Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-08-21

dropped out or ms IeiloW-DrOKerS
 minds. Wall street has no use for any but the "doer." The poet and the mooner would be no more secure from interruption in the center of the Sahara than in Wall street be- tween ten and three o'clock. Some sage has said that the human mind, like the well-bucket, can carry only its fill. The Wall street mind always has its fill of budding dollars. In con sequence, there is never room for those other interests that enter the normal mind
 Friday, the 18th of November, drift ed over Manhattan island in drear drizzle of marrow-chilling haze, which just missed being rain-one of those New York days that give hesitating suicide renewed courage to cut the mortal coil. By ten o'clock it had set tied down on the stock exchange and miness that damped the spirits of the most rampant bulls. No class in the world is so susceptible to atmospheric conditions as stock-gamblers. Many stout-hearted one has been known to postpone the inauguration of long planned coup merely because the air filled his blood with the dank chill of superstition. Because of the expected Sugar pyrotechnics, stock exchange members had gathered early; the 'nf7i kz fore ten; the morning papers, not only in New York but in Boston, Phil adelphia and other centers, were fill ed with stories of the big rise that was to take place in Sugar The knowing ones saw the ear-marks of the systems" press-agent in these stories; and they knew that this in dustrious institution had not sat up the night before because of insomnia. All the signs pointed to a killing, and and a terrific one--pointed so plainly that the bears and Sugar shorts found no hope in the atmosphere or the date
 Bob had not been near the office the afternoon before, and as he had not come in by five minutes to ten, de- cided to go over to the exchange and see if he were going to mix up in the batting of the Sugar bears. had no specific reasons for thinking he was interested except his recent queer actions. particularly his hanging to the Sugar-pole, yet doing nothing, the day before. But it is one of the best established traditions of stock -gambledom that when an op- orator has been bitten by a rabid stock he is invariably attracted to it every time afterward that it shows signs of frothing. More than all, had one of those strong nowhere.born. nowhere-cradled munitions common to those living in the stock-gambling world, which made me feel the creepy shadow of coming events.
 As on that day few weeks before, the crowd was at the Sugar pole, but Its alignment was different. There in the center were Barry Conant and his trusted lieutenants. but no opposing rival. None of those hundreds of brokers showed that desperate resolve to do or die that is born of neces- , sity. They were there to by or sell, , but not to put up life or death, on- i me-depends-the.result fight. Those | who were long of stock could easily ! be distinguished by their expressions of joy from the shorts. who had seen ! the handwriting on the wall and were filled with uncertainty, fear, terror. i The demeanor of Barry Conant and :, his lieutenants expressed confidence; | they were going to do what they were there to do. They showed by their tight buttoned coats, and squared shoulders that they expected lots of rush. push and haul work, but apparently they anticipated no last-ditch fighting. The gong pealed and the crowd of brokers sprang at one another. but only for blood, not flesh, bone. heart and soul: just blood The first price on Sugar was 211 for 5000 shares. Some one sold it in a block. Barry Conant bought it. It did not require three eyes to see that the seller was one of his lieutenants. This meant what is known as wash sale, fictitious one arranged in advance between two brokers to establish the basis for the those minor frauds of stock gambling by which the public is deceived and the traders and plungers are handicap ped with loaded dice. In principle. It is device older than stock exchanges themselves. and is put to use else where than on the floor. For instance. four genuine buyers want a particular animal worth s200 at a horse auction. Its owners pal starts the bidding ct s400. and the four, not being up in horse values. are thereby induced to reach for 1t at between s400 and $500. But human nature. whether at horse sales or at stock-gambling. loves to be "hinkey-dinked" as much as the moth to play tag with the candle flame. In i've minutes Sugar was selling at 22i. and the frantic shorts were grab ping for 1t as though there never was to be another share put on sale. while Barry Conant and his lieutenants were most industriously pushing it just beyond their reaching fnger-tips. either by buying 1t as fast as 1t was offered by genuine sellers, or by talk ing what their own pals threw in the air.
 I was not surprised to see Bob's tall form wedged in the crowd about twothirds of the way from the cen