The Washington herald., 1909-02-28
MARKET TIPPING
BY INSANE MAN
Has Health Without Strong Mind,
but Retains Memory.


.rll have to be running up TO Provi-
dence to see my crazy friend and find out
from him what the markets going to
do" was the somewhat cryptic remark
of a stocks and bond trader the other
afternoon when the unsteady market
was wabbllng around every which way.
We'll. it takes a crazy man to dope
this market" put IN one Of the trader
listeners says the Boston Herald.
1T takes the crazy man that I'm talk
ing about to DO Il. replied the trader
with perfect seriousness. Hes been In
sane for years. and he win be insane to
the end OF his days. But he knows more
about market conditions than anybody
! ever met"
The traders listeners laughed az what
they viewed sc a whinsicality.
Seeing that you're so skeptical about
this thing. III go through with It and
tell you ali about II. said the trader. I
can easily understand why you fellows
should grin and exchange winks when
you hear me say that I'm taking market
tips from a crazy man. That. however.
is exactly what I've beer doing. What's
more, I'm going 10 take and play all the
tips he'll give me.
Last spring the mind OF q brother OF
mine became temporarily elouded and he
was placed In a private Institution In
Providence where his mind could hn6 it
self. I may ss well say right here that
after a few months Of treatment and the
/ quiet life OF the institution he got COM
pletely back 20 himself. and he's running
! bis factory again. as trig as a trivet
Shortly after he was placed IN the In
stitution he became great pals with a
man who'd been there for several years.
I This man--he's about forty-hve now-had
/ been market plunger. particularly on
/ grain and cotton, in New York and Chi
| esgo, almost from HIS boyhood.
He was affiliated. IN bis early tweutles.
with men like Old Hutch and Partridge
and that gang OF SKY high Chicago rock
/ ieters. and the strain hsd knocked him on
1 his balance. Another thing that helped
10 burn out his mental apparatus was
the fact that he had played ao-Hmit poker
with these Chicago zenith busters for
| nearly so straight nights.
AT the wind-up Of this gambling orgy
he'd been compelled 70 employ a physi-
clan and go on tour Of the world. last
ing three years. with the idea Of getting
back his health His health returned.
but his mind didn't When he returned 70
the United States his folks had 10 have
( him put away.
4 Z was profoundly impressed BY the zp-
/ pearancs and conversation OF my broth
er's insane chum the hrst time 7 laid
eyes on him when visiting my brother.
He has a splendid looking head. a fne
keen eye, and talks perfectly straight ex-
cept az rare intervals.
We'll. he was delighted when he
I learned that I was a market trader. He
chirked I'D wonderfully when ny brother
( told him that. and Immediately he began
10 talk 10 me about market conditions
I was positively knocked clean OF The
/ bench By the comprehensiveness of his
4 knowledge and information OF the market
/ conditions. particularly with reference C
grain and cotton. He was a student 0i
grain, cotton, and staples right down tc
and beneath the pelts OF those commodi-
ties
He read every report of the Depart
ment OF Agriculture bearing upon theoss
matters. in addition 20 a mass Of bulletins
( issued by private houses. he had croI
conditions at his fingers ends. He knew
down tc tentfls os inches The previou:
months rainfall Of every grain and co;toT
producing State Of the Union. BE knew
all about droughts IN The States sufferinf
from lack OF rainfall
''ffc himself made a system OF averages
derived from many reports. some OF then
conflicting. with respect to crop acreage;
In ell the States. He took into his cal
culations the difficulty OF some OF tn,
States in getting harvest hands H
figured on the overvorking % inadequate
1 " equipped railroads In getting crops {,
market
L sat and listened 70 this Insane mani
expoundinz Of market conditions iik,
somebody in a trance It seemed incTed
ible that his ofThand pTonoUncements a.
TO what December wheat, for instance
was going 10 do could be within league
OF the truth. Il seemed foolish 70 sup
pose that his criticism OF the DepaTtmen
Of AgTiculture's estimate Of the eottol
crop could have any meat In il.
Yet the mans manner was impressive
There wasn't any ravinE III his talk H
Just went over things quietly and con
vincingly, without the slightest appear
ance Of boastfulness.
Finally I decided that I'd try him on
on a few predictions. took the whea
market TO him and asked him 10 defin
what the next day would probably bTinl
forth. He studied for a long time an
then came through with as reasonable a.
analysis Of the wheat situation as eve
came from the lips o. an expert IN per
feet possession OF all bis faculties o.
the following day his predictions ver
verified down 70 the Httlest details
For eight OF ten days more 7 sub
jeoteG kirl 90 the same sort OF tests. II
/. invariably took goo5 hour OF so OF 8
the quiet OF his apartments 70 dope on
the answers TO the market problems tia
submitted 70 him. and when ne re
turned to where I was taking with m
brother, carrying his neatly writtei
memoranda with him. he went over tn
, subject with the cleafness and the thor
ouEhness OF man who had an entir
mastery OF his subject.
Cotton is tco cheap to-day or va
, yesterday" he said 20 me one day q
soon IS arrived at the institution fror
| Newport. You'd better buy yourself
few thousand bales for the rise. Tn
rise Is overdue
! Il asked him TO elCcidate. and he Ws
there with the elucidation. supported b
figures intricately but reasonably worke
out. that convinced ne beyond all doub
that cotton was q buy I bought cotto
, on the following morning by wire froT
Newport, and two DAYS later cleane
Up tidily on a neat little advance vhIo
proved. however, 10 be only temporarily
Have you sold that cotton? my in
sane friend asked me on the afternoo
when I showed up after having got RI
= Of my cotton.
l.