Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-02-03

them.
With the panic at it's height the
governors met to take action. A mo-
on the exchange. As member arose
to discuss this proposition. messen-
ger entered and handed the president
a letter. 1t read as follows:
Mr.. NJ. l.. Morton, New York City:
Dear Sir: This. is to inform you that
/ am alive and we'll l shall be obliged
to remain away from the city for short
time, possibly several weeks. You and
my relatives and friends need not have
the slightest fear for the safe return of
myself and the gentlemen who are keep
ing me company. l remain, very truly
yours, PALMER J. MORTON.
May 2.
The letter was in Mr.. Morton's
handwriting and had been positively
identified as genuine by his private
secretary and by the Oldest clerks in
his office. These facts were hurried
ly explained to the president of the
board of governors, who adjourned
the meeting and sounded the gong
for attention on the floor Of the ex-
change. AT that moment pandemo-
rium reigned. A score of trading
houses had failed, and others were
on the point of suspension. Banks
were calling loans. Money was
quoted at 200 per cent. on call loans,
with gilt-edged stock as security.
Sugar was lowering around par, a
drop of more than 60 points in less
than 4s hours. The nerve-racked
brokers expected the announcement
of yet more disastrous news, and lis
tened stolidly as the chairman waved
his hand for quiet cleared his voice,
and began his reading. No one heard
more than the close of the first SEN
tence: 81 am alive and we'll" The
joyous voice of the gray-bearded old
chairman told them that the mes
sage was from Palmer j. Morton.
What shout went up! 1t was re-
echoed by the vast mob which defied
the police and swarmed into Broad
and Wall streets. The enthusiastic
clerks and customers cheered from
every window.
The panic was ended. Prices
moved violently upward. In half an
hour the face of the market was
changed. In the whirl of speculative
Joy some stocks passed the high
| figures which had been reached at
the opening on Monday morning. But
while the agony of suspense was
passed, and it was known that the
missing men were safe, the case was
vet chrn1J1aI in n ct
ever. At the close of the day the
market stood on plane which aver
aged about ten points below the level
established before the leaders of
finance and speculation had vanished.
1t was noticed that Street & Rogers
were persistent buyers from the mo-
ment the first news of the Morton
letter was made public. Their sales
were SO small as to show that they
represented but profit taking for
regular customers, and not the i'm
mense holdings of long stock which
had been absorbed during the height
of the panic. Their profits were
roughly estimated at $35,OoO,OOO.
The welcome letter was addressed
to Mr.. M. L. Morton, brother
of the great financier. 1t was in a
plain white envelope and written on
ordinary letter paper, with single
fold. The postmark on the letter
was indistinct, but when put under
glass the inscription clearly read,
| '.Provincetown, Mass The letter
had been mailed at nine o'clock at
night, and left the Cape Cod town
on late train. With slow connec-
tions the letter reached New York
in time for the 1O:45 a. m. delivery.
Here was clew worth following.
A special train with the best de-
tectiye talent in New York, was pre-
pared and dispatched to Province
town. But the developments which
speedily followed, deepened the mys-
| terry and puzzled the cool-headed
chief of the detective force. Between
four and five o'clock the same after
noon letters were received by rela-
| tives of John M. Rockwell and An
drus Carmody These letters were
at once placed in the hands of the
detectives and not made public. This
| WAS III ColIlpiducc Will luSuTucbOluS
which had been issued by the chief.
The Rockwell letter was postmarked
Springfield, Massachusetts," The
Carmody letter was mailed from a
Harlem district in New York city.
Early the following morning
Thursday letter from Albany, N.
Y, was received from r. j. Kent, and
another was mailed to the Simon
Pence residence from Brooklyn. Mr..
Hiram Haven was as yet unaccount-
ed for, but late in the afternoon word
was received from him from Phil
adelphia. These letters were of a
purport similar to the Morton let
ter. They were written on several
kinds of paper, and there was no
uniformity in envelopes. The Pence
/ letter was written with a lead pencil.
! The detectives descended on the
| peaceful citizens of Provincetown;
which sand-girt village of Cape Cod
found itself of sudden possessed
of the center Of the stage. Probably
no town in America affords less OPP
portunities for secretiveness than
Provincetown. There is but one
| ctreat n, tho villa oeo ,,ar,o,, ,,,;,, ~