Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-09-13

Among them was brilliant young man
of my own age, who took great fancy
to me and frequently proposed that we
should start for ourselves. Being doubt
full of my powers, / shrank from risking
my scanty funds in any speculative ven
ture. Much to my mothers concern I
had begun attending the theater, and
one night on my friend Weeds invita-
tion went with him to Niblo's. After
the performance we went to supper at
Delmonico's, and was perfectly fas
cinated by the company and surround
ings, going home long past midnight
different man than had last left it.
The next day Ed came to the Office and
invited me to lunch, where, after max
ing some disparaging remarks about the
country cut Of my garments, he offered
to introduce me to his tailor, who was
never in hurry for his money. After
business that day we walked up town
together, and, prompted by Ed, I order
ed $3.50 worth Of garments, then went
to his outftter and ordered nearly an
equal amount in shirts, ties, gloves, etc.
One amusing result was that when, a
few days later, I walked down to our
Office, CONNIE il faut in garb, my en-
ployers raised my salary to $50 week,
but this left me poorer than when had
husbanded my poor little $10 Soon
after, piloted by Ed, I ventured $50 on
q margin in gold. Unluckily won, in
vested again and again, and within ID
days was 1884 ahead. paid my tailor
and outftter's bill, bought a 500
watch on credit and gave wine supper
on borrowed money. Soon after this l
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 the wine supper episode
threw up my position, and Ed and I
started on our. own account under the
name Of E. Weed & Co. My partners
parents were wealthy, and his father
had been we'll known in the street,
which fact gave US standing.
The years speak Of were 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-the Wall
street Of those days-commissions in
plenty, greenbacks in plenty, but ones
bank account never growing, for what
was made by day in 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 the can
die at both ends. Day faro banks were
open everywhere around the exchange,
and enormous sums were 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 q legitimate speculation.
Hundreds who spent the business hours
Of the day in the mad excitement of the
exchange focked around the green cloth
at night, devoting the same intensity Of
thought and brain to the turning Of
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. Statis
tics show that it was more fatal to be-
long to that army than to on 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 I, having no indulgent parent be-
hind me ever ready to draw check,
began to be uneasy over the financial
situation. Strangely enough, however,
ifnever occurred to me to cut down my
personal expenses, and continued liv-
ing at the same extravagant 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 OH
my future life, came upon the scene,
and Twill halt for moment in my mar
rative to give some account of him.
This man was James Irving, popular
ly known as Jimmy Irving, chief Of the
New York detective force, and O bad
hearted, worthless scamp he was. Twas
with several friends in the Fifth Avenue
hotel one cold January night when he
came in and one of our party, knowing
him, introduced US. He was man of
medium height, rather heavy set, blond
mustache, pleasant eyes, but with a
weak mouth and chin and a flushed
face, telling a tale of dissipation. 1t
was when Boss Tweed ruled supreme i'll
New York, and the whole administra
tion was honeycombed with corruption.
Except under similar political condi-
tions could such man attain IL so re-
sponsible an Office i'll great city as
that of chief of the detective fOrce-a