Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1880-11-11
Joaquin Miller i'm Wall Street.
The Poets Rise and Fall as a Specu.
lator.
From the Nosemeer Californian. !

n
editor of the chief London magazine ask.
ing me to write him an article 10 be emit
tied "a Week in Wall Street"
knew nothing whatever of Wall stree,
then. l resolved, however, to oblge my
friend. | went into Wall street al once to
get the desired information ana expert.
ence.
This was six months ago. have lust
got back. | have not yet written line OF
That article. But have materisl enough
10 write q book bigger than Macaulay's
History OF England" | know all / want
to know about Wall street. And, If YOU
will pardon the DEPRESSION, | may add
that am getting bald headed.
Finding but little interest in this great
| mselstrom OF excitement without taking
psri |, under the advice of my broker,
bought q little Wabash. l bought Wabash
because il WAS the first stock on the list
which | could distinguish from the mass
OF two hundred names. And | came To
remem Der il because | HAD been born on
| lis banks, as it were. Indeed on the very
| banks oil the Wabash river | have seen
my father furrow the field for corn in the
| spring, while my mother followed sitter
| dropping the corn In the turrow; while
| three little boys toddled after myself OF
| the number, and covered the grain that
| lay in the little squares OF the mellow
| earth. And so 1t was with q touch of ten.
| derness that | bought Wabash, and be.
came one OF the eager party holding on to
the tape, watching, waiting the turn Of
fortunes wheel
She did not betray me. My stock be.
gan TO move upward from the first. 1t
was not so dull now. How interesting ii
all was | called the click of the "tickerm
the pulse and hearth beat of the nation. Ii
the land was healthy and prosperous, the
| pulse beat high and buoyant. 1t the land
was threatened with drouth, short crops,
or misfortune of any kind, the pulse was
low, ieverish and dull. IL was like a
| poem.
had now an interest in the prosperity
! OF the land beyond 4 sentiment. | WAS a
| part owner in the one hundred thousand
miles OF railways in America. From
that day forth, studied the geography of
my country as never before, My little
uptown room in the fourth story WAS lined
with maps of American railways. In less
than week, | could quote the opening or
closing prices OF half the stock on the list
How patiently | held on 10 the tape
| along with the other timld aud hopeful
little hands We would exchange opin.
I ions, encourage each other, and lay great
plans Tor the future. We became very
confidential, our little knot around that
ticker" and when one OF our set lost
money he had our honest sympathy.
They were pleasant days, these first for
stocks went up steadily, and IL seemed at
last, when and where had least expected
| It, | WAS to make a fortune without either
Tu srAl a..
| in those few weeks | grew TO be better
| man.
AT last closed out | had in my hand
more than ten thousand dollars. | had
not Invested 80 many hundred What
scribe had ever been 50 fortunatel Stocks
still advanced, 1t seemed as If they would
never stop going up.
sat down and tried for days to decide
what to do, Coolly, deliberately, and
after AS much and as mature thought as
| am capable of, went back to Wall
Street with my money had no use for
ten thousand dollars. | had great use for
fifty thousand. | hug myself in satisiac-
ZION now, 10 remember that thought not
so much OF myself as OF my friends at
this time. | could not get on with that
sum well. But away ont on the great,
] 4
10 build a hUme-a city. | would gather
4bJut me the dear spirits GO old. In
some sweet spot where there were woods
and cool waters, a warm san and prolific
soil, we would meet and build a cty--s
city of refuge-where every Bohemian
might come and have home, rest, peace,
plenty, so long as he or che should live
| or care 10 stay. | even drew up plan of
! 81 fra cd fa hvYa for
is government. | named il Utopia.
o. returning to Wall street | chose
! three different brokers-One a "bull
| house, one "bear" house, and one
conservative " house. BY this hoped
| to get all sorts Of opinions. got them.
With my "bears" | sold st. Paul short.
| There was talk OF rust, grssshOppers,
rains, floods. ST. Paul would tumble TO
the center. 1t had already advanced from
! eighteen to siXty.nine. | sold al sixty.
nln", seventy and seventy-one
With the bulls" bought Pacific Mail,
No danger of grssshoppe-s on Pacific
Nail. No drouth, no floods or rust
Pacific Mil had fallen from sixty.lwo,
and would surely 20 back up to eighty
| bought Pacific Mail, and sat down to
wait for II TO go up and st. Paul to go
down.
Things began to move my way. | be
gan to WORK vigorously on the plans for
my city | had arranged to bring my
dear old uarents away from the Far West
wilGs OF Oreg) where they had dwelt
for quarter of a century. They had
never seen the great CITY. Now they
should see it, hear the mighty preachers,
and sail on the Atlantic
How lite widened cut | had an inter.
nat rnrn IN .vnrN chin lhAt aAilnd- THE