The Indiana State sentinel., 1879-02-12
A LESSON In FINANCE.
The Story of Two Indiana Farmers.
How They Went Into New York With
Two Thousand Five Hundred Dol.
lars Capital 10 Clean Out the
Street, and Got ScO0ped.
IN. Y. Cor. Philadelphia Times.l

IN. Y. Cor. Philadelphia Times.l
Wall street is interested in the mo vements
of two old men, who came here from Indi-
anaa few weeks ago, with the enormous cash
capital of 50. 500, and with firm determina-
ton to clean out the street. They are broth
ers farm bred, and, when they called at the
Office of conspicuous broker and asked for
him by name, a shallow headed clerk was so
unfavorably impressed by their outward ap-
pearsnce that he said the broker was out.
The old farmers sat down with as much pa
tience as they would haYe shown in their
own farm house while waiting for storm
to pass away that they might go to the fields
again. Alter an hour or two the clerk
changed his mind and showed them in.
The destinations of Wall street overpower all
sorts OF men and women. who seem at some
time or another to be struck with this pas.
sion
AS THEY ARE WITH LOVE;
but of all the queer clients this broker had
had these two farmers were the oueerest
Like thousands of people ali over the coun-
try, they had first become interested through
the advertisements OF certain class of
irregular Wall street sharks whose glowing
announcements fill the country press. They
had also taken New York daily paper and
followed the course of the market. They
had for a year bought and sold imaginary
lots of stocks, paying neither interest nor
commission, but away out their in their
Indiana home making tremendous turns in
the market of which the dealers in the city
here were profoundly ignorant. With un-
limited credit at the bank of their own I'M
agination, they went long of this and short
- <A<,A IL IrT TO-
mense blocks and keeping strict account of
their own transactions; and they frankly
told the broker, to whom they coDfided all
this information, that their profits in the
year were over a million dollars. And
through such nursing of delusion they had
come to believe that they could make
money In Wall street. and had gathered
together the earnings of lifetime and had
come to get rich.
METHOD OF THE uoosIES oPTRAToRs.
The broker was reluctant to open an ac.
count with them, but they would not be
denied. They were on the bull side of the
market-the ontside operator usually is, be-
ing sangui e-and they bought little and
waited for 1t to kite up. They made their
headquarters in the brokers' public room,
where the customers congregate, and q
strange contrast they presented to the fash.
| ionably-dressed men who lounged there
/ They haunted the neighborhood of the ticker
and watched the tape at first with buoyant
hope, then with an ill-ccncealed eagerness
dashed with fear, and later with a fascina
ton that is always unpleasant to contem
plate. For somehow. though we have
had for days a rising market, the ole
men seemed to get on the wrong stocks
and while the other men chat
tered and figured up their gains and slipped
over to Delmonico's now and then, the ole
men stuck TO the tape and watched the re
| ientless little brass arm prancing up and
down. stamping the blacK figures on tn,
tape, and stamping them lower and lower
until their wistful eyes grew weary, an(
and they took turn now and then in tn;
open air of Wall or Broad street. and thu
| the brokers came to see the strangers ane
learn their story. Yesterday their s., So
had dwindled away to $400, and the young
er of the two, himself gray-haired man ant
as deeply infatuated as ever, said he wa
| going to send MS brother home; he was too
old and bothersome, and interfered with hi
plans; alone, he said he could have his owl
way, and would come out all right yet; anC
even the giddy brokers experience brie
passing qualm at this, for they know how i
/ will end.