Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1894-07-31
That order for Stock.
Hon. tTout'' in Washington Made
Trouble for Mr.. Camden-M-
side Details of the Scheme
Especial to tho wheeling Reglstcr.I


Especial to the Wheeling RegistcT-I
WASHINGTON, July 26.-While the
Senate su gar investigation committee
has not completed iIs work nor made
any rcport, it can be stated with posi-
tiyeness that the members have
learned enough to convince them
that the newspaper stories charging
Senator Camden with having specu-
lated in Sugar Trust stock were
made up of the vaguest hearsaY that
was ever used as a basis for an at
tack on the character of public
man.
The slight Importance which the
Investigating committee attached TO
the stories is shown by the fact that
it never thought it worth while to re-
call Senator Camden as witness in
the matter, although he was anxious
TO appear and meet the charges, if
they were ever put in sufficiently
tangible shape TO be met and refuted
in detail.
it appears that the man who origl<
nalIY made the charges and claimed
TO have had in his possession an
order from the Senator TO buy sugar
stock. was formerly employed AS a
sort of 'tout" in o brokers' Office
here.
The man bore anything but q saw
DRY reputation and it is said before
he disappeared from Washington, lie
issued anumber of checks on which
the holders have not been able TO
collect the money, because there was
no money in the banks on which they
were drawn TO meet them.
The men who hold these checks are
very anxious to have the missing
man return to Washington. If lie
does, they promise to see that he is
provided with an extra new suit OF
striped clothing.
The investigating committee have
unearthed very interesting story OF
the manner in which this bucEet-shop
tool worked up business for his EN-.
ployers. 1t appears that he was
given commission on all orders Ia
buy or self stock which lie brought
in.
During the excitement about tho
sugar tariff, when there was a rage
for tips from the Senate for use
in Wall street speculation, this man
would approach SPECTATORS and tell
them that Senator So-and-So had
just given an order 10 buy or sell 500
or 1000 shares of sugar stock. He
would then point out to his intended
victim that Senator So-and-So onght
to know what he was doing and big
money was to be made by following
the Senator's example,
In this way the stout" would get an
order on which the broker who en-
ployed him paid him a commission.
Sometimes when dealing with wary
spectators the tout would, it iS
said, go further and write opt a
bogus order to buy or sell stock.
signing TO it the name of some pub
lie maa, preferably the name of a
Senator reppted to be wealthy.
These false orders he would show to
his victims to convince them That
what he said was true and to in
duce them to give him orders to buy
or sell stock. There is little doubt
that the alleged order by Senator
Camden was gotten mp in this way,
and was intended to be used only as
decoy toget business for the"tout. T"
The latter probably never dreamed
that this sort of game lie was play
ing was species of forgery which
might send him to the pemitentiary.
When the sugar Investigation came
on and he discovered where the pos
session of these fake orders might
land him, he disappeared, aud the men
into whose possession some of the
orders fell, suspecting their real ma
ture, destroyed them. These are
the inside facts, it appears, as far as
the investigators have been able to
oct at them.