Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-09-28

CTS ulu u DrUktTdSt DuSiueSS anu epSCu-
lated as well ON their own account.
Ny duties We're decidedly light and
pleasant and brought me into contact
with some Of the sharpest as we'll as
the most famous men in the street.
Among them was brilliant young man
CT my own age, who took a great fancy
to me and frequently proposed that we
should start for ourselves. Being doubt
full Of my powers, I shrank from risE;ng
my scanty funds in any speculative ven
ture. Much to my mothers concern
had begun attending the theater, and
one night on my friend Weeds invita-
ton went with him to Niblo's. After
the performance we went to supper at
D. .monico's, and I was perfectly fas-
cinated by the company and surround
ings, going home long past midnight o
different man than l had last left it.
The next day Ed came to the Office and
invited me to lunch, where, after max
ing some disparaging Amarks about the
country cut of my garments, he offered
to introduce me to his tailor, who was
never in a hurry for his money. After
business that day we walked up town
together, and, prompted by Ed, I order
ed $50 worth Of garments, then went
to his outfitter and ordered nearly an
equal amount i'll shirts, ties, gloves, etc.
One amusing result was that when, a
few days later, walked down to orr
Office, CONNIE il faut in garb, my en-
ployers raised my salary to $50 week,
but this left ne poorer than when I had
husbanded my poor little $40. Soon
after, piloted by Ed, ventured $50 on
a margin in gold. Unluclily I won, in
vested again and again, and within IA
days was $2S4 ahead. Ipaid MY tailor
and outfitter's bill, bought 500
watch on credit and gave wine supper
on borrowed money. Soon after this
went to board at the old st. Nicholas,
the then fashionable hotel From that
time I began to drift more and more
away from home influences.
Soon after tho wine supper episode
threw rp my position, and Ed and I
started on Cur own account under the
name of E. Weed & Co. My partners
parents We're wealthy, and his father
had been well known in the street,
which fact gave us standing.
The years speak of We're fortunate
ones for Wall street, stocks of every
kind on the boom, the general wealth
of the country massing up by leaps and
bounds, and every kind of speculative
enterprise being launched. Our firm
history was the usual one of broker
firms in that tumultuous arena-thc Wall
street Of those days-commissiOns IL
plenty, sreeIbacks in plenty, but ones
bank account never growing, for what
was made by day III the wild excitement
Of shifting values was thrown away
amid wilder scenes at night. Those,
too, were indeed the flush times for
the professional gambler, for men were
not content unless they burned tho can
die ut both ends. Day faro banks We're
open everywhere around the exchange,
and enormous sums We're nightly staked
in the up town games. These were ev-
erywhere, all protected, and the propri
etOrs invested their money for rent, fix
lures, etc, with as much confidence
and kept their doors open as freely as if
embarked in legitimate speculation.
Hundreds who spent the business hours
of the day i'll the mad excitement of the
exchange fiocked around the green cloth
at night, devoting the same intensity of
thought and brain to the turning Of q
card which earlier in the day they had
given to the market reports of the world.
Small wonder that death cut such wide
swaths in the army of brokers. Stats
tics show that it was more fatal to be-
long to that army than to an army in the
field
We had latterly somewhat neglected
business, our real business being at
night, when we made the pursuit of
pleasure hard work Soon the finances
Of our firm not only ran low, but were
on three several occasions exhausted, so
that we not only had recourse to bor-
rowing, but were barely saved from
bankruptcy by liberal donations from
Eds parents. His father was fine, jol-
ly old gentleman and took it quite as q
matter Of course that it was his duty to
help US off the rocks when we ran on
them. My partner took everything easy,
but /. having no indulgent parent be-
hind me ever ready to draw a check,
began to be uneasy over the financial
situation. Strangely enough, however,
it never occurred to me to cut down my
personal expenses, and continued liv-
ing at the same eztravagant rate as
when money was plenty, dining and
winning and being dined and wined.
Just here an important character, one
destined to have an influence for evil on
my future life, came upon the scene,
and 1 will halt for a moment in my nar-
rative to give some account of him.
This man was James Irving, popular
" known as Jimmy Irving, chief of the
New York detective force, and a bad
hearted, worthless scamp lie was. Twas
with several friends in the Fifth Avenue
hotel one cold January night when be
cane III and one of our party, know ing
him, introduced us. He was man Of
medium height, rather heavy set, blond
rlustacho, pleasant eyes, bat with q
weak mouth and chin and a flushed
face, telling tale Of dissipation. 1t