The San Francisco call., 1903-09-27

stock operators and leaders in
Wall street-gentlemanly, welI-edu-
Gated leaders with q gift of cpl
gram, and foul-spoken leaders who
knew as little OF grammar as OF man
ners: leaders TO whom the stock market
was only the Monte Carlo OF the tape.
and leaders 10 whom II was a means to
an end; cool, calculating, steel-nerved
leaders, and hdgety, impulsive, excitable
leader; leaders who were church pillars
and total GbstRiners. and leaders whose
only God was the ticker and whose most
brilliant operations were carried on Dur
inf the course OF q drunken debauch- But
never before IN the breatnless history OK
Wall street had there been a leader
whose following was numbered by the
thousands and included not only the
"shoestring" SPECTATORS, but the very
richest OF the richl Never before lead
er whose word took the place Of statis-
tical information. whose mere ''I am buy
ing it, created more purchasers for
stock than all the glowing prospectuses
and all the accountants afldavits and all
the bankers estimates.
At frst Wall street said the public was
suffering from an epidemic OF speculative
insanity; that Colonel Treadwen was
merely a bold operator backed by q
clique Of the greatest fortunes In Amer
lea; that he was not a skillful "manip-
ulator' OF values, but by sheer brute
force Of tremendous buying he made
those stocks advance with which he was
Identified, and that. OF course, the pub
lie always follows the stocks that are
made active. and many other explana-
tions. But IN the end Wall street cams
10 realize exactly TO what II was that the
blind devotion OF the speculative public
for the colonel was due. Defying all ira
ditions, upsetting al precedents. violating
al rules, driving all the ''veterans'' to
the verge Of Mysteries and bankruptcy by
his daily defiance of accepted views as to
the art Of operating in stocks. Colonel
Josiah 7. Treadwen founded q new
school: He told the truth.
The colonel sat In his oflce alone with
his thoughts. The door was open-it was
always open-and the clerks and custom
ers OF Treadwell & Co.. as they passed to
and fro. caught glimpses Of the great lead
er's broad. kindly face and shrewd, little,
twfnkling eyes that seemed to smile at
them. They wondered what new deal
the colonel was planning And then they
wished with all their souls and purses
they knew the name Of the stock-mere-
ly the name Of ito that they might
get in on the ground floor"
The famous operator sat on a revolv-
ing chair by HIS desk. He had turned his
back on an accumulation Of correspond
enoe. and he now rotated from right to
left and from left TO right The tips Of
his shoes-he was a short man-missed
the floor by an inch or two, and he
swung his feet contentedly. A ticker
w1irred away blithely. and from time TO
time Treadweu ceased his rocking and his
foOt-swing1ng and glanced jov1ally at the
ticker tape From his window he could
see a Mississippi OF people or BIT OF New
York summer sky. but his restless eyes
were roaming and skipping from place to
place. And the clerks and the customers
wondered whether the market was going
the way the colonel had planned. The
ticker was whirring and clicking, impas-
Eively, and the colonel wore a meditative
look What was the "old man. schem-
fnE2 The bears had better be On their
guard AS a matter of fact, Josiah T.
Treadwell was thinking that his brother
Wilson, who had left him a few minutes
before was certainly growing bold. He
also wondered whether people who adver-
fised ''rcstorers' and .'fnvigorators" were
veraciOus or merely wall Streety," as he
nut Il 10 himself
A Young man, an utter stranger to Col
onei Treadwell. halted at his door and
looked at the leader Of the stock market
hesitatingly.
come in. come in" called out the col
onel. cheerily. Wont you walk into my
psrlor7"
Good morning. Colonel TreadweIl," said
the lad. dihidently.
who are you. and what are you, and
what can ] do for your said the colonel,
extending his hand.
The youth did not heed the chubby, out
stretched hand. My name" ne said. very
formally and introductorily, lis Carey.
My father used to know you when he was
editor OF the Biankburg Herald"
We'll" said the colonel, encouragingly,
sshake hands. anyhow"
carey shook hands: his diffdence van
sshed He was pleasant-faced. pleasant
voiced young fellow. Treadwell thought.
He was good-hearted, jocuiar old fel-
low. unlike what he had imagined the
leader. Of the stock market would be.
Carey thought
YES went on the colonel, u remem-
her your father very well. 7 never forget
nv up-the-State friends, and l am al
WAYS glad to see their sons. When ran
Tor Congress BIZ Carey wrote red-hot
editorials in my favor, and / was beaten
bv q large and enthusiastic majority. 1
haven't seen your father IN twenty-odd
vears-not since he went wrong and took
TO politics"
well Colonel Treadwell," laughed
Carey. 7 guess dad did his best for you.
And II you didn't go to Congress you're
better of, from all read in the papers
about you"
You would have thought they had
known each other for years.
That's what ! say; have to-" chuck
ling.
Colonel" said the young man boldly,
1--WE come to ask your advice"
Most people don't ask it twice. Be