St. Paul daily globe., 1885-04-04
FAIR GAMBLERS.
L0dtes Who Speculate IN Stocks and Grain
and Sometimes Get Left.


vantage over their sisters in Cleveland. They
have the sweetest little bucket shop in the
world, where tley can go and speculate all
by themselves. 1t is nicely furnished, it is
said and operated by female brokers' Men
are not tolerated, and spinsters who have an
aversion to the sex can confidently go there
without meeting any of the horrid creatures.
! How soon the women of Cleveland will rise
to demand an Office of their own is a ques-
ton for the future to determine. They have
none now. The doors of most of the brokers'
olllces, however, are open to them, and they
lack no opportunity to indulge in the busi-
ness. There was a place, short-lived it
| seems, where the special trade of the women
was recently solicited. During the month OF
feoruary, and early in the present month, the
number OF well-dressed ladies who assembled
the elevator in the Wiltshire block to the fifth
floor and walked back through the corridor to
the last room, No. 81, well chosen and Sc
cluded spot, was quite large. Mr.. G. j. Nc
Knight had paid a months rent, secured
ticker which he adjusted in the room, and
commenced brokerage business under the
name of Mcknight & Co. The "company''
OF the firm is supposed to have been lady
residing in the eastern part of the city, This
lady, who is quite speculator, assisted in
the ONCE and in making things pleasant for
| their lady customers, The trade was BEGIN
| ming to flourish and the customers grew
apace, when sudden calamity befen the es-
tablishment for its doors were closed The
"itherng blight that overlook the business
before it had fairly developed into existence.
is said to have been due to the removal of
the ticker The firm very imprudently began
to deal with several bucket-shops in Cleve-
land, instead of trading direct with the Chi
cago brokers who control the tickers, and for
this infraction of the rules were punished by
the Withholding of quotations. For two
weeks or longer now the atmosphere about
room 81 has been one of oppressive quiet
| and desolation
| SIS the speculation of women on the in
crease in Clevelandr' a reporter asked Mr..
Alexander, at No. 121 Superior street, yester-
day. The broker paused for moment, and
then unhesitatingly said: eyes, it undoubt-
| edly is increasing very greatly. We don't
have any lady customers any more. We
shut down on it several weeks ago, not be
cause we did not want their trade, but be-
cause we have no room where we can do
business with them apart from our other
customers -
land to what class in society do the women
who speculate belong?" continued the ques-
toner.
"Any from Euclid avenue or Prospect
street?''
eff there were / think I would not tell
YOU" said Mr.. Alexander, smiling blandy.
The seeker after knowledge took another
tack. care they usually married women or
single!'' he asked.
The broker reflected little while and then
said: with very few exceptions all the
women who have had transactions with me
are either unmarried or else widows / have
had several married women as customers,
but they usually speculate through their hus-
bands.'
''Ihen, from your experience, married
women are not much given to dealing in
stocks and grain on the sly without the
knowledge or consent of their lords -
''Oh, no, not at ALL" was the very inno-
cent reply.
''Do women make good customers?"
''Well, yes, and as a rule they are very
successful, at least for time, for in the end
l suppose they are no more successful than
men. If they find they are losing they sell
out quicker than men do and do not carry
their deals in the hope of future turn in
the market.''
GLOW do you account for the fact that they
are SO successful?n
''Well, it is hard to say. They have quicker
perceptions than men, and they may help
them"
''Do the brokers as a rule like to trade
with the fairer sex!'
''No, think they do not You see il is
different from dealing with men If the
ladies lose their money, the broker is apt to
think they want their money back. | sup
pose some do expect it.
'Then the disinclination to deal with them
arises from a spirit Of gallantry on the part
Of the broker, and not from a fear that if un-
successful they may demand back their in
vestment."
"Ihat is about it, - said the broker. ''The
women who speculate usually do SO with their
surplus money, which they wish to invest.
They select stocks and grain as a place TO
put it instead of real estate Take the ease
Of our teachers, for instance Many of them
save money every year, and ] have known
several instances of late where a teacher has
bought 200 bushels of grain on margin.n
''You don't mean the teachers in our pub
lie schools!" said the unsophisticated scribe.
opening his eyes in amazement
"Ctrtainly do; why not. Ten wears apo
they put their savings in real estate and lost.
] know several teachers who would like to
sell lots for one-half that they paid for them.
Now they are making Investments in grain
and stocks"
''With better source Of profit, suppose?n
commented the reporter, but he received no
direct reply.
Don't you think it wrong for school teach
ers to deal in marginsP' inquired the visi-
tor, whose moral perceptions had received
quite shock at this disclosure of pedagopic
gambling, but he was answered in the nega-
tive.
"There are thousands OF church people
who are engaged in grain buviug on mar
gins" resumed the broker He laughed
softly 10 himself, and then said suddenly:
why, there was proposition made TO us a
few weeks ago 10 invest the savings of
church society in gain"
"And was the investment made2"
"That don't know" was the sage re-
ply.
''Do the women who trade usually come in
person TO make their dealsp' was the next
inquiry.
''Sometimes they do, but often they make
investments through A friend"
"And does the business exert the same
fascination over women that it does over
menu
ooh. certainly They become interested
IN IT and can't quit It. Yes" he remarked.
a. the reporter was leaving, "there is a great
deal more specuIatlng going on among
women than any one imagines."
BONSY BONNETS