The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1884-08-14

| cluster OF men, ana the larger clusters
are linked together BY smaller ones,
forming an almost unbroken chain OF
| surging, roaring humanity, extending
from one end OF tho room to the other
The three young ladies gazed with
| speeches. oageyneSs upon the turbulent
scene until their bright eyes grew round
with wonder. The youngest, far.
haired miss scarcely out Of her teens.
turned to the broker after a while, and
said: ''tor mercy's sake, what are they
doing down THEREOF
| The young man smiled as he replied:
| why, that's business
" Gracious!" said the little lady, with
a pretty frown. =. don't see how any
| body can do business in such a hub
/ bub.''
That is what all strangers. and es-
| pecially ladies, say when they come
here, said the young man with an i'm
| portant air. Nevertheless, in all OF
this seeming chaos, business proceeds
systematically, rapidly, and with de
| gree Of accuracy that knows no parallel
IN ordinary mercantile transactions.
The men who trade here seldom have
/ disputes, yet they buy and sell millions
/ Of dollars worth of securities every
/ day. They have no time for written
| contracts With them minutes are as
precious as diamonds, and seconds are
| golden. A shake of the finger, a nod
| of the head, or perhaps only a wink,
| are frequently the only signs that
| pass between them in the bargains
| involving thousands of shares of stocks.
You see quickness and absolu inteo-
rity are essential TO the kind of business
tn 4 is done here. When the market is
lively and stocks are changing in value
every minute, there can be no hest at
ing and no repudiating of bad bargains.
A brokers' TN take it, is as binding
rs the most formidable legal document
ever written, and after seller has said:
It's your stock, the bargain is closed.
OCcas Cnally / have known the price of
stock to 60 up two points within half
a minute after a seller had nodded
ailirmativelY to a buyer, who was but
one Of a score of brokers scramblinp
for the stock. BY simply contendinp
that no sale had been intended at such
times the seller might have realized
an advance of ten thousand dollars or
twelve thousand dollars on his stock.
But do you think that any member of
the Stock Exchange would dare do such
thing? No, indeed! No member
would dare"
(which is Mr.. Vanderbilt" aueried
one of the ladies' with charming in
difference to her chaperOn's earnest
ness.
Mr.. Vanderbilt never comes here,''
answered the young broker, somewhat
CURLY. ''He is not even a member of
the Stock Exchange"
well, which is Mr.. GouldP"
Neither is Mr.. Gould member of
the Exchange"
why, L am sure that I read in the
newspapers short time ago that Mr..
Vanderbilt and Mr.. Could were sup
porting the stock Market" persisted
the lady.
and that was true" replied the
young man, laughing softly at his fair
companions earnestness. Those two
men have separately and unitedly en-
deavored to do the atlas act with the
stock market upon various occasions.
but in all their manipulatiOns they are
represented here by brokers. There are
certain firms in Wall street which are
looked upon as Mr.. Vanderb It's bro
kerS, and certain other firms which are
commonly spoken of as Mr. Gould's
brokers, but each of these great finan-
ciers does business secretly through
firms that are often n 1t suspected of
the association. When big operator
desires to make an important turn in
the market he can not afford to let the
street know through whom he is OPP
Grating. Spectators in stocks watch
the regular brokers of Vanderbilt and
Gould as closely as the mice in a
kitchen watch the family cat. Many
smart broker has had his neck twisted
in trying to nibble Mr.. GOuld's cheese.
did you ever try to get any of Mr.
GOulds cheeSeP'' asked one of the
maidenS, rougishlv.
"Well, if / have tried I certainly
have never succeeded" was the am
biguous reply
For few minutes every member of
the quintet remained silent. Suddenly
a pair of rowing ewes, under the brim
OF saucy pink hat, espied lot of
white numbers on the black front of
the gallery at the other end of the
room.
Look! look, girlsi'' she exclaimed.
See those numbers change over there.
The figures '32' nave just faded away
and "a is coming out Now number
- up in the corner has gone, and. see.
'l2' and go have Just appeared on the
same row. How funny. l wonder if
the same thing is being done on the
front of our gallery" Looking down
over the railing in front of her. she
added: Eyes, it is just the same. What
are these numbers for, Mr. {. ?"
''Those are the signs by which men,
bers on the floor are notified that some
body at the door wants to see them.
In SO great a crowd, and with so much
noise, it is extremely difficult for a
messenger to find any particular
person, and it is impossible for the
doorkeePers, in shouting the names, to
make themselves heard more than ten
feet away. Each member of the Ex-
change, therefore, has a number, and
whenever an inquiry is made at the
door for a member an attendant
touches an electric button and causes
the number of the desired man to an
pear on these conspicuous black boards
As soon as the member responds to
the call another button is touched
and the number disappears. The ar
rangement is on the same principle as
the electric calls in hotels.
" But what are those BOYS in uniform
doing?" asked one of the ladies, indi-
eating with her parasol a number of
young men clad in brass-buttoned suits !
of gray, who were lodging briskly |
about on the crowded floor.
"Some of them are pages whose !
services are required by the members.
and some of them are employed by the /
Gold and Stock Telegraph Company to |
report the sales, prices. etc. All OF the /
quotations sent out of the Stool, Ex- |
change as official are picked up bv /
those active and expert reporters. III |
you watch closely you win see them, /
book and pencil in hand, lowering on /
the outskirts of every crowd where /
trading Is going on. They have to /
be on the alert constantly. >"
Are they expected to record every