St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-02-02

LE%NAIH women spectators III
,SGJ bc petroleum than any
~ other town, although
49, at one time Bradford
had fair quota. The Globe-Democrat
correspondent learned to day that there
are but three women who still visit the
oil exchange daily, and make
a regular business of toying with
the oily tiger. These ladies' have been
familiar figures about the exchange for
several years, and are all that are left
out of several women spectators. These
ladies do not come on the floor of the eX-
change. and are not. i'll fact, members;
but are in their seats in the ladies' gal
lery as soon as the exchange opens, and
remain tOlerably regularly until the
close, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. They
deal,O course, entirely through brokers.
a nod being a sufficient order for
broker to buy or sell 1,0D0, 5000 or
10000 barrels of oil, as the case may be.
1t is not often that they go beyond a
deal of LOGO barrels, as the ladies who
are left in the eXchange-to put it in
the phraSeology of a brOker-are flying
light" With a few exceptions. the
ladies who have entered the jungles of
the oily tiger have got the worst of it.
The three who still cling to the eX
change are content to deal in 1,000-bar
rel lots, and it is not always they can do
this.
-
A number of ladies prominent in the
charitable organizations and in society
here have been successful spectators
in oil, and two or three of them have
been interested in some large deals.
They were hot regular haOltues OF the
exchange, and were frequent visitors to
the gallery. which is open to the public.
Ali their deals in the market have been
made through brokers. When there
was more activity in the market than
there is at present it was universal
theme of fTeSide gossip. Everybody
speculated in oil, from the minister
down TO the porter in the hotel, and
it is no wonder the ladies fell under
the fascinating spell of the bull
ring" as the penike place where
the deals are made on change is called.
During the exciting times i'll the market
il has been discussed quite as much in
the drawing room as in the counting
room. In the system of specializing i'll
oil the persons of small capital and no
capital at all have not been overlooked,
and the servant girl is given an Oppor
tunity to ''take a flyer in Ol'' if she is so
inclined. During one big whIrl in t e
Cherry Grove field. 1t was well known
that a large number of servant girls lost
their little bundle along with the big
fellows. This was the most disastrous
panic the oil country ever knew, and it
marked to great extent the end OF
specializing by women. SO many of
them lost all their money that only a
limited numberof them TO nave had the
courage to venture back to the specula-
tive whirlpool.
The history of one woman'S specuIa-
lions in the Oil City exchange is cur
ious. Her husband had been in bust
ness in the oil country for several years,
and had accumulated cOnSi cradle prop
erIy, in all worth about $4,000. He con-
cluded to go West, and went to several
of the Western cities TO look around for
an investment. He had effected sale
of his property before leaving Oil City,
and his wife remained behind to
settle up some details. collect pay
ments not yet due, and join him in
the West, where they were to make their
future home. The woman collected the
money, and, doubtless. wishing so carry
a pleasant surprise to her husband, she
put the money into the oil market to
snake turn" The turn went the
wrong way and she lost. In the hope
of getting it back she made other in
VestmentS with the usual result. 1t
was not long before she had lost every
carry TO her husband. Ii was some
time before she ventured to break the
news of her folly to her husband, and
this she did only after he had written
repeatedly for her to come on with the
money. AT last she told him the story
of her loss in the oil market, where
she had gone in the hope of doub-
ling their money. The husband had
taken enough with him to buy small
farm, and with this he was cOntented to
begin the business of mOnev-getting
over again, but his wife refused to share
his lot until she had restored to him the
money she had lost. She declined to go
West, but remained in Oil City in the
hope of recovering her lost fortune.
This was ten years ago, and the
woman is still daily attendant in the
gallery of the oil exchange. She has
had varying luck, but has never got
loss to her husband, or anything like it,
The Globe-Democrat correspond
ent was told that in this
time she las several times
been reduced to the extremity of doing
the work of servant. When she
would get enough money together to
buy put or ''calP' she would again
try her luck in the market. She always
dresses in solemn black, and evidently
has but one purpose in life-namely, t.
recover the money she foOlishly risked
in oil and restore it to her husband
There is not much likelihood that she
will ever succeed. Her husband con.
tinues to urge her to abandon her self
imposed task and join him Old his farm
III The West. but she resolutely refuses
to do so. He has made two or three
trips to Oil City to prevail upon
her to give up the market, but
she cannot be shaken from her purpose
She says she is in it for the money she
lost or for her life. She lives in the
most frugal manner, even when making
some money, hut the chances are re-
mote of her ever recovering her losses
Her dealings recently have been in {
very small way, and she barely make:
enough to support herself.
-"
In contrast with this sad case, severa
other women in OIL City have at differ
ent times made considerable sums OF
money in the market. One lady, WIKI
lives on the south side, who had money
in her own right. went into the market
against her husbands protest, anC
made a snug little fortune. 1t is under
stood that she has never entirely giyeI
up the pleasure of speculation, ana oc
casionally takes "a flyer" one OF tat
successful oil companies in the Bradf0rt
field was composed entirely of ladies o
Bradford and jamestown, Ny. Thi:
company never went inIo the specu
lative market. but attended solely to the
producing part of the business. They