The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-05-13

"Gaths" Letter.
Ward was the son of well-known missionary
to the East Indies, who has a large family, and
is well connected. He was raised about Geneseo,
N. Y, and among his acquaintance was Roscoe
Conkling's father, an old retired judge very fond
of cunning, Drifting down to New York with
the idea of going to college at Princeton, young
Ward concluded to take up business and not lose
any time. and he became clerk of the secretary
of the Produce Exchange. Mr.. Ward when he
became clerk of the Produce Exchange, in place
of going to Princeton College, developed quick
eye for business. He began to speculate in those
certificates of seats, and as he married the
daughter of the cashier of Mr.. Fsh's Marine
Bank he went to see Mr.. Fish on the death of
his father-in-law, to lay before him certain small
but safe operations he knew about Mr. Fish
was quiet conservative, rather juvenile
minded man. easy to be seen,
and, probably as much to help young
Ward along as to make money himself. he ex
tended to him credit, and Ward came in with
earnings Among other things Ward had a
brother who was good mining engineer, and
he found mine in Colorado which he worked
in New York, they kept digging out the ore, and
it lasted longer than Colorado mines generally
do. and as Mr.. Fish had taken interest in
this mine to help Ward, he found that his profits
that young Ward touched came to good. He was
one of those oldish young men who had but few
pleasures, and those chiefly with his family
and with mature and responsible men. In the
course of time Ward said to Mr.. Fish that he
had made up his mind to quit the Produce Elk
change and take a desk somewhere up near
the Stock Exchange, and financier little
there Mr.. Fish said to him: Ward, you have
been doing very we'll, and you know that not
one man in twenty can maintain himself specu-
lating in stocks. Hadn't you better let it alonel'
Ward. however, was confident, and he took desk
room somewhere near the Stock Exchange, and
while he made some losses his gains were
greater.
Mr.. Ward had a residence in Brooklyn, while
Mr. Fish, who is a widower, lived over his own
bank in Wall street and he could take the ferry
and be in Brooklyn in few minutes: so it has
been his habit for good while past to go to Mr..
Wards house every morning for breakfast, and
there Ward would canvass business propositions,
and Mr. Fish chiefly disputed orchallenged them.
Generally speaking, the young man, with his
dash and generalship, had his way. Indeed, he
was so generally successful that he proved by
results the contrary in some cases of Mr.. Fish's
predictions
The president of the bank was approaching
the middle of his fourth score of years: he was
sixty-fve while Ward was probably thirty two,
or not one-half his age. Mr.. Fish, with conser-
vative habits, had confined his private attention
to real estate. Now and then Ward would cross
over from his stock affairs and join him in real
estate matter.
The sympathy with General Grant is not only
almost universal, but it is deserved he has not
had more than the most superficial understand
ing of the business concerns of his house. He
has always entertained the belief that his son
Ulysses was an able bus mess man. and how
ever this has been disputed in quiet circles.
General Grant is probably unaware that his
sons business sagacity has ever been questioned.
This simplicity increases the sympathy fc the
ex-President, which is so candid that we do not
even hear much said about the regret with which
his fcllow-citizens have looked upon his connec-
ton with a speculative business.