readers /
not familiar with such transactions, we 1
VIII state is the custom, between the |
price they had agreed to pay and the |
actual price at which the bonds were
selling on the day of delivery, which /
difference amounted to over two mil /
lions of dollars. The profit on the |
speculation was therefore a handsome /
one, after deducting all expenses, but 4
1t was a mere drop in the bucket In 1
comparison with what 1t would have
been had the other parties to the enter /
prise been as sagacious and plucky as
Col Fisk was. His plan was to sell /
Confederate bonds short, IN London, /
as long as anybody wOuld buy them. [
and to follow the market clear down to /
zero. Of course the bonds would new
er have been called for, and the buy /
ers would have had to pay the differ /
ences. Had Fisk not been betrayed, |
as we have stated, he would probably /
have cleaned out London, and made
FIVE HUNDRED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. /
When Fisk heard of the trick which /
had been played him, he was probably /
the n1addest man on the American con !
tinent, with the single exception Of 4
Old Hickory Jackson when he heard +
anything said against the character Of
his wife. F
Col. Fisk's love of fun and his trans /
parent fraukness of nature made him |
one Of the most amusing of men. He
blurted out the truth In a gCod-natured, 1
humorous way, without regard to con
sequences. He put on no airs. He /
made no pretences. He did not affect 4
knowledge on a subject Of which he
was ignorant. This trait was amusing
" developed when he was solicited to
take the COloneIcy Of the Ninth regi-
meut
I don't know anything about militia
~ matters, he said. I never went to