The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-10-23
AN INDIANA PROPHET.
Wall Street Spectators Studying lsenners
Predictions.

Crotiuts Letter.
Who is Bonner, the Indiana farmer Why
| don't you Western newspapers that havHt any
thing else to do ind out and let US knowf Ben
ners Predictions" queer little book with fan
! tasttc cover. is making sensation in New York.
| The book stand at the Windsor Hotel has sold
200 copies of it in two months. Some Of our
most successful spectators are said to be gov
erned by it OF all the bears who made their
| pile year ago in the fall of stocks, Cammack is
about the only one of them all who had sense
enough to go out at the right time, and so he
| held his own. WoeriSchotfer Clews anu others
kept il the current and bet their pile a raise
in July and August and lost it-lost all they had
taken out of Jay Could, Vanderbilt and the
Northern Pacific, and more, too Cammack
SAYS he went out last spring because Benner
| told him to- He claims that Benner actually did
predict correctly the financial variations of the
last eight years in his book printed In 1876 and
! he pins his faith on Benners new predictions as
follows
lower prices. 1SS5A little imoroveisent; railroad
stocks higher. 1SS6-Renewed depression, stocks
| lower. lSS7-1he same. lSSS-Presidential year,
hard times business prostrated banks falling stocks
at lowest pont upward turn of affairs this year.
| 1SS9-NOw for boom! 1S90-(ireat activity and
| 1898, 1894 1895. 1896 lS97-Dull years and poor
! trade 1898 and 1S99-Good trade, active BUSINESS
century winds up an height Of speculative era.
Benner claims that trade moves in cycles and
! that hard times have struck us about once in ten
years on average. One ,Jevons some years
| since published volume OF Independent OBJ
| servations in England, in which he claimed thai
| there are trade cycles about once in 10 45-ten
and half years-and declares that trade has
reached climax III the following named years:
l70l, I'LL 1921, 1872, 1742 1888, l76 1872, 1883,
1893, 1905 1915, 1925, 1887, 1S47 1887, 1866. Il
is claimed that the period of the spots CORE
spends with this period of financial collapse, and
is directly the cause of it, by reducing the guam
tity and quality of the earths harvest
Besides inquiring Mr. Cammack's opinion,
have asked other prominent fnanciers about the
book Edward Tuck of the Long Island rail-
road, said:
got "Benner's Prophecies, and have read it. 1t
is ve4y curious. wish l knew who Bennet was,
and whether he las ever profted by his theories.
AS his prophecy is based ON science it Is of course,
possible that there may be something in it. There
| really seems to have been periodieity about our
panics during this century at least though they have
also, who predicts the same theory.
Cyrus w Field told me.
Haven't seen the book. Don't want to see it. Don't
believe in prophecies.
| Jay Gould said:
haven't the book but have heard of it. If the
author believes in it, let him bring money To
| Wall street and test it, There young
here some years ago-dont you recolect hn-COn
! ner-who said he had this business down fine. He
wanted me to study his scientific system of predicting
future events. L hadn't times but he put 800 600
INTO W all street on margins suppose he made some
mistake IN his calculations, from what heard after
\ ward
Russell Sage told me:
| Yes, have read it. Cammaek sent me copy:
don't believe much in it though there may possibly
be something in it. shall not speculate on it yet
awhile.
| John G. Moore said:
have invested in the little book and read it. 1t IS
worth thinking about. There must be some reason
for the curious analoges that through it, but
| shan't buck against the market it yet. On the
whole prefer wait till the conjectures re
duced to system. BY the way, is Benner related in
any way to Vennor! Is it not curious that tine
! prophets should have names that rhymel But can
be named Fenner and Jennerl don't believe we
| could be certain of it.