The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-09-25
YARNS ABOUT GOULD.
INCIDENTS SHOWING CHARAC-
TERISTICS OF THE FINANCIER.

He Avoided Newspaper Men, but a Den
yer Reporter Trapped Him Once--Sent
One Man to Jim Keene--How He
Learned That Whiskey Was a Bad
Surveyor.
There was nothing he detested more
than newspaper notoriety. He used to
dodge reporters, and only one of them,
as far as known, aver fairly outWitted
him. Fred SkIff, the city editor, of the
Denver Tribune, detailed reporter after
reporter to interview Mr.. Gould during
one of his visits to Colorado, but each
brought back word that the little rail
road king would not be seen and had
posted sentinels all along the hotel cor
rldors to drive intruders away. So
Skif set out to do the job himself. He
hunted up a friendly Pullman a con
ductor and borrowed his uniform.
Then he walked into the hotel and up
the stairs.
Look here" said he to the first
sentinel he met, what does Mr.. Gould
propose to do about that carr I must
know right away, for if he isn't going
to use it to morrow I've got to take it
back to Chicago"
The sentry knew nothing about the
car, of course, and advised Skiff to see
Gould about it himself. So Skif sue
cessfully a the gauntlet of the half
dozen lackeys, growing all the time
about the bother of being compelled to
attendt to other peoples business. Judge
Usher, n of Gould's attorneys, who
was in consultation with his client
when the bogus sleeping car conductor
was shown in, Immediately recognized
Skif, having known him back in
Kansas.
when did you get out of the news
paper business9" inquired the aston
ished lawyer. 81 amt out of it," re-
piled Skiff, "but l had to put on this
disguise in order to get in here to in
terview Mr.. Gould"
Young man" said Mr.. Gould, stern
ly, 'h you're a reporter, you a take
yourself right out of the room, for I
am not to be interviewed"
Skif argued the point and not being
invited to be seated coolly sat down on
the floor.
"Unless you put me out" said he, 81
shall stay here till you tell me what
your plans are"
This audacity pleased Gould. He
looked at Usher, and seeing the lawyer
chuckling heartily, broke out into a
loud laugh.
"Well, what do you want to knowH"
he said finally in the tone of a man who
is wearied with objecting.
Skif knew he had triumphed. He
produced his notebook, drew up to the
table at which Gould sat and set indus.
triously to work putting out questions
and noting the replies. The result was
a reliable forecast of the immense rail
road enterprise in which Gould subse
quentlY embarked, and of which the
public would not otherwise have been
forewarned.
Less happy was the fate of theJChi-
cago reporter who followed Gould by
rail down into Indiana and finally over
hauled his special car and knocked at
the door. Mr.. Gould responded in per
son, and the reporter held out his card
so that his victim could read it through
the glass window.
"The Chicago BugIe wants your opin
ion" he shouted, ION the question of
refunding the 6 per cents"
Mr. Gould regarded him through the
glass with such a frigid expression that
the interviewer has shivered at the
mere memory of it aver since, but
finally opened the door on a crack and
asked:
Young man, do you want me9"
"Yes, SIR" I want to interview you
on the subject Of.
Mr.. Gould began to shut the door.
ION the subject of the devilI" yelled
the indignant reporter as he saw all his
hopes fading away.
young man." said Mr.. Gould, open
ing the door once more an inch or two,
ION that subject you had better g
jim Keene. He's got all the points and
is anxious to give them away to spite
old Flood"
Gould always believed that the secret
of his ability to overcome others in any
contest of wits was his temperate habit
of life. He never tasted whiskey but
once. In the days when he was a sur
veyor in a small way and was mapping
a county on the practical line Of getting