Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-04-14

Ittoueht II was too busy to even con
sidetfft Here in Boston were a NUM-
Der of good fellows burning with a
desire to have 4 Boston boat in the
trials this summer. knew their
wishes, and to help the thing along,
decided, when asked to contribute TO
the building fund. At first 1t was
10000, then it was 100000, then $40,-
900, and so on until now it is the
whole thing. and before l knew it |
was into the business of building and
eQuipping a cup defender"
Mr.. Lawson stood up, took a turn up
and down the Dom and then resumed
his seat.
you want the story of my start in
life; well, it is simple. One bright
morning, two months before my
twelfth birthday. in 1859, | came into
State street looking for a job. | had
run away from school and Cambridge
port-I was born in Charlestown, but
my parents removed to Cambridge
when l was little. / had an idea l
fought to make a fortune in finances.
II had been reading the fairy stories
about financiers, the Vanderbilts and
all these, and how they made their
money, and 1 was fascinated with the
subject. 4 remember the morning that
II walked down State street as well as
1t 1t were yesterday, though it is near
ly 81 years ago.. stopped when |
saw in the window Of No. SO right over
there on the opposite corner" and
Mr.. Lawson pointed across the street,
lin that very building, a sign, of
fee Boy Wanted The firm was AM
DRY, Stevens & Co. | went in and ask
ed II I could have the job. | remember
the. Office crowd took it as a big joke.
Il was a little fellow, and my chin just
came up to the edge of the counter.
They laughed. but l was in earnest,
and they set me to work. The next
morning M mother sent me to school.
I came to State street again, but was
a second time sen back to school.
Ten days later | again went back
to my job. Mr.. Amory, seeing me so
persistent went over and talked with
my mother, who was persuaded to
permit me to remain on condition that
| continue my studies evenings. That
was my beginning of a ten-year ser
vice with that firm.
Il well remember an episode Of my
first Christmas in State street. | re-
ceived from the firm a present for
500, and went uptown after business
to get presents with it for my brother
and two sisters. i recall that | spent
$S7 on the present for my sister, and
was bitterly disappointed because i
could not get three such presents as |
wanted for a hundred-dollar bill. For
a boy of Il that was rather ambitious,
So, you see, in that way | had a rather
expensive appetite"
Before | had been many years in the
street | branched out as a trader my
self in a small way. Dc l remember
my first deal? Indeed do, as we'll
as il it had taken place yesterday.
Stevens, Amory & Co. were the fnan-
cial agents for the Cincinnati, San
dusky and Cleveland Railroad, of
which Rush R. Sloan, of Sandusky, a
member of Congress and financial
power. was president. One day the
financial world was startled to hear
that Mr.. Sloan had taken the books and
securities of the road aboard a yacht,
and gone with them TO the Canadian
side of the lake, beyond the jurisdic-
ton of the American Courts.
After a short time negotiations were
opened between the roads owners and
the president looking to the return Of
the securities. Millions were involved
land our firm was the active n~egotiator.
was sent out to S~andusky while the
negotiations were on to act as meSsen-
ger between the parties. This business
was carried on by "a of a steamer
chartered for the purpose. The steamer
would run over to the Canadian side,
go alongside the yacht, and papers
would be exchanged. These negotia-
lions led to a compromise, by which a
large amount was to be returned.
Naturally l had information of what
was coming and this information was
of value.
The par value of Sandusky was $50.
Before the trouble it was worth $50 in
the market. 1t dropped to So a share
and stood at that when the compro-
mise was reached. When ! returned to
Boston / formed a pool Of some of the
boys, and We started buying the stock.
1t went to $22 a share before We got
out.
II was then about 16 years old, and it
was my first deal. | cleared up a good
profit from it. The year l was II l
had sec, 600 in the bank from this and
subsequent operations.
That year | grati2ed the wish I had
cherished from my earliest years, and
bought a pair of small black horses and
a buggy. Those horses and that buggy
represented the height of my de-
sires."
A little deal in Boston water power
stock was the ext thing that inter
ested the young plunger. He went
short a big block of the stock. The
city council did not vote as most people
expected it would, and in just one day
Lawson lost s59, s41 OF the sec, 600.
Il remember" said Mr.. Lawson, that
| decided to make a clean sweep and
start afresh, and / gave a dinner at
Young's to a few friends for the pur-
pose of getting rid of the s15s | had
left. When the dinner check was paid
there was still $3.50 left. and / gave
that TO Horace, the head waiter. Then
l was ready to start again.
Il was broke at II. after making
what most men would be satisfied TO
call a fortune.
Il began again. picking up a little here
and a little there. making some good
turns once in a while. This lasted ave
years. when l found a chance to invest
some money in the stock of certain ma
ehinery companies. among them the first
company to make printing machinery for
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