The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-12-03
GoULD's COUNTRY RESIDENCE.

deposit vault and bring his securities
Before dispatching Morosini he invited
the Wall street reporters and half
dozen bankers to come and see for them
selves whether he "had gone broke"
Morosini, gigantic Italian, who fought
with Garibaldi, had to make several
trips before he could fetch all the
wealth. AT last it was all there and
spread out for inspection. There were
fifty-three millions of stocks and bonds
in face value, and they were of that
character which money lenders call gilt
edged. He had in addition $50, ,00O, 900
worth Of lower grade stocks,
Mr.. Gould confessed that he had been
borrower, but the banks held collat-
erals for all his loans. His tactics sur
prised his opponents. 1t was SO foreign
from anything this secretive man had
ever done before that they could not un-
stand it. But none of them believed
that Mr.. Gould was bankrupt. This was
about 1880 He must have had at least
$70,000,O 600 then.
Hisfirst venture in Rutland and Wash
ington was exactly on the lines which
he has pursued proftably for many
years. His next essay in railroading,
however, was on larger scale, and it
attracted to him the widest possible pub
liC dbttllJlOH Ever SluCB lIbu Hb lltt5
been one the most notable actors in
American affairs.
1t was in the capture and administra-
ton of the affairs of the Erie Railway
company that we first see him in COM
pany with the picturesque jim Fisk and
Daniel Drew. 1t was in this affair that
ne fled to Jersey City with q printing
press and rendered old Commodore Van
derbilt impotent, for all his millions. 1t
was as an officer of this company that he
participated in the speculations in gold
which precipitated the great financial
crisis known as BLACK Friday" When
Commodore Vanderbilt tried to get con-
troll of the stock of the company Fisk,
Gould and Daniel Drew-the famous
Erie triumvirate-calm ordered more
stocks and bonds to be printed, and the
supply was simply inexhaustible.
His favorite method was to buy two
or three Improbable properties at very
low prices, unite them into one larger
company, and upon the consolidated
property issue bonds and stocks and offer
1t to the public. Mr. Gould started a
company which began paralleling the
lines between large cities of the Western
Union and cutting rates. The profits of
the big company We're seriously impaired
and the stock declined in the market.
Suddenly 1t was announced that Gould
had acquired controlling interest in
Western Union. The two companies
were consolidated and Gould has re-
tanned control. His fayorite properties
seem to be Western Union and Missouri
Pacific His fortune is estimated at any
where from one hundred to two hundred
millions of dollars.
The firm of brokers, w. E. Connor &
Co., with which Mr.. Gould had been
associated as q special partner, and to
which his son George and his man of all
work, Morosini belonged as active part
ners, was dissolved and Jay Gould and
his son retired. His offices were now
removed to more spacious quarters in
the Western Union building, and since
then, except when one of his various
properties has been attacked, Wall
street has not known him as specu-
lator. Since 1881 and 1889 Gould has
found enough to do to look after the
vast properties which by this time he
had acquired.
Mr.. Gould's marriage was a love
match, and the affectionate relations
lasted till Mrs. Gould died in 1888.
Neither Mr.. nor Mrs. Gould appeared
ever to have had any social aspirations