The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1883-07-10
GOULD'S FIRST BATTLE.
How a STRIPPING Lined Every One
Of His Empty Pockets With
Gold.

cleveland Herald.
81 knew jaw Gould when he was
boy and l nave always regarded
him as q personal friend. " said we'll
known Cleveland broker yesterday.
He was born and passed his boy
hood days on a farm about one mile
from Roxbury, Delaware county, New
York. When Gould was between
nineteen aud twenty years of age he
was considered a good surveyor and
his services were in great demand. A
short distance from Roxbury lived
Colonel Pratt. who had been sent to
congress from that district. He was
an ignorant man, but being worth
! 500, 900 was considered the most i'm
portant person in that section. he
had great besire to make his the
model farm and add fresh laureIs to
his wealth of renown. Accordingly
be sent for young Gould to come and
make survey of the place and ar
range 1t In a tasty manner. Gould
saw that the old man was susceptible
to fattery and when he had concluded
his work and was about to leave, he
said:
Colonel, you are statesman,
farmer, tanner land sheep-grower. You
ought to make yourself more famous
etill by building tue largest tannery
in the world"
by George I! l wonld,' said the
colonel. eff knew where could get
plenty of bark"
That was not enough fer Gould. He
vent down into Lackawanna county,
PA, and near where Gculdsborougn
now stands found thousands of acres
of hemlock timber uncut. He asked
the people living about there If they
would give him land on which to
build the largest tannery in the world.
They readily agreed to give him all
the land he desired, and he then made
contracts in bis own name for bark, at
twenty-five cents per cord, sufficient
to run the tannery for twenty-five
years. He returned to Colonel Pratt,
who was astonished at his success, and
who told him to 60 on and build the
tannery and he would furnish the
money. In the course of time the
mammoth establishment was in full
blast, under the firm name of Pratt
Gould. Such great concern
must have banking facilities, so Gould
organized wildcat bank at Goulds-
borough, and as he was not of age he
induced his relations to take a large
portion of the stock and appoint him
their proxy. He was elected adirect-
or of the bank and everything went
on swimmingly All the notes issued
by the bank bore a picture of the
tannery or some part of it, and the
tannery controlled everything in
Gouldsborough. Gould withdrew
from the bank and Deposited $4,000
of the banks fnuds with Leupp & Lee,
broker9of New York, and thereby
obtained credit. which did him good
pervice later on.
All tkis time Col. Pratt was put
ting money into the business. until he
had invested about So, 900. He
realized little on his investment and
became uneasy. He sent a man down
to Gouldsborough to investigate affairs,
and when he returned with the report
that "you had better get out of there
or Gould will break you up" the old
man decided to disolve the partner
ship. He met Gould in New York
and offered to sell to him for $40, 900
or paw to him $4,000 TO leave the
business. Gould was given ten days
to consider the matter. and at the end
Of that time he surprised the, colonel.
Rwho had supposed him without ready
funds, by agreeing to purchase the tat
merry. He gave Leupp & Lee of New
York, as security, and Col. Pratt
was satisfied to get out. Charles
Leupp then became partner IN the
business. and as he furnished the
money of course he footed all the bills.
which came in so fast that OF the
memorable Black Friday Leupp & Lee
went to the wall Leupp could not
Withstand the strain and killed him.
self by sending a bullet through his
brain. Leupp left two daughters.
and the only thing left EN- in the
wreck was their fathers interest in
the tanney. Lee was appointed
administrator of his par.ener's estate
and he decided to take possession of
be tannery and drive Gould cut.
htThen occurred the great war, an
account of which has been published
Lee went to Scranton. Pa, and con-
suited lawyer named Willard, who
advised him to resort to force. The
two men went to Gouldsborough and
LII &C g.. -, ~o,,1l.