The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1878-01-23
No. 4.


just outside the barrier; he kept
them there for exhibition inclosed
by a wall of iron. There were
thousands and thousands of them
swarming, climbing, tearing, fight
ing each seeming intent upon the.
others death. When the fight be-
came general, as it often did, old
Giovanni would shake his fat sides
and rub his hands in glee, for he
loved to see them tear each other;
the loss of few rats more or less
was of no great consequence. 1t
may seem inhuman, but I felt just
about that way last Monday, as I
looked down from the gallery and
saw the excited, shrieking throng,
when the news was brought in that
honest John Bonner had fed to
parts unknown, leaving liabilities
to the tune of two millions OF dol
lars. The Meters had given the
Stock Board shaking up which
created a profound sensation on the
street. When honest John Bon
ner declared to his friends that
such rascals as the Meters shonld
be hung,-at the very moment he
made this pious and praiseworthy
declaration, he was planning the gi-
gantic robbery which was to put the
climax on the rascally transactions
of 1877. Scarcely a day goes by
but it brings forth some new story
of disaster and ruin. Bank cashiers,
presidents of tcust companies, con-
fdential clerks, staid old merchants,
church trustees, gospel minister's
all alike have been drawn in and
ruined in the New York Stock Ex-
change. In l846 the Exchange
held it's meetings in the Merchants
Exchange, now occupied by the
Custom House. Jacob Little was
then the Jupiter Tonans of the
street. Stocks went up and down
at his bidding-fortunes were won
and lost on his word-but in spite
of all his luck and all his acuteness,
one fine August day he went down
in utter ruin, carrying in his fall a
score of our best mercantile houses,
and involving ruin to thousands
and thousands beside. Jacob was
thrown out of the Board for failing
to meet his obligations, but the
Stock Exchange Of those days was
a lame duck without Jacob Little.
He was re-instated shortly after,
and, marrying a servant girl after
a life of single blessedness Of more
than sixty years, he dashed into
new combinations, and died many
years ago worth couple of millions
of dollars. AS long as the world
produces men who detest honest
labor and who look upon their fellow
men as lawful and legitimate prey,
there will be footpads, burglars,
highway-robbers, pirates and stock
brokers. 1t has one great advan-
tage over most other money-making
pursuits, and that is, that it needs
no special training or education
the most ignorant and unscrupu-
lous adventurer is far more likely
to succeed than the graduate of
Harvard or Yale.
Nearly forty years ago tue firm
of Fuller & Graham were well to
do merchants on South street,
having accumulated what was a
handsome fortune for those days in
the West India trade. Fuller came
from Watertown, New York; his
father was, a comfortable farmer in
Jefferson County. Graham was from
Portland, Maine, and as high-toned
and honorable a gentleman as ever
did business in this city; the late
Moses Grinnell was his intimate
friend and adviser, his mercantile
associates being of that class which
throws such golden halo about
the memories Of thirty or forty
years ago. One night, at a party
given at Mrs. Mangum's, on Bond
street, Fuller met John Ball, at that
time a prominent member of the
Stock Exchange. Ball was one Of
those lucky fellows who, without
any special calculation, always seem
to succeed, and his luck was so no.
torious on change that when he
was seen bidding on stock it al
ways went up like balloon, and
among his associates, on account Of
his munifcence and prodigality, he
was known as Golden Ball. Busi-
ness had been exceedingly lively
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