The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1886-01-08
A CLASS OF WORKERS.
OPERATIONS OF PRIVATE News
MoNGERS IN THE CAPITAL.
People who Gather Information and Sell
1t to Private IndIviduais-A Mar
ket for This Kind of Talent
Sharp Practice.

Washington Cor. Boston Traveller
There is one class of workers in Washing.
ton who are present everywhere and yet
whose calling, while som times suspected,
is never known for an absolute certainty
Such people 60 through the departments
from day To day, and gather Information OF
various kinl' ami sell it to whoever will
purcha it. This class does not include the
men who earn precarious living by col
iectins outsid, Information for the purpose
Of disposing Of it to the newspaper corrs-
spondents for Pc uniary consideration,
but is distinct set, whose interests are an
tagoni,tic to the correspondents Their in
formation IS for the private ami not for the
public ear. Nearly every day man with
a heavy gray beard usually dressed with
extreme neatnesS. even approaching to ele-
gance, comes down street and enters the
treasury. He is universally known, but
there is probably not one man in 100 in
w shington who knows his business
GAINING INSIDE INFORMATION.
He is suave, polite, and genial. but he
permits no one outside of a certain sacred
circle to gain his confidence. Some people
look upon him with suspicion. but p rson-
ally he lis every inch gentleman. His
business is the gathering OF information i'll
relation to customs decisions. He is main
tainei here in good style, fact which
shows that his services are valuable to his
employers, and it is said that he has become
quite wealthy. AT any rate. he was poor
man when he came to Washington, and
now there are none of the comforts and but
few of the luxuries of life which he does
not enjoy. His pred ecessor died, leaving
quite a sum Of money behind him. which
by no means represented the extent of his
income as he was in the ha bit of living at
the rate of $4,000 year at the least calcu-
lation. The present incumbent is said to
be very successful in gaining inside infor-
nation su fficently in advance to enable the
dealer to profit immensely.
There are several men who look after the
liquor. beer, and tobacco interests in the
International revenue bureau. Oilers look
out for tine tobacco men, and few com.
bine all three. Upon either OF these topics
good rouni sum can always be obtained
for reliable information. The interior de-
partm snt is also kept under sharp surveil-
lance by these people. Anything affecting
the railroa interests is matter from which
they invariably reap rich harvests. The
greater part of this class are men who have
been here for years. Their entire stock in
trade is their acquaintance, and they work
it for all it is worth. No new man could
come here and avoid making blunders
which would be disastrous to his employers
There is market for this kind OF talent
and it evidently pays well, as there are
more men engaged in it at the present time
than ever before
AN AGENTS SHARP DEAL.
An incident was related to your corres-
pondent few days ago which shows that
one of these agents has his eye teeth cut, to
say the least By some means or other he
became informed that certain decision had
been agresd upon bJ tic United States
supreme court This decision would affect
the stock of one of the Pacific railroads.
which was then booming skyward under
the influ nee of strong bull market He
wasn't SURE when the decision woull be
promulgated, and he didn't care to risk any
of his own money upon it. Tho first thing
he did was to go to broker and tell him
about the decision. He said that he wouldn't
ask cent for the information, but would
call it square If the broker would sell short
2,5u0 shares of the railroad stock and
divide the profits with him. The broker
accepted the terms. Then the agent went
to broker No. and told him the same
story with the addition that he knew that
he knew that the decision would not
be made public for two weeks, and that it
was good chance to jump in and out ON
both sides of the market. He con.
vinced broker No. 2, AMI he also bought
$500 shares, the profits OF which he agreed
to divide with the enterprising agent In
the meantime the stock doomed and doomed,
and when it had reached its highest notch,
broker No 2 disposed Of his stock, and sold
the same amount short.
While this was going on broker No was
in a fearful state OF mind. Tne agent had
his confidence ard from day to day gave
him such cconfirmatory information that
he decided to hold on. Hs had to remargin,
but that didn't lessen his grip In a day or
two afterwari the decision was made and
the crash cams. The stock got a black eye
and tumhled down and down, until the 'peo-
pie who held it thought it never would stop
Then both brokers closed their accounts and
divided with the agant. In two weeks he
had cleared over $4,000. The beauty OF
his position Yves that he couldn't lose. No
matter what turn tle stock took he was
bound to win, but owing to his shrewdness
and foresight he protited by both turns
There have been in :tances Of similar ma
tare here, but this is the only one up to date
where the agent pu!le both parties out at a
,.rofit to himself and to them.