The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-04-06

aS tnOusanuS aHcau auQ
got delirlous, or may be was Just
plain fool. | didn't know very
much abou; speculation. had play
ed poker, and had the same experience
that every man who is not profes.
sional. | had won as much as several
hundred dollars in night, and the
next day | had gone out and spent my
winnings recklessly and foolshly. A
few nights later | lost as much or =
good Zeal more than | had won. In
other words, threw away what | won
and put my nose to the grindstonc to
pay what | lost, and this did not take
into account the tax on nerves and
health.
But had never speculated until
last fall. Everybody was talking cot
ton and as happened to have a good
deal of extra money at the time |
bought about 800 worth Of contracts.
And cotton went up. Twas interested
over the first winning. l soon became
absorbed. l pad no attention to my
family. | thought only about cotton.
| got $4,000 ahead. Iheld on. My
profits rose to $4,000, and 1 began to
make plans for the future. l used to
figure with a. pencil what I could buy.
Soon l was $4,000 ahead. I was in
an intensely emotional, excitable state
and could hardly sleep. The market!
That was all l thought about.
'My profits went up to $4,000. /
kept all my winnings in-took moth
ing out-kept pyramiding. Some of
my cooler friends came to me and
begged me to close out my contracts,
but was wild.
II got $4,000 ahead. That was
more money than 1 ever expected to
have. 1t never occurred to me that l
could lose. AS l look back upon it
now know I was insane. 1 was so
certain that was coming out winner
that made positive plans as to what
I should buy and how I should invest
the money. My profits kept climbing.
Past 100000 they went, and I began
to lose flesh aud go unshaven.
"The more I won the greedier l be-
came. When I began 1 would have
sworn that when I got s5, 900 ahead l
would stop, but ct the s25 900 profit
mark I was furious bull, screaming
that cotton must go to 20 cents. And
one day I was $4,000 ahead of the
game. Mind you, that was my money.
All l had to do was to call on my bro
ker for settlement. And that was
all the rloney I really needed. I get
coed salary aud have an economical,
sensible :cmily. Thas $4,000 meant
collegiate education for my boys and
girls, comfort for my wife, and com
parative luxury for all Of US. | knew
that. now look back with utter
amazement upon my feelings at that
time. My family knew what I was
doing, and they begged me to close
out and be content with my small
fortune. To all such advice l turned
q deaf ear. l was sort Of maniac
1t seemed such an easy way to make
money. The bulls must continue to
win, I thought. I was to be rich
rich! My pulse was too quick and
there was fever in my head, but I
was ecstatic.
''Then the slump came. You re-
member it-remember how it came to
ruin the joys of Christmas. The
market broke and soon I was stagger.
ing around like an imbecilo. l was in
a new game and I didn't know what to
do. l didn't know how to protect my
self; had no adequate means to pro-
tect myself as to margins. I just
stood aud gaped in terror at the mar
ket and became completely demoral-
lied. lost my nerve, and when the
market had reached a point where I
was only $500 to the good I crawled in
like whipped cur to my broker and
closed forever with the cotton market.
"And I don't get over that expert
ence. / try to think that came out
$500 to TIE good and I was fortunate
at that, but it's no use. Day snd
night am thinking of that lost
wealth. Idon't get as much pleasure
out Of simple things as used to do.
That gambling experience will hurt me
till die. It is a terrible thing to
play with unseen money, my friends.
charlotte Observer.
An Easter Hat.