The age-herald., 1901-05-12
CHORUS GIRLS HAVE WON FORTUNES
 DURING RECENT BOOM IN STOCKS
Some of Them Have Made as Much as $5OO,O0O---Public Blasted
 by the Market for a While
BY JOHN MARTHoL.

New York May 1f-some idea of the number of persons directly interested in the great gamble now in full swing in Wall street may be had when 1t Is re- membered that there are eleven hundred Stock Exchange members, fifteen hun dred Consolidated Exchange Brokers, and that for every member there are about five partners or managers of branch offices and an average of ten clerks. In round figures there are about 50, 600 persons engaged In the stock bus mess, and this number is exclusive of the speculators Three million of shares have exchanged hands daily, and stock brokers are weary of business. Yet the signs of declining business are not ap- parent. The Simon Pure gamblers have shut their eyes and bought almost any thing on the list and made money. Should the market begin to decline they will follow it's downward course
 It is not often that the outside public is permitted to get fat. At rare inter- vals such conditions exist. The public is now enjoying banquet and the lambs gambol from near and far and merrlly browse on the rising slopes. The steel companies properties are sustained by the promoters, and the struggle to control lines from ocean to ocean in or der to create great trunk systems has added tone. In the wake of the great buyers come the spectators forcing the prices. But the work of 'securng con- trol' is about perfected and all the lambs will find themselves on a steady market with an indication toward sag ging.
 At this time the big manipulators will ascertain where the stock Is held. dis cover the long or marginal interest, raid the market. wipe out the longs and take back their own at lower figures. Such is the experience of the marginal specula- tors It will be in the future as 1t has been in the past.
 The 5O,000 persons, exclusive of the spectators, belong to all classes of so- ciety, and their wonderful stories of for tunes made, are told over and over again, night after night, in every sec tion of the city. The result Is that "an interest in the market has been sought by all Some have invaded the bucket shop to try five shares and others 5o000.
 Money has been made and the evidence of 1t is to be found everywhere. Young brokers and spectators amassing profits by day flourish as the golden youth at night. They have become willing W1llies and gilded Johnnies.
 The small back-row divinities whose whole wealth and assets are In the gifts of Nature, have no smiles save for the Wall street men, Nightly they leave the theaters to meet ther conquering heroes. and the suppers that are served would make Lucullus green with envy. Stocks, the market, a flyer in this or flyer in that is all they talk of Fifty per cent of the nymphs of the stage are 'playing the market" And not few have drawn out profits exceeding $25oO0,
 Two or three have announced their winnings as exceeding $500,00o, and a score at over sS100,00l. Their start was given to them and afterward they plurg-. ed on their own account One of the largest winners remarks: "Any pleasing young gil, possessing good looks and jolly personality can in a great city like New York select at pleasure her friends from the financial classes, who will ad- wise her properly as to the best stocks in which she can invest her savings and make a handsome advance" In view of the fact that the wages of most pleas ing young girls" for eight performances in a metropolitan theater Is $l6, the saw fngs effected reminds one Of the rigid economy and thrifty accumulation prac- ticed by New York. police captain. They are the only ones who have hlth- erto been able to rear large families, save couple of hundred thousand ool-