The sun., 1903-12-13

Now and again a man comes from solne-
where into Wall Street, takes hand IN the
rame, and wins. Then Wall Street hegins
to talk about him and on the bulletin board
of the rlmor factory it is written that the
new player has cleaned up billion doilas
or more.
Something like five years ago such
plaver came out OF the West and butted into
the Wall Street game. Fle was member
of the "Chicago crowd" and trained with
them in the Street and at the Waldorf
Astoria. His name was Loyal l.. Smith
Nobody in the financial district paid any
particular attention to Loyal l.. Smith
IN the early days of the great bull period
that followed the first election OF President
Mckinley.
In those days the gossps OF the street
were busy with the names OF Gates and
Drake and Rlwooi and Max Pam and the
men who had bought steel and wire plants
in the West and elsewhere and sold them
for millions to the financiers OF the ehef"
East. Loyal L. Smith was only a camp
follower in the days of the early successes
in Wall Street of the Chicago crowd,
and he didn't cut enough figure to cause
inquiry as towhere he came from.
In fact, he preferred to remain in the back
ground and let the financial world talk about
other folk W lille he completed his plans for
manufacturing out of himself an American
millionaire. Now, in less than five years,
the completed product has been turned out,
and to-day Wall Street mods when Loyai
J.. Smith beckons, and the records OF the
rumor factory say that he is worth $40, ,Vo,oUo
hn
amount.
Since the latter part Of 1893 or the carry
winter OF 1890 MIR. Smith has propaply
made Wall Street dance to the tunes OF MS
playing to the extent OF between S3,OOo'ooV
and 35, 900, ,OO0. Those who ought TO kno"
something of his operations say that some
thing more than a couple OF millions VIII
Just about represent Smiths cleanup IN
the Street. If any one asks, however
how Smith did it, when he did 1t, and "hat
he did it with. there are few in oil the IMAM
cial district who are able to give details
If one asks about the origin OF Smith.
there is still less knowledge. 10 the street
he is lust Smith Of the Chicago crowd,
and he's made pot OF money And the
Ignorance Of the Street regarding the being
and the reason for it Of Smith OF the Chi
cago crowd" delights Smith. He is per-
son whose right hand If its owner can help
It, never knows what the left hand does.
and what his two hands don't know about
the doines of each other .Smith Of the Chi
capo crowd" doesn't intend that the dear
public shall gain knowledge of.
This man, in whom Wall Street has taken
10 great an interest Of late, is perhaps some
thing more than 40 years Of age. He Is
not far from feet inches tall, weighs about
100 pounds and is one Of the best dressed
men IN New York. He Is well dressed. be-
cause after talking with him for half an
hour q man would leave him without be-
ing able to go into particulars about ms
raiment further than to say that SmHh
was about the most immaculate looking
person he had seen In many day.
He has peculiarly pale face, red brown
hair and mustache, thin lips and unusually
firm chin, and steel gray eyes. whose gilt
ter Is as cold as that Of newly cut cake
OF ice in the sunlight Of January morning
In the north country or jewels, he may
possess enough to stock a jewellers shop.
but the only one anybody in these parts
has ever seen him wear Is scarfpin OF un-
cut emerald. This one bauble Is MIR.
Smiths limit of jewel ornamentation.
He lives a bachelors life at the Waldorf
Aatoria. and NAV be found in the lobby
there in the late afternoon and evening OF
almost every day In the week, except when
he has a poker enga cement elsewhere
or the great American game MIR. Smith ls
extremely fond. Indeed, it is in poker that
he finds about his only recreation. he
goes little to the theatre, almost never to
the opera, owns no horses and takes no
particular interest in them; and. unlike many
of the men who have come out OF the west
with fortune or have made 1t here, he has
never indicated any particular weakness
for pictures and other objects of art.
His business is speculation in the worlds
securities and his pleasure is speculation
on a hand at draw poker. 1t is said, how
ever. that, after some considerable ex-
perence. Smith OF the Chicago crowd
has absolutely refused to sit in at poker
with John W. Gates or Isaac l.. Ellwood.
When asked, not long ago, for his reason for
not playing with these two eminent players,
Mr. Smith is reported to have said
what the devil ia the use of my playing
with those fellows? Gates hasn't got any
money sense and Ellwood hasn't much
more Gates, if he took notion. would
be lust damn fool enough to bet a million
dollars on pair of deuces. 10 you sup
pose want to play with men like that3
/ know a dollar is worth hundred cents;
and those fellows don't think it's worth
anything when they're playing poker.
According to the very few in Wall Street
who know some of the details of Mr.. Smiths
career, he is indigenous to the soil of Platts-
burg, NY At any rate, he has an invalid
mother living there. for whom, a few years
ago, he bought fine estate and built thereon
a beautiful house, whose interior decora-n
tions were planned by the artist who de-
signed the interior decorations OF the En-
pire Theatre and who was taken by Mr..
Smith from Chicago to Plattsburg especially
for the work.
How long ago he left Plattsburg none OF
his annalists hereabout seem to know;
but they do know that he finally turned up
In the city of Omaha, where, after time,
he engaged in the dry goods business.
The business prospered for while, but the
II winds of fortune finally blew upon Smith
and his business, and he was forced to ca
pitulate to his creditors
But if anybody in Omaha ever thought
that Smith failure TO succeed as merchant