Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1901-05-15

about q week or so, about the time
the cabal was fully prepared for
| action.
If Fisk had maintained the cool
ness and penetration of his partner
-Gould-all would then have been
well. But not satisfied to buy gold
at the tremendously increasing vslua-
tion, knowing that it would rise q
score of points within few days, be
ordered Corbin to send q letter to
General Grant, asking the president
to write letter to the treasury not
to sell gold under any consideration.
Meanwhile it suddenly dawned
upon the public that Gould had cor
nered gold. The idea spread like
wild-fre, and the price jumped from
125 to 100.
The intense excitement of the
Wednesday and Thursday preceding
the memory which even now makes
Wall Street shudder, WAS not in the
slightest sbsted As the morning of
Black Friday dawned
Long before the usual hour Wall
street was alive. Feverish looking
men, showing plainly the lack of
sleep and the intense anxiety of the
last few days, and almost maddened
by hopes and fears of gain, braced
themselves for the emergency, know
ing that at any moment crash NAV
come that would crush them.
Crowds gathered near the gold
room shortly before 10 o'clock, while
one report after another reached the
crowds that gold was going up.
The tide of speculation rose. Ex-
citement increased. The gold room
was the magnet for all. The closing
price of the day before had been
1433. At Fridays opening the
clique bid $50 for 5000 of gold.
CONSERVATION Immediately spread.
Men were trampled upon, aud left to
take care of themselves as best thev
could. 1t was a human stock pen;
a miniature mob of the French Rev
olution.
At 1890 o'clock the scene in the
gold room was beyond parallel.
The fucuation in prices was as rapid
as it was sudden, but there was al
ways the upward tendency, and gold
like the tide in Hugo's "Toilers of
the Sea-, flowed steadily upward,
while the bears looked on with i'm
potence.
When 100 was reached the finan-
cial cauldron overaowed, spreading
Its contagious fever of gain through
the city. The community became
bewildered, commerce was at a
standstill, aud there was q simulta
neous rush to Wall blocked Broad,
Wall and New streets until the mass
was a stone wall
From 100 the price scared to I62,
then to 1924. Ordinary means of
posting the price was given up, and
dials, raised on every available post
and wall, were surrounded by
crowds, which surged and fought in
demonical frenzy.
While some men were almost de-
lirious with JOY and others were
going mad with despair; with the
community disturbed, business par
alyzed, and the usual order of things
reversed; with the fever at its height
and gold at 165, the chimes of old
Trinity proclaiming the hour of
noon.
Meanwhile the message from Fisk
was speeding to the president at Lit
tie Washington. The president, up
on receipt of it, OWNED the signif-
canoe of such a request, and, gallop-
ing to the nearest telegraph Office, he
ordered Boutwell, to sell at once S.
100000 of gold.
The news reached the gold room
before the echo Of the chimes had
fairly died away. Gold fell to 1873.
No avalanche ever swept with more
terrific violence, than did this news
of Secretary Boutwell's telegraphic
order to sell.
Within one minute the news was
flashed over the country. Those who
were victors sixty seconds before
were vanquished. Failures followed
one another like falling rows of nur-
serV blocks.