The Delta independent., 1888-01-17
THAT WALL ST. NAPOLEON.
Bill Nye Descants Upon Young
Ives's Ideas in Finance.


acquired is Il healthy sign, and the de-
sire of the press rs well as the people
to investigate the parlor magic and fun
ny business by which man can buy
two millions of dollars worth of stock
in the Aurora Borealis without paving
for IT, stick quill in it and initiate the
stock to twenty millions. then borrow
thirty-iye millions on the new stock by
booming it, make an assignment, bust
and slide iifty-pound ledger up his
sleeve, is most gratifying.
For the benefit and entertainment of
those who still believe that the Sunday
paper is not an engine of destruction,
and for the consideration of those who
may have been kept away from church
on this summer Sabbath morning by
sickness or insomnia, let us turn for a
moment to the thoughtful scrutiny of
Mr.. Henry S. Ives, the Young Napoleon
of Wall street.
In the first place, Mr. Ives has done
nothing new. Starting out, no doubt,
with Mr.. Gould as his model, he has
kept up the imitation even to the loss
of memory and blighted powers of re-
calling the past during an investiga-
tion. q use Mr.. Gould's name simply
rs an illustration-for have no special
antipathy towards Mr.. Gould.) Person
ally we are friendly. He made his
money by means of his comatose
memory and flabby integrity. while l
made mine by means of earnest. hon
est toll and lurid Imagination.
But in the case of Mr.. Ives, the
gentle, polite failure to remember, the
earnest desire not to tell lie or a any,
thing else, the courteous and obtrusive
effort to avoid being 100 positive about
anything that would assist anybody in
ascertaining anything-all. all remind
the close student of Mr. Jay Gould.
The conversation during the invest-
CATION for one day ran something like
this:
'Mr. Ives. did you in making your
assignment turn over all the books con-
nected with your business?"
did you mean my lbrary?.
mo; the books of account the day
book, cash book, ledger, &C., &C."
"Ohr'
"I ask if you turned over all such
books on the date of your assignment"
Il could hardly tell that. At least
would only swear on information and
belief.
''Well,to the best of your knowledge
and belief, did you turn over those
books at that timep"
II think l did, but am not positive
as to the date
"What makes you think you did?"
Because l did frequently turn tho
books over, in order to see how they
looked on the other side"
"Mr. Ives, we find that several of
the more important books connected
with your office and the firm of Henry
S. Ives & Co. are missing. Do you
know where they are'"
''No. / do not"
Were they in your Office prior to
your assignment"
Yes. they were there, according to
the best OF my knowledge and belief,
up to the time that they were not
there"
'Have you any idea. Mr.. Ives, where
those books are nowp"
''No. sir; only in a general way"
'.How do you mean in general
wayp"
''Well, 1 mean that 1 know only in
what might be called general way"
"Well, Mr.. Ives, will you state then,
in general way, where those books
are nowe'
'Yes, sir; they are elsewhere"
"What makes you say they are else
where. Mr.. Ives?"
because they are not there"
'.Well. now, will you tell us whether
you removed those books from the
Office of II. S. Ives & Co. or not7"
''Dou ask me to answer that question
personality"
'.Yes."
''Do you wish a verbal answer or
would you rather have it in writingp"
'.Answer orally
swell, then, did not, to my knowl-
edge.
''Would you have been apt to know
Of 1t if you had taken them away your
selfe''
''Well. only in a general way"
'.Would you have known about it If
any one else had taken them away?'
Il think 1 would. but l might not.
There was great deal of passing
along our street, and they may have
been taken while / was looking out of
the window, waiting till the crowds
rolled by
And SO Mr.. Irves continued to shed
information upon the inquiring mind
in a courteous and opaque manner that
must have endeared him to all.
Mr.. Irves has in no transaction
shown himself SO thoroughly shrewd as
he did when he swapped doubtful rep
utation for large sum of money. The
only wonder is that there were SO
many men who wanted TO invest in that