Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-04-27

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...,.>~- ,,,, -DiaAaARck. !. DAILY rRlDuhl
-..E5s- n I y 49, 49, ma
inch Of the &lonG quadrangle. so6 the
wheat pit. The din ~ the tangled
chorus rose up from the mob struggling
for foothold echoed far down .Lasalle
street. ...@ss.
TO the packed galleries Of spectators
the scene was like an immense grid
iron where hundred football teams
were simultaneously trying to buck
the center" Hour after hour the pan
demonium increased. ~l
"Give 76 for corn" A below could
be heard above the uproar, but no an
swering voice or raised hand came In
answer, only more din. .Is
"Give IS for 100000 bushels" The
hoarse cry only fed the fame of frenzy.
md successive bids of 70 and so SEEM
ed but to increase the fury of every
broker on the floor in the despairing
effort to buy.
AS the price gradually assembled it
seemed that nowhere in the whole
country was there single bushel Of
corn for sale. Finally, toward the
closing hour, as the anxiety Of the
"shorts" grew greater, a disheveled
broker raised himself up out Of the
fighting mob and, waving a clinched
fist, yelled, Eighty one" There was
stiffness for the one instant 1t took the
clamoring seekers of grain to realize
what that meant. Then in greater
volume assembled the roar as from one
end of the room to the other came the
chorus, "Eighty-one. eighty-one. eighty
onev'
But it beat futilely against the high
gray walls.
| The market in corn was "cornered."
Outside in the rotunda heavy set:
twinkling eyed man sat in chair. tilt
ed back against a column beside the
fruit stand Of apple Mary" calmly
and joyously sucking an orange. Gu
rious ones from the galleries filtered
down to gaze at him from distance.
while excited brokers rushed ont to
tell him Of the soaring prices.
1t was the new king Of the pit"
Outwartlly James A. Patten was the
least interested man in all Chicago in
what was transpiring on the board OF
trade. HY
"It's gone to 81, Jimv' cried a trader,
while a crowd of friends surrounded
the great BULL" # ,s4I
A Patten Story.
"what's gone to 81? Oh, corn. Why.
/ wasn't thinking Of corn at all. Twas
laughing at something that happened
out at my church. I'm president Of
the mems club, you know, and also
pass the collection plate. =
"A horid and pompous little fellow
was sitting In one Of the seats, and he
had dollar in his hand. He looked
up and saw me with the plate. Like
lightning he swished the dollar back
into his pocket and drew out Z nickel.
"'What's the use IN giving 1t to you,
Jim Pattern heard him say, soto
evoce. It'll all go for chewing gum or
corn" 81. 5-' ', -
h. While Armour was the heaviest
loser in that corn corner, probably to
the extent Of $4,000, 900, J. Brandt
Walker, the quandom: Napoleon Of
Wall street." was also caught In, the
squeeze, it is estimated, to close on q
million. Walker won $4,000, 900 in
New York during the stock panic and
returned to his home in Chicago DIN
crease his fortune with a dier on the
board of trade. He was with Armour
when the packer smashed Patten q
year before and followed in his wake
in the later deal. Z ..a :.
In the early days Of the campaign he
sent Patten tantalizing notes, such a.:
Dear Jim1 am selling you corn ct a
and am going to buy 1t back ut 10. IT'S
peaches and cream for me: Keep II up.
Yours. " ,' WALKER. "
Dear Jim-This corn proposition IL about
the softest thing ever struck. I am
away to the good already. Yours,
are soft. WALKER
But Patten eventually STOOD him
on his head' and shook some Of his
Wall street winnings out of his peck
cts.
+ Saving Z Victim.
While relentless with the "big TEL
lows" who are relentless with Him,
many a small trader has been rescued
from disaster through Jim Patterns
generosity. During the boisterous
close Of the great corn squeeze. rs Pat
ten sat out In the rotunda, IN aShen
faced man with perspiration stream
ing down his face staggered ont Of the
l!pit. ,. =. .y .,.,<. Ill q d.
"God, Jim," he gasped, 'I'm done
for! Every cent gone! They closed
me out at 80. The folks"-A s'z
"Why, man." said Patten, "what
right have You to be in the grain pitt
You're too small dealer to be N Q
place like this. Say, how much have
you lostT' '- .7, iii :,.srs ~ ~ g g $si
"rm in $4,000. Everything sons In
liz moment ~ @.aif,t fsz'
"Well, 60 home and rest up. Come
around In the morning, and I'll atake
up your accounts." 5% .;aSs3
That's funny sort OF man to BE-
Engineering big corn corner" said Z
| spectator close By. He doesn't seem
/ n mini ufvinor n hack - 1nme ~ slA