Wichita eagle., 1888-05-13
BOYS OF WALL STREET.
PRECOcIOUS YOUNGSTERS WHO
SPECULATE ON THE SLY.
Story of the Broker and His Office Boy.
Running Baby Bucket Shop-Hew
Youth Became a Regular Gsmbler-Sad
Tales of Ruined Boys.

There is nothing Wall street man is SO
opposed to as speculation when 1t is INDUCED
in by his help or his relatives. He lives by
it, but it is forbidden to all who are dependent
on him or who serve him. The other day a
broker, who is junior partner in one of the
principal houses on Wall street. became sus-
picious that one of the office boys was
trading" as the Wall street folks politely
call gambling He liked the boy, and thinks
/ him one of the brightest lads that he ever
saw so that he determined to make an effort
/ to catch him breaking the rule against trad
ing, and to warn him that if any other
member Of the firm ever caught him at tie
practice he would have to lose his place The
question was how to expose the lad, but an
opportunity was speedily offered. A Gus
toner came in while the boy was writing at
desk.
The customer said: Central pretty livelyg'
! Instantly the boy dropped his pen and
asked; "What is it now."
lone hundred and nineteen" said the Gus
toner.
Then the broker saw his chance. "What
did you buy at, Billys" he inquired Of the
boy.
Before the boy had taken time to think of
the confession he was making he replied:
lone hundred and fifteen, sir" He was SO
pleased at having made profit of four points
on his trade that the words slipped from him.
''Now I've got you, Billy" sad the broker;
ego and sell out and quit specializing for aS
long as you remain with this house. The
next time you're caught at it you'll have
to 60"
a BABY BUCKET SHOP.
In another Office it was noticed that all the
Office boys were in the habit of collecting
around the ticker whenever their elders were
not looking over the tape, and that they
whispered great deal whenever they were
there together. One of their employers
called them all before him one day, and, on
cross examining them, discovered that the
eldest and brightest of them was running a
baby bucket shop on his account, with one
cent a point as the standard of value in
stead of 81 as on Change, and had in
itiated all his associates in the full mystery
of stock gambling. They We're trading long
and short, and initiating, on microscopic
scale, the operations of the customers of the
Office, some taking bulls as their models, and
some betting with the bears. The baby
bucket shop keeper was exacting tiny pre-
MUM on profits and scooping in the losses
quite like an adult. He was discharged and
the rest were made to promise that they would
never transgress again.
One of the shrewdest and quickest boys
that ever turned up in Wall street obtained
place in a German banking house as an office
boy at IS week less than three years ago.
He does not get more than IS or $40 now,
but in the meantime he has grown to be II or
IS years old, and has become such a figure
that the best way to describe his appearance
is to say that he dresses like John Bloodgood
Like the garments of that leader Of fashion
and popular broker, his clothes are always
neat and chosen with genteel taste, being
made of the costiiest materials, cut to fit as
fluid fits whatever it fills, and yet never
gaudy or loud. Last Tuesday met this boy
and asked him how he was getting along.
''Oh nicely" said he, Though 1 had bad
week of it. I dropped 81 200 on wheat"
NOW ONE OF THEM
A little questioning brought out the fact
that the boy had begun, as all others do, By
small dickering in bucket shops, based on
what was said or done in the Office where he
worked. By putting the bucket shop win
nings by and combining with another youth
on a good tip or two he had gathered capital
enough to make regular trade on the stock
market. That had turned out well, and he
had then become a regular gambler on
change. Viewing this case in one way, the
bucket shop was certainly to blame for
making a gambler of him, but he got his
points from the legitimate gamblers and is
now one of them, and as good as any OF them
as long as he wins and his employer doesn't
find him out
But the stories that are being told to in
fuence the public against the small quota
ton peddler do not stop within any such
limits as those narrated. They contain tales
of rich bankers and brokers driving about at
midnight to this house and that and begging
men to surrender checks cashed during that
day for hayward son who has forged to
get money to meet trading losses, and who
has then become frightened and confessed to
the rich father ere the exposure OF the next
day came They include tales of petty thefts
by some clerks, and of the running of homes
by others, who have got the fever without
the money to feed it.-New York Cor Bos-
ton Herald.
Women Are Growing Larger.
women are certainly larger than they
used to be-" said a dressmaker yesterday
What makes you think sof' was the