The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-15
WOMEN AS PLUNGERS.
HOW THEY MAKE BIG DEALS IN
GRAIN AND STOCKS,

A1OH sf'S Nit'SeASO ~'Stto AsCSOIUs
= Above the shouting throng that whirls
and huddles about the pit in the open board
of trade building on Pacific avenue nestles
A quiet little Office in which the sound of the
ticker and telegraph instrument are only
broken by the low chatter Of women, an
occasional laugh and a half smothered sob.
Il is the bucket shop Of John FL. Schofield.
Only women patrons are permitted to deal
there, aud there women are respectable,
many being the wives of prominent south
side business men and not a few active
church workers. A publication of their
names would be arevelatIon. Well dressed
well fed, they crowd the space between the
blackboard and the mantel from o'clock
In the afternoon, fifty strong, Watching
with keen eye and cool brain the fluctua-
tons of both grain and stock markets.
Yesterday was lively day on the board
Of trade and stock exchange, and the quota
tons were photographed on the blackboard
as soon as the pencil marks were made upon
the sheets of the brokers who deal In the
actual grain. Orders to buy or sell came
promptly. Profits were taken with merry
twinkle of an eye and losses paid with q
tear.
COMlNG HIN Way
"Wheat's up to SSl Goody, goodyl m
me-m-m !" Two neatly-gloved hands
patted enthusiastically and two neatly
booted feet tapped the carpeted floor ia con-
cert. The exclamation and accompanying
pantomime was uttered by medium sized
woman under bonnet and veil, who occu-
pied a chair directly in front of the chalk
marks under July wheat. The price had
advanced from S45s cents. the opening, to
So cents at almost bound. Beside
the excited dealer sat school
teacher, her face showing the care
of more than thirty winters and her hair
hanging in curls upon her shoulders after
the style Of half century ago. The school
MAIN looked glumly at the chalk marks
and walked away from her excited neigh
Dor. All faces turned toward the only
dealer in the house who had bought July
wheat. They were study. The ex-
pressions ranged from defiance down past
jealousy to pure admiration. The girls
marked on and the ticker clattered away.
The ''lopgn hurried to the desk and col
lected the profits of a 81 cent raise, less the
commission on 10 coo bushels of wheat.
That woman was a member of Owen T..
Nturray's Wabash Avenue Methodist
church, so the proprietor of the bucket-shop
said.
With her head resting In her hand and
her elbow upon the back OF chair sat the
wife Of a south side physician, and peeping
from the folds of her comfortable wrap Tas
the white end of a Woman's Christian
Temperance Union badge. Mr.. Schofeld
volunteered the information that she was
short" and that her profits were slipping
away. when the market touched SO she
sold 1t short and remargiued what she had
bought at 50 cents. By closing time she
will be even, one way or the other. These
women are sharper than the men, as a rule,
and take their Losses with as little fuss.
There are exceptions, Of course. One of the
dissatisfied was Mrs. A. r. Kurtz, who had
me arrested on a charge Of ENLIGHTENMENT
last Tuesday"
PROMINENT WOMEN DEALING.
Among the other 'plungers" on the min
iature board was a woman who is said to be
a near relative of Potter Palmer. She was
neatly dressed in dark blue woolens and
wore jaunty hat over profusion of black
hair, twisted into tasty couture. Her
dealings were in corn. Another, said to be
a woman who has real estate Office on the
west side, was an anxious watcher Of July
pork. Well back toward the wall sat
woman with head bent down. In one hand
was a pencil, poised half way between her
face and a pad Of paper on her knee.
Suddenly her hand began to shake, then
darted down upon the pad. "Sell wheat"
was written in a scrawly hand. The infor-
nation, she alleged, came from one of the
deceased Rothschilds. The woman hurried
to the window and sold 10000 bushels of
July wheat at So cents A number of others
followed her example, placing implicit faith
in the tips" the splrtualist was supposed
to receive.
MOST OF THE WOMEN ARE BEARS.
Nearly all the women are bears on the
Market" continued Mr. Sch0feld, who
n and his
ing his clerks to do the business over the
counter Mr.. Schofeld was dressed In a
neat-htting cutaway Of black material, his
expansive shirt-front decked out with O
fve-cluster diamond pin. His hair, which
is inclined TO the "sandyn order. curls up
over big head firmly set upon massive
shoulders. "They go over into the board of
trade offices and get tips, then hurry back
and sell, u he said. mime times out of ten
they are following Ed Pardridge; some of
shem l know get their information direct
from his otficen
81 deal IN stocks altogether" said one OF
group surrounding a ticker near the
window. Sometimes | buy and sometimes
sell, just as | think things are going. Chi
cago. Burlington and Quincy, Wheeling,
Reading and whisky are my favorites.
Many deal in grain and stocks both, but l
am satisfied with a lively day on Change"
By inquiring it was found that whisky"
or as 1t is known to the shareholders
American Distilling and Cattle Feeding
Association, was q favorite stock, the prices
tluctuating sufficiently to make moderate
profits or small losses. Chicago, Burling-
ton and Quincy was active, between 994
when 1t opened and 6S4 the closing point.
July corn had it's frieuds and q number of
women were carrying fat pocket books as q
result of recent corner on the regular
market.
Once In awhile a woman gets In here
who Is IN desperate straits and wants to
never take their trades. Not long ago a
young and handsome woman came to me
with $50 in gold-every cent she had. L
am hard up she said, and l want to put
this where it will be doubled You cannot
do it here, | said. Nothing less than $3.50
goes She turned away and at the door
was met by a long-haired shark, who offered
to invest her money on the open board down.
stairs. In half an hour sac came back In
tears. She had lost her all In five minutes
40 was raised among the women in here
and she went away wiser for her lesson"
Mr.. Schoheld's office force consists of two
clerks and two markers One Of the clerks
sings in the choir at the w abash Avenue
Methodist Episcopal church and one Of the
markers is a member of Rev. Owen E.
Murray's congregation. Mr. Schoield lays
emphasis upon this acquisition to prove the
responsibility OF his establishment he also
asserts that he requires each new customer
70 give satisfactory reference before she is
allowed to trade.