New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-18
THOMAS WILLIAM LAWSON.
He Declares Egotism the Chief Ele-
ment an His Success.

! conversation, they do not care 10 have their
attention drawn to the fact. few do not seem
even to realize that their ego completely over
shadows all their other characteristics, being SO
used to such a twilight, perchance, that they
have come to think 1t the full light of day.
! 1t is peculiarly infrequent therefore when a
man comes out frankly and proclaims to one and
| all that he is an egotist For this reason
| Thomas w. Lawson, Lawson, of Boston,"
! as he himself prefers to be called. is uncommon.
When asked once If he an egotist he re-
piled:
Yes and the biggest one in the world. must
have a good opinion of myself if 1 would sue
coed. 1 must feel and believe that can do this
| thing that thing better than any one else
| in the world or l will fall behind some one else
| If were not an egotist, where would L be to-
| day? Egotism is the keystone of success
Every successful man is born egotist- have
proved that conclusively'
In the bulletins the kilograms. the page adj
vertisements with which Mr.. Lawson has been
bombarding Wall Street recently. the ego
characteristic OF which he boasts has stood out
| pre-eminently. Here are few quotations from
one of his advertisements by way of iIustra-
ton:
| II decided to make a test"
81 advertised certain truths
| 81 ask the people and Wall Street.
| ~ am going to strike again. suddenly, sharp
! ly, sensatonally'-
II want all to know now.
At now say to ALL"
| Those who may differ with Mr.. Lawson in re-
gard to his methods as a stockbroker. VINO
complain of the way certain securities slump
after his attacks when IN telegram after tele-
gram sent out to the various news offices and
news bureaus he cries: Watch me soak them!
Down with Wall Street! Sell everything!
those who go far as TO denounce him III pup
lie print as a "fakir and Charlatan' neVerthe-
less acknowledge that there is power in his
egotism which must be reckoned with
! Most of the spectacular acts Of the Boston
| broker have been traced to his potential ego
When he paid $4,000 for certain variety Oh
mink It was the common rumor that he did 1t
to win fame When the Independence whlcn
he had built at a cost OF 100000 TO defend the
Americas Cup failed OF its purpose, and Mr.
Lawson ordered the yacht broken up In bits
most Bostonians simply explained 1t by saying;
! That's Lawson" When he went 10 Lexington
Ky, and bet enough money on one horse 10
clear out the whole ring of bOokmakers. he was
quoted as saying: Nobody but Lawson could
have done that"
II was not the mere winning OF the money,
however which made most people talk. Ihere
were other sensational features of the race
man, his quickness OF judgment. his audacity,
his rberality, and withal his bonhome.
The race was run in October 1899. and when
Mr. Lawson arrived in Lexington. twenty-four
hours beforehand. he announced that he dld
not know how he going to do II. put never
theless he intended cleaning out the whole town.
He scurried about few hours among the horse
men and drivers. and it was soon reported that
he had bought Boralma for $1,000 and that he
had sent out his commissioner to put up $"o'Voo
on the animal. Boralma Won the race, and
Lawson took so much money out of the ring
that the spectators had none to buy pools
with that night.
But there were a few besides Mr.. Lawson
who also reioiced at Boralmas victory. To
Macy the driver Of the winner its owner gave
| 5000 and to the stable hands and ruobers
| from 500 TO $500 each. a poorly clad boy
who had attracted the sportsman's attention
received a hundred dollar bill, which he at once
| took TO his widowed mother. The next day
the Boston Spectator ATTEMPTED 10 repeat his
coup with Peter the Great. but in the deciding
heat the horse was beaten by a neck. Not
withstanding his tremendous losses on this
race, Mr. Lawson gave the driver Of the beaten
| animal 81, 800.
| 1t Is this generous trait in the Boston specu-
lator which has won him many personal friends,
even among his business enemies. From the
very beginning he has been known by his
ciates as big Hearted Tom" For example.
when he was eighteen. he cleared 10000 In
deal of stock in the Cincinnati. Sandusky and
| Cleveland Railroad. AS a result of fierce bear
attack engineered by the youthful financier the
shares of this road dropped from 500 to So
share in one week. A month later Lawson
| specialized in Boston Water Power stock, and
a tide of adversely wiped out his little fortune
almost quickly he had made it. Out of
all his Cincinnati. Sandusky and Cleveland
profits he had only $3.50 left. With this money
he gave dinner at Young's Hotel and, as he
said himself in telling OF the occasion, When
I had paid the dinner check 1 had exactly
| 81 so. This sum I gave the head waiter for
a tip. The next dav 1 made new start with
! out a cent
At Christmas time in the year 1899 Mr. Law
son gave away 100000 In gifts to his en-
ployes.
To his neighbors in the Back Bay district.
many of whom do not like him. ne is mpartially
generous. He bought a triangular piece of
ground in front of his own house made IL into
| a park, and then asked all those who lived
| near him to use 1t If 1t their own
| To his family the who boasts of cleaning
out towns and smashing Wall Street is pecul-
iary gentle and devoted. At one time he spent
more than S2.000,O0O to satisfy a whim OF his
wife. Mrs. Lawson had long admired rocky
CHANGED to say that il would make beautiful
site Tor country place. On inquiry her hus-
band learned that the land was regarded as
worthless that the stones 1t were so close
together that the "sheeps' noses had TO be
sharpened to reach the grass between" But
Mr. Lawson paid no attention to the advice of
any one IN make a farmland out of this