Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1892-12-08

been greatly criticised he succeeded in
gratifying his greatest mbition-amassing
the most colossal fortune ever accumu-
lated by one man.
He was born on May q, 1896, near the
little town of Roxbury, in Delaware coun-
ty, this state
His father, John B. Gould, was the
owner of a small farm. He married three
times, and his first wife, jays mother,
died in 1S41. The boy was christened Jason,
and he was known by his full name until
he was nearly twenty years old, when he
changed it to Jay.
In his earliest days little Jason used to
tend his fathers cows. He did not like
farming, however, and when he was ten
years old he began to walk fifteen miles to
the nearest school and started out Sunday
nights, returning on Saturday. There he
soon learned to read, write and figure. At
fourteen he became a clerk in country
grocery, but he studied at night and soon
determined to become a surveyor. During
this period his genius for driving sharp
bargains began to develop itself. In one
case he overreached his employer in small
real estate deal, which is said to have cost
him his position.
He Goes to New York.
Gould came to New York in 1853 with an
ingenious mouse trap which he had invent
ed and which he intended to exhibit and
perhaps dispose of. He got into horse
car, placing his package on the seat. A
thief who imagined it might contain val
uables tried to run away with it, but Jay
caught him.
The invention was not a success, and Jay
went back into the country and made his
living at surveying for several years. Dur
ing this time he made the acquaintance of
Zadoc Pratt, of Prattsville, who owned the
largest tannery in the state. Gould be
came Pratt's partner and made COnsidera-
BILE money and, it is alleged, ruined a
leather merchant named Leupp, who ad-
vanced him money. Leupp became hope
lessly involved in bankruptcy and shot
himself in his magnificent house on Madi-
son avenue.
Gould engaged in his first railway enter
prise in 1857, when he bought the bonds
of the Rutland and Washington railroad
at ten cents on the dollar. He sold out
afterward at a fair profit.
Between 1859 and 1860 Jay Gould first
began to blossom out in Wall street.
Within very short time he was in the
front rank. His chief characteristic was
his cautiousness and reserve. He made
friends with very few and was the enemy
of most of his associates in speculation.
The first great scheme in which Gould be-
came interested after he entered Wall street
was the gobbling of the Erie railroad.
Erie was then one of the active stocks. He
began by dabbling in it and finally became
its controlling spirit in 1861 His acquaint-
ance with James Fisk, Jr, began several
years previous, and the two made one of
of the strongest teams Wall street has ever
known.
When Fisk and Gould went into Erie
Daniel Drew was the controlling spirit.
and the Erie deal originated in a war be-
tween Drew and Commodore Vanderbilt
The latter wanted to get hold of Erie. He
bought at every opportunity. Drew, Fisk
and Gould laid plans to defeat him, Gould
engineering the scheme, Securities were
issued by the bushel, and then Vanderbilt
resorted to litigation. Injunctions were
obtained to prevent Drew from issuing
stock.
Vanderbilt Loses 100000
Finally an issue of $4,000 shares of Eric
was authorized This settled Vanderbilt
and he retired from the fight with loss oi
S7,000,0O0. Warrants were issued for the
arrest of Drew, Fisk, Gould and the otheI
directors of Erie, but they escaped by flee
ing to Jersey City with the securities. II
is said that 81, 600, 600 were carried over the
ferry in one coach Erie was then incorpo
rated in New Jersey and New York legis
lators were bribed, it is said, to legalize the
new issue of $4,000 shares of stock. PeteI
b. Sweeney. as receiver of Erie. got Sl50, ,0Ot