New-York tribune., 1881-07-17

one time found myself short million or two of
it. did not know how to get out 30 slipped back
to Baltimore and had telegraph message sent to
me at New-YOrk announcing the cutting of the
Richmond and Danville Railroad south of Rich
mond, which would cut of the rebel supplies and
compel them to evacuate their capital The effect
OF such things would be to put gold down and green
backs up. SO | came back to New York and the
message arrived between IL and IL o'clock in the
day that the Fcderals had cut the Danville Rail
ROAD ms message was shown around consider
aoly, and had depressing influence on gold, but l
found 1t impossible to get it into the afternoon
newspapers Just at the pinch, however, piece of
news arrived of no great Importance in itself, which
seemed absolutely confrmatory, and gold came
down like rocket stick, and just filed up with
1t and delivered to our customers"
Ah, said this broker rejecting yet chuck
ing kind of way, /" l have often wondered that
was not caught and put in Fort Lafayette was
possessed at one time of the most important cipher
IN this country. When the great continental cam
paign of 1S6i65 was undertaken to mash the re-
beliion at every point of the circumference and
drive 1t In upon itself great conference of naval
and military and civil authorities met at Fortress
Monroe and there they agreed upon cipher of
thirteen figures. No. l meant Petersburg for ex-
ample: No. meant Wilmington, No. 3 Mobile No.
Savannah No. Salisbury etc. To very
limited number of persons that cipher was given,
submitted or beat back the telegraph cipher
would go around the whole land from San Fran
cisco to Maine No. l. yes No. 2. yes: No 3, no
etc Yet so thoroughly did cupidity match patriot
ISM" said the broker that was able to read those
dispatches and speculate with them, though it was
not the fault OF any high person in this Govern
ment. We just took them of the general wire."
THROUGH THE LINES.
Here another broker spoke up and said can
| Mt tbp
fcderacy during the war to buy cotton tobacco
ETC., with the consent of the United States Govern
ment."
Everybody listened curiously as the broker blew
away some smoke from his cigar and continued
went to Mr. Lincoln myself and to the State Depart
ment, and broached my idea. | said | was a loyal
man, but there was all that cotton tobacco etc.
of no use to us or to anybody, and if could mako
some contracts would be all the better off, and
wiling to divide with the Government. OF course
the Government could not say Yes but they lis
tened blandly and felt assured that was not 60
ing to be arrested if failed So got passes to 90
into the country near Washington. and | kept
down behind the line of forts on the Potomac and
crossed the heads of the bulnecked streams empty
ing into it, until | came to little village called
Port Tobacco, where there were not more than 200
inhabitants. Nearly all the people rebels aud
had been shareholders till their negroes ran OFT |
began to bargain for a boat to carry me over to
Virginia at night, and provided on the other
side with personal letters which thought would
secure me frcm arrest Lying at the tavern in Port
Tobacco, fell in with several young chaps of the
country who were in the business of shooting the
Potomac, which was there to eight miles wide
but the opposite point in Virginia was very little
out of line due north from Richmond and not a
days journey from Richmond with a good horse
" The person met at Port Tobacco was a coach
maker and whoelwright, by the name of Andrew
T., 1nl
with blockade runners both Rebel and Federal
and had picked up so much money in that WAY that
he was very saucy. Three different times / bar
gained with him to take me over, and every night
he promised to do 50 the weather was auspicious
being either foggy or rainy without starlight but
he would get to drinking, or 90 oft TO keep some
low engagement in that neighborhood. and leave
me to sit up all night. Finally | called him n
scoundrcl and threatened to give him away to the
Federal Government then began to negotiate
with young man named Surratt who kept a tavern
ana poSt-oflcc on the road from Washington to
Port Tobacco. He was rather more busincss-likc
but still they were all u very uncertain, vagrant
kind OF lot. Finally | got over with a set of rebel
spies and mail carriers whom promised to take into
my scheme. At Richmond found it was as easy To
go around promiscuously as in Washington. !
made contracts to get tobacco and cotton too. but
so inferior were the resources of transportation at
mat time, and so wanting were Southern business
men in fertility and energy. that the war closed
before my cotton and tobacco got out. and had
meantime gone into buying and selling gold which
made me u broker"
~ spoke up the third man, g never knew any
other kind of life than Wall-st where began a
brokers' runner on salary of i? Il week. My forte
was to dodge between mems knees being small
and get out of crowd quick One day, before
they suspected mo of any knowledge of my own. |
bought several millions of gold for the firm and
nlf hxy rhn o,,I II. -
thousand dollars to my principals On this they
quaIrelcd with each other for the possession of me
both offering me partnership. | faileu three
times, and three times have been worth Il million"
A GYPSY on GYpsIEs.
You may think Il barleeper hardly worth quoting
but everything has improved. A man who by his
articles of engagement must never touch a drop of
liquor, and who hears the unguarlcl talk of men
Frightened in wit by their liquor must be
come unless a fool good listener and discrnina-
tor. There are barkccpers who for molcsy almost
sadness of address, and for deference and grave
would pass in society for poets and young thcoo-
gians. Men of justice too, with eyesght further
than their feet have led them. At Conoy Island is
one such, placed IN charge of half dozen fellow
workers, and with many thousand dollars passing
through his hands per day and 10 system of
checks" lie has a skin clear rs a womans q
clean. civil, energetic address, hair Of light brown
curling naturally, and linen the Prince Of Wales
might envy. He looks more like Aurora or the
genius OF cool morning, than any of the paintings
With his small white apron his Marscilles vest
he Is no more like servant than General Washing
ton was i'll his Masonic apron
L found him looking at the weather prophecies in
ms cmioyers interest for the season has been pretty
4 hs,yl 4