Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-12-03

private cars to places where milder air and
the absence of business excitement might
be expected to work a recuperation of his
energies. Frequent reports during the
past few weeks as to his feeble condition
were received, but were either deprecated
or denied by those near him.
| Mr. Gould was born IN West Settlement,
a backwoods village of Roxbury, Delaware
county, New York, Nav %, 1886. He was
the son of John B. Gould, q farmer, who
was fairly well to do and who had been q
! deputy sheriff in the famous anti-rent war
in the early thirties. Young Gould was also
a cousin TO Alfred Gould, the inventor OF
the chain well pump, and was closely con-
nected with the MOres, a prominent Scotch
\ family. His mother died when he was an
/ infant. Mr. Gould left home with fifty
cents in his pocket, and studied at Hobart
Academy in neighb boring town. Here he
/ turned an extra penny by keeping the
books of the village blacksmith, eventually
enjoying a brief partnership in the
business. He was fond of mathematics,
and on leaving school found employment in
making surveys for q map Of Ulster coun-
ty at a salary of $40 per month. The cor
rectness of the work attracted the atten-
| tion Of John De Lafeld, who applied to the
| Legislature TO authorize amap OF the State
| TO be made, In which Mr.. Gould would
I
have a prominent part of the work. The
work failed, owing TO the death Of the pro-
moter, and Mr.. Gould having gained three
or four thousand dollars through his
previous maps and surveys, wrote "His-
/ tory Of Delaware County," AfUer an un-
successful attempt TO push the sale or a
patent mouse trap which he had invented,
Mr.. Gould entered into partnership with
Zadoc Pratt in the tannery business
in Pennsylvania at a place known as
GouldsborO. In 1856 the patent was sold
and Gould came to New York with quite
an addition to his fortune. He entered
into business with Chas. D. LeuppS, a
leather merchant. In the panic Of 1857,
Leupps' capital was wrecked, but Gould
managed to come through without severe
loss. Gould's father-in-law, MIR. Miller,
initiated the young fnancier into the rail-
road business and sold him a number OF
shares in the Rutland & Washington Rail
road at 10 cents on the dollar. Gould
showed so much interest in the road that
he was soon elected President and Gen
eral Manager and finally consolidated it
with the Rensselaer, & Saratoga Railraad.
When the stock went up Gould sold out at
handsome profit.
In 1859 Jay Gould entered Wall street as
broker. He established a small private
ing year he entered the firm of Smith 81
Martin and became expert in handling Of
railroad securieties. During the civil war
Erie railway stock went down to bed rock,
and Gould bought 1t for song. He allied
himself with Daniel Drew and prevented
Commodore Vanderbilt from cornering the
Erie interest. Gould rapidly became the
leading spirit Of the Erie Railroad. In
July, 1861, Gould was made President of
the road. He also purchased a controlling
interest in the Tenth National Bank. Erie
shareholders brought suit to restrain the
directors from issuing any more stock.
The cOmplainants asked for the appoint
ment of a receiver. The request was
granted by the appointment of jay Gould
himself. With the consent of Judge Bar
nard Gould bought and Cancelled 200
shares. A corner was engineered in Erie
stock about this time, and in one day its
price rose from 30 to go. A panic was
averted by the action of the Secretary Of
Treasury who released enough money for
the sub treasury to relieve the strain.
Erie Immediately fell from 60 to ~, and it
was thought Gould was ruined, but he
was able TO weather the storm. Continued
efforts were made by Gould's opponents
TO oust him and his faction from Erie con-
troll and he was deposed from the presi-
dency and John A. Hix elected in his stead.
Gould still remained one of the directors.
An attempt was made by Gould in 1869 TO
corner all the gold in the country. Fifty
millions Of dollars was the prize aimed at.
The price of gold in March of that year was
1907, the lowest in three years. Gould
bought 81 600, 600 worth at l32 and put up
the price to l4O. A few days later gold rose
TO IA. On September "a, the famous
"Black Friday" Gould unloaded his hold
ings and SOLD large part Of his gold at 160
A little before noon an order came from
washington to sell $4,00O,000 of gold from
the suO-treasury. The corner collapsed
and hundreds Of business men and specu-
lators were ruined.
OF Mr.. Gould's career since he began to
operate in Wall street, columns might be
written, were the story not pretty well
known 10 the public. Suffice it to say that
from the time he went into Wall street,
Gould forged straight ahead; there was no
going back, and but little standing still.
Line after line of railroads fell under the
control of this man, whom other tnanciers
called the 'WiZard" of Wall street, until
thousands upon thousands of miles Of rail-
road were to all intents and purposes his
own. With a single move in the stock
market he could affect financial matters
not only in every city in this country, but
in London. Paris and Vienna as well.
He turned his attention 10 the tele-
graphic system Of the country, and did not
rest until he had a monopoly Of that, and
controlled the Atlantic cable as well Was
this euoughl Not at all. There were ele-
waited railroads in New York city repre-
seating millions in money. Here was more
work TO the hand of this remarkable man,
and in the end this system, too, passed
under his direction.
Talk OF Aladdin's lamp 1t was but g
dull, rusty affair placed alongside the light
of this mans genius. There is nothing in
fact or fiction since Adam delved for liv-
ing that can rival the plain, straightfor-
ward story Of this mans life 1t IS simply
UNPARALLELED. There has never been any
thing like il, and good hgurerS say there is
never likely to be again.
Mr.. Gould married when he was a young
man. and was always domestic in his hab-
its. He loved his family and home more
than most men do to-day. Society he cared
nothing for, and paid little attention to il.
Though he paid for box in the MetropOh-
tan Opera House, he was seen there but
rarely. He attended the theatres at times,
but not with any regularity. He never, so
far as known, expressed any high
annreciation of high arts, of music,
the drama, or literature, although
he did write a history of Delaware county
that is regarded with favor by collectors of
rare and curious books.
The fnancier had always had liking
f,r fine flowers. He spent large amount
Of money on beautiful flowers aud rare
plants for his hOthouses ana gardens st
Thrrvtown, and some very fine specimens
of fOrchids have been developed there, But
in the main Mr.. Gould lived more plainly
than many men whose income is less than
SlO0. 600 year.
ne has had his hands full of business at
an times. But he has never been mig
qt,rdly. Like most other business men he
could not be his own almoner. AS he
said, while his wife was alive she dis
,fF9SS1+sd his money for him, and did ii
49, hand sas many know. Then